The Spider Inside

by Elias Anderson

While Jim and Cherry look for happiness, Tattoo Nik seeks his next big score. Soup finds himself getting lost while Two Step fights to keep the party going. As a group of friends struggling with meth addiction, they are surrounded by the heartbroken and the paranoid, having run-ins with both sociopaths and the police. As trouble with the law and a city-wide meth shortage push them to the edge, some are pushed over it, leaving the others to pick up the pieces as best they can. Join them in their struggle with the world and addiction, or become as lost as they are and drown beneath the waves of fear and uncertainty.

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Drama

200 pages, Paperback

First published June 22, 2012

About the author

Born in 1978 in the wastelands of southeastern Montana, Elias Anderson was moved to Colorado at the age of six weeks. He spent the next 21 years in various parts of the state until relocating to California and Oregon, only to settle back in Denver with his wife and two daughters.

His professional writing experience ranges from staff writer and reporter for the Coastal View News (Carpinteria, CA) to food critic, freelance copy writer, and editor. He has published poetry, articles, essays, and short stories in a variety of hard copy and web-based publications.

Reviews

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was very engaging, but incredibly depressing. Similar to the movie "Requiem for a Dream".

[Gaynell Williamson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gripping tale of life as a druggie

As someone whose life has been touched with the effects of loving someone using drugs, this is an eye opener. Good read that you have to finish! Depressing but enlightening.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book

You people should just read this book yourselves and write your own review on this novel yourself and I really enjoyed reading this book very much so. Shelley MA

[Jody · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this book up because of the subject matter. It deals with drug addiction (particularly meth) and the price that must be paid if you are hooked upon it. There are so many people in my area who are hooked on meth. In every edition of the newspaper there are more people who are busted for making, selling and taking meth. I wondered what it was about meth that was so powerful. This book lets you know. By reading this book you can experience what it feels like to take meth without the brutal side effects. You can see how this awful drug will rob you of your dignity and eventually your life. It messes with your head, it eats at your body until you are wasted away and it destroys your relationships. This was a very good book and I am so glad I found it so that I now have a better understanding of what people go through who are hooked on this drug.

As to the storyline...awesome. Once I started reading this book I could not stop. This book itself is a drug that would not get out of my head. You will be taken on an adventure with a group of young people who are hooked on the drug and are spending all of their time and energy trying to find the next big score. You will see death and destruction hit this group but we also get to see redemption as one young man claws his way out from under this awful addiction. Wonderful book and a must read.

[jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The subject matter of this book is not usually what I pick for myself to read. I prefer horror and thriller books. I was surprised at how fast it sucked me in and how I couldn't help but read it straight thru. It delves straight into the psyche of an addicted personality. It was well written and flowed nicely. The storyline was bazaar and indo suspect that somewhere in this authors life he has had issues with addiction or someone very close to him has because I don't believe that this was just thrown together without any prior knowledge of an addict. I look forward to reading something else by him. Thanks for changing my monotony of horror and Sci Fi thrillers.

[John Purvis · Rating 3 out of 5]

“The Spider Inside” is a fiction novel published in 2012, and was written by Elias Anderson.

I downloaded this book for free from BookBub (https://www.bookbub.com) relying on the categorization of “Thriller”. I found it to be far from that. This is the story of Jim and four of his friends (Cherry, Soup, Two Step and Nik) who are caught up in the drug scene of Los Angeles. The book chronicles their habit and how they all become controlled by it.

The writing is good and the characters engaging, though I personally found the story to be depressing. Because of that, this is not a novel I would recommend to anyone.

[Kelly Glenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not the typical book that I like to read. This book was about drugs, getting a fix, getting high and selling dope and meth 98% of the entire book. Although it did hold most of my attention and I kept wondering if it would have a change or there would be more to the story, it was depressing, disturbing and there were parts that were downright disgusting (who thinks this stuff up?) I kept thinking and saying to myself, "come on! be smarter, do better". Many typos, very annoying. Read this book if you want an inside to the tweekers lifestyle but be warned the language is atrocious and some places were offensive!

[Christy Devinaspre · Rating 3 out of 5]

It wasn't a bad book as far as writing skills and the pace of read as well as holding your attention, however very disturbing and depressing since it is such a rampant thing in our society right now and the book places you right in the middle of the destruction it causes in lives. A lot of insight to acknowledge and if you think these things don't really happen, think again. Understanding addiction and condoning it are two different aspects of the disease. Don't confuse them.

[Beth Knowles · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a story that really displays what it looks like to be an addict. You don't have to have ever done drugs to feel for these characters. The writing was ok but definitely could have used an editor. It did its job to move you to connect with the characters and cheer for some while being disgusted with others.

[Matthew Briner · Rating 3 out of 5]

First off, I want to say I am a fan of books where the ending is not necessarily happy. This book achieves that. The fault I find with the book is how each character was wrapped up. Some of their ends were a bit contrived (Final Destination at times). I did find the characters well fleshed out. All in all a quick read that wasn't bad, but also not great.

[Estevam (Impish Reviews) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well that was a rollercoaster of emotions, i feel quite sad at the ending but i suppose the writer really did capture the weight of the problem that is addiction, the book was enjoyable even if there was some parts that you just had to read two times a setence to really understand what was happening, a solid 4 stars from me.

[Enid · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book dealt mainly with people who were into drugs and their addiction. It was ok but as I have never done any drugs I couldn't relate directly but could imagine the desperation and inner fighting as I've had family members suffer.

[Kerry S Conway]

Downer

should have known it would be such a downer. to be honest, I didn't finish the book. too many go out d books out there with too little time to waste on characters who are so out of control of themselves.

[James]

Cannot handle the language,

from the start to the finish which I did not do, just not my cup of tea. it is from the first page to the end.

[Cynthia · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a good book, but I just couldn't really get into it for some reason. I tend to read more horror and suspense than this subject matter, and it's not anything I could relate to.

[Gwynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting but not my type of book. I was kind of surprised with the ending.

[della e bukoski]

I could not get into this one.

[Heather Seaman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disturbing inside look at meth addiction. Very descriptive as if the author had been an addict.