Frankie Mourning died on a Thursday. Then she came back.
Frankie Mourning died on a Thursday. Then she came back.
Tasked with killing the killers – people with the blood of Cain running through their veins – Frankie always gets her villain. But this time it's different. This time she has to go home. Something strange is happening in Helmville, Montana. People are dying at an alarming rate, and the sheriff is ruling them all accidents and suicides. Nothing is as it seems and Frankie soon finds herself sucked into the tangled and seemingly supernatural mystery. Because the people acting strangely, the people killing everyone around her are haunting the mirrors. Now Frankie's own reflection is behaving strangely and seems hellbent on causing her harm.
In a world enmeshed in remote beauty, dark magic, and violent memories, Frankie feels lost. Luckily, a detective on the run for murder shows up. Thomas Dekker wants to help and claims he cares about Frankie. But daring to trust him could cost her everything.
Excerpt
I died on a Thursday.
The thing about dying is, no one ever comes back. Not really. Even if all your parts are put back together -- even if you're walking around breathing, talking, screwing -- it's never the same again. Part of you is always going to wonder if the world is real, if you're still lying on a gurney somewhere bleeding out. Or, in my case, pocked full of holes from lethal injection and forgotten in a cooler.
I died on a Thursday, and three days later I woke up.
Professional Reviews
MONSTROUS
The Rundown
Frankie Mourning should be dead. She’s not sure why she woke up with her insides stitched back together, or why dark shadows whisper to her in the dark, but this is her life now. She calls the shadows wraiths, and they lead her to wicked men, commanding her to murder them. When she’s not killing killers, she drowns her sorrows, her guilt and her past in alcohol. The shadows tell her she is seeking redemption, but it doesn’t feel right. The killing feels too good.
Despite the madness of it all, Frankie stumbles blindly through her days in a haze of blood and alcohol until the wraiths send her to the one place she cannot bear to go: home. With a detective hot on her heels, she obeys, but she fears the demons of her past. But even Frankie’s worst nightmares haven’t prepared her for what she will find.
MONSTROUS is the kind of book that envelops the reader from the first page, and doesn’t let go until the story is finished. Not only is Frankie a delightfully tortured and wicked character with an odd but steadfast moral compass, she is a kickass woman with a wisecrack for every occasion and a death wish that makes bravery seem weak. Wrapped up in the twisted plot is a reluctant love story that grows stronger with every murder.
It’s not just the character development that makes MONSTROUS shine, though. Woven between the romance and the swashbuckling action is a supernatural suspense that makes it difficult to put down. Shadows lurk in corners and inhabit mirrors, ravens follow Frankie everywhere she goes, and throughout it all are snippets of childhood memories that Frankie has suppressed: watching her mother and sister murder her father; watching her sister die, enveloped in flames. From the very first page, Murray artfully constructs a haunting spirit realm, built on tantalizing hints that are vivid enough to make arm hairs stand on end, yet mysterious enough to keep her readers guessing.
The Recommendation
If you’re looking for a book that will make you squirm as you read, look no further. MONSTROUS is haunting and suspenseful; equal parts gore and heart. With a foul-mouthed heroine who has more of a conscience than she would like to admit, and a cast of dubiously moral characters, MONSTROUS is not for the faint of heart or the easily spooked. And beware: once you start reading you will be cast under the author’s spell, and will likely find yourself possessed with the need to continue the series.
The Rating Selected as a Top Pick!
Top Pick! 5 Stars (out of five): Freaking amazing. Any agent or publishing house that passed this one up made a big mistake. It was selected by our reviewer as a personal favorite. This is also a nomination for our Novel of the Year award.
Vastly Entertaining
If you're a fan of the television show Supernatural, you're sure to love this book. Frankie, our main character, has all of the attributes of the beloved Dean Winchester. If you've seen the episodes where he has the mark of Cain, you'll really identify with her. 'I killed him. I liked it. I feel guilty about liking it, but not guilty enough not to do it again.' This sort of tossing back and forth is what makes her such a lovable character. Her most endearing quality is that she's human (sort of) and she's grappling with it.
Murray's storytelling is constant throughout and keeps you captivated. Even in the down times where there doesn't seem to be a lot of action going on, you're still pulling information out of the book and streamlining it into your brain. She's quick-witted and adds the right amount of humor to balance the horror that takes precedence in the story.
For me, the most entertaining part of this book is the shock. These people aren't like me. Granted, there are people like this in the world. It was a blast to be flipping page after page with my brain doing the finger nod and saying 'Oh no she di'n't!'
As the beginning of a series, this has everything. Though the characters aren't nice, you can still relate to them and you want to get to know them better. We establish relationships with both the characters and the world. We have a basic idea of what's going on, but we still need to know more. I'm looking forward to more in this series, Blood of Cain, as well as checking out Murray's other works.
Awesome read!
"I died on a Thursday." And so begins the story of Frankie Mourning, an unrepentant murderer and thief, who's busy leaving a bloody trail across the country on a single-minded search for redemption. This is not your ordinary character, nor your ordinary book. J.L. Murray explores complex themes of love, loss, fate, free will, and the complicated bonds of family that tie us together. As Nietzsche said, "Beware that, when fighting monsters, you yourself do not become a monster... for when you gaze long into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.” Frankie has spent most of her life staring into the abyss, and is pretty well convinced that she became a monster long ago. This book is a twisting, turning roller coaster that will lead you into the dark places between here and there, and leave you wondering what it means to be human...but don't worry. Thankfully, it's only book one, because I really, REALLY want to know where J.L. Murray will go from here!
you might want to add a poem or two, a snippet from the book now and again as an article.... the more you post the more likely readers are going to notice and find your work.
Growing internet awareness always helps!!
Never stop writing.
Wishing you much success in your writing endeavors!!
Grab those side-irons, saddle up and join former Civil War sharpshooter Luther Henry for a ride into pure terror, western-style…think ‘Wild Wild West’ meets ‘The X-Files’.
Pray for the light. Pray that you last that long. The Long Hour Before Light is a classic collection of Horror tales, re-mastered by Champagne Book Group
