When I was given the opportunity to preview Slavis, by Garry Charles, the first thing I thought was what in the world does Slavis mean? I had no clue, which left me with no preconceived notions about this story. The book wasted no time peaking my interest in what Slavis meant, as you got your first small clue into what Slavis could all be about in the prologue. After learning what Slavis was, it was extremely hard not wanting to know more. Trust me when I say: “you won’t be disappointed when you find out what Slavis exactly was.”
The first couple of chapters introduced you to some of the book’s important characters before their lives became intertwined. It had characters to root for, and feel sorry for, such as, detective Kyle Harrison. While investigating a crime that would soon become more important to him than his regular cases, he received a phone call that is every parent’s worst nightmare. Harrison found out that his children were murdered, and set off on a mission like no other to find their killer. Based on clues from his children’s death, he knew he wouldn’t be able to solve this crime alone, so he called upon Megan Grant. She was a very strong willed person, whose life was destined for this journey. Along with her came Peter Booth, who was in love with Megan, but cursed with the friend label. He followed along on this adventure wanting to protect her, but also out of jealousy. That jealousy provided a bit of comic relief, as Peter poked at Harrison to ensure that Harrison had no thoughts of being with Megan. As the three of them prepared to take a helicopter ride to the scene of the children’s death, Harrison unexpectedly reunited with Kaci Keyser. She was not only the pilot, but also someone who had a history with him. The last passenger on this trip was Adam Green, whom had the task of making sure Harrison played this by the book, and not let the case get too personal.
As we saw those characters come together for an unimaginable journey, even more unspeakable acts were taking place. Those events were made possible because of Dr. Adrian Chappell. He was the villain, and made hating him very easy to do as the story went on. He went to great lengths to protect what seemed like his life’s work, and in the process, turned people’s lives up side down. Chappell was one of the few people that knew what Slavis was, and that was not a good thing, to say the least. Through a series of twists and turns, Harrison and his fellow travelers would unfortunately find out the true meaning of Slavis.
This tale was written in a way that was very easy to read. The chapters were short, and got straight to the point. There were no wasted details, so I wouldn’t overlook anything that was mentioned. The suspense was high throughout the story, as clues drew you closer to finding out who killed Harrison’s children. This wasn’t a normal murder mystery though. There was something truly horrifying going on, and you felt every moment of it with the terrific descriptions that were used like this one, “his eyes open yet sightless, his mouth frozen open in a scream that had never made it out.” And that was only a small taste of the terror. There was an abundance of blood being spilled, and bones being crushed. Also, there were plenty of witty lines. One of my favorites was when Megan answered a phone call and said, “Hello, City Morgue… you stab ‘em and we bag em.” Most importantly, you will find yourself entrenched with the story as you discover what Slavis was.
Once you start reading this book, I don’t think you will be able to stop. As each chapter ended, it tempted you to keep reading on. The story was well constructed, as it pieced together all these characters lives leading up to an unexpected finish. The great description made you feel like you were along for the ride. I don’t regret finding out what Slavis was, but the characters surely did.
Slavis, by author and screenwriter Garry Charles, will be available for free download on Sept. 10 at www.garrycharles.co.uk. Garry currently has 3 published novels, and several other stories available for free download such as, Death Tide, and Ghost Writer. I encourage you to check them out, as I will be reading Death Tide next.
HorrO
Comments
Post a Comment