Smashwords — About Penumbra Publishing

Alterations by Rita Plush
Price: $2.99 USD. 59720 words. Published by Penumbra Publishing on May 23, 2013. .
SHORT STORY COLLECTION. These pieces feel so immediate and alive – the voices, every detail – like memoir. Intimate, funny, and full of surprises, they’re big – about love, death, sex, loss, longing. I especially enjoyed “Love, Mona.” The intimate, beautiful portrayal of grief and hope ends with a wordless gesture so tender and expressive, I will never forget it. –Mary Azrael, Editor, Passager

America's Galactic Foreign Legion - Book 16: Galactic Disney by Walter Knight
Price: $2.99 USD. 41810 words. Published by Penumbra Publishing on May 17, 2013. .
Construction of the new Galactic Disney theme park nears completion in New Colorado’s New Gobi Desert. Suspicion escalates between humans and spiders. On opening day, the Legion employs more than fairy dust and magical mice to provide security, mounting missiles and machine guns as backup in the ‘Escape from Spider Mountain’ ride - and humans and spiders collide as the laughs continue.

America's Galactic Foreign Legion - Book 15: Lieutenant Columbus by Walter Knight
Price: $0.99 USD. 33720 words. Published by Penumbra Publishing on May 17, 2013. .
#15 - In the future, Major Lopez travels back in time to recruit Christopher Columbus into the Legion, but in the current timeline when Columbus shows up, he has no memory of him and assumes he's a crackpot who thinks he's a famous historical figure. Colonel Czerinski bungles the search for gold in the legendary lost mine of old Bob Woodard, pissing off the spiders across the DMZ, laughs continue.

Battle for Blood - The Blood Feud by Pedro Cerda & Daniel Stiles
Price: $2.99 USD. 75930 words. Published by Penumbra Publishing on May 17, 2013. .
Death is rarely a laughing matter - unless it involves zombie pirates and vampire raiders in space invading a peaceful planet of purple humanoid people. (Talk about purple people eaters!) One man stands in the way of planetary annihilation - but will his efforts be enough to save his people? Read and find out!

Status Quo by Mark Rosendorf
Price: $2.99 USD. 83570 words. Published by Penumbra Publishing on April 19, 2013. .
Alex and an astronomer are to traverse a wormhole but the government stops the project. 7 years later Alex is part of shuttle Status Quo's untrained crew. The astronomer’s daughter is in a mental hospital, the teen pilot plays on a simulator, his mother is 'psychic.' An incompetent doctor, troubled teen, convicted murderer, and cat are aboard too. The director wants them all dead. Are they doomed?

America's Galactic Foreign Legion Book 17, Randal Telk and the 396 Steps to Sexual Bliss by Walter Knight
Price: $0.99 USD. 37070 words. Published by Penumbra Publishing on January 13, 2013. .
Private Randal Telk falls deeper into his delusions as the Legion searches planet New Colorado's New Gobi Desert for his bride Elena, captured by the rebel group Fist & Claw. Telk dreams of super-hot Yolanda and his various applications of the 396 Steps to Sexual Bliss - while things look ever more dire for Elena. But an old Legion foe lends advice to help Telk stay on task.

Death Spiral Book 2: Jai Dee by James Boedeker
Price: $2.99 USD. 59740 words. Published by Penumbra Publishing on November 28, 2012. .
An expatriate sniper assassin retired from the business, ends up in Bangkok, where he tries to redeem himself by protecting 'working girls.' Known as Jai Dee - Good Heart - he finds happiness with a former working girl until a killer invades the city. Now he must seek help from other expatriates to help him rid Bangkok of this terrible menace - but what will that task truly cost him?

Cold War: Murder in the Heartland by Robert L. Tecklenburg
Price: $2.99 USD. 83640 words. Published by Penumbra Publishing on November 28, 2012. .
At the height of the Cold War and one of the coldest Iowa winters on record, Police Chief and Korean War vet Jimmy Novotny deals with personal demons while investigating a farmer's apparent suicide. But when more bodies and rumors of Soviet spies turn up, it's clear there's a murderer loose in the rural community. A redheaded reporter shows up to complicate things, and Jimmy has his hands full.

Death Spiral by James Boedeker
Price: $2.99 USD. 69240 words. Published by Penumbra Publishing on July 27, 2012. .
An ex-Navy SEAL in Thailand, haunted by the ghosts of his past, lives on a diet of booze and prostitutes - and milkshakes. To redeem himself, he needs to help the scarred young woman at Dairy Queen, and maybe the ghosts will leave him in peace. But there's no peace for a trained killer whose inner beast demands vengeance against those who victimize others. He's in a death spiral to get it done.

A Moon Called Sun by Christopher F. Cobb
Price: $2.99 USD. 111370 words. Published by Penumbra Publishing on July 23, 2012. .

(5.00)
Mysterious disappearances plague Earth’s history, blamed on the Bermuda Triangle, spontaneous combustion, and alien abductions - closer to the truth than anyone imagines. A young woman from 1942 war-torn France, an American accountant from 1967, and a scholar from far in Earth's future, all meet on a moon called Sun to serve an alien race. One man's destiny is to put a stop to it all - if he can!

Flight to Nowhere by Blas E. Padrino
Price: $2.99 USD. 83550 words. Published by Penumbra Publishing on July 21, 2012. .
When a Miami storm-chaser flies with a sexy news anchorwoman into a hurricane for a TV news feature, attraction brews. She's on the lookout for a news scoop to propel her to investigative reporting stardom, and he's looking for an excuse to see her again. When they discover an old plane wreck washed up in the Bahamas, that gets the attention of someone willing to do anything to keep it a secret.

Angel Moon by Jamie Wasserman
Price: $2.99 USD. 47660 words. Published by Penumbra Publishing on July 5, 2012. .

(4.00)
Kirsten Tyler's father and brother were brutally murdered – drained of blood – when she was just a little girl. The angels came to comfort her and watch over her, but then suddenly left. She's spent the last ten years trying to find them. Answers she sought about the past threaten to wreck her future when people close to her start turning up murdered – again.

Lily Steps Out by Rita Plush
Price: $2.99 USD. 77960 words. Published by Penumbra Publishing on May 20, 2012. .
Empty nest and retired husband - after 30 years of cooking and cleaning, Lily Gold wants more out of life, something of her own - a job. Just when she's about to open her own antique center, husband Leon decides he's had enough of her 'hobby' and closes their joint account. HIS needs - what about HERS? How far will she go to assert her independence? She's about to find out...

Jimmy Stu Lives! by Kent McDaniel
Price: $2.99 USD. 65210 words. Published by Penumbra Publishing on April 28, 2012. .
Pastor Jimmy Stu Sloan, facing old age and death, has lost his faith but tries to hold things together for his congregation, The Church of the Living Lord. On Easter Sunday morning's televised sermon, he speaks of Christ's resurrection, then announces plans for cryogenic preservation of his body. When he awakens in the future, not everyone wants him back from the dead, and he running out of time.

The Newfoundland Vampire by Charles O'Keefe
Price: $2.99 USD. 86940 words. Published by Penumbra Publishing on April 12, 2012. .

(4.00)
Joseph O'Reily secretly wants to be a superhero. When he goes to a local pub and meets a beautiful redhead, she makes him feel like one. Then strange things start happening, and he realizes she's done something to change him. Forever. Now instead of worrying about a vegetarian diet, he's craving blood and running from a 200-year-old vamp trying to kill him. Some fantasies should never come true.

Holding Back the Day by Jamie Wasserman
Price: $2.99 USD. 64810 words. Published by Penumbra Publishing on December 27, 2011. .
Claire's best friend and inspiration is her courageous and forthright grandmother Millie. Claire wants to be like her, but that's not such an easy task. When a charismatic boy named Jack comes to town, Claire realizes there's more to her grandmother than she'd ever guessed. Millie's harboring a big secret, and Claire suspects that secret is perennially mysterious Jack.

The Tide Changers by Sandy Green
Price: $2.99 USD. 37250 words. Published by Penumbra Publishing on December 19, 2011. .
Ford's feared the ocean since his dad disappeared 3 years ago diving near Cape Lore, NJ. Ford's older brother Jag is a swim champ, and his younger sister Mercedes has a mystical connection with the water. So why does he sink like a rock when he tries to swim? When Jag swims to the disappearing island and nearly drowns, Ford and Mercy must help him. That's when Ford discovers an amazing secret.

America's Galactic Foreign Legion - Book 14: Embassy Wars by Walter Knight
Price: $2.99 USD. 36240 words. Published by Penumbra Publishing on December 5, 2011. .
Czerinski is assigned to Arthropoda to protect the USGF Embassy while spying for General Lopez and the CIA. Riots break out, and an old foe wrecks his office. When war with the scorpion embassy ensues over turkey dinner, trouble follows Czerinski and crew back to a tropical isle on New Colorado to guard a volcano, where they go off the reservation in a zany new adventure.

The Numbers by Aidan Watson-Morris
Price: $2.99 USD. 33970 words. Published by Penumbra Publishing on November 29, 2011. .
Orphaned after the Life Act passed, Eleven became one of the unwanted children the military trained and transformed into elite soldiers. After a training accident climbing The Cliff, Eleven is injured. While recuperating, he discovers not everything – not everyone – is as he thought. He comes to realize there’s more to life than just training. He wants that, but first he must beat The Cliff.

America's Galactic Foreign Legion - Book 13: Salesman From Mars by Walter Knight
Price: $0.99 USD. 45660 words. Published by Penumbra Publishing on November 16, 2011. .
Born salesman Donald Crisp stars in this edition of the screwy military space saga. Crisp accepts a loan from the USGF recruitment ATM and is enlisted in the Foreign Legion. Oranges for scorpions, semi-sentient penguins, biting Blue Lizards, and ghosts from the past make life interesting as Crisp chills at the South Pole then makes a splash in Caldera Lake while watching out for the Grim Reaper!

Unnatural Law - Darwin's Children, Book 2 by Natasha Larry
Price: $2.99 USD. 104670 words. Published by Penumbra Publishing on October 26, 2011. .
Jaycie's psychokinetic surge is over, but things are far from normal for her and her family. She's still having trouble controlling her telekinetic power, and her telepathy is still on the fritz. As long as she's a danger to others and herself, she has to stay away from her love, Matt. But her surrogate mom Allison has problems of her own. All Allison can remember of her dreams is a red rose...

Assassination Anxiety by Barry K. Nelson
Price: $2.99 USD. 73360 words. Published by Penumbra Publishing on October 19, 2011. .
The Protectorate is still at war with the reptilian Brelac. The three captured Brelac humanoid clones, reprogrammed to serve the Protectorate as the Silencers, are sent to investigate an assassination attempt on the President that employed horrendous weapons and cost many lives. If it's the separatist organization Vendetta working with the Brelac, the human race's only hope is the Silencers.

America's Galactic Foreign Legion - Book 12: The Ark by Walter Knight
Price: $2.99 USD. 52580 words. Published by Penumbra Publishing on September 22, 2011. .
General Lopez sends Czerinki's platoon to steal technology from a huge alien spaceship buried deep below the desert oasis of croc-infested Caldera Lake. The spiders believe the ship is an ancient mythological ark, and the race is on to reach it first. Where the Legion goes, progress follows. Soon a Walmart, Starbucks, Taco Bell, and two casinos pop up as tourists pour in and the laughs abound.

America's Galactic Foreign Legion - Book 11: Cemetery City by Walter Knight
Price: $0.99 USD. 35390 words. Published by Penumbra Publishing on September 6, 2011. .
Colonel Lopez returns to New Colorado, intent on mining rare metals used in USGF communications and weapons technology. Problem is, the ore vein is located across the border in Arthropodan territory. Lopez's plan to get around that involves Major Czerinski's chain of cemeteries. The spiders take offense at the Legion's claim-jumping, and Lopez gets caught in the middle as the laughs continue.

The McKenzie Files by Barry K. Nelson
Price: $2.99 USD. 74320 words. Published by Penumbra Publishing on August 6, 2011. .
Military SciFi, Book 1 ... Humanity's at war with a reptilian race called the Brelac, but a secret weapon - human Reploid clones programmed to serve the Brelac - have infiltrated the Protectorate. In a bid to turn the Brelac secret weapons against their alien masters, the Protectorate reprograms three captured Reploids who may be the only thing standing between humanity and total destruction.

America's Galactic Foreign Legion - Book 10: Peacekeepers by Walter Knight
Price: $2.99 USD. 41950 words. Published by Penumbra Publishing on July 29, 2011. .
Czerinski and his ragtag band of legionnaires are now sporting blue as peacekeepers between the spiders and scorpions, but that's like wearing a target painted on their backs. It's SNAFU - situation normal, all f****d up. But everything will be OK as long as Taco Bell and Pizza Hut keep their doors open. The laughs continue in this 10th installment of the seriously silly space opera.

Colors by David Berardelli
Price: $2.99 USD. 102100 words. Published by Penumbra Publishing on July 23, 2011. .
After trying to help a hit-and-run victim, a young woman starts seeing odd colors around people. As she probes deeper into the murder to help bring justice to the old woman and find out more about her strange new gift, a DEA cop comes to her rescue. She soon realizes someone very powerful wants to keep her quiet - permanently. Will the colors help keep her safe or endanger everyone she's near?

Vampire in the Outfield by Walter Knight
Price: $0.99 USD. 64980 words. Published by Penumbra Publishing on June 22, 2011. .
A young man who just wants to play baseball in the major leagues ends up going to some questionable extremes to get his wish. A humorous look at baseball, vampires, and the Evil Empire (the New York Yankees) in a future where scouts will sign just about anybody – human or otherwise – if they can hit and play ball. (Complete novella. Last half contains promo bonus material for other books.)

America's Galactic Foreign Legion - Book 9: Scorpions by Walter Knight
Price: $0.99 USD. 38280 words. Published by Penumbra Publishing on May 15, 2011. .
The sneaky Scorpion Queen has yummy plans for the Mantidae on planet New Colorado, but Colonel Joey Czerinski and his miscreant legionnaires are out to stop her - with or without the insidious ATM's assistance. A mysterious green rash makes the rounds wherever the Queen goes, and Czerinski falls victim. The laughs continue as Major Lopez is suddenly put in charge - just how screwed up is that?

Dark Crescendo by Lucille Naroian
Price: $2.99 USD. 46550 words. Published by Penumbra Publishing on May 12, 2011. .
At the funeral of her famous pianist husband Steven, Joanna is shocked to see her former lover, Nick. Her father hated Nick, insisting she marry her Julliard instructor, a man she didn't love. Nick's back, professing his love again, but Joanna worries he's after revenge. Joanna's free now, but the secrets of the past crash in with a crescendo, threatening her chance at happiness.

Darwin's Children by Natasha Larry
Price: $2.99 USD. 97440 words. Published by Penumbra Publishing on May 10, 2011. .

(3.75)
Life's too complicated for 17-year-old Jaycie Lerner. A telepath with super telekinetic power, she just wants a normal life with a cute boyfriend, but nature has other plans for her as she approaches a telekinetic surge that could destroy everything and everyone around her. Good thing she's got her super-powered family and new best friend - and a special guardian angel to help her through it all.

