The Beast Within

by Edward Kendrick

A cannibalistic serial killer targeting gay men is on the loose. Devin, who has become increasingly erratic in the last two months, just split up with Gary, his lover of three years. Vanni, a habitue of the gay clubs, makes extra spending money on his knees in the club johns. Is one of these men the killer? Or will one of them instead become the killer's next target? Detective Hollis Robbins is in charge of the case. He intends to stop the killer, if he can. When the killer strikes again, the four men's lives intertwine as the search for the murderer intensifies. Will the attraction that two of them begin to feel for each other survive the hunt? Do they have the strength to continue on after tragedy strikes and teaches them that love can be bittersweet? CONTENT ADVISORY: This title involves a "happily for now" conclusion.

Genres: M M Romance, Mystery, Contemporary, M M Contemporary

304 pages, Paperback

First published October 22, 2011

About the author

Born and bred Cleveland, I earned a degree in technical theater, later switched to costuming, and headed to NYC. Finally seeing the futility of trying to become rich and famous in the Big Apple, I joined VISTA—Volunteers in Service to America—ending up in Chicago for three years. Then it was on to Denver, where I put down roots and worked as a costume designer until I retired in 2007.

I began writing a few years ago after joining an online fanfic group. Two friends and I then started a group for writers, where they could post any story they wished, no matter the genre or content. Since then I've been writing for publication. My first book came out in February of 2011. Most, but not all, of my work is M/M, either mildly erotic or purely 'romantic'. More often than not it involves a mystery or action/adventure, and is sometimes paranormal as well.

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I fell in love with this story. It made me laugh, cry, want to scream, cheer for the characters, and made me believe in true love and that love can conquer. The shocking twist near the end was unexpected and I bawled like a baby while reading it. On that note, this book was very moving and covered a lot of the aspects of love; first love (in a way), love gained, love lost, love in the faced tragedy and illness, second chances at love, and learning how to love again. This book had a little bit of everything, from a man discovering he’s gay to a man discovering his worst nightmare just came true.

I truly enjoyed this book as it’s rare for a book to make me feel so much for the characters in so few pages. 200 pages are not usually enough pages to make you go through all these emotions and feelings without some disconnect. And with 4 main characters (and a fifth at the end), several plot lines including a murder, and being that short of a story, it’d be easy to get lost or confused or disconnect with the story along the way. Yet Mr. Kendrick does an amazing job at making everything run smoothly while still keeping the story realistic and a wonderful read. And as a writer, I can understand how difficult and impressive that is. I saw the characters as real people who I could meet just walking down the street and a few even reminded me of people I knew. And contrary to popular belief, it's not easy to make your characters that life like.

The only potential downside was that the ending was a HFN,which upset me since by the end of the book, I was very emotionally involved and I wanted a HEA for my boys. And the horrible tragedy that occurs near the end was very upsetting as well, but was necessary to help make this book as powerful as it was. Other than that, the story was…indescribable. There aren’t words great enough to define this book. I’ve got to say that I don’t often give many books 5 stars and very few have ever been books that I consider deserve a higher rating. This story is one of them.

I would definitely recommend this book for everyone who wants a wonderful read. I started this book at 2 in the morning and didn’t stop till I was done, it was so capturing! If you’re looking for a good read with a plot, this one is for you and you won’t regret it. And to dear Mr. Kendrick, I hope you continue writing and giving us wonderful books such as this one. And thank you for your portrayal of the police force in a positive light. I have several cops in my family and not everyone always shows that cops are regular, chill people who have feelings and are more than just "a badge."

[Portia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review was originally featured on MM Good Book Reviews and included a chat with the author.

http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.co...

This was an absolutely fabulous read. It starts by following three gay men who awaken after a night of clubbing not being able to remember details of their night befores. Intermingled is a police investigation, where gay men are turning up dead. It was very Agatha Christie and I loved it. I HAD to move to the next chapter to see who might have gone missing next.

In my mind, this book could be divided into three parts. Unfortunately, I can’t put labels on those parts or I’d have to give away the whole story. Suffice it to say, Edward Kendrick has penned a tale that is equal parts romance and suspense. There is grittiness in this book that I think he was going for in some of his other work but didn’t quite achieve.

I’d also like to note that I really appreciated the inclusion of an HIV positive character, albeit one of the secondary characters. Don’t worry, the guy doesn’t die or anything, but it was nice to see an author addressing the issue without getting all angsty.

I will say this: The Beast Within is not a quick paranormal read. There are no sexy werewolves or shifters coming to save the day. The Beast could dwell in anyone.

If you are up for a well-written tale of intrigue, broken men coming to terms with life and death and more than one beautiful love story…this is a definite must read.

[Sala Bim]

DNF

[Buda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Daring and interesting, but not enough to love it.