There is always more mystery.” ― Anaïs Nin
Title: End Game
Author: Jennifer Brooks
Publisher: Musa Publishing
Pages/Word Count: 171 Pages
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Blurb: After his cousin is murdered, journalist Jessie Canning reunites with his estranged lover to investigate it.
Jessie was on the phone when his cousin, Ben, was attacked. Fifteen minutes later, when Jessie arrived at Ben’s condo, his cousin was dead. With life and death as close as a minute away, Jessie must work with his estranged lover, Mathew, to learn why anyone would’ve wanted to kill Ben.
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Review: When this story begins, we meet Jessie Canning while he is at work. His newest story is about nanotechnology, and his cousin Ben got him into a very informative press conference at Senergine, a company that is heading the research on the new nanotechnology. At the same time, we also learn that Jessie is “taking a break” from his decade-long relationship with his husband Mathew.
When he is interrupted by a call from Ben, Jessie has no idea that his life is about to change in some very dramatic ways. While talking to Ben, he hears what he believes to be someone hitting Ben, and then the call dies. When he arrives at Ben’s house, he finds not only police officers but medical staff in Hazmat suits removing Ben’s lifeless body. His next surprise is his estranged husband showing up on the scene. So, needless to say it hasn’t been the best day for Jessie Canning.
The story follows Jessie and Mathew while they navigate their relationship and also figure out what happened to Ben and what exactly Senergine had to do with it.
The things that the author did with the nanotechnology and the mutation it caused was horrific, scary and downright brilliant. I love a good horror story, the bloodier the better, and I think Jennifer Brooks handled the mystery and horror aspects of this book absolutely perfectly. The only thing I found slightly less than perfect was the relationship between Jessie and Mathew.
When we first meet Jessie and Mathew, they aren’t speaking to one another and while Jessie is pining away, Mathew appears indifferent. I felt that they never quite melded together, and their relationship was awkward most of the time. In my opinion, this story was more of a futuristic horror novel with a little romance on the side. I would have liked to have seen the supporting characters fleshed out more, but overall it was a good read.
If you are in the mood for a scary, sometimes bloody, story this one will be for you.
You can buy End Game here:
