~Book Review - Fear Itself by Barret Schumacher~

From the inside sleeve:

Devrie Haler has always believed that she can sense things that nobody else can. Whether it is the secret adventures of her third grade students or warnings of a near fatal car accident, Devrie gets signals from a place she cannot identify that tell her things she has no way of knowing. Her bizarre powers are charming, even amusing to her adoring husband, Reed. Until one of her premonitions comes true....the premonition of her violent death.

Overcome by grief, Reed stumbles upon Devrie's journal, in which she wrote her visions down. amazed by the accuracy of her predictions about her own death, Reed becomes obsessed with nine cryptic phrases that seem to hint at another death....this time of a little girl. Accompanied by an orphan dog present at the site of his wife's murder, Reed heads out on a roller coaster ride that will rip apart his beliefs on good, evil, scientific progress and the various forces that control our lives on Earth. He may have a shot at saving the next victim, if he can only come to understand what Devrie's writings are telling him.

My Thoughts: First and foremost, this book got some luke-warm reviews on some other websites....which luckily I didn't notice before I read it. I think it would have given me a pre-conceived notion about it, and maybe I wouldn't have even given the book a chance. However, the first page grabbed hold of me...and held me until the very end.

I would definitely classify this as a "page-turner". When I wasn't reading this book, I was thinking about it, wondering what was going to happen next. The author, Barret Schumacher, is a master at creating very vivid and colorful scenes that play out in your mind as you read his words. Plus, adding an orphaned dog to the story was a great touch to this horrific tale. I was comforted by its presence, as it dutifully stayed beside the main character, Reed, while he is investigating his wife's death, and trying like hell to prevent it from happening again.

I loved this book, and I am disappointed to report that Barret Schumacher has not written any other novels to date. Fear Itself was published in 2002. I am going to keep an eye out for this author. If he ever writes another novel, it will definitely be on my list!


VERY GOOD!

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Forge Books; 1st edition (January 5, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 076530130X
• ISBN-13: 978-0765301307