“NORTHWEST”
by JH Glaze
REVIEWED BY:
Books4Tomorrow
OVERVIEW
John Hazard is back on the trail of danger! After
a life-altering event, he has resigned from the police department in small town
America and enrolled in a Paranormal Investigation course at Bay University, a
community college in San Francisco. For their final grade, the class ventures
to the Pacific NorthWest to film a documentary on a mysterious phenomenon they
call “The NorthWest Triangle,” where scores of small aircraft and people have
gone missing without a trace. Professor Macy Renner believes the answer lies in
an unsolved mystery from her own past and is determined to discover it, no
matter the cost. Emily Sparks has her own reasons for going, and it’s not just
about the money. She is about to jump from the frying pan into the fire as she
signs on for a journey that will transport her into the veritable jaws of hell.
Can a rag-tag team of misfits succeed in uncovering the source of the
supernatural anomaly, or will the terror that lies in wait consume them in the
process? Come along on an adventure where you will learn that you don’t have to
outrun the creatures behind you. You only have to run faster than the person
beside you!
REVIEW
If
this book had to be made into a big screen movie, I would be running faster
than the person next to me to get myself front row tickets for the show. I’m
not a fan of science fiction, but having read the first book in this series by
the same author, a little over a month ago, I didn’t hesitate to jump right in
and tear through “NorthWest” page after adrenaline-spiking page. Once again, JH
Glaze did not disappoint. I thought ‘The Spirit Box” was a high-wire suspense read
that glued me to the edge of my seat, but “NorthWest” just blew me away!
In
the previous John Hazard novel I had difficulty in deciding whether I liked his
character or not, as he was a bit rough around the edges. In this book however,
John’s character has matured into one I now like considerably more. The
transitioning from small town detective to big city PI (Paranormal
Investigator) in-training, was skillfully done and a believable explanation was
given for his fresh start - one that made complete sense.
The
story is made up of a colorful and diverse array of characters, which makes it
very entertaining. The first half of the book is spent detailing the characters
personalities and giving the reader more insight into their lives and backgrounds.
It is done in such a fashion as to by the time the real action starts in the second
half of the book, you’re well acquainted with the characters before they meet
their inevitable demise - and the suspense just kills you by then, because you know
some of the characters are going to die a horrible death, but which ones?
That’s when you realize how cleverly the author cornered you into the
recurring, yet unavoidable “oh shit” factor.
The
first chapter of “NorthWest” serves as an introduction of things to come. And
boy is the reader in for quite the ride. While reading the rest of the chapters
and getting to know and like the characters, I tried, and failed miserably, not
to feel too close to them as the author regularly hints at the horrors to come.
This technique builds up and prolongs the suspense and served as a reminder to why
I’m so addicted to JH’s writing. He trusts his own intelligent writing as well
as the astuteness of his readers, to put two and two together, without the
necessity of having to spoon-feed the obvious to them. And just when you think
you have it all figured out, he surprises you with yet another shocking twist
and a moral dilemma or two!
The
subtle, but dark humor scattered throughout the book, is another reason why I
love reading this author’s books. You know
you’re going to laugh-out-loud somewhere in the book, whether you want to or
not, because it catches you off guard and leaves you amazed at how much it adds
to the dreadfulness of the situations the characters find themselves in, but
also how fittingly true some of it is to our everyday existence.
Overall,
“NorthWest” is an impressive, stylishly written novel, which will satisfy many
a reader’s taste. Whether you’re a science fiction or horror fan, you’re in for
a treat. The author doesn’t mince his words and has no qualms about plunging
the reader head first into the deep end of the fear-pool. The monsters in this
book are shockingly frightening and will have you think twice before going on
that next camping trip into the woods.
“NorthWest”
can be read as a stand-alone novel, but because it follows the adventures of
John Hazard, I’d strongly advise you to read “The Spirit Box” first and then
immediately follow it up with “NorthWest”, so as to fully experience and
appreciate the innovative and masterful writing of JH Glaze.
READ more REVIEWS
“NorthWest”
by JH Glaze has 3 reviews on GoodReads. Read it here - http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13175466-northwest
ABOUT
writing “NORTHWEST”
by JH Glaze
First I wish to thank Angie and Books4Tomorrow for inviting
me to write a guest blog post. Since the review that is accompanying this is
for my book, NorthWest, I thought I might give you some background on the
origin of the story.
NorthWest began its life more than 10 years ago when one day, I found myself unemployed. I had scanned the newspapers and found a listing for a position as a limo driver. Thinking that might be a cool job, and the tips might be significant, I made copies of my resume and headed out to try to get a few interviews.
Unfortunately, after my first interview, I lost the newspaper containing the ad. I seemed to remember the address of the place for the limo driver position, so rather than head home; I made an attempt to find the address. As I was walking down a main street in downtown Atlanta, I saw a place that had several limos parked around it.
I assumed that was the place, even though there were no signs, so I went in to see if I could talk to someone about the job. As I walked through the door, I was standing in a room full of men in dark suits, deeply involved in some kind of meeting. They didn’t notice me and I felt strange about the situation, so I just turned around and left.
As I was walking down the sidewalk toward the train station, my imagination kicked in. I imagined that these guys could have been gangland types. Then, I thought, what if they had seen me? What if they came after me and I had to run to the train station? When I entered the station, I saw a bridge that spanned the tracks and a train was just pulling out.
I thought, what if I were being chased by those guys and had to jump on top of that train to escape, and what if they followed me home? The ideas just kept coming, if I had to leave town where would I go?
By the end of the day I had built quite a story in my head; a story that I never did anything with, until I started writing NorthWest. As I started the story, I realized that there were elements of that story I might be able to use. So as I began writing, I kept in mind those elements.
Ultimately, I found the place to insert that character, that story, and it led me to a very strange place in the end. When you read the story you will recognize what I just described, though you may be surprised who ended up playing the part.
The name of the story when I had the original idea was ‘Job Hunt’. It’s funny how it came together so many years later. Lucky for my fans and me, the ideas are backing up now and I have a lot of stories waiting to be written. If I had to say what the moral to this story is, it would be this. Never give up on an idea, save it for the time when it is ready to be used and you are ready to use it. In the end, Job Hunt turned out to be a kick-ass tale of extraterrestrial proportions and I am happy I am able to share it with all of you now.
NorthWest began its life more than 10 years ago when one day, I found myself unemployed. I had scanned the newspapers and found a listing for a position as a limo driver. Thinking that might be a cool job, and the tips might be significant, I made copies of my resume and headed out to try to get a few interviews.
Unfortunately, after my first interview, I lost the newspaper containing the ad. I seemed to remember the address of the place for the limo driver position, so rather than head home; I made an attempt to find the address. As I was walking down a main street in downtown Atlanta, I saw a place that had several limos parked around it.
I assumed that was the place, even though there were no signs, so I went in to see if I could talk to someone about the job. As I walked through the door, I was standing in a room full of men in dark suits, deeply involved in some kind of meeting. They didn’t notice me and I felt strange about the situation, so I just turned around and left.
As I was walking down the sidewalk toward the train station, my imagination kicked in. I imagined that these guys could have been gangland types. Then, I thought, what if they had seen me? What if they came after me and I had to run to the train station? When I entered the station, I saw a bridge that spanned the tracks and a train was just pulling out.
I thought, what if I were being chased by those guys and had to jump on top of that train to escape, and what if they followed me home? The ideas just kept coming, if I had to leave town where would I go?
By the end of the day I had built quite a story in my head; a story that I never did anything with, until I started writing NorthWest. As I started the story, I realized that there were elements of that story I might be able to use. So as I began writing, I kept in mind those elements.
Ultimately, I found the place to insert that character, that story, and it led me to a very strange place in the end. When you read the story you will recognize what I just described, though you may be surprised who ended up playing the part.
The name of the story when I had the original idea was ‘Job Hunt’. It’s funny how it came together so many years later. Lucky for my fans and me, the ideas are backing up now and I have a lot of stories waiting to be written. If I had to say what the moral to this story is, it would be this. Never give up on an idea, save it for the time when it is ready to be used and you are ready to use it. In the end, Job Hunt turned out to be a kick-ass tale of extraterrestrial proportions and I am happy I am able to share it with all of you now.
PURCHASE LINKS
“NorthWest”
Amazon.com - http://www.amazon.com/NorthWest-JH-Glaze/dp/0983906912/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1324692543&sr=1-3
“The Spirit Box”
Amazon.com – http://www.amazon.com/Spirit-Box-JH-Glaze/dp/0983906904/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1324691952&sr=1-1
AUTHOR LINKS
Websites
and Pages
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Goodreads:
Amazon
Author Page:
Author
Website:
Blog:
Website
under construction: coming first quarter 2012!
“THE SPIRIT BOX”
by JH Glaze
OVERVIEW
When Walt Turner's mother died, he inherited
her apartment and the antique shop below. After losing his job due to the
treachery of a co-worker, The Spirit Box calls to him from the darkness of the
shop with an offer of revenge.
Lured by the promise of ultimate power and eternal life by the prisoner inside the box, Walt agrees to help it gather the final spirits it requires to return to human form.
John Hazard is investigating a series of murders and missing persons in this otherwise quiet town. His perceptions of reality are about to be altered in a life changing confrontation that will force him beyond the boundaries of darkness and ancient evil.
It is a spiralling descent into madness, where you may have everything you desire, if only you are willing to sacrifice all that you believe.
When you look into The Spirit Box, be prepared to have more than your breath taken away.
Lured by the promise of ultimate power and eternal life by the prisoner inside the box, Walt agrees to help it gather the final spirits it requires to return to human form.
John Hazard is investigating a series of murders and missing persons in this otherwise quiet town. His perceptions of reality are about to be altered in a life changing confrontation that will force him beyond the boundaries of darkness and ancient evil.
It is a spiralling descent into madness, where you may have everything you desire, if only you are willing to sacrifice all that you believe.
When you look into The Spirit Box, be prepared to have more than your breath taken away.
2 comments:
I always get so excited to meet a fello SA blogger. Thanks for stopping by today. I wish more of us read and blogged. Truly.
I love the sound of these books. Thanks for sharing them. My TBR is getting to impossible.
I know the feeling Wendy. On GoodReads there are boatloads of South African readers, and I was so surprised to see them all there. I thought I was only one of a few, lol!! :D
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