Reviews of Dead Man's Eye

Joanna's corneal transplant surgery was successful. Rather than continuing to suffer with failing sight, she now has the ability to see things she hasn't been able to see clearly for a while. But not everything is meant to be seen, and Joanna may soon come to realize she may have been safer going blind. At least when you're blind, you can't see the evil that lurks within some of your most trusted friends...

This novella by Shaun Jeffrey puts a nice twist on a classic horror theme. Joanna is (almost) the only one who can see what she sees, but getting someone to believe her in time to save others may be next to impossible. With such a classic premise, the storyline tends towards the predictable. I found the prose to be very simplistic and lacking in maturity. The resulting writing style is more "young adult" in feel, although the story itself does not fall into that category. The uncomplicated writing did make for a very quick and easy read, but it didn't allow me to immerse myself in the horror and to feel what Joanna was feeling. There was too much explained and not enough left for the reader to experience. The story lacked "voice" that would have allowed the reader to fully experience the horror firsthand. More detail and less explanation would have made it feel less like watching a horror movie and more like participating in it.

This is a story driven by events and not characters. The characters feel secondary to the plot events that drive this story. The pacing of the events is nicely done, and really helps to build to the climax, but it feels somewhat monochromatic without strong character development. In particular, I wanted more of Lincoln and his experience of being inhabited by a demon. I think more could have been done with his quandary. I also felt that Margaret, the other recipient of the corneal transplant, could have played a more integral role (or else be left out entirely). Joanna goes to visit Margaret twice to enlist her help, and each time, she gives up when Margaret turns her down. It felt really incomplete. It was obvious Margaret had seen things she wished she hadn't, but that information and those visits added nothing to the story that I could see. There were also a few handfuls of very small editing errors- not totally distracting, but present.

Overall, it was a fun read and a good bet for fans of horror. It was difficult to put the book down before I got to the end, and I did like the ending. Predictable, perhaps, but satisfying, nonetheless.

Originally posted @ MotherLode blog

Dead Man’s Eye is a dark and scary novella that may keep you up at night.

Joanna has had a corneal transplant, and as she is waiting for a train to take her to her doctor’s office, she witnesses a horrible accident in which a man loses his arm. But, Joanna sees some type of dark shadow enter his body shortly after the accident. She runs into this man, Lincoln, at the hospital, and he is still shrouded in this dark shadow.

Joanna thinks she’s going crazy and finally decides to tell her boyfriend, Stephen, and her doctor, but they are sure there is some medical explanation for her condition.

Things get worse and worse for Joanna, as she sees her best friend killed and taken over by one of these demons. There are more and more people being taken over, Joanna is being accused of murder, and she’s the only one that can see what is happening.

What can she do? How can she get proof that mankind is in grave danger?

I read this short book in one sitting, and I must admit it really gave me the creeps. The plot is the driving force in this story; we don’t learn much about the characters. I felt, at times, that there was a lot of “telling” and not “showing” to move things along more quickly. If Jeffrey had made this novel a bit longer, with more characterization and a bit more development of the plot, I would have enjoyed it more.

However, this story is worth the time it takes to read it, especially if you want some creep factor. This is an adult book—there are sexual conversations, some violent sex, and language, so definitely not for the younger crowd.

Review first published as Review: Dead Man's Eye by Shaun Jeffrey on Once Upon a Chapter

Dead Man's Eye is a good read if you have an hour or two to kill. For the bargain price of $.99 it'll keep you entertained. To be clear this is in no way, shape or form even close to a romance. It is a horror novella.

Joanna is the recent recipient of a cornea transplant. While on her way to a doctor’s appointment a man is knocked into the way of a subway train and he loses his arm. Joanna witnesses a black shadow rush towards the man but thinks it is due to some troubles she is having with the transplant.

Joanna is in for a serious shock when she leaves her appointment and the man from the station is there but he isn’t the same man that she had conversed with at the station. He looks evil and there is a black aura around him. There is also a black limb where his human arm used to be. It isn’t until Joanna witnesses several strange events and several more black auras that she starts seriously worrying about what is going on. Who is this person and why is he spreading his blackness like an infection? More importantly, who is going to believe her?

Jeffrey writes a pretty suspenseful tale in the short amount of pages that the book has, only 126 according to my Nook. The only thing that stopped this book from being a B+ or even an A for me was what I felt was an unnecessary rape scene. We don’t know the woman just that the demon possessing the body gets his kicks from “defiling” human women. Thankfully it is one brief scene and then the story moves on.

Overall, Jeffrey does a great job keeping you entertained for a little while without hitting your pocketbook heavily.

This story goes at a cracking pace, so you have to keep reading! Very enjoyable.

Joanna is the recipient of a new cornea, courtesy of a dead priest. She sees things that aren’t there like shadows and blames it on the surgery. Yet, nobody believes her and the terror begins. Is it an evil eye? Sorry, had to put that in there. This horror story is a riveting piece of work. Shaun Jeffrey captures what the horror fan wants; being on the edge of their seat.