Have you ever purchased something that has changed your life? A new car, a new home, a pair of shoes? When you take that plunge to buy that one thing that seems like it will be life changing for you at the time, you feel like you are on top of the world, but sometimes there is regret shortly after your excitement has died down. Buying something that will be beneficial to you in the long run is always the way to go, but every once in a while that crazy impulse buy could leave you longing for your money back.

Retired rock star Judas Coyne is always on the lookout for something out of the ordinary. Having to still live up to the persona he left on stage years ago for his image and his current girlfriend, Jude is always willing to pay for something that others would shy away from and his manager Danny Wooten has found that one item that nobody else could have, a personal ghost. The offer on the web site says that the ghost is attached to the seller’s uncle’s suit and she needs to get rid of it because he is scaring her daughter. Jumping at the opportunity to purchase something so strange, Jude hits the ‘buy now’ button and ends the bidding in one click. 

When the suit arrives at Jude’s home, he notices that it comes in a black heart-shaped box.  Thinking nothing of it at the time he removes it and takes a good long look. His girlfriend Georgia likes the look of the suit and picks it up, pricking her thumb on a hidden pin and offers to put it on if that is what he wants. Jude declines the offer, telling her that he has purchased not only the suit, but the ghost that was supposed to be buried in it as well. He puts the suit back in the box and puts it on the shelf and goes along with his day, but when he is found in his garage by Georgia sleeping in his car with the engine running, Georgia takes matters into her own hands and burns the outdated garment.

That does not discourage the ghost in any manner as he starts to focus all of his powers on the destruction of Jude. Putting images in Jude’s head of killing his girlfriend, along with toying with Georgia’s emotions, Jude is about to have a rude awakening. When Jude comes to the conclusion that there is nothing in his power to help him get rid of the ghost himself, he decides to take a road trip and return the ghost to its rightful owner, the seller. But during his trip with Georgia, the ghost is right on their heels at every turn. 

A disturbing page turner by Joe Hill that will leave you shaking in your boots. As you get to understand the family and history of Craddock McDermont (the ghost), you start to understand where the true problem lies. One thing that comes with every good ghost story is the truth that is hidden behind it. With the family past in the novel, it is easy to see why Jude’s ex was crazy and ended up killing herself and why Jude is the easy scapegoat. A marvelous ride that will leave you a bit shaken as the pages come to an end and hey, that is what it is supposed to do. Joe Hill does a fantastic job capturing your emotions in this novel and leaving you in awe in the end. Stay Scared.

I've always found it interesting how there are people we encounter in our lives that we simply gravitate toward. It doesn't always happen, but when it does, you know it in an instant. You know that you have to know this person, spend time with them and have them in your lives. 

Sadly, sometimes those people are destructive and unhealthy for our lives and it takes time to get them away from us. But even then, they sometimes return, or we seek them out ourselves. We simply hope that somehow, they have figured out how to change the worst parts of themselves, and the magic we had together can finally return and it is that gravitation toward an unhealthy relationship that is at the core of the final book in the Phineas Poe series, Hell's Half Acre. 

Following the events of Penny Dreadful, Phineas Poe is simply lost in life. But there is one person that seems to give him purpose, Jude. Yes, the woman that removed his kidney so long ago and managed to captivate his heart for a brief time continues to haunt him, putting him on the hunt for her once again. Thankfully he finds his darling Jude in San Francisco but reuniting with his lost love will not be easy. For she has shacked up with a wild sociopath and Phineas will have to go along with this man's sinister quest for satisfaction by way of a snuff film if he ever wants the love of his life near him again.

Well, Will Christopher Baer truly saved the best for last when it came to his Phineas Poe trilogy, simply because this is the darkest and most depraved Poe novel of them all. Yes, never mind that his kidney was stolen in Kiss Me, Judas or that he went deep into the Game of Tongues in Penny Dreadful, this is the crown jewel of this series because it truly leaves everything on the table, especially thanks to our villain, John Ransom Miller.

Miller is about as twisted as it gets. He loves to watch people suffer, he loves pain and he loves screwing with people and Jude's reasons for being drawn to him are what pull you in as a reader. Especially since it's a well-known fact in this series that Jude is not a person who ever takes the time to obsess over anything. Of course, if I say anything past that, I will reveal too much of the intricate plot that Mister Baer put together and that would be doing you and the story a disservice.

Just know that this is a satisfying end to the series, one that leaves you turning the pages because you have to know how it ends for Phineas and Jude and while the content in between will leave you squirming in your seat, the ending and the journey toward it are completely worth it. It's a shame this is the end of the line for Poe’s story, but all good things must come to an end, and I'm just glad I got the opportunity to enjoy this incredibly dark and unique story.

​Our identity is something we hold near and dear. It truly defines us, and it is made up of so much. Our name, our mannerisms, these are all things the people in our lives come to expect and things that strangers we meet for the first time analyze.  

In fact, our identity is so important to all of us, we will do anything we can to maintain it and never lose it. Yet, we sometimes wonder what would happen if we were to let go of it, to be free of the confines of our identities and assume new ones where we can disappear if only for a moment when the world becomes too much to bear. But like anything in life, there are dangers that come with such an act and perhaps the darkest depths of those dangers are explored in Will Christopher Baer's second Phineas Poe novel, Penny Dreadful. 

Phineas Poe has returned to Denver after his adventures in Kiss Me, Judas but something seems amiss about the city, and things are only complicated further when his old friend Detective Moon comes to him for help in finding a missing police officer named Jimmy Sky. With Phineas essentially being a ghost in this town he begins the hunt for the missing man, only to find that a new and disturbing trend is gripping the city; the Game of Tongues. It is a game of bloodshed and a game where identity means nothing, and power is everything and now Phineas Poe will have to play it in order to find Detective Moon's missing man.  

When it comes to this series of books, what I enjoy about them the most is the sheer fact that they are so unlike any other kind of story that I own. Phineas Poe is a wonderful anti-hero and after the dreary and disturbing Kiss Me, Judas I was wondering how Will Christopher Baer would top that story and Penny Dreadful delivers a powerhouse sequel that well...entrances and disturbs you in so many ways.  

One such element that makes this novel so fascinating is the entire theme of identity. For those involved in the Game of Tongues must assume a new identity, and a new life in many ways and it is an incredible journey of self-discovery for the characters and it forces the reader to question every single character's motives, and that's where this book draws you in. Because it also challenges you to wonder if there is something out there powerful enough to make you shed your own identity and take on another and that makes the book damn near impossible to put down. 

​There is something utterly fascinating about urban legends. Their origins always fire up my imagination, leaving me wondering exactly how such legends came to be. In fact, I often wonder if these twisted tales actually happened to some poor soul who just so happened to have their worst moment in life forever cemented in history in the wrong kind of way.

It's also good to know that I am not the only one who lets their imagination run wild in that fashion and thanks to author Will Christopher Baer, I was pulled into the world of a living urban legend, and the horrors that follow said legend in the first book in the Phineas Poe trilogy, Kiss Me, Judas.
  
Phineas Poe awakens one morning, in complete and utter pain. There is a massive surgical wound shooting pain up his side and from the looks of the amount of ice in the bathtub that has served as his bed, and the note left by the woman he met last night, Jude, his kidney has been removed. But there is more here than simple organ theft at play and Phineas will be now plunged into a world of conspiracy and drugs as he searches for his missing organ and the woman who robbed him of it.  

I found this novel to be completely and utterly refreshing and fascinating. Simply because of how unique and dark this little gem is. Phineas Poe is truly thrust into the underbelly of a world we have never known, one filled with the creepiest of people and the seediest of places and I was captivated from the get go. Each character is as colorful as they can get and their odd agendas and plans for themselves make this novel a dangerous read since we never quite know who is telling the truth and if Phineas is ever truly safe. Take all of that into account and throw in a surprise ending that I know I didn't see coming and you are treated to a fantastic novel set in a modern noir world that leaves you turning page after page.  

I absolutely recommend this novel thanks to its unique design in storytelling and because holy crap, it is absolutely captivating. Pick it up, read it as soon as possible because this merely sets the stage for Phineas Poe's story, as since there are two sequels that follow Kiss Me, Judas and yes, they are as fantastic as this one...and oh yes, we'll talk about them soon enough.  

When it comes to books, there are no boundaries as to what an author can explore. They can take us to wondrous places that allow our spirits to soar, or take us on an emotional journey, the kind where a box of Kleenex is required to go with your reading experience. Or, if you're Author Rex Pickett, you can take all of that one step further and take us through a vivid slice of everyday life.

Rex's work is quintessential reading when it comes to life at middle age and his Sideways series has always brought forth a raw and visceral experience when it comes to the life and times of Miles Raymond and what he goes through as he ages. In many ways, Sideways and Vertical serve as life manuals; reminding us that we will continue to make mistakes as we age, and life will still be tough, it's how we deal with all of it that matters. But despite how much fun it has been to go on these drunken journeys with Miles and Jack, all good things must come to an end and Rex has finally brought forth a finale to the series with Sideways 3 Chile.

​This time around we rejoin Miles several years after the events of Vertical and the years have not been kind. He's still fighting the good fight to find a new story to write that will replicate the success of Shameless, in fact he's doing everything he can just to find work as a writer. But so far, a new story has not formed in his mind, and the money earned from his hit novel is beginning to run out. But just when it seems like there is no hope on the horizon for Miles, an incredible opportunity falls right into his lap. A magazine is looking for a writer to put together a piece on Chile's growing wine industry, and they would like for Miles to head down there and be the man to assemble this article. It's an opportunity that Miles simply cannot pass up, and it's one that may influence his life in ways he never imagined...

Perhaps the most surprising part of Sideways 3 Chile is the fact that this is the first book in the series that just so happens to have a lighter tone than its predecessors. There's nothing wrong with that, actually it's wonderful to see, it's that we have come to know Miles Raymond and his sorrow well and to see a story where his eyes are finally open to the world around him and how his life has gone so far is off putting at first. But as the book progresses, and we see how much failure has helped Miles grow...you can't help but root for the guy and hope that he finally finds the peace and solitude that he deserves, because let's be honest...the poor guy has been through a lot and in many ways he deserves a little bit of joy in his life for a change.

But what makes this novel so memorable and quite frankly, beautiful, is the fact that this book in the series stays true to that life manual mentality, and rather than remind us that we have to be tough and strong every moment of every day...this book shifts its tone and lets you know that hey, it's okay to fail. It's okay to step away from your current situation and take a look at everything in order to give one the perspective they so desperately need. Because in doing so, we will see what matters most to us, and where we should be in life. Truly, it's a wonderful finale, one that wraps up this sweeping and sometimes somber story in appropriate fashion and it finally gives Miles Raymond the answers he has always been searching for.

There are times in literature and film that I am amazed a sequel manages to come to life.  We've all seen that one story that quite frankly, reached its logical conclusion. Yet a year or two later somehow someone manages to figure out how to take us on a journey with familiar characters one more time.  

While it may seem like I'm about to complain about such a move, I'm not.  ranted, there are times sequels disappoint each and every one of us, but truly sequels mirror life in a way.  or our greatest moments and our darkest hours don't fade to black and end there. There is usually more to our own story, so it makes sense that in the creative field writer's eventually figure out how to take us to the day after.  Case in point, today's review of the sequel to Rex Pickett's Sideways...Vertical.  

Oh how the times have changed. Once a down on his luck writer, Miles has found success at last by turning the week he spent with Jack in wine country into an incredible best selling novel. But while he tastes the good life at last, the times have not been so kind to Jack, who finds himself in between acting gigs more often than he would like, and divorced. But a desperate request from his mother will bring back the good old days as Jack and Miles reunite for a road trip into wine country once again.  

To say that I was excited to read Vertical after powering through Sideways would be an understatement. To reunite with these vivid characters was a complete and utter joy and after being unable to put the first book down, I knew deep down that the sequel would not disappoint and I was absolutely right. Vertical wastes no time drawing you back into the upside down world of Miles and Jack and while there was potential for a complete re-telling of the first book, Rex Pickett surprises again by growing these characters into the next phase of their lives. The beauty of this series is that Miles and Jack are dynamic and grow and change like the rest of us do. It continues to allow us to relate to the two of them because of how they simply jump off the page.  

But what caught me off guard this time around was the fact that Vertical is a darker novel than I expected it to be. While its predecessor had its heavy themes, the sequel digs deeper, taking us on a journey into the parts of life that we all never want to face. I don't want to go into too much detail as to what incredible events go down in the book since I want you all to read it and experience it first hand, but this book and its ending in particular moved me to tears.  It was simply that beautiful.  

This is, hands down a magnificent read and I encourage all of you to pick it up as soon as possible. In fact, Vertical left me wanting more and the good news is that Rex took the time to write a grand finale and it is as magnificent as this book and its predecessor and I'm glad I was able to go back and enjoy the series as a whole and appreciate the fact that this book, is a wonderful Act 2 for Miles, since it serves as his darkest hour as he searches for a beautiful Pinot Noir filled dawn...