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The Eternal Sphinxman
Seven years ago, the brothers of Nu Psi Nu fraternity accidentally killed one of their pledges, then proceed to conceal the crime and got away with it. After years of estrangement, they’ve decided to reunite during the centennial homecoming celebration at their alma mater. But they soon find out that someone else has also returned to the prestigious grounds of the fictional Louisiana college. Someone claiming to be the resurrected victim the fraternity brothers murdered. He’s calling himself the Eternal Sphinxman and he has initiated a dangerous game of cat and mouse that he says won’t end until all of them are dead. In the spirit of Agatha Christie’s “And Then There Were None,” Jones’ sophomore novel is a page-turning thriller filled with damaged characters whose only chance at survival relies on unmasking the identity of their psychotic stalker.
- GenresMystery
344 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
March 4, 2013
I received a free download of "The Eternal Sphinxman" by J.E. Jones through Goodreads Group "Making Connections", for an honest review.
This is an excellent mystery thriller, that is well written, and will have you glued to your seat to find out the ending.
Six people gathered at the lake's edge, after dropping the lifeless weighted boy's body in the lake, waiting for it to sink and disappear.They were part of a brotherhood of co-conspirators.They still have to get rid of the guy's car and make it look like he might have been carjacked or kidnapped.This is the story of one fraternity, "Nu Psi Nu", and its rituals.In 2004, one of their pledges, Nicolas was accidentally killed...Now they had to get rid of the body.These six people would have to lie to cover up the murder and their horrible deed.
Some years later, the brothers get together for the homecoming...and enter the "Eternal Sphinxman", a masked man who seeks revenge for the past.
"It's time to pay for your sins against the frat".
Eternal Sphinxman
The author is very careful to supply little bits of information on a need basis, to continue to build the suspense in the novel.The ending was a real surprise.An excellent mystery thriller.
This is an excellent mystery thriller, that is well written, and will have you glued to your seat to find out the ending.
Six people gathered at the lake's edge, after dropping the lifeless weighted boy's body in the lake, waiting for it to sink and disappear.They were part of a brotherhood of co-conspirators.They still have to get rid of the guy's car and make it look like he might have been carjacked or kidnapped.This is the story of one fraternity, "Nu Psi Nu", and its rituals.In 2004, one of their pledges, Nicolas was accidentally killed...Now they had to get rid of the body.These six people would have to lie to cover up the murder and their horrible deed.
Some years later, the brothers get together for the homecoming...and enter the "Eternal Sphinxman", a masked man who seeks revenge for the past.
"It's time to pay for your sins against the frat".
Eternal Sphinxman
The author is very careful to supply little bits of information on a need basis, to continue to build the suspense in the novel.The ending was a real surprise.An excellent mystery thriller.
January 17, 2013
Review first appeared on my blog: Book Addict 24-7
I received a copy in exchange for an honest review
I finished reading J.E. Jones' novel The Eternal Sphinxman at the beginning of January and I've been dwelling on what to write in my review since then. While there were some interesting moments in the novel, I wasn't a huge fan of the dialogue and the attempts at creating foreshadowing. But if the reader focuses more on the storyline, rather than the writing technique, s/he will find a creepy tale of revenge.
The characters are university graduates that encounter their murderous past while visiting their old college campus during a reunion. The novel is reminiscent of the Scream films, since the characters get hunted, taunted, and attacked by a masked killer. The conclusion will surprise you and the prologue will leave you smiling, despite the dark tone.
What irked me throughout the whole novel was the dialogue. I congratulate the author for being so consistent with his portrayal of his characters' vernacular, but I found it disconcerting that his characters talked in a very over-dramatized colloquial fashion. I found the dialogue very distracting and inappropriate, simply because the characters are college educated adults that talk like teenaged, or young adult characters.
I'm not even going to touch on how obscene some of the language was--not as in bad words, but just words that were a bit strong--but maybe I've just been away from adult fiction for too long.
The foreshadow was interesting, but could have been better if Jones allowed some room for the reader to guess at the hints being given. Instead of telling the reader what was in store, I would have preferred a slight hint at what was about to happen. Foreshadowing is tricky because the line between over-sharing and just enough suspense is very easy to cross.
I contemplated my rating between two and three stars, but settled on three stars because the base of the story is good. The surprise ending is also something worth noting, since it is difficult to find a murder mystery with a truly captivating conclusion.
I would recommend The Eternal Sphinxman to readers who enjoy murder mysteries and college related story lines. Though the dialogue leaves much to be desired, the story itself makes for a suspenseful read.
I received a copy in exchange for an honest review
I finished reading J.E. Jones' novel The Eternal Sphinxman at the beginning of January and I've been dwelling on what to write in my review since then. While there were some interesting moments in the novel, I wasn't a huge fan of the dialogue and the attempts at creating foreshadowing. But if the reader focuses more on the storyline, rather than the writing technique, s/he will find a creepy tale of revenge.
The characters are university graduates that encounter their murderous past while visiting their old college campus during a reunion. The novel is reminiscent of the Scream films, since the characters get hunted, taunted, and attacked by a masked killer. The conclusion will surprise you and the prologue will leave you smiling, despite the dark tone.
What irked me throughout the whole novel was the dialogue. I congratulate the author for being so consistent with his portrayal of his characters' vernacular, but I found it disconcerting that his characters talked in a very over-dramatized colloquial fashion. I found the dialogue very distracting and inappropriate, simply because the characters are college educated adults that talk like teenaged, or young adult characters.
I'm not even going to touch on how obscene some of the language was--not as in bad words, but just words that were a bit strong--but maybe I've just been away from adult fiction for too long.
The foreshadow was interesting, but could have been better if Jones allowed some room for the reader to guess at the hints being given. Instead of telling the reader what was in store, I would have preferred a slight hint at what was about to happen. Foreshadowing is tricky because the line between over-sharing and just enough suspense is very easy to cross.
I contemplated my rating between two and three stars, but settled on three stars because the base of the story is good. The surprise ending is also something worth noting, since it is difficult to find a murder mystery with a truly captivating conclusion.
I would recommend The Eternal Sphinxman to readers who enjoy murder mysteries and college related story lines. Though the dialogue leaves much to be desired, the story itself makes for a suspenseful read.
March 5, 2013
What kind of personal vengeance can be sought against a group of fraternity brothers who beat a pledge to death then secretly dispose of the body to cover up their hate crime? And just who, or what, is seeking that vengeance? This is the underlying mystery that surrounds the chilling plot of The Eternal Sphinxman, whose characters possess as many tangled secrets as do those of a soap opera.
First of all, I love the title, for it itself conjures some wonderful images of eeriness, setting the tone. J.E. Jones plays well with a large cast of lively, realistic characters, some succinct, vivid setting descriptions, and an overall, smooth pacing of the compelling plot. The story starts out with a bang, climbs steadily toward its dramatic conclusion, complete with a delightful unexpected twist, then wraps up quickly. Lamar's character became well developed enough by the end that I could feel his emotional turmoil and pain.
In my opinion, this book was diminished by some intial confusion as to who the protagonists (?) were. To have actually introduced the characters by name in the prologue might have helped. I also found it disconcerting to constantly jump back and forth between so many character minds, both major and minor, and often had trouble differentiating which character was speaking at times. With his highly dramatic departure, I expected there to be more from Parrish at the end. There seemed to be an inordinate amount of eyes being rolled, and closer attention to proofreading would have been beneficial.
All in all, the book is tantalizing, suspenseful entertainment, and hopefully we can expect more good things from Jones in the future.
First of all, I love the title, for it itself conjures some wonderful images of eeriness, setting the tone. J.E. Jones plays well with a large cast of lively, realistic characters, some succinct, vivid setting descriptions, and an overall, smooth pacing of the compelling plot. The story starts out with a bang, climbs steadily toward its dramatic conclusion, complete with a delightful unexpected twist, then wraps up quickly. Lamar's character became well developed enough by the end that I could feel his emotional turmoil and pain.
In my opinion, this book was diminished by some intial confusion as to who the protagonists (?) were. To have actually introduced the characters by name in the prologue might have helped. I also found it disconcerting to constantly jump back and forth between so many character minds, both major and minor, and often had trouble differentiating which character was speaking at times. With his highly dramatic departure, I expected there to be more from Parrish at the end. There seemed to be an inordinate amount of eyes being rolled, and closer attention to proofreading would have been beneficial.
All in all, the book is tantalizing, suspenseful entertainment, and hopefully we can expect more good things from Jones in the future.
November 22, 2012
I received this book for free through GoodReads First Reads in exchange for a review.
The Eternal Sphinxman by author J.E. Jones was a brilliant tale of revenge. I loved the characters and the way they all dealt with the murder they got a way with on Greek row years earlier. The Sphinxman, or the man that they had murdered, is apparently starting to murder them off at the Greek reunion. The book was full of suspense as the murders started and then toward the end when everyone started dying. A lot of snatch and kills that reminded me of a slasher film where I was literally yelling at the characters not to walk around by themselves! I loved the character development and Monica and Lamar remained my favorite characters throughout the book. Great descriptions of Greek life in African-American fraternities and sororities. Probably the only complaint I had was who the murderer turned out to be. Even though it was very surprising, I kind of thought it would have been more fantastic if someone else was committing the crimes. However, worth the read and I plan to read more books by J.E. Jones.
