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Her fingernails dug deep inside the palms as she waited. She could make out someone moving behind the lit windows and felt immediately grateful that she was at least well hidden. Hearing a fluttering sound above, she looked upwards and saw a flurry of at least a thousand bats swirling around the tree top. Something prickled her neck and she swirled around the spot. There was nothing! The flapping sound of the bats grew louder as if they were becoming restless. Her heart began to race as her eyes scanned the van in front. Where is he? She looked upwards once again but the bats were nowhere to be seen. “You’re not welcome here!” A cold sharp voice called out from behind her and a faint scream escaped her lungs. She flopped backwards and spun around at the same time. Her left foot stuck on a stone, and she fell down on the damp earth. Scrambling to her feet and trembling all over, her eyes quickly moved to the place, where she’d heard the noise. All she could make out were the dark trees, slowly swaying under the spell of the wind. She felt an awkward feeling that she was being watched. Something touched her shoulder, and her stomach gave a horrible jolt as she twirled around once more, her fists ready to strike. But it was her husband. “Will you keep it down?” “I heard a woman’s voice,” she sank in his arms. “What woman?” he asked, looking bewildered. “Out here?” “Yes. And there were bats. Thousands of them on that tree.” There was an uncomfortable pause. “Honey, are you all right? You sure you took your medicines before leaving.” “I know what I saw,” the woman said hysterically as she pulled away from him. “Let’s leave it. There’s no point discussing it. Did you check the car?” “It’s locked. We’ve to ask them,” the man said glumly. The woman bit her lip. Something was wrong with this place. She could sense it. But the prospect of spending the night out in the woods was far more unsettling than asking for a room. Her eyes scanned their clothes. They didn’t look shabby at all. She was glad that they’d changed their usual off-white robes before leaving otherwise their chances of getting a room would’ve been very grim indeed. “So what do you suggest?” asked the man, squinting at her with a suspicious frown. “We spend the night in or out?” “In- I guess,” the woman said at once. “All right. You talk. I’ll stay put in case they look through us. You okay with that?” “Yes.” “You sure?” “Do I have to repeat myself?” the woman frowned at him. “Ok… off we go then. I’ll follow you. And try to be polite.” “Oh- please. Stop it -will you?” The two hurried past the van and headed straight towards the stony steps. “I’m not wearing my glasses. What does it say?” asked the woman, pointing at the overhead billboard. The man strained his neck as he read the sign: “It says ‘Barry’s Lodge’...I guess we are at the right place then.” He added with a warm smile. The woman swallowed with difficulty as she felt her husband’s hand on her back, ushering her forward, towards the door. She waited for the courage to build up and then knocked on the door.
~~~
Barry's Lodge:
A Haunting
By Annie Walters
When the story begins with a couple (questionable as to what they have going) moving toward a woodland inn, is told “You’re not welcome here!” from an unseen woman, you might immediately get the idea that Barry's Lodge might not be the best place to stay... But if the choice is staying inside versus staying outside in the woods where hundreds of bats can be readily seen, you might go ahead and enter... But be prepared... Actually, the main character, is a wannabe writer, who spends more time thinking and talking about writing a book than he actually does in writing it... Maybe even a deadbeat...
I owned a small building in the village of Liddington. Thanks to Ellen’s father, Frank. Or perhaps I should call him the gracious Frank, if I were to be more precise. A very humble man who always tried his best to make both ends of our peculiar family meet but his untiring efforts nearly always ended in vain. I often let no opportunity to pass that offered a chance to disappoint my family. This was the first time in the last decade of my stringent connubial life that I had kept to one job for more than four months: Running a recording studio! I earned between 100 to 150 pounds a day if I got lucky. Some days were definitely terrible. I never complained. This was Ellen’s role. She adored arguments. I always had an easy way out. George and Anne, my little kids, were both asthmatic and when her bickering seemed inappropriate or a bit too hard to swallow, I always came up with an excuse to smoke. An unconvincing lie, of course I couldn’t do it in the house, so a change of air or should I say an escape from reality for even five seconds, always came up as an immense relief. I am not a narcissist, but I have been trying too hard for a very long time. I wanted this to end. I wanted my family to be happy. I wanted my kids to be proud of their father. Something I would love them to confide in to other kids in our neighborhood. But the very fear of failure irked me. It shook me. Deep down, I demanded a change. Yet to bring the change, I needed to change and that seemed overtly ambitious. The difference between an author and wanting to be one was evident. I was stuck somewhere between the two. It had been fifteen long years and in came numerous single nights from 12:00 am to 04:00 am. It had become a habit and just like any other bad habit it was devouring my very insides. It’s nearly six, I said to myself, picking up the car keys from the table and started towards the door. I could hear the clouds rumbling above me. After making sure that all the lights were off, I locked the front door swiftly. It’s going to rain soon, I thought as I began to stroll towards my car. Wind whistled past my ears and I clutched the overcoat tightly around my chest. Autumn leaves crunched viciously and my mind raced again. I needed a plan!
Finally, for his birthday, his father-in-law gave him a week's vacation in a secluded Lodge in order to finish his book... Of course, he hasn't really started it... Can we assume that the book that we are reading is the result of that brief time away from home? Because certainly there was a story there, in Barry's Lodge. A scary, sometimes horrifying tale that you must follow carefully to realize just exactly what is happening... Indeed the entire book becomes the horror story of what happens there in Barry's Lodge. For Alfred the wannabe writer, who fails to explain to his wonderful father-in-law that it was highly unlikely that he could write (finish) a book in just a week, it does sound like the plan he was needing and becomes very enthusiastic...until he gets there... Walters adds an edgy, haunting suspenseful tone to her story telling... and as Alfred slowly gets out of the car, we almost can hear that woman's voice call out again... "You're not welcome here..." Alfred finds he's even beginning to think lines in his book... Without warning it hit me that something was radically amiss around my ambiance. Alfred might have been pleasantly surprised when the innkeeper gushed about having a writer as their guest, if it hadn't been for the condition of foyer and furnishings. He soon learned that the upper floor was not accessible, and when Alfred pressed, was told that it was full of bats... So getting on with signing the register, he was given a quill to sign...and keep...kinda interesting, except that before he could proceed to sign, he had to read and accept the rules of the establishment...
Oh-wait a minute.” He vanished behind the counter once again. After a bout of swearing and cursing, he got up and brushed the dirt and the clinging web off what looked like a thick file on the front of his turquoise jumper and placed it neatly in front of me. “It’s my duty to inform you that…urm…that there are certain rules and regulations that you must abide by while you’re staying with us.” Thinking of the possibility of the man being a complete lunatic, I flicked the file open, scanned the appendix and to my surprise the rules went from one to hundred. I turned the page and the “Rule no.1” held my interest. It read “Warning: No Nighttime Strolls after Dusk.” I continued to read: “Visitors are warned to cooperate with the staff members who are solely responsible for your health and safety during your stay at Barry’s Lodge. All the motel entrances will be locked sharply at 7:00 pm, without entertaining any leverages or concessions, whatsoever. So unless you are looking forward to spending the night out with one of our hefty and extremely dangerous “cougars” you are hereby warned that you must return to the motel at all costs by 7:00 pm. Failure to comply with this rule shall invoke appropriate action by the security staff, provided you’re still alive by the end of your beastly encounter.” I finished reading and snorted with laughter. Barry frowned at me, looking confused and annoyed at the same time. “Please, sir I think you’re taking them lightly—.” “I’m sorry Barry, I think …they seem a bit funny,” I said, still chuckling. “So do I have to go through all of them?” “Precisely, sir. And we don’t allow check ins unless we’ve a written permission from the visitor himself.”
I soon began to also enjoy an underlying humor that catches readers off guard, just as you begin to set yourself up for horror... What was really going on in this Lodge, which seemed to have not been touched for decades, yet still was in operation, and soon proved to be quite unsuitable as a quiet place to contemplate and write... But who exactly were the other people there and why did the caretaker say he was the only individual working there when Alfred had clearly been served by a woman...
“Sir, long before this lodge came into existence this place was originally an asylum for the mentally insane and handicapped. And long before that some people say that it was a tuberculosis treatment center and before that a nursing home for the widows. That’s what I heard from my grandma and she heard it from hers.” He paused and burping loudly like a frog, pushed the plate of crumpets towards me. “Thank you, Barry.” I said, picking one up. They smelled like old socks and tasted stale. Controlling myself not to gag, I sneaked it under the counter when he was busy, spreading generous amounts of rancid butter on his plate of crumpets, humming another one of Menotti’s tunes. ~~~
This story is light enough that it is enjoyable even though there are many weird things that will be happening... Just got word that a new edition has been published to correct the few mistakes so be sure to get the latest. Highly recommended... GABixlerReviews Annie Walter is an upcoming British Author who has grown up listening to stories like the Fall of the House of Usher and The Tell-tale heart. She is a huge fan of Sir Edgar Allan Poe, Stephen King and what not and is a doctor by profession. When she’s not diagnosing her patients, you would find her in the local library, buried under tons of books, digging out tales of the macabre and horror. Currently she is living in a crooked little house in Wales with a crooked little cat called George who’s always preoccupied with sinister thoughts of murdering her.
Double-Dog Dare "You better take that back!" Rosie Barnes ground her teeth and pointed at Tommy Marshal. She blew the ends of her fire-red hair out of her face with a puff from the corner of her mouth. Chase Williams tried to get her to calm down. It was something he was used to doing. "It's okay," Chase said. "No, it's not," she insisted. "Tommy's going to take it back." Tommy stood with his arms crossed in the middle of the Gum Springs Elementary cafeteria. A ornery grin covered covered his face as a growing sea of children filled in around him. "I'm not taking anything back." Tommy said. "The Williams family is the reason everyone calls this city Ghost Town." That was in fact true, and both Rosie and Chase knew it well. The Williams family had been a part of the original founders of Gum Springs, and the stories of their involvement with ghosts and curses was a familiar tale...
~~~
One Ghost Too Many!
Ghost Town Detective Agency
By Gavin M. Garza
Michael W. Garza
"We all know the Williams house is haunted," Tommy continued. "And Old Lady Williams talks to ghosts." ~~~
If you know children who are already into celebrating Halloween and all of its "scary" things, then the Debut book, One Ghost Too Many, is certainly recommended for your consideration. The main characters are third grade students at Gum Springs Elementary and are part of the Williams family, those who had originally founded their town, Gum Springs..
So here's the catch... Everybody in town knew the stories and believed their town had ghosts. But when an argument erupted at school when a local boy who enjoyed starting trouble, started making fun of the family, specifically that the Williams house was haunted and that "Old Lady Williams" talked to ghosts...
This series targets new independent readers with easy to follow plots and grade level appropriate text. Help build a better reader today. ~~~
At first Rosie was the only one defending her family, but when Tommy called his great-grandmother Old Lady Williams, Chase got upset. Still, he wasn't prepared when Rosie taunted, "We'll show you..." And that is how it was declared that they would spend the night in the Williams house!" Especially when they got the "double-dog dare you" challenge...
Chase was terrified. Rosie yelled, "You're on!"
By that time, their cousin got involved and soon the news was all over the school of the "death-defying sleepover." Only after that did Chase calm down enough to ask Rosie, "are you crazy?"
Hey, what could happen. Their great-grandmother would be there, right? In fact, she was very happy to have the three come to visit and the kids did have a good time eating and sharing with her..
But what would happen that night when their great-grandmother had gone to bed? Especially when noises started and they were too excited not to investigate... Was their imaginations worse than what would happen?
I loved the story behind the the reason for the ghost town. It is a perfect blend of history as well as a way to begin and continue the series. Kudos to the writers!
In fact, the mystery is an important part, so I'm already curious as to how the next story will allow another historical artifact to be returned!
The book itself is quite well done, with easy double-spaced pages and line drawings that are fitted into the narrative so that we are able to meet the characters and see some of the action as it occurs. And, yes, there was indeed a ghost in the house! Be prepared to meet him...but it's really not too scary, so quite in line with the age of the children in the book... Do check it out because it really is a great introduction from both a historical as well as minimal horror story...
GABixlerReviews Gavin M. Garza spends most of his days adventuring in elementary school and buried in homework. He hopes to be a famous football or baseball player someday, but he'll settle for being an engineer if he has to. He watched his dad write a book one day and thought I bet I could do that, so he did. Michael W. Garza often finds himself wondering where his inspiration will come from next and in what form his imagination will bring it to life. The outcomes regularly surprise him, and it's always his ambition to amaze those curious enough to follow him and take in those results. He hopes everyone will find something that frightens, surprises, or simply astonishes them... WWW.MWGARZA.COM
To the brilliant sound of Mozart's Violin Concerto #4 issuing from the autopsy room's sound system, Broussard circled the steel table holding the now naked body of the Bayou Sauvage shooter, a lean, moderately muscled male Caucasian between 30 and 40 years old lying face up, his arms aligned along his torso. The old pathologist checked the form on the clipboard in his hand.
"You noted the degree of rigor in the limbs as a three when you prepared him," Broussard said to his assistant, Guy Minoux.
Guy nodded, "Right."
"Did you have to break it, to get him undressed?" He asked the question because once broken, when rigor resumes, it isn't as extensive in the disturbed muscles as in those left alone.
"No, I was careful not to, and the position of his arms made it pretty easy to avoid."
Broussard trusted Guy completely, so that ordinarily, the old pathologist wouldn't have checked the degree of rigor for himself. But it had only been three hours since the gunman had killed himself, and for much of the time the body had been submerged in water that was surely cooler than the ambient spring air. Though the degree of rigor was not a reliable time of death indicator, a rating of three seemed high for the circumstances. He explained this to Guy, who nodded and said, "Would you mind checkin' it too. I don't want anybody lookin' at me and rollin' their eyes if this becomes a problem later."
Guy swished his hand at Broussard in a gesture of dismissal, "Nahh, we been through too much of this stuff together for me to think that."
"I'm sure you're right about this, but...just to be safe..." Broussard headed for the cadavr's right arm. When he was in the proper position, he gently tested the limb's resistance to flexion of the elbow. He tried to raise the arm at the shoulder, then tested the right leg. Nodding he said, "I agree...level three."
He shifted his attention to the head, where he carefully tried to move it from side to side before pulling down on the lower jaw. In keeping with the established principle that rigor begins in the short muscles of the jaw and neck before the long extremity muscles, Broussard judged right in the former to be a level four. So there was agreement between these different areas.
Broussard moved to the other side of the head, reached up, and adjusted the light over the table. He then bent down and studied the self-inflicted gunshot wound on the cadaver's temple. What he saw was unexpected. The blast of gasses from the gun had split the man's skin in a star shape and there was no soot around the wound. Of course, immersion in the swamp would likely have washed any gunshot residue from the skin, but that star shape...
~~~
Assassination at Bayou Sauvage:
An Andy Broussard/Kit Franklyn Mystery
By D. J. Donaldson
Forensics science intrigues me--it plays such a major part in solving some mysteries. And in this one, especially... Who would have guessed, for instance, that what had been seen by many eye witnesses, wasn't what actually happened! That's when the work of our main character, Andy Broussard, amazes his fans!
This time it was personal, though... Andy had been at a birthday party picnic for his uncle, Joe Broussard, when he was killed. In fact, Andy had been sitting right beside him at a picnic table when he was shot! And so as the investigation began, another ME was handling his autopsy, while Andy was working the man who had killed him. That is, he was conducting the autopsy of a man who, from a boat, shot himself and fell from his boat. Only during autopsy, however, did Andy begin to question what he and others had really seen that day...
At the same time, Kit Franklyn, a death investigator working for Andy normally, is called in to serve as an acting police detective to try to find a missing local woman...
Gator Willie's was so busy Kit could barely get in the door. The clientele looked mostly like college kids trying to be "relevant." That meant clean cut guys wearing one earring and hair standing up like a spiky rooster comb; girls with a small nasal diamond or streaks of some odd color in their hair. She saw no guys with facial tattoos or girls with partially shaved heads or lip rings. That didn't mean everyone there was harmless. Some of the most depraved men that ever lived were normal looking or even handsome. There were also plenty of attractive but cold-blooded females now locked up for life. She had the distinct feeling that someone in Gator Willie's knew where Betty Bergeron was.
At the far end of the big room, about two dozen couples were dancing to a Zydeco song called "Dog Hill" by Boozoo Chavis, her knowledge of the piece coming from years of being around her fiancee, Teddy LaBiche.
At the bar, she slid onto the only empty stool...One of the girls came her way. "What can I get you sweetie?"
Noting that the round white badge on the girl's shirt said her name was Claudia, Kit flashed her new ID. "NOPD," she said. I'm trying to find Betty Bergeron. Were you working Thursday night?
The girl's flashing black eyes lost their luster. "Yeah, I was here. Did something happen to her? She's missed a couple shifts..."
The lot had been so crowded when eh'd arrived that Kit had to part partially on the grass at the far end of the asphalt. When she reached the spot her car looked lower than usual. A quick inspection of the tires with the flashlight app on her cell phone showed that all four were flat...
~~~
In addition to the exciting action and danger, especially for Kit, during this investigation, the most intriguing part of the story is that little by little, it is discovered that all of what is happening involves Andy Broussard's family!
And that leads to much introspection on Andy's part as he realized that he knows very little about the family members, even those that live close. As he found himself, having to check and recheck the list of those invited to the birthday party versus who was actually there, Andy realized that he even knew little about his uncle who had been killed...
While Andy shares his inner turmoil and confusion, readers get to meet and learn more about Kit's fiancee, especially when Kit is hurt and needs full-time protection... which happens to also help as they finally come to a decision about where they will live, once married...
I think I can truthfully claim that I've seen every television show that included a forensics scientist in their story...Of those, although he has not yet achieved television fame...yet, I have enjoyed Andy Broussard more than any other, for his personality, his expertise and for being a character that clearly has a medical background (from his author) used for creating realistic mysteries (or thrillers)_ What makes me choose him is because the stories match the main character better than most others I've read or seen... Although our Bones is close, it really is an entirely different type of story, don't you think? Indeed in this book, readers see him deal with personal feelings as he loses one family member after another while dealing with the many twists and turns that arrive constantly. At the same time, he works with the others studying, analyzing, and helping to lead toward a climatic conclusion that involved his sister who had died years ago! One other character I enjoy adds a bit of paranormal to the story that, in my opinion, greatly enhances the intrigue as Grandma O. who owns a local restaurant contacts Andy to alert him of something to soon occur! A little psychic power thrown against revelatory autopsy findings, matched with dangerous situations during the investigation itself, as more people die, all come together to make this, in my opinion, the best of the best of the Broussard/Franklin books...so far... And, D. J. Donaldson, could you not wait so long to bring this great series back to us next time! I love and highly recommend this and the earlier books if you love forensics mysteries as much as I do! GABixlerReviews
D.J. (Don) Donaldson is a retired medical school professor. Born and raised in Ohio, he obtained a Ph.D. in human anatomy at Tulane, then spent his entire academic career at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis. In addition to being the author of several dozen scientific articles on wound healing, he has written seven forensic mysteries and five medical thrillers. Don Donaldson, who also writes as D. J. Donaldson, in his professional career, has taught microscopic anatomy to over 5,000 medical and dental students and published dozens of research papers on wound healing. He lives in Memphis, Tennessee with his wife and two West Highland terriers.Visit Don at his website (dondonaldson.com) and his Facebook page (Facebook.com/medicalthriller).
A Family Picnic Turns to Murder in Assassination at Bayou Sauvage
New Orleans medical examiner, Andy Broussard, is back! And he’s tackling one of his most difficult cases yet in the eighth Andy Broussard/Kit Franklyn Mystery, “Assassination at Bayou Sauvage”
This riveting mystery opens with the assassination of Andy’s Uncle Joe—within plain sight of friends, family and Andy himself at a family picnic. After another murder seems to tie back to Uncle Joe’s death, Andy sets off on a perilous search for the killer, pulling Andy deep into his family’s past. With the help of death investigator Dr. Kit Franklyn, Broussard races against the clock to solve this complex case before it’s too late. This perennially popular series has been applauded by Publishers Weekly as having “lots of Louisiana color, pinpoint plotting and two highly likable characters.” The Los Angeles Times praised the series, saying “the autopsies are detailed enough to make Patricia Cornwell fans move farther south for their forensic fixes… splendidly eccentric local denizens, authentic New Orleans and bayou backgrounds.” Readers who like forensics, characters that jump off the page, and a vexing puzzle to solve will adore Donaldson’s latest novel. Exuding his New Orleans style and featuring a lurking menace to anyone of Cajun heritage, “Assassination at Bayou Sauvage” is one of Andy and Kit’s most intriguing investigations. With new revelations about Andy’s family background and Donaldson’s knack for keeping readers looking just around the corner, fans and new readers alike will be sucked into the latest Andy Broussard title.
D.J. Donaldson is a retired medical school professor. Born and raised in Ohio, he earned a Ph.D. in human anatomy at Tulane University in New Orleans then spent his entire academic career at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis. In addition to being the author of several dozen scientific articles on wound healing, Donaldson has written five medical thrillers and eights forensic mysteries, including his newest novel, “Assassination at Bayou Sauvage.” For long-standing fans of Andy Broussard and Kit Franklyn, what can they look forward to in the latest installment? There are a couple of humorous scenes between Andy Broussard and his little Cajun friend and mechanic, Bubba Oustellete, that still make me chuckle when I read them. Of course, I’m totally unbiased in my judgement about that. We also learn something about Grandma O that even Broussard didn’t know. Finally, in the last chapter, there’s a big development in the relationship between Kit and her boyfriend, and frankly, I’m worried about what that means for me. For new readers, what should they know before jumping in? It would be great if someone new to the series could read the first seven books before reading the new one. But that certainly isn’t necessary. Each book is designed to serve as a stand-alone introduction to all the characters. How do Broussard and Kit develop throughout this book? How does this particular case push their limits? Broussard is faced with the fact that he is such a self-contained man he hasn’t kept contact with any of his relatives. That includes his murdered Uncle Joe and Joe’s now adult children, with whom Broussard grew up. Amid his feelings of guilt over ignoring those who helped him after his parents were killed, Broussard must now investigate the possibility that one of them killed Joe. Kit and her alligator farmer boyfriend, Teddy LaBiche, move to a higher level in their relationship. Will that be a good thing or not? At the same time, in her newly appointed capacity as a detective, assigned to find a missing young woman, Kit knows that if she doesn’t figure things out fast, the girl may die. Kit and Teddy didn’t surprise me in this one, but they’re pushing me toward a development I can’t seem to stop, but may not be able to handle effectively in the future. Can you tell us a little about your background in science and how it has influenced your writing, especially since Broussard is a medical examiner? I’ve never been a medical examiner. But at the University of Tennessee, where I was professor of anatomy for many years, the county medical examiner and several forensic anthropologists were my colleagues. That gave me pretty free access to the forensic center, where I got to hear about a lot of fascinating cases, some of which I’ve used in my books. What was your favorite part about writing “Assassination at Bayou Sauvage?” Did your characters surprise you at all? I love working esoteric medical and scientific situations into my books. I don’t want to give anything away, but there’s a really good one at the heart of this story. What makes the New Orleans area the perfect setting for a murder mystery? The beauty and ominous nature of the swamps, the distinctive food, music, and French heritage, along with a high water table that leads to creepy above-ground cities of the dead are consummate ingredients that can’t be duplicated by any other American city. What’s next for Broussard and Kit? Like the night sounds of the swamp, I can feel that there’s something out there, but don’t yet know what it is.
