A DELIGHTFUL REVIEW!

My Review of The Dead Game by Susanne Leist

• Published on October 25, 2020

by HM Holten

A Haunted House with a Vengeance

Vampires live disguised in a small town in Florida, mixing with the population. Newcomer Linda opens a bookshop and befriends Shana, who has an esoteric shop. There are young men and a blonde bimbo to go out with – and everything is fine until they get an invitation to a party at End House.

In Ms Leist’s village, there are several unexpected species. The hybrids, half-human, and half-vampire, are difficult to single out. Then there are two groups of vampires, one of them working to protect humans and hybrids. The other group, the DEAD, wants to take over the world and rid it of human beings. Of course, the humans just want to live normal lives. Also, the village, and especially, End house, is full of illusions, some resembling the scary house in a fairground, except for the fact that they are armed with real predators and flying saws just to mention a few. The horror isn’t absent, but it is accompanied by not a few winks. It was an entertaining read that gave an insight into the antics of humans – let alone the vampires.

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THE HOUSE OF EMPTY DREAMS

 

We walk through the house

of empty rooms.

Each one furnished with

a different period from history.

A dining room that can seat

a hundred people.

A gourmet kitchen that sparkles

white with bare counters.

A crystal chandelier hangs above

the marble floor empty of dancers.

Our guide bids us a quick goodbye.

We are outside again, standing on the

stone and weeds of the driveway.

The house crumbles from the outside,

but inside, it’s ready to hold court.

For whom?

We don’t know.

But we will

Once we enter the deadly game.

THE DEAD GAME
Kindle
http://amzn.to/1lKvMrP

Nook
http://bit.ly/1lFdqNj

Kobo

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-dead-game-1

 

FACE VALUE

 

Look deeper.

Delve deeper.

Face value is worthless.

It doesn’t reflect the truth.

It doesn’t reveal the real person.

You might like what you find,

or you might not.

But it will be the truth.

AN UNWELCOME SURPRISE

Source:ghostof

 

 

AN UNWELCOME SURPRISE

 

Lights sparkle like stars on the walls.

Spots of color guide my journey.

Past closed doors, I walk,

my head lowered, my steps slow.

I feel my way along the walls,

the lights warm beneath my fingertips.

A cold wind hits the back of my neck.

I turn to the dark corridor before me.

Dark shadows twist into shapes,

and an arm beckons to me.

Heart pounding in a tempo

matching my chattering teeth,

I stand frozen against the wall.

A knob hits me in the back.

My arm reaches behind, and I twist the knob.

I step back into the room.

The door shuts in my face.

I turn around.

Water flows beneath my feet.

An azure sky surrounds me.

I walk forward.

The scene fades to black.

A brisk cold wind replaces the warmth.

In the distance walks a woman wearing

a yellow raincoat and black rubber boots.

She approaches me with an ax in one hand

and a black garbage bag in the other.

I back against the door, jiggling the knob.

Locked.

She stands before me and smiles.

I lift my eyes to eyes shimmering blood red.

“Would you like to fill this bag for me?”

She raises the empty black bag.

I swallow the lump in my throat

and shake my head.

Dots of lights shoot before my eyes.

The room swims.

I shut my eyes

and fall to the ground.

PREY FOR THE DEAD

 

CHECK OUT MY NEW BOOK TRAILER!

THE EDGE

Source:pineapple-princesss

 

 

We have reached the edge.

Nowhere left to go.

We escaped the party.

The deadly game from hell.

 

Let’s jump into the ocean.

Swim our way to shore.

To the beach filled with tourists.

Where help can be found.

 

We can’t return to End House.

The evil house of illusions.

Filled with traps and dead bodies.

We will never return.

 

Come, take my hand.

Let’s fly off the rocks.

Soar through the air.

Like a pair of white doves.

 

Footsteps behind us.

Creatures fly above.

The time is now or never.

To take our chance.

 

THE DEAD GAME

FIRES OF HELL

 

 
FIRES OF HELL

A hot sight to see.
Now part of the sea.
Gone the lush paradise
By a toss of the dice.

THE DEAD GAME by Susanne Leist 

OUR GAMES HAVE JUST BEGUN

Off to the gingerbread house, ​we go
On this fine fall day.
The country road yawns before us,
Pointing the way with pebbled arms.

Shana is laughing up a storm,
Similar to the one building around us.
Swirling gusts lead us by the hand
To a cottage made not by man.

The house floats in a dewy gauze of its own,
Shielded from any attacks or storms.
It glistens and shimmers in the fading light
As we draw closer to its unfailing might.

The front door opens at our approach,
An extended arm our only invitation.
I want to leave but Shana says,
“Linda, let’s see who lives inside.”

Before I could answer she walks in,
Leaving me alone in the dying day.
Pebbles unearth themselves in my direction
Until I’m forced to seek shelter inside.

An older couple wait for us,
Wearing clothes from days long gone.
They show us around their unusual home,
Where rooms are shrines to their grown children.

We are led to the attic to find a lone rocking chair,
Facing the forest and deserted country road.
The woman explains they are The Watchers,
Protecting the town from errant vampires.

My ears are ringing and my heart is pounding
As I listen to her words in disbelief.
She says there’s always a Watcher
Sitting in the rocking chair.

We don’t know whether to believe her story
But the chair begins to rock on its own.
​We flee the scene of our worst nightmare,
Determined never to return to this awful place.

Our games have just begun.

THE DEAD GAME

A PUFF OF SMOKE

 

A puff of smoke.

A flicker of light.

Life is sweet.

Life is memorable.

Life is short.

Life is fleeting.

Gone in a puff of smoke.

Don’t close your eyes.

Keep them wide open.

Dangers are lurking everywhere.

Poof!

A life is gone.

Is it yours?

Only THE DEAD

have the power.

Only THE DEAD

hold the cure.

Only THE DEAD

know who’s next.

THE DEAD GAME

Kindle

http://amzn.to/1lKvMrP

Nook

http://bit.ly/1lFdqNj

 

A REVIEW TO DIE FOR

 

A REVIEW TO DIE FOR
                                  THE DEAD GAME

5 Stars

There is something painfully wrong with the seemingly perfect town of Oasis

ByPeter Garcia
Format: Kindle Edition

The opening pages of “The Dead Game” grab you by the ankles and drag into the deeper story.  There is something painfully wrong with the seemingly perfect town of Oasis. Without getting into spoilers, here’s my take. Leist’s cast of characters is interesting in and of themselves.  They do leave you wanting to get to know them better; yet, as in real life, you only get to see the sides and masks that others want you to see.  That, to me, was the author’s point.  Everyone in Oasis seems to have an agenda, and it’s hard to know what to believe.  With that in mind, Leist does a great job of bringing to life the picturesque town of Oasis, and the menacing End House.  The book is reminiscent of tales like “House on Haunted Hill,” yet with its own twists on the supernatural thriller.  The story is well-paced, and the dangers faced by Leist’s characters feels terrifyingly real.  All in all, a good read.  I look forward to reading more works from this author.

myBook.to/TheDeadGame