Review: DEAD SEASONS by R.M. James

A group of four wedding goers, on their way to California, get lost somewhere in Kansas. The car doesn’t work. Reception is down. And morning has mysteriously become evening. In utter confusion, they search their surroundings, only to find a dead girl, rotting in a creek.

They discover this small town is more than what it seems. From its undisclosed location, vacant establishments, and the bestial creature lurking in the shadows. When they come across the townsfolk, who take a keen interest in them, the four are then forced to participate in a simulation game, where newcomers must play to be allowed to leave.

In this place, their fears manifest into tangible forms meant to kill them. Sanity gets tested. Doubt consumes each unwilling player. Yet no one knows the exact rules of the game. Except for one detail. If you don’t play, you die. There can only be one winner.

Seasons change as the four contestants try to make it out of town alive.

Reviewed by: Sandra

Rating: 4 stars

 
Review: A group of friends get stranded in the middle of Kansas, where they stumble onto the body of a dead girl. Tension and emotions run high among the group as the struggle for escape reaches critical levels, especially when a killer is still out there. Possibly human or animal…something that is part dog or wolf? Whatever it was, it was hungry.
Somehow, one of them—Canela Robles—wanders off and encounters a man with a butcher knife. His name was Gabriel, a convict just released from prison. Now, he joins the group, which leaves everyone wondering who to trust. Who can you confide in? And who are you truly safe with? In fact, one just has to wonder who (or what) was the real danger. And “fear could do strange things to people.” (72)
The characters’ fears and secrets rise to the surface as their lives interweave into a fantastically spellbinding tale of suspense and horror.  Eventually, they realize that they’re stuck in some twisted game, and everyone’s a player. What kind of game? And what happens if you lose?

Mystery and surprise are unveiled in every corner of this book. At times, you can’t make sense of what’s going on because of all the cryptic info. Were they running from wildebeests or man-hunting cannibals?  Also, some of the details can be pretty sick. It was almost hard to take. In fact, this book struck me as a cross-over between Jeepers Creepers and Cabin Fever.

Still, well-written and strangely gripping.