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A Madman's Song
When newly divorced Leslie Bradford moves herself and her nine year old son, Cody, to the picturesque town of Millford Springs, she believes it to be the perfect place for a fresh start. But soon after after settling into their new home, Cody sees a dark shape lurking outside his bedroom and begins to suffer troubling visions. Within days a senseless and savage crime leave the small community stunned, and Leslie's own worst fears are imagined after Cody mysteriously vanishes in the night. Along with Evan Reece, the town sheriff, Leslie soon uncovers a troubling secret from the town's past involving the abduction of a young girl - a secret that may also hold the key to her own son''s whereabouts. But they will have to work fast to save not only Cody, but the the town itself. It seems the dead girl has come back... and so has her killer.
315 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 14, 2012
17 people are currently reading
459 people want to read
About the author
Jim Martin
3 books16 followersJim is Texas born and Oklahoma raised. He got the writing bug at an early age and wrote numerous skits and stories which were presented in class on a regular basis.
Upon graduation, career and family life took up most of his time until social networking came along. He was an avid blogger on Myspace (back when Myspace was cool and all), developing a loyal following with his humorous outlooks on daily life.
The dream of writing a novel had always been in the back of his mind and in 2009 he decided the timing was right and got to work on a story, the culmination of which became A Madman's Song.
"I've always loved horror and suspense, but I wanted to infuse the story with some of the colorful characters and simple pleasures of the South. Beyond the scares, I wanted there to be a very human story that incorporated heart and humor. It's a tale of loss; people dealing with guilt and regret, but ultimately a story of redemption - which just happens to have a liberal dose of the supernatural thrown in to make things really interesting."
Upon graduation, career and family life took up most of his time until social networking came along. He was an avid blogger on Myspace (back when Myspace was cool and all), developing a loyal following with his humorous outlooks on daily life.
The dream of writing a novel had always been in the back of his mind and in 2009 he decided the timing was right and got to work on a story, the culmination of which became A Madman's Song.
"I've always loved horror and suspense, but I wanted to infuse the story with some of the colorful characters and simple pleasures of the South. Beyond the scares, I wanted there to be a very human story that incorporated heart and humor. It's a tale of loss; people dealing with guilt and regret, but ultimately a story of redemption - which just happens to have a liberal dose of the supernatural thrown in to make things really interesting."
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
July 29, 2013
CREEPY, EERIE, SPOOKY!! This book has it all.
New family, Leslie and her son Cody, relocate after a divorce. They find a quaint little town and buy a beautiful old home with a history. As they readjust to their life in a small town, crazy things begin to happen around them.
One of the great things I loved about this book was the fact there weren't any sex scenes. There was just a pleasant and steady growth of attraction between two Leslie and Evan. I think the author's depiction of their relationship in a wonderful manner. I am so tired of reading books where the main character finds a love interest and there's a steamy sex scene 1-2 days after their meeting. It's so refreshing to see a "developing" relationship in a healthy manner.
The author also did a fabulous job with describing the hauntings, spirits and evilness inside Walter's mind. Holy Chilling Tales, Batman! I was slow to start this book, but once I gained speed and was engaged in the paranormal plot of "A Madman's Tale" I could not put the story down. I went from page 60 to page 253 in a period of just a couple hours. Yes, this book is THAT good.
The story is suspenseful and creepy. It even had a flair of "Poltergeist" in it. I loved how well the author went into detail over the spirit children. The scene on Halloween absolutely had me on edge. Being haunted is one thing... being haunted by freaky children...
I loved Harriet's character. I loved Dorothy. I loved Cody's character.
If you're into ghost stories, murder, mayhem and the paranormal... and a little bit of Zelda Rubenstein... READ THIS BOOK!!
Overall Review:
Buy the book. Buy the Kindle Edition. JUST BUY THIS AUTHOR'S WORK! SUPPORT HIS EFFORTS so he'll put out more effin' fantastic books.
August 1, 2013
I wish I could give this book more than 5 stars!! As a fan of the horror genre I don't scare easily, but it was sometimes difficult to read this one at night with the lights out. Mr. Martin has quite an imagination and there were parts of this book that were really creepy. I don't want to give anything away but the creaking wheels of the wheelchair at night gave me goosebumps!! The author also invented a creature called a cevorak that is the scariest thing you could imagine. When Evan first encountered the one in the cage in the shed, it was so creepy I had to turn the light on!! The story itself was excellent, what could be worse than abducted child? The characters were so three dimensional you actually care about them. Leslie and Cody had the perfect mom/son dynamic and I loved Dorothy, I wish I knew her!! A lot of reviews say the ending wasn't as good as the rest of the book and I don't agree. It wasn't difficult to understand at all and it really kept me on the edge of my seat. I got this on a free Kindle book website and what a lucky find it was!! I was sad to discover that this is the only book available by Mr. Martin and I hope he writes another one soon.
April 9, 2021
Great pacing in this book, and some really freaky parts thanks to good writing to set the mood and the tone. the characters were believable and well-rounded, and the ending was definitely interesting. Will read more from this author in the future!
June 8, 2013
Overall, this book was okay. It gets to stay in my collection, and given that I am rather picky, that's a feat. However, there were some problems I had with it, mostly the ending. Okay, all of my problems were the ending.
The story of Leslie and Cody moving to Milford Springs after her divorce was a good one. She's trying to make a new life for herself, her son isn't really making things worse and luckily is one of those who doesn't go through a rebellious phase the second something changes, and they meet and like the Sheriff, Evan. Evan is recovering from a tragedy himself, which comes into play later on. Unfortunately for Leslie and Cody, they move into the very house that a madman once lived in, one who killed children. Then, Cody vanishes.
I got this book because I could have sworn some reviewer (possibly on Amazon) said that it was a lot like "The Woman in White". A movie I still love and still manages to creep me out on occasion. Other than it involving a rash of unsolved child murders and a few ghosts, it was nothing like the "The Woman in White". Darn.
As I said, I liked most of the book. The ending (and I'm not spoiling it) I didn't agree with. To be honest, it kept going. We had at least three endings for the book, when it only needed one. Two happy Hollywood let's wrap it up kind of endings to tie up any loose threads and one kinda creepy ending. It did not need all three endings. Any one of those would have been fine, but putting all three endings in only made it feel cheap. As I said, Evan was working through his own tragedy, so we get an ending where he faces it and learns his lesson. We get the "and everyone lived happily ever after" ending right after that. And after that is our creepy "the end...or is it" kind of ending. While I know how hard it can be for a writer to decide what to cut and what to keep on a book (they are like our children), sometimes you have to trim something. Two of those endings should have been cut, and I can't say which two since all three were good endings. It was just too much.
Other than that, excellent book.
The story of Leslie and Cody moving to Milford Springs after her divorce was a good one. She's trying to make a new life for herself, her son isn't really making things worse and luckily is one of those who doesn't go through a rebellious phase the second something changes, and they meet and like the Sheriff, Evan. Evan is recovering from a tragedy himself, which comes into play later on. Unfortunately for Leslie and Cody, they move into the very house that a madman once lived in, one who killed children. Then, Cody vanishes.
I got this book because I could have sworn some reviewer (possibly on Amazon) said that it was a lot like "The Woman in White". A movie I still love and still manages to creep me out on occasion. Other than it involving a rash of unsolved child murders and a few ghosts, it was nothing like the "The Woman in White". Darn.
As I said, I liked most of the book. The ending (and I'm not spoiling it) I didn't agree with. To be honest, it kept going. We had at least three endings for the book, when it only needed one. Two happy Hollywood let's wrap it up kind of endings to tie up any loose threads and one kinda creepy ending. It did not need all three endings. Any one of those would have been fine, but putting all three endings in only made it feel cheap. As I said, Evan was working through his own tragedy, so we get an ending where he faces it and learns his lesson. We get the "and everyone lived happily ever after" ending right after that. And after that is our creepy "the end...or is it" kind of ending. While I know how hard it can be for a writer to decide what to cut and what to keep on a book (they are like our children), sometimes you have to trim something. Two of those endings should have been cut, and I can't say which two since all three were good endings. It was just too much.
Other than that, excellent book.
September 29, 2012
I loved this book! From the very first chapter, I was hooked. The characters all felt very real and likeable (no Bella Swan's here) and I didn't want to slap anyone but the utterly DETESTABLE bad guy, which is just how I like them :) I thought the story flowed well and thoroughly creeped me out...again, just how I like them. I also have my own 9 yr old son, which just added to the intensity of the whole thing as I kept envisioning my own child as Cody. Being a southern native, I really enjoyed some of the lines the characters would say, some of them being downright HILARIOUS, along with Mr. Martin's interesting and colorful descriptions/histories of each person. I was also appreciative of the lack of any major cursing or gratuitous "love scene" in the middle of an intense story, both of which I believe could have greatly devalued my enjoyment of this novel.
WELL DONE, Mr. Martin. I cannot WAIT for your next book!
WELL DONE, Mr. Martin. I cannot WAIT for your next book!
November 10, 2012
I normally shy away from "ghost" stories as they're so unbelievable they're annoying. Not so in this case! Jim Martin has done an excellent job of integrating the paranormal into an extremely well thought out story of a small town. The cozy, homey feel of this town is just like my own. The characters are all people I know. Then comes the murder and mayhem!
Martin has a beautiful and easy writing style and I was engrossed to find out how it would end. Debut novel? Bravo Mr. Martin, and I look forward to your future work!
I'm so thankful to have received this book as a goodreads first-reads giveaway.
Martin has a beautiful and easy writing style and I was engrossed to find out how it would end. Debut novel? Bravo Mr. Martin, and I look forward to your future work!
I'm so thankful to have received this book as a goodreads first-reads giveaway.
May 12, 2014
Delighted with this Kindle freebie! I really enjoyed this creepy, unnerving tale which reminded me of Stephen King and the film 'Poltergeist'. No doubt the plot is far-fetched but the writer does an amazing job of making it totally believable - and the characterisation is excellent. The characters are so likeable and real - I was desperate for nothing nasty to happen to them especially Dorothy! I want to visit her diner!
April 29, 2013
I really enjoyed this book, it had a great story line and very likeable characters. The author did a great job making the story feel real and relatable while mixing in the paranormal activity. Thank goodness I read this during the day or I would have been thoroughly freaked out.
I think the story wrapped up nicely but they should have burned the house down.
I think the story wrapped up nicely but they should have burned the house down.
May 13, 2013
Sixty-one years prior, three children were murdered. Now, a young boy's birthday party opens a portal to the past and the brutality, and another child is missing. It's a race to find the child before the portal closes, and to release the souls of the children that were murdered in 1950. Reality and the supernatural meet and create a quick read worthy of every minute it takes to read.
May 20, 2013
I couldn't put the book down and read. in one sitting. This book covered all my favourite elements of classic horror films. I did however, sway between giving the book 3 or 4 stars, as the climatic scene became a bit too far fetched for my liking. I went for 4 the end though as I enjoyed the book as a whole.
May 22, 2014
very good first book by a young independent author. though the character and situation development is slow at first, when the action starts, it does not stop until the end and you don't want to put it down. there were even some scary moments written so well you don't want to read it alone, late at night.
April 1, 2016
Despite the fact that it was a chilling, supernatural story, everything else just seemed too perfect. The narration was a little YA for me, with all of the characters seeming so surreal. Overall, the story kept you wanting to know more, and trying to piece together how the story would end. Definitely chilling!
October 1, 2012
This book was well-written and had me hooked from the very beginning! The characters were believable, and the story had a perfect flow. It was a little bit spooky, but I loved it. I hope to see more from this author!
December 16, 2012
I was hooked after reading the first few chapters but I thought the ghost stuff was weird. It was a major theme, but it got really bizarre at the end. However I was invested in the story and wanted to see what happened. I skimmed through a lot of the ghost stuff.
April 25, 2013
If I had realised this book was about supernatural goings on and ghosts I wouldn't have picked it to read. However I'm so glad I did! It was one of the most thrilling books I have read for a while. I would definitely recommend it even for those who don't normally read this type of book
May 22, 2013
Gotta be honest, this book creeped me out a bit*.
Thanks, cat, for jumping up on my bed out of effing nowhere late at night right when I was reading the scariest part of the whole thing!
*A lot.
July 30, 2013
Very scary - couldn't put it down!
July 9, 2013
Very well written. Characters were realistic and likeable. Good ghost story that gave me chills. A great free book that I happened to stumble across.
February 19, 2014
I could not finish. I lost interest.
February 16, 2016
Wow, I LOVED this book! I highly recommend it. I loved the love story, loved Evan, and OMG I LOVED Dorothy. She was by far my favorite character of the boom even though she wasn't a main character.
May 12, 2016
a compelling supernatural read
May 2, 2013
Started off better than it ended... If you like Dean Koontz, you will like this!
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews