Exciting new book written by Cynthia Fridsma about Dr. Josef Mengele—the Angel of Death—has escaped from Hell! Posing as a physician, he programs his patients to do as he commands, transforming them into living bombs, and ultimately creates a new world order.
Sybil Crewes is a vampire trying to escape her fate. She refuses to feed on humans, pulls her own fangs, and injects liquid silver in an effort to remain “human.” When she discovers Mengele’s terrible plan, however, she knows she must stop him at any cost. Embracing her savage nature, she embarks on a dangerous course of action that will bring her face-to-face with the deadly doctor . . . and the monster within.
Sybil is a vampire who works for the government. She is tasked with finding Joesf Mengele, the Angel of Death himself and it will take everything she has to bring him down. A fast paced read. I would recommend it.
Sybil is a vampire who is desperately trying to live as a human by injecting herself with silver. She has broken up with her boyfriend to keep him and his two daughters safe, but when they are in a car accident, she rushes to his side. As events unfold, she has no idea what she is about to face.
I enjoyed reading about Sybil but there is a wide cast of characters including Catherine and Jack from Black Widow, so there are plenty of people to keep the story going. I liked the idea of a famous serial killer being resurrected who wasn't Jack the Ripper, as most stories seem to do. At times the dialogue felt a little false with characters explaining stuff in a way no one would speak in real life, but I thought overall it was a good book and i would recommend it.
I like this book and found it to be interesting and entertaining.
The Black Widow
Bombs caused a panic in the city of Boston
Jack Hunter is cheering for runners at the finish line of the Boston Marathon with the love of his life, Catherine Crewes, when two explosions smash the beautiful day to smithereens.
As the head of the Anti-Terrorism Unit, Jack does his best to track down the terrorists who planted the bombs, organizing a big manhunt in the Boston area.
But there's more going on than meets the eye. When Catherine's aunt, Sybil Crewes, investigates a mysterious murder, she knows vampires and terrorists joined hands.
Ms. Fridma brilliantly weaves the paranormal and "normal", and fact, fiction, and fantasy in this suspenseful novel of vampires and domestic terrorism...and how many books can say that? The novel takes the Boston marathon bombings as a starting point, and races towards and unforeseen finish line.
The Black Widow is not a story for the weak hearted. There are horrific terror attacks, biological bombs, and brutal murders at every step of the way. The story is told from multiple POVs, which is fine if you can keep track of all the characters tumbling out of the closet at regular intervals. It does become difficult at times because too much is going on at every given time.
Then there are zombies, blood-sucking vampires, ATU/FBI…and a whole lot of gruesome murders. Terrorism combined with blood-sucking monsters send goose pimples crawling on your neck all the time. The author has clearly painted horrific pictures while skillfully negotiating away from revealing all about the mysterious widow aptly described as ‘Black Widow’. For those interested in this genre will find enough to keep talking for days. The narrative is par for the course, but it will haunt me for many days. Readers are warned not to read at night, unless you enjoy nightmares of the worst kind.
The language was rich, and the descriptions couldn’t have been better, though frightening at times. I wish the author the very best.
This is an interesting read. Kind of like watching a season of 24, but with vampires thrown in. The plot is a little convoluted, and there are a shade too many characters for my taste, but it hangs together well and holds the interest, especially if you're already a fan of ant-terrorist thrillers, vampires, or both, which as it happens I am. And it does all come together in the end. Also, I should mention this is apparently part of a series, the second novel, I think, and I haven't read the first one yet, so that may have contributed to my confusion. You should probably start at the series beginning,
Not a book I will be re-reading every year or so, but then the only book I do that with is Orwell's 1984, so Ms. Fridsma is in good company.
The Black Widow is not a story for the weak hearted. There are horrific terror attacks, biological bombs, and brutal murders at every step of the way. The story is told from multiple POVs, which is fine if you can keep track of all the characters tumbling out of the closet at regular intervals. It does become difficult at times because too much is going on at every given time.
Then there are zombies, blood-sucking vampires, ATU/FBI…and a whole lot of gruesome murders. Terrorism combined with blood-sucking monsters send goose pimples crawling on your neck all the time. The author has clearly painted horrific pictures while skillfully negotiating away from revealing all about the mysterious widow aptly described as ‘Black Widow’. For those interested in this genre will find enough to keep talking for days. The narrative is par for the course, but it will haunt me for many days. Readers are warned not to read at night, unless you enjoy nightmares of the worst kind.
The language was rich, and the descriptions couldn’t have been better, though frightening at times. I wish the author the very best.
Cynthia Fridsma has put a wonderful paranormal spin in this novel. It deals with the world of terrorism & vampires. What a combination. Her writing style is smooth & she has a knack of keeping you interested in getting to the next chapter. It is a crime/ thriller with a hint of paranormal. Not everyone can do this but Cynthia Fridsma can & does. I highly recommend this book. Thank you, Cynthia for the opportunity to read an ARC for review.
A bomb goes off at the Boston Marathon and Jack and Catherine find themselves at the centre of the carnage. Jack works for the ATU while Catherine works for an altogether different organisation that deals in the supernatural. They must find out who planted the bombs and if a murder has anything to do with it.
When I started reading, I thought the book was a thriller/spy novel and it is but with a supernatural spin too. The characters are interesting and work well together. I like how the story progressed and enjoyed reading it. I would recommend it.
Struggled a bit with this book as I thought if was crime/thriller type of story but it involved vampires and stuff, probably great book if that's your thing
During the New York Marathon on 13th April 2013, two bombs were detonated a mere 12 seconds apart near the finishing line, followed by related shootings. The explosions killed 3 civilians and injured a further 264 others. This is the setting for Cynthia Fridsma’s second novel The Black Widow.
This was a very atmospheric novel, which was probably helped by being set during a real event. The descriptions were vivid, detailed and being written in the first person definitely helped pack an emotional punch and made the characters’ emotions and motivations relatable.
It was an interesting idea, mixing a factual event with the supernatural and was almost bordering on alternative historical fiction; but at points throughout the novel it felt like there was too much going on, and the two different strands of plot didn’t always seem to fit together seamlessly.
There were a lot of characters and it was occasionally difficult to remember who was who and how they were connected to each other.
I’m not sure this was necessarily for me, but was definitely a confidently written novel that I found to be a very good mixture of both action and character driven.
We begin the story at the finish line of the Boston Marathon, where two of our heroes stand at the finishing line.
Little do they know of the horror that will strike just as the runners begin to cross the line.
As the regular human law enforcement agencies get to work, Sybil and her team at Nightbird intervene when one of their own is killed by a new foe; the Black Widow!
How is she linked with the attack? Will the bombers be brought to justice? And what are the Black Widow's true motives? You'll have to read the story to find out!
The story is fast paced and the action is well described. Zombies, werewolves and even time travel feature in this intriguing tale of two teams of vampires locked in a bitter struggle, and the fate of the living world hangs in the balance!
While the writing could benefit from a subtle re-draft, the core narrative shines through.
Influenced by the like of Clive Barker, Philip K. Dick, Dean Koontz and Stephen King, Cynthia began her writting carreer in thriller/action/fantasy/suspense and horror.
Her current works in progress include Help and Vanished.
6 Questions to Cynthia
Q Where did you get the idea for your most recent book?
I've to admit that I'm a huge fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but I wonder how it would be if the Vampire Slayer was actually a 263 old vampire. And what if vampires just could walk during the day, without sparkles, and Holy objects can't kill vampires? And why shouldn't a vampire use modern weapons to fight evil? And if they fight evil, then why wouldn't they work together with an Anti-Terrorist Unit? These questions resulted in my first novel.
The greatest joy of writing to me is putting my words on paper, gluing it together into a story and share it with the rest of the world.
What are you working on next?
I’m working on The Black Widow, which takes place in Boston on April 15, 2013. The day that shook the world due to the terrorist attack on the marathon. The book starts when the bombings took place. When I heard about it, I felt the goosebumps, and felt sad about the victims and anger towards the two terrorists.
What inspires you to get out of bed each day?
Honestly? My husband, he's the greatest inspiration in my life, and I always let him read my writings.
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Richard McKenna is the renowned author of two bestsellers, but now he is suffering from writer's block. However, he must write his book within three weeks, if he is to marry beautiful Glory Maryland. Unfortunately, Glory's husband wants to prevent this and starts a cat and mouse game of life and death.
In order to survive Richard flees to Boston, but he discovers his life is still at stake when an assassin waits for him in his hotel room. Saved by the feds, he discovers that one of them is a vampire and they seem to have their own agenda. They claim to help him, but can they be trusted? Or are they using him for their own purposes? And since when can any vampire be trusted? More importantly: will he survive? And what is all this talk about an ancient curse and the book of the dead?
A layered novel that is thought-provoking and gripping throughout. At night after reading, I could not sleep nor get this story off of my mind. The author is quite imaginative and rendered an intriguing world full of diverse characters in mysterious situations. I am hoping and waiting for a sequel to this story!
"Hotel of Death: The Chosen One" is an interesting read, starting with a writer and his inner fight between his profession and his love for his publisher's wife.
The story quickly moves on from these every day activities into a fight between the heroic "Nightbirds" and the villainous hordes of the "Reaper".
How are these two threads linked? You'll have to read it to find out, but suffice to say, you won't see it coming!
The characters are fully fleshed out and most of them have a chance to develop over the course of the story.
The locations are brought to life through some very immersive descriptions.
Even the timeline is accurate, from the events of the American Civil War through to the modern day.
I hadn't really read thriller stories before, but this is a brilliant introduction to the genre. I hope the next entry in the series will be just as exciting to read!
Curses vampires and so much more. HOTEL OF DEATH by Cynthia Fridsma is a real page turner. The author has developed some interesting characters. You know a book is good when your busy with life & the book seems to be calling your name. This is the first book I've read by this author and it will not be the last. I highly recommend this book if your looking for something wonderfully out of the ordinary. I received a digital copy of this novel from the author in return for an unbiased review. No compensation was received. Don't hesitate about purchasing this fascinating read...
I had a hard time getting into the book, but once I did I enjoyed it.
Richard is an author on the cusp of writing his third and final book. However, things get a little waylaid when the truth comes out. He flees to Boston, to lick his wounds, heal and unwind. However, the Hotel he is staying at isn't so quiet. Richard is a pawn, who is moved around the board, with someone always telling him, you can trust me. But who can Richard really trust? After all isn't everyone out for their own interest and self promotion? He's just a pawn in the game.
It was a good book, but some of the characters for me fell flat and needed to be developed more. Sybil, she was a great character. I fell in love with her and wanted more from her. There were some long winded parts, that I skimmed. State it once, move on, stop rehashing. All in all, it was a thrilling read, that I did enjoy.
Wasn't prepared for the what this book took me through! Talk about on the edge of your seat with every last minute! While reading you are easily escaping into the lives of the characters and the story! Can't wait to read more from this author!
*I was provided a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.
Hotel of Death is a fantastic read! When I started the book I didn't realize completely what was coming, and this made the book so much more enjoyable!
It added to the suspense, and the mystery!
Once you start reading you see that the story will come at you from different view points from different characters. After you get the hang of this, you will see that it gives you a more complete story line as you go. Typically this type of reading has confused me but the author really nails it!
You are going to want to read this book!
This is a fabulous read. I found myself glued to the book from page one. The writer truly has a gift of creating a story that keeps the reader on the edge of his or her seat. Her characters are well developed and you feel a sense of connection with them. I truly enjoyed the story and look forward to reading more work by this author. I hope that you can take the time to investigate her work. I recommend it.
This book was good. I was a bit confused at the beginning of the book but I got used to the picture the author was trying to paint and it was good. I liked the character development and overall the story was unique. The story was told from multiple viewpoints and I think at first that is what though me off a bit. But if you like these types of action/adventure and little vampire books you should see what you think of this one. *I received this books from the author in exchange for an honest review*
I just finished reading the Hotel of Death and I must say that I am pleasantly surprised. The author provided me with a copy of her book in exchange for a honest review, which I am happy to provide.
This book is written in a unique style that Cynthia Fridsma took the time to develop each character. The book is divided from multiple viewpoints from the different characters in the book, allowing the reader to develop a complete picture of what is going on and why. It was exciting to see how each life intertwined into the others and how each character was thoroughly developed.
The Hotel of Death is a mix of a few genres which keeps it fresh and interesting compared to some other books that I have read recently. During the first few chapters you'd never expect vampires or any other crazy additions to the book, but then events unfold and escalate sucking in the reader.
I admire how Cynthia took the time to get locations factually right, especially when Richard visited the Freedom Trail in Boston. I walked this exact trail only a few years ago and was able to picture exactly what she was talking about and where. It brought back some great memories and pictures from my trip there.
Overall Sybil was likely my favorite character, she was extremely well-developed and played a creative role in the book. The author maintained the unique perspectives throughout the book which was exciting to see. The only minor complaint I have about the book is it seemed to have some superfluous sections that were a bit drawn out, but being so entertaining it is not a big deal. If you are into action/adventure/spy/vampire style books, this one is certainly for you.
The author writes very well. You can see, hear, taste, smell, and feel what the characters do. It is truly a 3 dimensional experience. I was hooked from the 1st page and couldn't put down the book. The plot is flow naturally. The conversations are light and make sense. Overall, I truly believe that this book is worth the read.
