Publishers Weekly
On a September night in 1921, the silent film star Roscoe Fatty Arbuckle and friends were throwing a party at which a guest, Virginia Rappe, mysteriously died. Arbuckle was accused of Rappe's rape and murder, and Dashiell Hammett, then a Pinkerton detective, was hired to ferret out the truth. The tubercular Hammett managed to bring light to the case, much in the style of his later protagonists. Atkins refashions historical events into a compelling mystery, and Dick Hill creates excellent emphasis and stress through his tone and delivery. His male characters sound authentic, but female voices prove difficult for Hill, who relies on shrillness to convey femininity. A Putnam hardcover (Reviews, Feb. 9). (Apr.)
Bram Stoker Award winning author of PATIENT ZERO a Jonathan Maberry
Jack Kilborn's AFRAID is appropriately named. It will scare the hell out of anyone who reads it. Fast and ferocious, this is a dangerous thriller that will take a bite out of you. An absolute must read for anyone who loves the adrenaline rush of a shocking story told with style, speed and savage grace.
#1 New York Times Bestselling Author Heather Graham
Jack Kilborn's "Afraid" is a true page turner, a novel that offers a million mile a minute action and suspense. Definitely, a must have with constant thrills and chills.
author of DEAD SOULS and DEEP IN THE DARKNESS Michael Laimo
Full of colorful characters and dynamic action, this hard-to-put-down page turner will keep readers riveted and squirming in their seats. Hands down, AFRAID by Jack Kilborn is perhaps the best psychological horror novel to come along since Silence of the Lambs.
David Morrell
"The moment I heard about this book, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it."
creator of Repairman Jack F. Paul Wilson
A bloody, terrifying, hurtling assault across a landscape of non-stop mayhem. A guilty, guilty pleasure.
Marcus Sakey
"AFRAID is one of the most intense, relentless books I've ever read. This one takes no prisoners."
author of CITY INFERNAL and BRIDES OF THE IMPALER Edward Lee
"Kilborn kicks down your psyche's front door and RAISES HOLY EVER-LIVING HELL. Never have I read a novel so gruesome and simultaneously relentless. AFRAID throbs with unmitigated, inexorable. sheer friggin' TERROR."
Blake Crouch
"AFRAID is a bungee jump into pure terror, a story that plays brilliantly on all our primal fears, and stands shoulder to shoulder with the very best of Harris, Koontz, and King. A classic horror novel."
James Rollins
"AFRAID is a masterpiece of unrelenting horror. And I'm not exaggerating. Masterpiece. It's the best piece of fiction I've read in several years. It simply NEVER lets up."