America's Galactic Foreign Legion - Book 8: Allies by Walter Knight
Price: $2.99 USD. 41960 words. Published by Penumbra Publishing on April 3, 2011. .
A treaty makes the humans and spiders allies. Before anyone can enjoy peace, the scorpions reappear with a vengeance. Col. Czerinski and his legionnaires help the spiders battle the scorpions. The Legion’s serendipitous screw-up convinces the scorpions to surrender. A new alien species makes an appearance, and a feared nemesis returns, putting everyone on alert as the laughs continue.

Fatal Innocence by David Berardelli
Price: $2.99 USD. 91710 words. Published by Penumbra Publishing on March 31, 2011. .
When software king Richard Warden meets a ravishing redhead, tragedy strikes repeatedly. Private Eye Adam Brooks is hired to find this woman Richard fears is a competitor’s spy. Adam suspects she’s got a more personal reason for pursuing the software king and races to find the truth before the CEO of WarCo goes down in flames. Or maybe that’s the best thing that could happen to him.

America's Galactic Foreign Legion - Book 7: Enemies by Walter Knight
Price: $0.99 USD. 35460 words. Published by Penumbra Publishing on February 2, 2011. .
Even the paranoid have enemies - as Colonel Joey R. Czerinski well knows, being paranoid and having many enemies, some of whom he actually calls friends. Snipers on rooftops and scorpions from space - all have to be dealt with. And Czerinski deals with everything in his usual way - by cheating and lying and alienating everyone around him - as the laughs continue.

Escape Clause by David Berardelli
Price: $2.99 USD. 100030 words. Published by Penumbra Publishing on January 25, 2011. .
Orlando man Hank Lee spots Sally Burns, the love of his life he’d lost seven years ago. After chaotic events, Hank fears she’s in danger. She’s now married to a wealthy software king. When Hank tells him Sally’s missing, he seems unconcerned. Hank is attacked by pros and realizes corporate politics can be murder. If there’s a contract on her life, they both need an escape clause.

Broadland Suspense: The Blue Lady by Anthony Jude McGowne
Price: $2.99 USD. 70500 words. Published by Penumbra Publishing on December 29, 2010. .
1974, a tumultous time in the British Isles and worldwide for industry and the economy. Undaunted, seven young Scottish men hire a cruiser on the Norfolk Broads for their summer holiday. Comical circumstances complicate their attempts to find fun and romance, and the interference of a criminal element ensures they get more than they bargained for. Time spent with the Blue Lady, never to forget.

America's Galactic Foreign Legion - Book 6: Culture War by Walter Knight
Price: $2.99 USD. 40320 words. Published by Penumbra Publishing on December 11, 2010. .
Arthropoda’s Emperor declares war on human culture and orders US goods at New Colorado's DMZ confiscated. Spider citizens have already adopted American cultural icons including the Nike Swoosh and skateboarding. Even the spider commander is addicted to Starbucks. Hostilities escalate. Czerinski overreacts, alienating allies. But the revolution is stronger than anyone suspects. Laughs continue.

America's Galactic Foreign Legion - Book 5: Insurgency by Walter Knight
Price: $0.99 USD. 43550 words. Published by Penumbra Publishing on November 13, 2010. .
Colonel Joey R. Czerinski and his band of legionnaires try to quell a citizen uprising in planet New Colorado’s New Gobi Desert and foil an insurgency plot to kill the spider Arthropodan Emperor and his lovely wife, Queen Rainbow. Suspicion and mistrust threaten the stability of Legion command, while Czerinski deals with troubles arising from a tryst with a long-gone marine.

The Making of Bernie Trumble: A Fable of Man and Mutt in a World Run by Women by Robert J. Wetherall
Price: $2.99 USD. 76940 words. Published by Penumbra Publishing on November 13, 2010. .
Born in a world ruled by women, Bernie is an outcast because he thinks males and females should have equal opportunity for growth and fulfillment. Bernie risks everything in a stubborn attempt to find happiness by closing the gender gap. Maybe a transgender operation is the answer. Or maybe not. The tongue-in-cheek humor helps ease the pain with every guilty chuckle.

America's Galactic Foreign Legion - Book 4: Demilitarized Zone by Walter Knight
Price: $2.99 USD. 47670 words. Published by Penumbra Publishing on October 1, 2010. .
Decorated Legion war hero Captain Joey Czerinski and his platoon go to planet New Colorado’s New Gobi Desert to guard the demilitarized zone dividing human-occupied territory from areas claimed by the Arthropodan Empire. With a new alien spider commander, a human boy rising to lead a militia, and McDonald's, Walmart, and Chupacabra added to the mix, the funny bone gets smacked hard.

America's Galactic Foreign Legion - Book 3: Silent Invasion by Walter Knight
Price: $0.99 USD. 49610 words. Published by Penumbra Publishing on August 9, 2010. .
Captain Joey Czerinski of the United States Galactic Foreign Legion faces double-crossing friends and adversaries on both sides as the situation deteriorates for human occupation of planet New Colorado, and the Arthropodan Empire plans to take control. The wolves are literally at the door, and maybe all Czerinski can do is take a dive and throw the fight - literally - to save the day!

Blood and Sunlight: A Maryland Vampire Story by Jamie Wasserman
Price: $0.99 USD. 81890 words. Published by Penumbra Publishing on August 2, 2010. .
Melanie would love to believe in fairytales but is stuck in a dead-end waitress job in her hometown, Ellicott City, Maryland, with a vampire dress-up boyfriend. Her world is turned upside-down when she encounters the real thing. She meets a wannabe vampire slayer, his father the sheriff, and finally the vampire himself, learning fairytales can come true, and evil isn't always where you'd expect.

Last Flight Home by Robert J. Wetherall
Price: $2.99 USD. 102730 words. Published by Penumbra Publishing on June 18, 2010. .

(5.00)
Born to fly, a Nebraska girl soars to the pinnacle of the global airline industry. Fearlessly meeting challenges in the air and of the heart, she learns life's lessons from family, lovers, enemies, and friends and mentors. Like the proverbial phoenix, she rises from the ashes of tragedy. Through it all, her love of flight sustains her. Crisply told saga with breathtaking flight sequences.

The Realms of Beliar: The Sword Myndarit by Andrew Arrowsmith
Price: $2.99 USD. 159570 words. Published by Penumbra Publishing on June 16, 2010. .
In a world where magic rules, the benevolent Empire of old is challenged by the upstart Alliance run by bloodthirsty tyrants. Life, pleasant and prosperous under Empire rule, faces a bitter end as the Alliance closes in. But the gods are not above interfering, and four young, inexperienced people may hold the key to the continued future of the Empire – with a little help from a talking sword.

The Cat's Fancy by Gwynn E. Ambrose
Price: $0.99 USD. 42180 words. Published by Penumbra Publishing on May 23, 2010. .

(5.00)
Humans think they rule the animal kingdom, but cats know better. Every now and then, humans need a little help, and Max the Cat meets the challenge when his human Kari Ingles gets in deep doo-doo after losing her job. His solution? Kari needs a mate – and fast. When Cole Jordensen moves into the apartment down the hall, Max fancies him as the purrr-fect choice and assumes the role of matchmaker!

America's Galactic Foreign Legion - Book 2: Reenlistment by Walter Knight
Price: $2.99 USD. 53260 words. Published by Penumbra Publishing on May 1, 2010. .
The satirical science-fiction military space saga continues. Decorated war hero, or war criminal guilty of atrocities? Depends on who’s judging ex-legionnaire Joey Czerinski. This lucky gambler turned soldier turned casino boss finds his businesses destroyed by continued alien insurgency. Desperate, he turns to his old friend the Galactic Foreign Legion ATM for a loan - and ends up reenlisted!

