Author: Lisa Worrall
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Pages/Word Count: 200 Pages
Rating: 4 Stars
Blurb: A dark killer haunts the streets of Los Angeles, stalking unwilling victims and draining their blood. When the evidence runs dry, Detective Max Bowman quenches his thirst at his local bar hoping for inspiration. Instead, he’s robbed and left for dead in the alley. Waking up in the warm bed of horror novelist Carter Gray was the last thing he expected, but it may be the lead he needs. For Carter hides a dangerous secret behind his life as a bestselling author and it might be the answer, no matter how unbelievable, Max has been looking for.
But as they search for the killer, Max begins to wonder if he’s being led in circles by a mastermind of plot twists and deception.
1st Edition published by Silver Publishing, January 2012
Review: As paranormal stories go, Thirst rises above the norm by throwing in some chilling twists and turns that keep the suspense level high in this previously released novel by Lisa Worrall. Centering on an ongoing case of ex-sanguinated and brutally murdered victims, Detective Max Bowman has his hands full hunting down a ruthless killer. When he stumbles upon the very person who might be responsible for the ghastly crimes, it is certainly not his intent to be both sexually drawn to and somehow inexorably linked to Carter Gray. As this novel progresses, the question quickly becomes not who is the culprit but whether or not Max wants to be claimed by the very thing he is hunting.
Vampires. Not every paranormal story gives them some new twist or often changes the rules by which they are governed, so when Lisa Worrall poked fun at the very genre she was writing in by making an almost tongue-in-cheek reference to a more notable sparkly vamp in her novel, I had to laugh. However, it made me realize how different her vampires were and how very little affected or changed their personas. It also made Carter stand out more starkly as one that had spent eighty plus years taking lives both indiscriminately and rather callously. When he admits to Max that he is little more than a murderer and rather proud of it, it is clear one is not reading the “typical” paranormal. Carter had very little remorse and thus, was not a tortured soul. He was strong, determined and conceded very little ground. No, it was Max who would do most of the groveling and begging. And, though Max did indeed beg, he remained intrinsically unchanged as well, and determined to find the killer at any cost.
The strength of this story lies in how little the focus of its main characters changed. By falling in love with each other, there was no huge shift in how Carter operated or in how Max pursued his job. Here were two strong men who remained strong even as they grew to depend more and more on each other. This is precisely why this paranormal story refrained from falling into that feeling of “sameness,” while most in this genre seem to have. (possible spoiler: hover over text to see) Our two lovers change little and there is a real sense of relief that they will have some definite adjustments to make as they go forward. The package that was delivered by novel’s end was not neat and pretty but still compelling and interesting overall.
Lisa Worrall’s Thirst was nicely delivered and gave some real spark to a genre that is often marked by the same type of storyline which struggles to be fresh. If you like the paranormal, then this novel will not disappoint.
You can buy Thirst here:
