Christine Benedict

STORY-LINE ANONYMOUS:

Author Christine Benedict has created a spine tingling mystery thriller in her novel, Anonymous. Set in 1984, a young couple will come face to face with the evil of humanity, the paranormal, and their own mortality. Furthermore, they live to tell the tale. Do ghost exist? Ask the real people who know this circa 1875 farmhouse. Yes, it does exist and Ms. Benedict's based Anonymous on this house and personal experience with a stalker. The Monroe Falls Paranormal Society investigated this house and produced a documentary; link can found at bottom of page.

In 1984, Debra and Greg move into a run down circa 1875 farmhouse. Containing 14 rooms, In need of extensive repairs, and far scarier than Debra could have ever imagined. Birthed in a family of insanity, abused both mental and physical, Debra fights thoughts of following in her mother's insane path. Things are happening in this old house; frightening things. Finding herself alone with her thoughts, she befriends her neighbors. Julie appears to have it all. Yes she does, including a mysterious insane stalker. Between Julie's stalker, Julie's violent husband Kyle, and a house trying to drive her crazy, Debra is hanging on by a thread. Things appear and disappear, floors creak, footsteps heard, and much more. However, sometimes, we find people are scarier than ghost.

Grab your favorite beverage, take seat, grab this book, and always leave all the lights on . A fast paced insane ride. Come along with Debra and company as they experience life at its best and worst.

CHARACTERS, PLOTTING, DEVELOPMENT:

Before anything else, I must say how much I enjoyed this book. With a story-line taken from anywhere USA, Anonymous swept me into the world of Debra and Greg. A world in which Greg will support and love Debra through thick and thin, sane or insane.

The writing style of Ms. Benedict is clear, clean and easy to read. She infused this story with emotion; from the scariest elements to Debra's mental anguish, the reader can feel it all. The hair on my arms raised at times during my journey through this book. Everyone loves to be frightened whether by ghost stories, scary movies, or books. Ms. Benedict added all the correct elements to her story to entertain and frighten. However, the thought of an insane stalker following your every move is beyond scary. Filled with mystery, thrills, and drama, I read this book straight through.

Author Christine Benedict added twists and turns in this book which will keep you glued to the pages. I thought I had ferreted out the answers. However, I found the plot twisted from my conclusions. This is a fun, scary, and entertaining book with a fast pace, good character development and solid story-line. I loved the strength of character Debra gained by the end of the book. You realize by the last page, the house, stalkers, abusive neighbors, nor insanity will never conquer Debra.

ANONYMOUS, RECOMMENDATION: STARS 5

I did not hesitate to give Anonymous 5 well deserved stars. A fast paced roller coaster ride of mystery, chills, and thrills, Anonymous will provide entertainment at its best. Due to subject matter, I recommend this book for young adults and adults.

In addition: I received an ARC from the author and have chosen to review the book. Books reviews of any novel are dependent on the book review author’s opinion. Consequently, book reviews on line under my name are my opinion

Awards: Six Awards For Anonymous
1.Winner of the 2016 Wishing Shelves Book Bronze Award
2.Winner of the 2015 Clue Award (Chanticleer Reviews)
3.Winner of the 2015 Eric Hoffer Book Award
4.Nominated for the 2015 First Horizon Book Award
5.Nominated for the 2015 IAN Book Of The Year
6.Nominated for the 2015 Next Generation Indie Book Award… (plus d'informations)

Ants and Spiders and Snakes, oh my! Greg and Debra Hamilton had just bought an old farmhouse that needed a lot of work, and that’s an understatement. The home had a buckled porch; cracked and moldy walls; a grimy kitchen. And, that’s just the first floor. Under the sink, Debra found “a bucket-size potato chip tin, all rusted and sticky. Debra moved the tin and choked back a breath when carpenter ants bubbled out like lava.” While Greg is at work, Debra begins to hear creaks from upstairs. Is it normal house settling or is it something else? As she’s exploring the house surroundings, she happens upon some elements nearby, like a rusted child’s swing set, but when she goes to find it again, it’s not there. Her mother suffered from paranoid schizophrenia. She begins to wonder if it’s happening to her as well.

Kyle and Julie Zourenger come by to welcome them to the neighborhood. It doesn’t take long before Debra and Julie form a bond. Each struggles with their own afflictions and manage to rely on each other. Julie’s marriage, while appearing to be amenable, is in fact, loveless. She confesses she’s receiving letters from a ‘secret admirer’ who calls himself “Smitten”. The letters scare her as it seems he knows far more about her than he should. Debra resolves to help Julie figure out the real identity of “Smitten”.

Let’s put it in simple terms. Debra willingly went in and worked hard making this house their home. After just the ants, I would have been long gone. The author used a lot of fascinating imagery of the setting, the house, and the people. I was completely pulled in from page one. Ms. Benedict definitely serves up several ‘creepy’ scenes that physically made me shiver. Back stories are told for both Debra and Julie giving us a clearer understanding of their complexities. This has a mysterious element as well as some supernatural. Rating: 4 out of 5.… (plus d'informations)

I have to start with Debra. It’s rare that I find a character that sticks with me like she has, but she was so relatable. Ms. Benedict did such a great job bringing her to life by showing and not just telling about Debra’s personality. For instance, she began feeding the stray and feral cats at her barn and naming them. This to me showed how loving and caring she was. I knew when she named Otto she wasn’t going to be able to have steak. I laughed as Otto chased her through the fields. I hurt when she fell from the swing set. I found myself thinking of her as a friend and feeling as if we had so much in common. And though my family was never quite as dysfunctional as hers, because I thought of her as a friend, I felt sympathetic for her and wanted to cry and scream with her. Her history was told through flashbacks instead of boring chapters. The flashbacks were well placed throughout the main story so as to heighten the tension of the main plot. But it wasn’t just Debra, everyone drew me further into the story, even Marie and Sam, the neighbors and foster parents of Julie.
Julie was well written, too. Her background was told in narrative as she and Debra became friends. I loved the fact that even with her overbearing husband with a bad temper, she was a strong woman.
Bruce was someone I found “creepy” I wanted Bruce to be gone from the story (preferably a horrible torturing death) immediately, but I’m an animal lover and that would be my reaction to someone like him.
The only reason I did not give this book five stars is there were times while reading when I couldn’t tell which story Ms. Benedict was trying to write, a ghost story or a small town story. But I gave her a chance to tie it all together and she did it VERY WELL!… (plus d'informations)