Title: The Black Chronicles: Cry of the Fallen
Author: Joel M. Andre
Publisher: CreateSpace
Publication Date: August 21, 2010
Paperback: 224 pages
ISBN: 978-0980037760
Genre: Fiction, Horror
All around her Lauren Bruni is faced with destruction. Her marriage has ended, and her professional life is at the breaking point. For Lauren, this is only the beginning of her pain.
In the small town of Cottonwood, AZ everything seems to be headed in the same direction. A serial killer is on the loose, and his trail of victims holds no connection. His rampage escalates and becomes far more brutal with each murder he commits.
As Lauren attempts to prevent her own life from collapsing down around her she must stop a killer with supernatural strength. But there is something far more sinister in the works than she could ever imagine. In the end it is up to Lauren to make the ultimate sacrifice to save a community from the purest form of evil.
My Review:
A gruesome double-homicide opens The Black Chronicles: Cry of the Fallen by Joel M. Andre. This is the first book I have read of his and I got the sense that Detective Lauren Bruni has been in other novels, which made her background more difficult to relate to, as this was my first introduction to this woman. Andre writes an extremely detailed book, which at times can be rather gruesome and not for the faint of heart. A mysterious stranger, dressed in jeans, a cowboy hat and impeccable black boots is going around viciously murdering people. I stopped counting the murders at the fifth. Lauren Bruni and Miguel Sanchez are supposed to head up the murder investigation, each having secrets of their own, actually most of the investigative team does. Andre creates a strange ensemble of people, who are crazy, dim-witted, or unlikable in quite believable manners. Lauren Bruni, the protagonist, is a character who is difficult to feel compassionate about, for she is rude, speaks her mind, and at one point, is visited by a specter who informs her the killings cannot be stopped by anyone but her as she and her missing daughter, Magnolia, are the key and yet, she is not phased by this. Cry of the Fallen is supposed to be a horror story and it has been a long time since I have read a horror story, however, this story did not keep my attention nor did it make me want to know what was going on in this town. I wish I had liked the story more. I believe there was a lot to work with and the details were quite vivid, except in the character development. Had I known and cared for the characters I probably would have been more invested in this book. If you like reading about mysterious killers with near-inhuman strength, tea parties with corpses, and a lot of infidelity and dark secrets, then The Black Chronicles: Cry of the Fallen may be for you.
Joel M. Andre was born January 13, 1981. At a young age he was fascinated with the written word. It was at fourteen that Poe blew his mind, and Andre began to dabble with darker poetry. Between the years of 1999 and 2007 Joel was featured in various poetry anthologies and publications. In 2008 he released his first collection, Pray the Rain Never Ends. Knowing there was something deeper and darker inside of his soul, Joel decided to take a stab at commercialism. Releasing the dark tongue in cheek, A Death at the North Pole, created a dark world among the death of Kris Kringle. Ultimately providing a tale of redemption.
October of 2008 saw Joel release his second book, Kill 4 Me. A tale in which a woman is haunted by a vengeful spirit through text messages and instant messaging. Taking some time off and doing a lot of soul searching, Joel took things in a new direction and dabbled in the Fantasy Genre with, The Pentacle of Light. The tale dealing with five major races battling for control of Earth, and the acceptance of their God. Finally, after missing his detective Lauren Bruni, he released the book The Return in October 2009, this time moving the action from the North Pole and placing it in the small Arizona community he was raised in. Currently, he resides in Chandler, AZ.
Joel M. Andre’s THE BLACK CHRONICLES: CRY OF THE FALLEN VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR ‘10 officially began on October 4 and end on November 26, ‘10. You can visit Joel’s blog stops here during the months of October and November to find out more about this great book and talented author!
I received a complimentary copy of The Black Chronicles: Cry of the Fallen by Joel M. Andre from Pump Up Your Book Promotion as part of the tour. Receiving a copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned novel.
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