Afraid by Jack Kilborn

In Afraid, Safe Haven, Wisconsin, is under siege after a helicopter crash lets loose a gang of superhuman terrorists determined to complete their mission. They will destroy anything and everyone who tries to get in their way. As the bodies start to fall, it's up to a few brave individuals to try to save those they can against all odds. One thing is for sure, the town will never be the same.

This fast paced thriller is packed with tons of action, plenty of bodies and more gore than I thought was possible. This book is definitely not for the squeamish, but I *loved* it. I usually don't read horror novels and didn't know if I'd like it. However, this book grabbed my attention from the first page and didn't let go until the end. Kilborn writes a very convincing story. While this scenario is not very probable, he convinced me that it was at least possible for something like this to happen. At times I was too grossed out or scared to read more, but I couldn't help myself. It was so good.

I've read one other book by Jack Kilborn [aka J.A. Konrath], Fuzzy Navel. In some ways, the books were similar. The chapters are relatively short (which I love) and the major characters seem to have more lives than a cat. Just when you think they can't possibly survive this event, they do. The books were also very different. If I remember correctly Fuzzy Navel was a little gory, but nothing like Afraid in that respect. Also, the humour that was present in Fuzzy Navel was absent from this book. It was pure horror. While I loved the humour of the previous book, I really didn't miss it here. Like I said before, I don't usually read horror novels, but on the goriness or frightening scale (if there is one), I'd rank this quite high.

If I ever visit Wisconsin again, I'll be sure to steer clear of Safe Haven. You just never know...

Highly recommended. I'm really looking forward to reading more works by this author.

For more information about this book, visit J.A. Konrath's website.


Read Heather's review at Books and Quilts