Inside Evil

Inside Evil #1

by Geoffrey Wakeling

Life in the secluded town of Ridgewood is charming, simple, safe - isn't it? The bubble that isolates the hamlet protects, or so the eclectic residents believe. Lurking in the background of every day life is a curse that comes in cycles and picks off the innocent as it pleases. But this time there's something different,this time the curse wants more.

Roberta Arlington's life changes the moment she finds one of
her pupils, pale, frozen, DEAD. Her mind is filled with uncharacteristic thoughts, dreams and visions create bizarre scenes, and her blood boils as she lashes out at those she loves. Amidst her turmoil there are friends, and enemies, who come to her aid, piecing together the puzzle laid before them.

But with the ancient evil having struck down so many through
the centuries, Roberta will have to muster every ounce of strength she has to survive. An entire world, a strange land, has unveiled itself. If Roberta knows one thing for sure, it's that she alone won't be able to escape as death comes calling.......

*****

Inside Evil is a paranormal mystery set in a small town on the borders of England and Scotland. Like so many similar places, its residents cannot help but be drawn into each others
lives, as they rarely venture from their seclusion. But, with such isolation comes danger, and whilst the world is blissfully unaware, an ancient terror is preparing for murder.

Genres: Fantasy, Horror, Paranormal, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Fiction

267 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 12, 2012

About the author

I'm a professional copywriter and blogger by day, interspersing writing with walking in the forest, gardening and wiping cat drool off my lap.

By night, I'm working on my novels, the first of which has been published; Inside Evil.

Reviews

[M.R. Jenks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Agatha Christie. Dorothy Sayers. Wilkie Collins. G. K. Chesterton. These are the authors which come to mind when reading Inside Evil. It is the sort of tale to curl up with in front of a warm fire, or read in bed on a cold frosty night. In truth it is a fantasy disguised as a mystery, the sort of quintessential English mystery which is both as cozy as a pair of warm slippers, and as frightening as a knife in the dark. The reader should be aware beforehand, however, that they are reading a very satisfying tale, but it is only Book One of a larger fantasy series. In this first incarnation, one is reminded of the Moors in Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights. Ridgewood is brought to life as a somewhat isolated town not far from the Scottish border. Dark, moody, full of wet weather and haunting landscapes, it is the perfect setting for a murder, and in this case multiple murders.

The main characters - Roberta, Sam, Susan, Martha, and Karl (not to mention Mrs. Peacock) are all caught up in investigating a series of murders around the town, which have happened before and are happening again. As they discover more clues, and as they uncover more details regarding the murders and a strange basement room Susan has discovered, it is apparent they have stumbled upon something far more bizarre and unexplainable than they would have imagined. Something is lurking on the Other Side of Ridgewood, the Dark Side, and before they know it they are pulled into a series of supernatural happenings which become ever more threatening. With each new clue they stumble upon, each answer they deduce, the danger grows ever closer, until they realize that one of them is going to be the next target. But all is not darkness and evil. Help sometimes comes unlooked for . . .

One last note - Along with the dialogue and interactions, Mr. Wakeling's chief gift seems to be in the characters he brings to life. All of them, from police detective Karl to the ever inquisitive Sam to the saucy (in more ways than one) Susan, are quirky and unique in their own ways, and play an essential part in the human play that is Inside Evil. Highly recommended.

[Book Wife · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inside Evil is the first in a trilogy by G.Wakeling. If your a lover of series but hate the wait, then you'll be pleased to know that the second book- Tower of Souls -is already published.
Being a huge fantasy fan, not so much a sci-fi fan, I have to admit that this is not the sort of book I would normally choose to read. Oh how lovely a surprise it was to discover that Inside Evil was packed with oodles of mystery and leans more to fantasy than sci-fi.
So why DID I choose to read it? Well, Who wouldn't want to read a book titled 'Inside Evil'? It was a tweet by Wakeling that caught my attention, wedged between the hundreds of other similar author tweets, but this was just a few words followed by the title and link, which in turn led me to discover how appealing the cover was.

Inside Evil is set in the small town of Ridgewood. Like most small British towns it's residence are at ease and more than likely bored, that is untill an ancient curse rears it's ugly head.

With a plot that keeps you on edge and wandering what Wakeling will pull out of the bag next, this story is perfect for those lovers of Dark, Eerie and mysterious places. With characters that come to life (and some to death), there's a wide range of personalites for anyone to realate to, ranging from funny and naughty to paranoid and sad.

This is a great read, and although a little slow in one or two places, Wakeling manages to make this flow straight into the thick of the plot, which in essence works in the books favour making it an easy read with intense and dark scenes to get the heart beating. His descriptions are sublime and he writes with passion, and for those 'word' lovers he likes to throw in a few corkers, leaving you with no real work to do except sit back, relax and enjoy the story.

A great first book by G.Wakeling.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

A surprising good read that held my interest from start to finish. Well written with an intriguing plot in the mystery/fantasy genre.
The first in a series, this novel felt like it set the stage for a more exciting follow up novel. Definitely recommended.

[Karen Voitik · Rating 3 out of 5]

>Subject - book review - Inside Evil

> Review

>I received this book from the author and from Paranormal Romance and Authors that Rock. This book is the first book in the inside Evil Series. The book does not have a cliffhanger ending, per se, but definitely leaves many questions unanswered.

>The story begins by introducing the reader to Roberta, a teacher in a small town on the English side of the Scottish border. Roberta seems like a lonely, but devoted teacher. One night Roberta discovers the body of a student and her life begins to spiral out of control. Parallel to Roberta's story, we meet Susan, the owner of a quaint bookstore and the mom of the dead girl. Susan's employee, Martha, lost her husband 10 years prior by unexplained circumstances.

>All of the sudden a strange room is discovered with bits of the dead girl's and the missing husband's diaries. Roberta becomes unstable and violent. A strange dream woman appears to try and help. The plot kind of stalls out with everyone questioning events and searching for clues. The book moves quickly at first and is really enjoyable, but at about halfway in, I was struggling to continue to read. The end of the story is really a non-end. Everybody just goes about their business and promises to keep watching. A real let down, even though the end promises more answers. At this point I really don't care to know the answers. The book lacked the suspense needed to keep a reader hooked and both wondering and dreading the answers. I just wanted it to be over.

> This book is for a young adult (14+) and adult audience.

[Phil Ansell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inside Evil is a book with a plot that was both fascinating and intriguing, featured some great characters and a setting to die for.

G.Wakeling paints a fantastic picture of the small town of Ridgewood, with beautiful and full descriptions, I really felt like I’ve just been there and the plot itself kept me interested and desperately wanting to know why the events were happening and what was going to happen next. That said I felt I could only give it 3 stars because sometimes the pacing of the story became a little slow and I found my mind drifting once or twice. Also I didn’t find that I got an emotional connection to any of the characters, and so I struggled to get totally invested in to story. What kept me going was curiosity about what was happening rather than caring enough about what was going to happen to a character and if they lived or died or suffered, and that’s what really draws me into a book. However that may have just been because the story focuses on a number of characters rather than one or two.
The characters themselves were interesting and realistic of British folk, and how can you not love characters whose day of investigation ends with copious amounts of Gin, upon deciding to continue a search the following day Martha announces “We need more Gin”, - love it.

On the whole I enjoyed the book and the writing was very good. I am still very curious about the back story of why the events that happened did and what's going to happen next, so I will certainly be reading The Tower of Souls.

[Karen Field · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inside Evil is a fantasy mystery story set in England. It's about a group of people tangled up in the death of a young girl. It is apparent that the death is connected to other deaths in the area. All have similar causes. All are unusual. None have been solved. Time is of the essence because someone else will die!

Whilst parts of the story were a bit slow, the characters and plot were intriguing enough to make me want to carry on reading. I wanted to know what was happening. I was curious enough to want to know what or who was behind the deaths.

I think the best thing about this mystery is the fantasy side of the story. It wraps the events in greater mystery and isn't so easy for the reader to solve. Therefore, the only choice the reader has is to keep reading to find out the answers.

The book ended, but it was obvious that another book could pick up where this one left off. I'd be happy to read the next instalment too.

I believe people who like mysteries and people who like fantasy stories would enjoy this book.

[My Name Is Legion, For We Are Many · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was ok....

Was ok....

This book wasn't bad necessarily, it's just it seems the entire first book of the series was a build up to book two with hardly any resolution or answers in, this, book one.
The story was pretty much all over the place, with many random tid~bits of information and very few actual revelations. An example being the way in which the victims are murdered. Many details are given but no explanation for them whatsoever.
Even while writing a "series", a progressive story arc should still be followed. While THIS installment WAS concluded, it left off with more questions than answers.
While I normally read a book a day, this took me a week to finish; I was unable to immerse myself enough in the story to invest in these characters, their troubles, or even their fate.
I very much wanted to enjoy this series, as I love the horror genre, but it honestly read like a mediocre B sci fi/lifetime channel movie.
(Im sorry Mr. Wakeling)

[Sharon Davies · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great first novel, very descriptive and well thought out, that you almost feel you are there in that little bookshop, sinking into a sofa with a coffee warming your hands and the fire warming your feet. It links five main characters, and we get to see the story from their perspective, before it brings them all together in the end.
It is book one of a series, so the story continues.
If you like thrilling suspense with a paranormal twist, then this book is for you.

[Austin · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a free ebook it was a relatively good story. I didn't realize until I had finished it that it was the first in a series. I'm not sure yet whether I will continue the series. I feel as though the author could have made this a stand alone novel and it would have benefited significantly from that fact. Just my opinion, pretty good read

[Naomi Lindsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read it...loved it...found it contained the perfect balance of fantasy and mystery...currently reading the second book, and loving that even more so far! Highly recommend to any and all!

[[ J o ] · Rating 2 out of 5]

[ to review at a later date - perhaps even re-read and review at a later date as well, though not urgent ]

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

wow! I really liked this story .... a tense scary thriller with a paranormal theme. The ending took me completely by surprise but I liked it.

7 May 2014

...So what’s this book about?
Inside Evil is the first in a growing series, 4 books so far; Inside Evil #1, Tower of Souls #2, Spirits of the Middlelands #3 and New Alliances #4.
This paranormal mystery is set in a small isolated rural community on the borders of England and Scotland but the sleepy peace is about to be broken, when local boarding school teacher, Roberta Arlington, finds one of her pupils dead, in the school’s corridor. What looks like, at first, a strange but tragic one-off incident is slowly revealed to be just one of many mysterious deaths and disappearances in the town’s history.

...So, what did I like about it?
The way this story was told, reminded me of books written by authors like Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh and P.D. James. I liked the eloquent way Mr Wakeling described the town, the people living there and even the weather (which almost become a character in it’s own right in my mind). The sometimes gentle, meandering of the story gave me, the reader, time to process clues and events and breathing space to try to work out where the story was going next. I liked seeing the mystery from more than one character’s perspective but feeling, like them, in the dark about what was happening in the town & why it was happening. I felt on the edge of my seat, wondering if Roberta, Sam, Susan, Martha and Karl would join forces to solve the mystery together and prevent another death.

...So, ummm, was there anything I disliked about it?
Not really. My only niggle is that I think as a seasoned policeman, Karl should have been more pro-active in finding out about past disappearances and deaths in Ridgewood.

...So, basically what I’m saying is...
I really enjoyed reading this book. If Agatha Christie had written a mystery story with a fantasy theme, I think it would have been like Inside Evil. If you enjoy your fantasy or paranormal stories with a mystery to solve, then give this book a try.

[Wendy Unsworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Roberta Arlington finds a dead pupil in the corridor of the school where she works and her fate is sealed. An ancient curse makes the isolated community of Ridgewood a dangerous place to be.
I really enjoyed the setting of this story. The town, the school, the bookshop, all make a very fitting backdrop to the build up tension as the curse returns for its next victim. I also liked the easy writing style, quite a complex story is clearly told.
Although I am not a great fan of fantasy, inside Evil provided, for me, a good mix of creepy horror and I particularly liked that it was happening to very believable and ordinary characters.
After the death of the student, Roberta comes to realise that she is next in line for the curse. A cast of characters already touched by the curse, slowly come together, along with long-time and loyal friend, Sam to aid Roberta in her final bid to save her own life.
This is the first in a series that obviously continues the same story and, honestly, that would usually put me off a little. However, there is a conclusion of sorts, and my interest has been piqued to find out more so I will definitely be reading on!

[Gina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was asked to read this book for a fair and honest review by the author.

To be honest this book took me longer than normal to read. I can usually read a book in 2 days. This one took much longer than that.

The story didn't seem to flow very well. I found it alternated between being sluggish and too fast paced. There were also things I wish that were explained more that were not.

I think if there was more of an explanation of what was really going on in the town would of been better. I think the story needed more of a backstory of how things started and not just concentrate on the present.

[Ann James · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think if I'd read the feedback and not the synopsis, I probably wouldn't have bought this book. I expected it to be more of a thriller with some fantasy but the balance weighed the other way. Because of this it was a hard slog, but didn't penalise my rating because of my personal preferences. What was found wanting was the ending... the tying up of loose ends.

Being part of a trilogy (I assume) you need to read all three books to get to the complete story. Not something I'm planning to do, given the second sounds as though it is all fantasy. But if you do like this type of genre, then it may be worth a read.

[Scooby2 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm so glad I won this from Library Thing. Inside Evil has everything from suspense, mystery, the supernatural, friendship and revenge all thrown into one. Roberta finds herself seeing a woman in mirrors and thinking thoughts that aren't like her after she finds a student's body in the school hallway. Roberta finds out that the town of Ridgewood has a dark secret that has been kept for many many years and the evil has been awakened once again. This story kept me reading until the very end, I couldn't put it down. I definitely recommend this to others to read. I look forward to reading more by Geoffrey Wakeling.

[Mel · Rating 2 out of 5]

It all started with the death of Vanessa Lingly in her high school. It all seemed a bit random until one police officer finally remembers a spate of deaths ten years ago to which he thinks this might be related. I enjoyed this, but didn't get a feel for any of the characters; especially Roberta who was the protagonist. Maybe I zoned out a bit, but by the end I had no idea how the curse had selected a victim, or why Mrs Peacock's book was meant for Martha.
Overall, a good idea but disappointing.

[multitaskingmomma · Rating 5 out of 5]

I may be a latecomer to Geoffrey Wakeling's paranormal Inside Evil series, but I would want to be first in line when Book 5 comes out. These fast-paced, thrilling novels are ones that refuse to let you go until you've reached the very last page then still have their claws in you when you're done.

Read the rest of the review! Blog Tour, Review, Excerpt: Inside Evil Series Books 1-4 by Geoffrey Wakeling

[Michael Brookes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inside Evil is the battle in a small village against an ancient curse. It has a gloomy, claustrophobic feel that encapsulates the story. The writing pulls you through the story in a pleasing manner and I enjoyed reading it a lot. I understand there are more books in the series, so I will have to check them out. A recommended horror read.

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not sure what I was expecting with this book. It was a good read, but it left a lot of unanswered questions. For instance, what really is Gathin? Who was Roberta and Barry running from in the end? Why is there a curse on Ridgewood? etc. I understand there are 2 more books in the series. Maybe those books will have answers.

[Staci Virtue · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a pretty good story. pacing was good, plot kept my interest. The characters weren't very well developed however, and I feel there were many questions left unanswered, we got the name of the curse but no history; where it came from, who started it, etc. I know there's a sequel and I will likely download it for my Kindle, to hopefully fill in some of the blanks.

[Alina Popescu · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hate everything scary, I stay away from horror, yet I couldn't put Inside Evil down. The mystery, the fantastic world Geoffrey Wakeling built, and the constant thrill and race against time quality kept me glued to my kindle. I loved how imperfect yet easy to relate to all the characters are and how the threat of evil and the supernatural world is woven into the story. Brilliant read!

[L.E. Fitzpatrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

It has been a long time since I read a traditional horror story. Horror is a very difficult genre to get right but I was really pleased that Inside Evil wasn't just scary but it was also totally original. The characters were believable and strong and the imagery was astounding.

A great read and a great opener to the series.

[Brenda Nichols · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really different story

I read this entire book and still can't tell you what the story was really about. I was hoping that the author would bring an explanation that would make sense of the story.

[Victoria Zigler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a bit of a strange story, but a really good one; an enjoyable read. It has a bit of a slow start, but when it picks up will capture your interest and keep it until the end.

[Jack · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good fantasy/mystery that became richer as the book unfolded. Looking forward to the next in the series, as I feel it will be even more intriguing, engaging, and satisfying...

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book. I love reading books set in Ireland and England.

[wendy grim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good

the plot of the story was good and can not wait to read what happens next in the series of books

[John Walkenford · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great creepy novel, 1st in a series. I found myself easily picturing everything and every place in the story and I look forward to reading the rest of the books in the series.

[Gita Sturtevant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most intriguing

Written to keep the readers interest and suspenseful too. Sorry but all good things end but sorry things like this book had to also