Angel's Oracle by Gary Bolick
Price: $0.99 USD. 113780 words. Published by Penumbra Publishing on April 10, 2010. .
Horrific events over Easter weekend in 1959 Angel, Mississippi, prove to an albino white man that he fits in better with the ‘coloreds’ than he does with his own ‘white folk.’ With gritty realism and wondrous mysticism, the story focuses on free will, race relations, capitalism, brotherly love, and the power of myth, religion, and history on love/hate and man's failure/redemption.

Stepping Out of My Grave by David Berardelli
Price: $0.99 USD. 65340 words. Published by Penumbra Publishing on March 8, 2010. .
Thirty-six-year-old Jake Mild is run over by an idiot in a tricked-out truck and wakes up standing in an open grave. Figuring he died, he hurries back to his apartment to keep his ex-wife from cleaning him out, but instead sees Sierra, a young girl, walking along the road. Jake discovers he can do cool tricks to help her out of trouble, but things quickly turn deadly. Can he save her?

Heart of Steele by Kessa Stranberg
Price: $0.99 USD. 110650 words. Published by Penumbra Publishing on January 7, 2010. .
A successful Chicago corporate lawyer returns to his small hometown with one objective - to crash his half-brother's wedding. But when he meets the bride-to-be and realizes she's being railroaded by his mother into marrying his slob of a brother, he has a different goal in mind. The wedding will go on as planned, but he'll replace his brother as the groom!

America's Galactic Foreign Legion - Book 1: Feeling Lucky by Walter Knight
Price: $0.99 USD. 59080 words. Published by Penumbra Publishing on December 23, 2009. .

(5.00)
Satirical science-fiction military space opera, #1 of series. Compulsive gambler Joey Czerinski must escape Old Earth fast to elude the bad-ass loan shark gunning for him. Desperate, he borrows funds from a shady Foreign Legion ATM, then gets shipped across space to fight a spider-like alien species. But one lucky roll of the dice could put him back in the game - if he can manage to stay alive!

Penumbra Publishing’s tag cloud

adventure affair airline planes flying pilot corporate intrigue ale alien alien space invasion aliens aliens spiders scorpions galactic foreign legion asteroid citizenship repatriation settlement concentration camp communism republican democrat ark assassin aura avalon bangkok thailand baseball bat blue lizard boating boy next door cat romance cooking restaurant church and state political lobbyists science fiction clones cryogenics futuristic preacher pastor sermon clones concert crocodiles cuba castro revolution plane wreck assassination news anchor hurricane stormchaser customs darwins children superpowers telekinesis telepathy fairies vampires black heroine young adult paranormal dea dea agent desert devil diamonds dirty cop dirty cops disappearing island drug dealers drugdealers expatriate fables legends and myths fantasy foreign legion former lover funeral future futuristic galactic foreign legion science fiction military adventure spider aliens chupacabra gender equality female dominance feminism war between the sexes humor genetic replicas ghost grim reaper historical 20th century hitandrun holiday human colonies humor humor and satire humor satire military war science fiction adventure action spider gambling hunting feeding kidnapping murder mob ceo prenuptial contract league legion lovers lost lovers reunite mafia magic sword empire alliance war unicorn scroll gods demons quest orc elf gnome priest druid warlock witch major league mantidae marine corps sniper mechanized battle droids mexico middlegrade juvenile fiction military infiltration military war mindreading mining mob murder murder intrigue drinking alcohol software tycoon private investigator mystery woman redheaded vixen private detective mystery suspense thriller music newfoundland canada vampire moose blood vegetarian mate norfolk broads nuclear bombs oasis ocean tides paramilitary expatriate paranormal paranormal romance paranormal telekinesis telepathy mindreading aura power surge vampires angels fairies parnanormal past peter pan syndrome piano police procedure investigation political satire psychic psychic communication racial race relations southern literary voodoo religion capitalism reenlistment foreign legion science fiction military action adventure spider aliens aliens football revenge romance romance contemporary forced marriage wedding pregnancy kidnapping embezzlement family secret satire science fiction military war enemies aliens spiders scorpions science fiction science fiction foreign legion christopher columbus time travel gold mine spider aliens humor military war space opera science fiction humor zombie pirates vampire raiders planetary invasion space saga science fiction military war alien spider cultural contimanation cultural icons taco bell pizza hut starbucks coffee skateboarding interspecies marriage science fiction military war insurgency terrorism foreign legion humor science fiction military war reptilian brelac presidential assassination third generation reploids clones science fiction spider aliens salesman gambler poker sports betting wagers scorpion aliens sentient penguins south pole caldera lake planet new colorado blue lizards grim reaper scythe of death science fiction theme park alien spiders military war alamo humor science fiction time travel halcyon alternate dimension alien abduction warrior andrew jackson science fiction war military adventure alien spiders desert chupacabra walmart mcdonalds science fiction war military space adventure space opera alien spiders scorpions embassy volcano tropical island spring break drunken revelry exhibition basketball time travel star trek parody scorpions scottish scout sea monster secrets serial killer sexual bliss short stories historical 1950s 1960s 1970s womens fiction literary memoir cultural ethnic jewish urban family smugglers solar urticaria soviet cold war space space adventure space opera spaceship spaceship adventure spaceships spiders sports spy intrigue streetsmart teenage girl suspense taco bell teen angst telepathy thriller traitor umpire undercover cop underwater people vampire vampire ellicott city maryland serial killer bo railroad vampire human blood murder bodies college coeds angel lore stalker watchers war military waterways womens contemporary fiction reentering the workforce empty nest personal independence humor and pathos marriage issues working girl prostitute world war ii wormhole young adult war military near future futuristic literary psychological coming of age dystopian government oppression forced servitude

Smashwords book reviews by Penumbra Publishing

The Devil's Game by S.L. Pierce and Maren Kaye on Oct. 13, 2011

THE DEVIL’S GAME By S.L. Pierce & Maren Kaye Psychological Thriller Ebook provided by the author as a contest prize Review by Willa Kaye Danes, author at Penumbra Publishing This story about a girl and her stalker – and her stalker’s stalker intent on ending things badly – was highly suspenseful and kept me guessing to the end regarding the real culprit. A well written psychological thriller with great characterization and pacing, The Devil’s Game switches scenes from an ambition-driven psychiatrist and her patient (Patient X), obsessed with following stalkers, to the rather hapless but likeable victim, Rachel, alone in the big city, and not sure who she can trust to turn to for help when mysterious gifts begin appearing inside her apartment. Later, the gifts are accompanied by threatening messages, but poor Rachel is at a loss to figure out how the culprit is gaining access to her apartment. There are plenty of suspects to choose from, and some deliberate misdirection that makes it continually impossible to figure out who the real stalker is. It is intense reading, and the characters are all very believable and well drawn. The dialog is crisp and realistic, and I found myself instantly drawn into Rachel’s world of worry and woe. On a technical side, there were a few instances of point-of-view mixing I felt should not have been there, but they were unobtrusive enough not to mar the reading of the story. Another issue is that the authors give us snippets of almost everyone’s point of view, but conveniently leave out clues I felt should have been dealt with a little more fairly in the story. That is the main reason it was so hard to figure out who the stalker and the stalker-stalker were, because things were kept from the reader in such a way that it didn’t seem quite logical, given that we are seeing everyone’s thoughts. Overlooking this, one can still become quickly absorbed in the story and empathize with Rachel throughout the whole ordeal. The ending wraps up nicely, and overall the story is very entertaining and riveting. I would rate it 5/5 but for the bit about the holding back of clues when in the POV of the ‘guilty parties.’ With that, it earns a 4.5. out of 5.0. Well done, and recommended.