Lauren: The Nightmare [Kindle Edition]

Book Review: Lauren's Nightmare
by Karl Jones
Reviewed by J Bryden Lloyd

Writing Style - 4.0/5.0 (Very Good)
I don't like a lot of preamble in works as short as this, and I certainly didn't get any. The construction of the writing was good and the dialogue worked well in what was a limited environment for speech.
The tension in parts of the story are very well written and I liked the flow very much.

Character Development - 4.5/5.0 (Excellent)
The main character is obviously key to all the elements of the story, and her character develops very nicely as you learn a significant amount about her as the tale progresses.
The lesser characters, although crucial to the plot, are nicely covered in a very straight-forward style, and the reader gets the opportunity to relate to each of them in different ways. This makes the story well-balanced and very readable.

Descriptive - 4.0/5.0 (Very Good)
I thought the descriptive was great at the beginning. The surroundings and the people were easily conveyed and everything was clear. As the pace of the story increased, so the descriptive elements adjusted in depth and this kept the story moving. This did not take anything significant from the story, but I did find that for me, things felt very slightly jerky at a couple of the later points.

Language & Grammar - 4.5/5.0 (Excellent)
This was well thought out and carefully done, in such a way that any reader will have no issues getting through this. I read it in a leisurely 45 minutes, but could have gone much quicker with the good word selections and nicely edited text.

Plot - 4.5/5.0 (Excellent) - MINOR SPOILERS
This is the first of a series, and as such it reads as a chapter rather than a finished short story, handing out a well-placed cliff-hanger to prepare you for a possible next instalment.
Before this you are treated to a good old-fashioned chase and some good thrilling scenes to get you involved in the plot... but is the end what you think it to be, or is it the nightmare you are led to believe?

General - 4.5/5.0 (Excellent)
This is a good twist on a tale that has bounced around in a variety of guises for a reasonably long time. If not with this specific group of characters, it has been done with more down-to-earth personnel, but in the versions I have seen in the past, the old `knight-in-shining-armour' scenario has usually been involved, bringing a much desired grand rescue into the story.
Instead, this story produces a slight variation on the obvious theme, and it works nicely to leave you wanting the next bit.
This author is rapidly becoming one of the more visible names on my book list, and I still have a few of his older works to read.

5 Stars. A very good, recommended read... with more to come.

Talk about driving the reader nuts! I think I was as confused as poor Lauren! My head was full of "What's going ?/Did he?/Did she?/Are they?/etc..." All this in a short-story type first part! Well, I'll make sure I read the next installment... I NEED SOME ANSWERS !!

Once again, Karl Jones has kept me on the edge of my seat with his latest story, Lauren's Nightmare. The tale has all the creepy elements of an unfolding horror story that would make the late Alfred Hitchcock proud. The imagery of the vampires and the terror felt by the main character had me biting my finger nails. It's easy to get pulled into Lauren's mind and experience her fright, revulsion and anger.

Jones takes his time with the story, luring you in slowly by not giving up too much information too quickly but the story moves at a fast enough pace to make it a page turner.

*****mild spoiler*****

I can't wait for the next installment of the series as Lauren becomes accustomed to her new "family" and "lifestyle". I see Jones clearly on the rise to becoming a master of horror.