The Turtle Boy (The Timmy Quinn Series (Book One)) [Kindle Edition]

Kealan Patrick Burke (Author)

Book Description

Available for the first time on Amazon Kindle, Kealan Patrick Burke's Bram Stoker Award-winning coming of age story The Turtle Boy.

School is out and summer has begun. For eleven year old Timmy Quinn and his best friend Pete Marshall, the dreary town of Delaware Ohio becomes a place of magic, hidden treasure and discovery.

But on the day they encounter a strange young boy sitting on the bank of Myers Pond, a pond playground rumor says may hide turtles the size of Buicks, everything changes.

For it soon becomes apparent that dark secrets abound in the little community, secrets which come cupped in the hands of the dead, and in a heartbeat, Timmy and Pete's summer of wonder becomes a season of terror, betrayal and murder.

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"..takes the small town setting of Delaware, Ohio, and imbues it with just enough wonder to evoke Bradbury and early King and even a dash of Mark Twain circa Tom Sawyer." - Chizine.com

"If you have a young child, or remember when you were one yourself, The Turtle Boy is a book you don't want to miss." - The Midwest Book Review

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Kealan Patrick Burke is one of the best writers in horror fiction today. He has a the disturbing talent for looking into the darker places of the human mind--and the human soul--and building stories clearly designed to give the reader a permanent dose of the creeps." - Jonathan Maberry, New York Times bestselling author of ROT & RUIN and DEAD OF NIGHT

"The Turtle Boy is fresh in a way that most horror fiction is not. It is equal parts hopeful and shocking, mixing carefully drawn scenes of horror with passages that sing with innocent wonder." --Mark Justice, HELLNOTES

"The Turtle Boy is a literate and haunting novella and serves as a fine showcase for the remarkable talent of its author" --Drew Williams, SURREAL

"Creepy and atmospheric, it will make you reminisce about your own youthful summers, but also make you look at them in a slightly different, darker light." - Ron Dickie, HORROR WORLD

"[a] disturbing coming-of-age story..." - PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

"Burke masterfully recreates that magical time from childhood: summer vacation...More than a simple trip down memory lane, the short novel pulls readers along a dark path toward horrifying events." - SFREADER

"a fantastic mix of youth, magic, and horror...You will love this one." - BOOK DEN

"All parts thriller and horror and reminiscent of Stephen King's The Body" - THE BEST DAMN CREATIVE WRITING BLOG

"A boyhood romp through the wilderness turned deadly...There is enough tension and danger to keep you glued to the page (or, as it were, your Kindle) while you root for the boy to solve the mystery with his life intact" - PANDORA'S PEN

From the Back Cover

"Strange and out-of-kilter, a cold breeze come from nowhere on a sultry day; THE TURTLE BOY is a tale that takes your hand and leads you to a creepy, unforgiving place, a place you can never leave."
- Michael Marshall Smith, author of THE STRAW MEN, and ONLY FORWARD

"Kealan Patrick Burke's THE TURTLE BOY is a tale of dark secrets that combines skillfully etched characters with rich, evocative prose to create a haunting depiction of relationships shredded by violence and the supernatural. A highly memorable and disquieting work."
- Chet Williamson, author of SECOND CHANCE, and ASH WEDNESDAY

"THE TURTLE BOY is a fine example of the Dark American Pastoral--not the heart of darkness, a dead end of absolute despair, but a more shadowy realm that is equally troubling for its mingling of the sad and the sinister, of dreams and the things that kill dreams."
-Thomas Ligotti, author of MY WORK IS NOT YET DONE, and THE NIGHTMARE FACTORY

"At a time in Fabulist fiction when genuine vision has been replaced with nebulousness and affectation, Kealan Patrick Burke's THE TURTLE BOY is a startling breath of fresh air whose intensely focused style borders on revelation; not only is this story scary and atmospheric, but it's also poignant and wise, and will haunt both your days and dreams for a very long time. Easily one of the finest novellas I've ever read in any genre."
- Gary Braunbeck, author of IN SILENT GRAVES, and COFFIN COUNTY

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• File Size: 269 KB
• Print Length: 79 pages
• Publisher: Elderlemon Press; 2 edition (September 2, 2010)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0041T5BCI
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,391 Free in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Free in Kindle Store)
  • #10 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Horror > Ghosts
  • #17 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Horror > Occult

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

122 of 126 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Read this book!! August 29, 2011

By e3verson

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

The Turtle boy sounds like a sweet innocent story about a boy and his turtle right? Wrong!! Sure the story starts out innocent enough, two young boys playing outside while on summer vacation, just a lazy day trying to figure out what to do. That is until they decide to make their way to the pond, and that is where it begins to get a little disturbing. Once they meet the turtle boy their lives will change forever!

This book was such a great intro to Kealan Patrick Burke and his work. I am of course planning on reading the rest of the series, and anything else I can get my hands on by this author. This book isn't going to hit you over the head with graphic violence and gore, but is instead geared for those who appreciate the subtle eerie nuances that can make for an interestingly creepy read. There was a point in the book towards the end when something was revealed (not going to say what beside that it involved a single flicker of lightning) where my mouth literally fell open. For anyone who is debating on whether or not to read this book, stop debating and READ THIS BOOK!

I received a complimentary copy of this book in order to review it.

67 of 71 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Minor gripes do not effect a great little story! October 20, 2008

By G. Guthrie

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is an interesting and fun story that tried to cram in a ton of explanations and speculations in the last 15 pages of the book. The story's protagonist is an 11-year old boy named Timmy, who along with his friend encounters a horrific child at a local lake that he ends up calling The Turtle Boy. Timmy has unknowingly come upon a secret involving the boy and his neighborhood, and the story unfolds as Timmy's actions force the secret of the Turtle Boy back into the open.

It's really hard not to give away spoilers here as this is a novella. But the story builds up slowly and then at the end you get slammed with the answers, and even more than you were expecting or needing. I think some of this could have been spread out through the story rather than crammed in at the end. It felt like there was a narrator telling you what just happened, like we really needed all that explanation. *shrug* Regardless, this was a very entertaining story, effortless to read, and left the reader wanting more, which the author helps with by leaving open speculation about his father. This story is easily recommended.

29 of 31 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Turtle Boy July 30, 2011

By sue mattson

Format:Hardcover

The Turtle Boy meanders like a lazy summer afternoon that soon turns itself inside out. With frightening speed that warm afternoon is ripped away to reveal a night sky, razor shredded by lightening. Images back-lit, sickening and unexpected crawl off the pages and carve their way under your skin like so many demonic chiggers.

This story was awesomely disturbing. The beginning had a bit of a To Kill a Mockingbird/Stand By Me vibe. The pacing was perfect as this creepy little tale whipped itself into a horrifying frenzy. The images jump out, stick there and simmer, brewing `til you try to sleep. Buckle up, Skippy, the nightmares are going to be intense.

More About the Author

Called "one of the most clever and original talents in contemporary horror" (BOOKLIST), Kealan Patrick Burke is the Bram Stoker Award-Winning author of five novels (MASTER OF THE MOORS, CURRENCY OF SOULS, THE LIVING, KIN, and NEMESIS), nine novellas (including the Timmy Quinn series), over a hundred short stories, and six collections. He edited the acclaimed anthologies: TAVERNS OF THE DEAD, QUIETLY NOW, BRIMSTONE TURNPIKE, and TALES FROM THE GOREZONE.

An Irish expatriate, he currently resides in Ohio. Visit him on the web at http://www.kealanpatrickburke.com or find him on Facebook at facebook.com/kealan.burke

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#83 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Horror

#83 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Horror