The Eternal Sphinxman by author J.E. Jones was a brilliant tale of revenge. I loved the characters and the way they all dealt with the murder they got a way with on Greek row years earlier. The Sphinxman, or the man that they had murdered, is apparently starting to murder them off at the Greek reunion. The book was full of suspense as the murders started and then toward the end when everyone started dying. A lot of snatch and kills that reminded me of a slasher film where I was literally yelling at the characters not to walk around by themselves! I loved the character development and Monica and Lamar remained my favorite characters throughout the book. Great descriptions of Greek life in African-American fraternities and sororities. Probably the only complaint I had was who the murderer turned out to be. Even though it was very surprising, I kind of thought it would have been more fantastic if someone else was committing the crimes. However, worth the read and I plan to read more books by J.E. Jones.
February 26, 2013
Review of The Eternal Sphinxman
5 stars
“The Eternal Sphinxman” is an utterly engrossing and fast-paced mystery which I read in one sitting, simply because I could not bear to put it down until the denouement(s). This is one mystery in which the author is very careful not to telegraph the results; there are several possibilities, but the reader won’t know until the end which possibility, if any, is the accurate one. Peeling back the layers of façade at a Greek fraternity, at a “historically black only college” in Southern Louisiana, author Jones treats readers to a smorgasbord of characters, activity, and twisted plotting. Even the backdrop characters (such as two of the main characters encounter later on in another town) are catchy, intriguing, and carriers of facts about the situations. The fraternity becomes something of a character itself, as it takes on a life of its own, and that works wonderfully well in the context of this novel.
I totally enjoyed this story and expect to be rereading it in future.
5 stars
“The Eternal Sphinxman” is an utterly engrossing and fast-paced mystery which I read in one sitting, simply because I could not bear to put it down until the denouement(s). This is one mystery in which the author is very careful not to telegraph the results; there are several possibilities, but the reader won’t know until the end which possibility, if any, is the accurate one. Peeling back the layers of façade at a Greek fraternity, at a “historically black only college” in Southern Louisiana, author Jones treats readers to a smorgasbord of characters, activity, and twisted plotting. Even the backdrop characters (such as two of the main characters encounter later on in another town) are catchy, intriguing, and carriers of facts about the situations. The fraternity becomes something of a character itself, as it takes on a life of its own, and that works wonderfully well in the context of this novel.
I totally enjoyed this story and expect to be rereading it in future.
January 20, 2013
Coming for You
Fraternities are known for their barbaric rituals. Nu Psi Nu isn't any different. In 2004, one of their pledges, Nicolas, was accidentally killed. Instead of reporting the accident to the authorities, the brothers decided to conceal the killing and never discuss it again. Some years later, the brothers decide to get together for the centennial homecoming. Someone else also plans to pay homage to the Nu Psi Nu fraternity. How will this reunion play out?
“The Eternal Sphinxman” was my second read by J E Jones and I must say I was just as impressed with this one as I was with the first one. I was pulled in from the beginning. The pages are full of spine tingling suspense. I applaud Jones for his realistic events. The twists and turns make it difficult to put this book down. The ending caught me off guard. This is an intriguing read I would recommend.
Reviewed by: Jas
Fraternities are known for their barbaric rituals. Nu Psi Nu isn't any different. In 2004, one of their pledges, Nicolas, was accidentally killed. Instead of reporting the accident to the authorities, the brothers decided to conceal the killing and never discuss it again. Some years later, the brothers decide to get together for the centennial homecoming. Someone else also plans to pay homage to the Nu Psi Nu fraternity. How will this reunion play out?
“The Eternal Sphinxman” was my second read by J E Jones and I must say I was just as impressed with this one as I was with the first one. I was pulled in from the beginning. The pages are full of spine tingling suspense. I applaud Jones for his realistic events. The twists and turns make it difficult to put this book down. The ending caught me off guard. This is an intriguing read I would recommend.
Reviewed by: Jas
October 22, 2012
Once I finally made time to focus on reading, I simply couldn't put it down. Chapter after chapter, I was guessing "who done it?". And, I was wrong each time. Now this is the type of reading I like! If you like suspense/thrillers, this is the perfect page turner for you. I also recommend his other book, Never Dead. It's good tood!
I look forward to more books from J.E. Jones.
I look forward to more books from J.E. Jones.
October 7, 2012
This book kept me guessing at every page. I was so engrossed and anxious to get to the end. The characters and plot was developed well, I enjoyed it tremendously and have recommended it to everyone I come across. I look forward to reading more from this author. This book is fantastic.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews