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Dead Evil
When Hope Howland, forensic artist and archeologist, uncovers the bones of a mutilated child in her aunt's yard, she must face the fact that someone in her close-knit, Mayflower-descended family is a murderer. She is drawn into an investigation by Gabe Bennett, a Southern police detective planted in the heart of Yankee territory after a tense divorce. A trail of dead bodies points to prime suspects: Hope, her business woman grandmother and her sex-obsessed cousin. Rumors of witchcraft, demons and curses swirl around the family. As Hope loses her heart to Gabe, she must fight to make sense of a crumbling world where no one is what they seem, including herself. Will she choose family loyalty or freeing the world of evil while destroying the only family she has left?
380 pages, Paperback
First published September 5, 2013
513 people want to read
About the author
Candice M. Hughes
4 books12 followersCandice M. Hughes is an award-winning poet and essayist. She has authored a wide variety of creative and nonfiction works. Her debut technothriller was Death on a Thin Horse. Her newest novel is Dead Evil, a paranormal thriller with an intriguing romance.
She is published in The Allegheny Review, The Lyon Review, and Pegasus among others. She is a recipient of the Ida F. Snell Poetry Prize and a Pen Works Honorable Mention for Creative Nonfiction. Other books include the Small Business Rocket Fuel nonfiction series.
Candice is also biotech consultant and professional medical writer. She holds a PhD in Anatomy and Neurobiology and an MBA in general business management with a focus on strategy and technology innovation. Her current passion is health-focused technology commercialization. For insightful posts and witty repartee visit http://candicehughes.com.
In her spare time, she meets her cat's deadlines for feedings. After that she frantically runs about watering all her green leafy friends before they expire.
She is published in The Allegheny Review, The Lyon Review, and Pegasus among others. She is a recipient of the Ida F. Snell Poetry Prize and a Pen Works Honorable Mention for Creative Nonfiction. Other books include the Small Business Rocket Fuel nonfiction series.
Candice is also biotech consultant and professional medical writer. She holds a PhD in Anatomy and Neurobiology and an MBA in general business management with a focus on strategy and technology innovation. Her current passion is health-focused technology commercialization. For insightful posts and witty repartee visit http://candicehughes.com.
In her spare time, she meets her cat's deadlines for feedings. After that she frantically runs about watering all her green leafy friends before they expire.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 7, 2014
I enjoy a good thriller…and Dead Evil by Candice Hughes definitely falls into that category. This is an exciting, enjoyable, well written book that brings together a bit of history, paranormal, science, romance and whole lot of evil. This story starts off at a comfortable and engaging pace before steadily rushing toward a powerful and satisfying conclusion.
The tale is about the Howland family, who, being Mayflower descendants and Massachusetts blue bloods, are basically viewed as American royalty. This family shares a lot more than a proud lineage, however. Many of them seem to have bad luck when it comes to living long and healthy lives, and when Rebecca Howland dies mysteriously in a house fire, her niece, Hope, a forensic archeologist, digs up something that casts a very suspicious light on this well-known family.
Gabe Bennett, the local law enforcement, is determined to find the cause of Rebecca’s death. He asks for Hope’s help with his investigation and an undeniable attraction between the two begins to emerge. As the story moves on Gabe finds that, while he is growing increasingly fond of Hope, it is becoming more and more apparent to him that her family is involved in something dark and sinister. What part does Hope play in the whole thing and just how much can he trust her?
Hughes creation of character is wonderful. She takes just enough time with each one of them to give the reader a foundation, and then throughout the story, she continues to build and gives them shape and substance. This is one of the biggest reasons why this thriller works. I was happily surprised with one character in particular. To say more would ruin Hughes’ element of surprise. Things are not always what they seem and the structure of this novel is perfect. The setting is intriguing; historical Massachusetts with references to the Salem Witch Trials and a ghost that leads Hope through to the climactic end.
This was a terrific piece of fiction, from beginning to end. I sincerely hope Candice Hughes has plans to write a lot more in the very near future.
The tale is about the Howland family, who, being Mayflower descendants and Massachusetts blue bloods, are basically viewed as American royalty. This family shares a lot more than a proud lineage, however. Many of them seem to have bad luck when it comes to living long and healthy lives, and when Rebecca Howland dies mysteriously in a house fire, her niece, Hope, a forensic archeologist, digs up something that casts a very suspicious light on this well-known family.
Gabe Bennett, the local law enforcement, is determined to find the cause of Rebecca’s death. He asks for Hope’s help with his investigation and an undeniable attraction between the two begins to emerge. As the story moves on Gabe finds that, while he is growing increasingly fond of Hope, it is becoming more and more apparent to him that her family is involved in something dark and sinister. What part does Hope play in the whole thing and just how much can he trust her?
Hughes creation of character is wonderful. She takes just enough time with each one of them to give the reader a foundation, and then throughout the story, she continues to build and gives them shape and substance. This is one of the biggest reasons why this thriller works. I was happily surprised with one character in particular. To say more would ruin Hughes’ element of surprise. Things are not always what they seem and the structure of this novel is perfect. The setting is intriguing; historical Massachusetts with references to the Salem Witch Trials and a ghost that leads Hope through to the climactic end.
This was a terrific piece of fiction, from beginning to end. I sincerely hope Candice Hughes has plans to write a lot more in the very near future.
September 24, 2013
Within a week of returning to her family home in Plymouth, Professor Hope Howland’s aunt’s house goes up in flames. One more relative dead. Only her grandmother and her adopted cousin remain of her powerful Mayflower family.
As a forensic archeologist, Hope and Detective Gabe Bennett search for clues to the cause of death of her aunt…and of the child’s body found on Hope’s aunt’s property.
Nothing is as it seems. Hope’s fear increase as she researches the deaths, discovering previously unknown information about her family...things she is hard pressed to believe.
This is a great story for a fall night in front of a fireplace. Spooky and eerie with a pace that whips though the last hundred pages. The short chapters which normally might be disconcerting, worked for me. The characters were drawn beautifully upon the page. In every section the author weaves lovely, sensory details.
This is a writer who carefully paints a picture with words to carry the reader along.
Nice writing. Great details and characters that you believed.
This is a fast paced, riveting story with great characters and nice language. There were some very short chapters, but that actually added to the intensity of the story rather then detracted.
Early on I found the switching pov between paragraphs annoying, but that disappeared once the story was in full swing. Overall a delightful read.
As a forensic archeologist, Hope and Detective Gabe Bennett search for clues to the cause of death of her aunt…and of the child’s body found on Hope’s aunt’s property.
Nothing is as it seems. Hope’s fear increase as she researches the deaths, discovering previously unknown information about her family...things she is hard pressed to believe.
This is a great story for a fall night in front of a fireplace. Spooky and eerie with a pace that whips though the last hundred pages. The short chapters which normally might be disconcerting, worked for me. The characters were drawn beautifully upon the page. In every section the author weaves lovely, sensory details.
This is a writer who carefully paints a picture with words to carry the reader along.
Nice writing. Great details and characters that you believed.
This is a fast paced, riveting story with great characters and nice language. There were some very short chapters, but that actually added to the intensity of the story rather then detracted.
Early on I found the switching pov between paragraphs annoying, but that disappeared once the story was in full swing. Overall a delightful read.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews