Title: A Beautiful Madness
Author: Lee Thompson
Genre: Mystery, Horror
Age Group: Adult
Rating: 4 stars
Purchase: Amazon
Review copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
A Texas Senator and his wife go missing… On the same day, their son is slaughtered by an enigmatic killer on the lawn of ex-Governor Edward Wood’s residence. Sammy, Wood’s drug dealing son, suspects his father of the crime. After all, his old man snapped once before and crippled his wife with a lead pipe. But there’s something more to these events…something deeper and festering just beneath the surface…
In direct opposition to Homicide Detective Jim Thompson, Sammy begins an investigation of his own, searching for the truth in a labyrinth of lies, deception, depravity and violence that drags him deeper into darkness and mayhem with each step. And in doing so, brings them all into the sights of an elusive and horrifying killer who may not be what he seems.
A brutal killer on a rampage of carnage…a hardened detective on the brink…an antihero from the shadows…a terrifying mystery that could destroy them all…
When I read the blurb for A Beautiful Madness, I wasn’t sure I was going to like it. It didn’t scream horror at me. Until I started reading, that is. Lee Thompson creates characters that speak to a reader’s imagination, characters who sound realistic, who have real life issues and troubles.
The book starts out with boy getting slaughtered on the lawn of ex-governor Edward Wood’s home. On the same day, the boy’s parents – a Texas Senator and his wife – go missing. Sammy, the son of the Edward Wood, suspects his father. Edward is no gentle man – the last time he flipped out, he crippled his wife with a lead pipe.
Sammy starts an investigation of his own, but his family is wrapped in a web of lies, deceit and depravity. There’s a depraved killer out thee, and both Sammy and hardened homicide detective Jim Thompson, trie to find him before he hurts anyone else. But the secrets that are unearthed could destroy them all.
The author offers complex characters that come in different shades of grey – no one is truly black and white. The writing is solid, and it’s obvious from the characterization, plot and writing, that the author has a background in noir fiction.
A solid read. I wasn’t that scared, but it did give me some chills.
[…] Beautiful Madness by Lee Thompson […]