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Lightning Strike Blues
On Friday, Gabriel Reece gets struck by lightning while riding his motorcycle.
It’s not the worst thing that happens to him that week.
Gabe walks away from a smoldering pile of metal without a scratch–or any clothes, which seem to have been vaporized. And that’s weird, but he’s more worried about the sudden disappearance of his brother, Colin, who ditched town the second Gabe accidentally outed himself as gay.
Gabe tries to sift through fragmented memories of his crummy childhood for clues to his sudden invincibility, but he barely has time to think before people around town start turning up dead, and Colin is the cops’ number-one suspect.
Gabe is sure Colin is innocent, but even he has to admit the evidence is compelling. Especially once the home he shares with Gabe burns to the ground.
When Eli Samm, a mysterious and attractive stranger, shows up looking for Colin too, Gabe thinks he might finally have an ally. Except it turns out Eli thinks Colin is a supervillain, and his mission is to put him down….
It’s not the worst thing that happens to him that week.
Gabe walks away from a smoldering pile of metal without a scratch–or any clothes, which seem to have been vaporized. And that’s weird, but he’s more worried about the sudden disappearance of his brother, Colin, who ditched town the second Gabe accidentally outed himself as gay.
Gabe tries to sift through fragmented memories of his crummy childhood for clues to his sudden invincibility, but he barely has time to think before people around town start turning up dead, and Colin is the cops’ number-one suspect.
Gabe is sure Colin is innocent, but even he has to admit the evidence is compelling. Especially once the home he shares with Gabe burns to the ground.
When Eli Samm, a mysterious and attractive stranger, shows up looking for Colin too, Gabe thinks he might finally have an ally. Except it turns out Eli thinks Colin is a supervillain, and his mission is to put him down….
286 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 10, 2023
About the author
Gayleen Froese
13 books24 followersGayleen Froese is an LGBTQ writer of detective fiction living in Edmonton, Canada. Her novels include the upcoming The Girl Whose Luck Ran Out as well as Touch, and Grayling Cross. Her chapter book for adults, What the Cat Dragged In, was short-listed in the International 3-Day Novel Contest and is published by The Asp, an authors’ collective based in western Canada.
Gayleen has appeared on Canadian Learning Television’s A Total Write-Off, won the second season of the Three Day Novel Contest on BookTelevision, and, as a singer-songwriter, showcased at festivals across Canada. She has worked as a radio writer and talk-show host, an advertising creative director, and a communications officer.
A past resident of Saskatoon, Toronto, and northern Saskatchewan, Gayleen now lives in Edmonton with novelist Laird Ryan States in a home that includes dogs, geckos, snakes, monitor
lizards, and Marlowe the tegu. When not writing, she can be found kayaking, photographing unsuspecting wildlife, and playing cooperative board games, viciously competitive card games, and tabletop RPGs.
Gayleen has appeared on Canadian Learning Television’s A Total Write-Off, won the second season of the Three Day Novel Contest on BookTelevision, and, as a singer-songwriter, showcased at festivals across Canada. She has worked as a radio writer and talk-show host, an advertising creative director, and a communications officer.
A past resident of Saskatoon, Toronto, and northern Saskatchewan, Gayleen now lives in Edmonton with novelist Laird Ryan States in a home that includes dogs, geckos, snakes, monitor
lizards, and Marlowe the tegu. When not writing, she can be found kayaking, photographing unsuspecting wildlife, and playing cooperative board games, viciously competitive card games, and tabletop RPGs.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 19, 2024
I love a unique take on super powers, but I also love good characters and good worldbuilding and a plot that hides a surprise or two. This novel answered those needs really well, and now I would like another installment (not yet even in preorder). The end is very good. I'm satisfied but very curious, which is an ideal ending for the first novel in a series.
The prose is deliberately lean, yet spares no nuance I cared about, and I loved that.
The prose is deliberately lean, yet spares no nuance I cared about, and I loved that.
April 25, 2024
I knew going into this that I was in for a ride, because Gayleen never disappoints me. But I wasn't prepared to be blasted in the face with the sheer awesomeness of this story.
We've got dudes with superpowers. We've got a murder mystery. We've got a gorgeous love story between two men who should be on opposite sides of a war. We've got a badass not-superpowered girl who might as well be with the sheer force of her personality. We've got high-octane action scenes. We've got multiple angsty, tragic backstories. We've got twists and turns and OMG moments as the mystery unfolds.
And if all that isn't enough, it's written in Gayleen's signature style, which is realistic clear dialogue, organic narrative, and top tier pacing that had me glued to the page. I loved absolutely every breathtaking second of this book. 10/10 recommend!
We've got dudes with superpowers. We've got a murder mystery. We've got a gorgeous love story between two men who should be on opposite sides of a war. We've got a badass not-superpowered girl who might as well be with the sheer force of her personality. We've got high-octane action scenes. We've got multiple angsty, tragic backstories. We've got twists and turns and OMG moments as the mystery unfolds.
And if all that isn't enough, it's written in Gayleen's signature style, which is realistic clear dialogue, organic narrative, and top tier pacing that had me glued to the page. I loved absolutely every breathtaking second of this book. 10/10 recommend!
August 9, 2024
Pretty weird and I still liked it!!!! I think the second book will probably be a lot more exciting and I can’t wait for it
July 25, 2024
My new favorite author!
Also the author of the Ben Ames detective series, Gayleen Frost brings a uniquely Canadian twist to her stories as well as a amazing skill as an author. The use of language, the depth of characters a a strong plot to every story really raise all her books above the average. This seems to be just the beginning of a strange new series and I'm interested to see what happens!
Also the author of the Ben Ames detective series, Gayleen Frost brings a uniquely Canadian twist to her stories as well as a amazing skill as an author. The use of language, the depth of characters a a strong plot to every story really raise all her books above the average. This seems to be just the beginning of a strange new series and I'm interested to see what happens!
October 7, 2024
Dark, clever, heart-felt, real. Words you don't often hear about a superhero book, yet they apply here. What does it mean to be a superhero? What does it mean to have superpowers? What does it mean when a western Canadian says "have a gooder"? No one is better equipped than our author to answer.
April 27, 2026
Another fantastic story from this always engaging author. I really enjoyed the pacing of this unusual story. How both MC Gabe and the reader are convinced at the start that this will be a small town family drama, a coming out and coming of age story, until the point where it becomes something much stranger.
By this stage, I was completely hooked, emotionally invested in Gabe and his friends and willing to suspend my disbelief for this superbly crafted story. The paranormal element of super powers, and more importantly, how they can corrupt those who hold them, was handled brilliantly, holding such pivotal tension as almost no one turns out to be quite what they seem.
Add a hint of edgy romance and no end of revelations and I simply can't wait for book 2!
By this stage, I was completely hooked, emotionally invested in Gabe and his friends and willing to suspend my disbelief for this superbly crafted story. The paranormal element of super powers, and more importantly, how they can corrupt those who hold them, was handled brilliantly, holding such pivotal tension as almost no one turns out to be quite what they seem.
Add a hint of edgy romance and no end of revelations and I simply can't wait for book 2!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews