Book: Nikki's Secret by William Malmborg

The latest offering from William Malmborg (Jimmy, Text Message) tells the tale of Kimberly, a young woman who is subjected to a sustained campaign of harassment by the mysterious Nikki.

Help may be at hand in the form of Kimberly’s new neighbour, the reclusive and idiosyncratic Bill. Bill is a writer who has recently found some success but his past money-making ventures may have some part to play in the increasingly worrying situation which Kimberly finds herself in.

This story takes the reader on a journey into the mind of a delusional and sexually misguided individual who attempts to exact revenge on those believed responsible for their own depressing situation.

Nikki’s Secret isn’t up there with the brilliant Jimmy (see review elsewhere here) but it’s another entertaining read from a very promising author. The little pieces of black humour are perfectly placed amongst the tension and one particularly gory scene is lightened hugely by the skin-crawlingly funny description of the impractical nature of disposing of a body.

For more information visit www.williammalmborg.com and you can click on the tab below for my reviews of the author’s other books.

Ric’s Rating: Good.  

Book: Scraping The Bone by William Malmborg

The author of Jimmy and Text Message (see reviews elsewhere here) brings us this short story collection comprising of ten disturbing tales.

Highlights include:

Redstone Lake – A couple visit a remote cabin and long forgotten memories re-emerge.

Rest Stop – A woman escaping her abusive husband takes a well earned break. Can things get any worse? You bet they can.

The Other Side – The perils of internet dating, with a twist

The Bone Yard – Just what is that dog digging up?

Electronic reading devices have given new life to the short story and with collections like this available it’s easy to see why they are finding a market. They make ideal lunch time or commute reading, only trouble is 

sometimes they are just too short.

Malmborg is one of the gutsiest writers around and he’s fast becoming one of my favourite authors.

Head over to www.williammalmborg.com for more information on his work and lots of other cool stuff.

Ric’s Rating: Highly Recommended.    

Book: Text Message by William Malmborg

A Christmas shopping trip becomes a terrifying ordeal for sisters Mallory and Jenna in the new thriller from the author of Jimmy (see review elsewhere here).

While Mallory browses in a lingerie shop she sends her sister elsewhere and soon receives an ominous text message stating simply “I have your sister”.

The perpetrator then begins setting Mallory tasks and in order to spare Jenna from suffering she must complete each one, no matter how dangerous or degrading. A security guard, Dan, offers his help. But can he be trusted?

Enter the villain of the piece, Mr Campbell and we soon learn that he has become a predator due to some horrific incidents in his past.

This fast-paced tale takes place over the course of a single day in which the shopping mall has to close early due to adverse weather leaving the girls alone with the seriously unhinged Campbell.

The book will please fans of films like Saw and anyone who enjoys “horror” without silly monsters or anything supernatural going on.

Text Message is a heart-stopping and often disturbing thriller that remains easy to read but is not for the faint of heart.

For more information on the author and his other projects visit www.williammalmborg.com

Ric’s Rating: 74%

Book: Jimmy by William Malmborg

As High School Prom approaches an entire community is perplexed by the disappearance of two teenage girls, but Jimmy knows where they are.

Jimmy Hawthorn appears to be a regular teenager with regular teenage problems and just as things are looking up for him he begins to wonder if acting out his kidnap and bondage fantasy was such a good idea after all.

All of the main characters in this book are teenagers making me wonder if they are the intended audience. If so it’s very risky as there are some graphic scenes of rape, torture and bondage.

That being said the author has managed to include these in a tale woven around a fascinatingly complex main character. Jimmy’s best friend is his brother Alan, the pair have a great relationship and Alan is happy when Jimmy finds a girlfriend. Unfortunately Alan has no idea that Jimmy already has two girls locked up in an abandoned underground shelter.

This can be compared to the recently reviewed film The Woman, but where that was awful due to the lack of a compelling story, this excels in that department. It’s a captivating journey through the mind of a young man who crosses the line and brings his darkest fantasies to life, with terrible consequences for all involved.

Ric’s Rating: 80%