Customer Reviews

Chill of Fear [With Earphones] (Playaway Adult Fiction)

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Kay Hooper's new thriller, "Chill of Fear," is a mystery with a paranormal twist. The book is set in Leisure, Tennessee, at a secluded resort called "The Lodge." This location has been the scene of numerous murders and disappearances over the years. One crime in particular has obsessed Quentin Hayes, a psychic and a member of the FBI's Special Crimes Unit, whose members use their extrasensory abilities as investigative tools. Hayes has spent a great deal of time over the years trying to find the killer of an eight-year-old girl named Missy; Quentin was a guest at the resort when Missy was murdered, twenty-five years ago.

Diana Brisco has recently arrived at the Lodge. She is a troubled thirty-three year old woman who had been taking a variety of sedatives, antianxiety drugs, and antidepressants for over twenty years. Her mother died when Diana was a young girl, and her father was alarmed by Diana's strange behavior, her blackouts, and her inability to concentrate. However, Diana's doctor weaned her off all drugs a year ago, and after meeting with and talking to Quentin, Diana realizes that she has never been mentally ill. She is a medium who can see and talk to the dead. Fate brought her to the Lodge at the same time as Quentin because she is the only one who can speak for those who have already passed over to "the other side." With Quentin's help, Diana may be able to stop a vicious murderer from claiming any more victims.

Hooper's simple and straightforward writing style contrasts nicely with the bizarre occurrences that gradually unfold throughout the book. The author makes her fanciful plot work by underplaying the melodrama and presenting far out events in a matter-of-fact way. She uses flashbacks and foreshadowing liberally to hint at the dangerous being that inhabits the Lodge, and she includes a number of red herrings to keep the reader in suspense. Diana is a sympathetic character and her relationship with Quentin develops gradually and realistically. The book's ending is both spooky and satisfying. "Chill of Fear" is an engrossing novel that will hook readers who enjoy an unusual story and a good scare.

Kay Hooper books are all very entertaining and fan's of this author know to come to her Bishop/SCU reads with an open mind, and a fair bit of imagination. These are reads where anything goes, and usually does. So keeping that in mind, readers should truly enjoy this fast-paced read.

Quentin Hayes works in Bishop's Special Crimes Unit but every year he has returned to "The Lodge" in order to solve the murder of a childhood friend. Every year he comes away with nothing. This year though, things will be much different because there is someone there that will be able to help him, but first he must convince her that she's not mentally insane, but instead a medium with unheard of power.

Diana Bisco has spent the better part of her life medicated by doctors trying to keep her safe and sane. But Diana is done with the med's and decides on a different course of treatment. She takes an art class at "The Lodge" but this hotel is not what it seems and when she starts seeing dead people she rethinks her mental illness, that is until she meets Quentin. Quentin is going to become very important to her survival if she is going to help those that wander "The Lodge" find peace. Oh, and she must do this before a killer strikes again.

This is truly more of a paranormal/suspense read than a romance read. So those that are looking for an indepth romance read might want to look else where. Otherwise the reader is in for a real treat. Ms. Hooper has combined a great deal into this read but it's all very good. I love her "Bishop" novel's and I look forward to her next effort.

Official Reviewer for Romance Designs

I am giving this book 5 stars not because it is a literary classic but because it is one of the best of its genre. I am not going to rehash the story here as that is available elsewhere. However, having read all of this series of books, I can honestly say that this is the best one so far. I have thoroughly enjoyed all of them but this one kept me on the edge of my seat While all of them deal with horiffic crimes and a touch of the supernatural, this one has truly gruesome tales of murder especially those involving children and more than a little touch of the supernatural. I read it in one sitting and enjoyed every page and I'll bet you will too. Worth the price and a definite "get away from it all read".

I don't know why some reviewers did not like this book in the SCU/Bishop series. I really loved it. Lots of thrills and chills!! The story begins 25 years ago in Leisure, Tennessee at The Lodge where a young girl is hiding in a closet and hears something evil coming but can't tell if it is inside her or outside the door. From the light coming in under the door, she sees two feet and basically that is all we know from that past. Advance 20 years, FBI agent Quentin Hayes in on vacation and in the police station conference room in Leisure. He is working as he has for the past ten years to try and solve a very cold case of 20 years ago when he was 12 that a young girl (Missy) was found murdered. Noah Bishop has just formed his Special Crimes Unit nicknames the Spooky Crimes Unit and has come to try to persuade Quentin to join. Quentin is a "seer."

While there the police ask their help as an eight year old girl has gone missing at The Lodge. With Bishop's "spider sense", they are able to recover the girl but also sense there a lurking dark evil.

Now come forward to the present and Quentin is back, this time staying at the Lodge at Bishop's suggestion, to do more research. He meets Diana Brisco and senses psychic ability especially when they shake hands. Diana is very troubled as since she was eight and was "hearing voices" and having blackouts, her father has had her in various hospitals and with various doctors in therapy and on many, many drugs. She finally went off all drugs and is now at The Lodge with a therapeutic artists' workshop. Quentin has his work cut out for him trying to convince Diana that she is not insane but a medium after she sees and speaks with Missy, the young girl he knew 25 years ago that was murdered.

Ms. Hooper is great as always in showing evil and its insidious ways and good triumphing after a very long and hard road.

Chill Of Fear, By Kay Hooper

********************

With this latest installment in the Fear Series, Ms. Hooper, manages to shock a blast of pure pleasure out of me by writing the best Bishop Series book yet with this dark and dangerous tale of ghosts, old Victorian mansions, and secrets long thought buried.

Diana Brisco thinks she's certifiable. She hears voices, has dreams that seem more like reality, blacks out and finds herself in strange places, doing odd things. She comes to The Lodge for a new type of therapy, one in which she hopes will be the thing to cure her. But, in her heart she knows nothing will ever make her right. No amount of medication, no talented and celebrated doctor, will ever be able to keep her from hearing the voices. She sees things that she shouldn't be able to see. Hears things that clearly couldn't possibly be there. And yet, deep down, in some dark corner of her mind she knows she isn't insane at all, but merely tapped into a world that most aren't privy too.

Quentin Hayes, is haunted by his past. As a child he was like any other boy. Fun-loving, energetic, and too big for his britches. Missy was like the little sister he never had and never really wanted. She followed him everywhere during their time at The Lodge together. Then, when Missy turns up dead, he's torn by the horrible realization that he could have done something to help her. She had tried warning him, but he hadn't paid any attention. Missy had paid the price for his negligence. Therefore, as an adult and an elite member of the Special Crimes Unit, Quentin is finally in a position to do something about an unsolved murder that has become like an obsession.

Diana and Quentin, are an unlikely pair, both haunted by their own demons, and through an odd sequence of events their paths come together, crossing in a way you would never have expected. Will they be able to stop the horrible evil that lurks at The Lodge, praying on innocents? What secrets does this hundred year old place hold, and which one will prove to be the deadliest of them all?

And, the most important question of all, will Diana and Quentin be able to wade through the murky waters of other people's misdeeds in order to save themselves in time?

This story, and Ms. Hooper's writing only gets better and better with each turn of the page. As I moved from one chapter to another, I found myself clutching this intense story with a kind of fervor I hadn't felt in a long time. I simply couldn't wait for the next secret to be revealed, and then the next. Soon, the story becomes real.

Now that's what I call an excellent ghost story!

There are many plot summaries on this page, so I will just review. Other readers seem to have enjoyed this book a little more than I did. The other SCU/Bishop novels kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish - particularly the book directly preceeding this book which is called Hunting Fear. Hunting Fear kept me up at night willing myself to learn as much as I could before falling asleep. This novel was interesting, but, at least to me, lacked the impending urgency of some of her others. I believe it is shorter than some of her other novels. Also, in the other books we are given a clue and then race to the next clue to save lives - there are frightening occurances throughout. In chill of fear, Hooper wastes a bit of time while we hear a character convince another she is psychic. It takes up time, and gets a little tiresome. If the book was longer it would have been okay, but I felt like I got through a third of the book without being sucked in.

The sense of urgency wasn't there as much for the reader. Usually Hooper's books have a climax towards the middle of the book and then the grand finale. In this book, the grand finale almost seemed to be where the book was finally picking up momentum. Another issue with this book is it wasn't really a question of "who could it be?" because it is pretty clearly lined up for us earlier in the book.

It was an interesting idea, but it seems to me that the book as cut and pasted at the last minute because some part of the story didn't pan out and had to be removed completely. The interwoven characters are great, obviously well thought out!

I agree that the flashbacks at the begining of these books are somewhat confusing (as another reviewer mentioned being confused by Miranda). Obviously many fans are confused by the flashbacks, as she explains it on her website due to reader response. This is a great series, and I am happy I didn't miss out on this installment - the characters were great, but it isn't up to par.

Great story!! This story keeps you at the edge of your seat the entire book. Very creative and original story line. I higly recommend this book!

The Lodge, a Victorian-era resort set in remote Leisure, Tennessee is home to many secrets. FBI agent Quentin Hayes is a member of Noah Bishop's Special Crimes Unit. He has been coming to the The Lodge for over twenty years trying to unlock the secret to a murder that took place while he was visiting The Lodge as a young boy. Eight-year old Missy Turner was found strangled by Quentin twenty-five years ago. He is haunted by her death.

Diana Brisco has always thought she was on the verge of mental illness. Her family kept her medicated for most of her life. Finally in control of her own life and off all medication, she is at The Lodge trying to make peace with her abilities as a medium. At The Lodge, nightmares and blackouts involving a child plague Diana. After Quentin sees a drawing Diana drew, he realizes it is Missy. Together Quentin and Diana try to unlock the mystery surrounding several missing children and strange deaths surrounding The Lodge.

Kay Hooper's books are based on the paranormal.Quentin and Diana have wonderful chemistry and are engaging characters. The tertiary cast is comprised of spirits, which is rather unusual. The story is well paced with eerie suspense. This book is not for more pragmatic readers, but I found it an engaging story.

I guess I've become jaded. All of the Bishop/SCU novels to date have been so riveting that I had very high expectations for this novel...expectations that it failed to live up to. One thing that I like about Hooper's novels (at least in the SCU series so far) is that they have all been "a rip-roaring, rollercoaster of a ride". They are well plotted...have fabulous character development...story lines that kept you guessing up until the last second...and are generally, if not scary as hell, at least awfully chilling. (I first stumbled onto the series when housesitting for a friend...I've never been so scared to stay alone in a strange place in my life...thanks to Kay Hooper!)

I have read and re-read the other 7 stories in the 3 trilogies. This book, however, is probably not slated to be re-read. Its simply not in the same class as the others. Also, I couldn't help but wonder if she had a new editor this time out. I mean, this is book 8 for heaven's sake. Why in the world would you go back and re-explain things (Bishop, Miranda, SCU, Hollis etc.) in author's narrative or the 3rd person? In all of the other novels, if they bothered to explain at all, it was done in the first person in the form of dialog between the characters. Why change now?

Everyone is entitled to an off novel, but I will think twice about purchasing #3 in this trilogy. Disappointing, to say the least.

I am a big Kay Hooper fan and have been looking forward to this installment since the day I finished the last one, last year. I am very dissappointed in this one, it wasn't quite worth the wait. I did enjoy it, but it doesn't have the grip her stories usually do. The characters didn't have the strong connections of most, they seemed to be lacking a little bit. The ending was unsatisfying for me. The interaction between Bishop and the other characters was almost nonexistant, and that was a little let down as well. In her other books he has always taken a big roll in the story even if it was behind the scenes. To see him left to minor mentions left the story out of balance to me. I will continue to read this series, but may not rush out on release day and drive around town to find it.