I’m reviewing this book for Rosie’s Book Review Team #RBRT and thank the author for a copy of the book.

Seven people end up in the same place and they don’t know how they got there nor do they know each other and they really can’t figure out where they are.

The book initially reminded me of the television show Lost as the characters were in a place they couldn’t identify and it was jungle-like. They then found an airplane on the ground that happened to have food stored there. I wasn’t sure about the book at this point as it seemed all too familiar.

The main protagonist of the book is a man named Malcolm. Malcolm is a hard one to read. Sometimes I liked him and sometimes I didn’t like him at all. He was definitely not always a character for the reader to want to see succeed in his quest for the elusive second chance.

Eventually, the reader learns that the group is in a kind of purgatory where they’re each given the chance to redeem themselves before they’re relegated to hell. Some of the trials don’t go so well for the subject of the particular redemption.

 A mix of horror, thriller, and mystery, the book drags in some places but moves swiftly in others. Overall, I enjoyed it, but had to skim some parts that didn’t move the story along quickly enough for me.

Some of the characters were just plain nasty and unkind. Others had more redeeming qualities, making the reader want to root for them. Kudos to the author as he definitely has a twisted mind and made his characters go through some things. Each individual was unique and had their own quirks.

The horror isn’t too horrible, so if you’re on the fence about reading the book because of the word horror, don’t let that be the reason you don’t pick this one up.  It’s basically a thriller with some slow parts and a bit of a hell-scape slotted in for fun. Three and a half stars from me.

BLURB:

Malcolm can’t remember being fatally stabbed. If the masked woman, Thalia, is to be believed, he’s now in limbo along with six other strangers who are all guilty of unspeakable crimes.

For atonement, they must each survive a dangerous trial involving an eerie monster in a haunting locale. Succeed and return to life. Fail and it’s straight to hell.

Malcolm could let the others face their trials alone. The monsters wouldn’t sneeze at him otherwise. Unfortunately, he’s grown to like some of these people. While death in limbo guarantees failure, risking his neck to help the others with their trials might be Malcolm’s smartest play. The more allies in his corner come time for his own trial, the better his chances of seeing his family again.

As the trials proceed, Malcolm uncovers a link between their earthly demises. Each of the seven was responsible for the death of another, but the whos and whys are only a piece of the puzzle. He must uncover the identity of his murderer, but with his spicy temper, he might not be able to resist a little revenge. That is, if he can dodge the creature with a vintage camera for a head whose pictures literally set the scene on fire.