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Ashes to Ashes: A Mystery Suspense Thriller
After a business misfortune and a stormy relationship, Calvin Strong has lost everything but his sanity and his love for his baby daughter. He is now struggling to make it through each day, emotionally and financially, when disaster strikes and the floodgates of Hell are opened. Danger lurks in the background, tearing at the fabric of his fragile existence. Someone has been watching him. Someone is following his every move, waiting in the shadows, terrorizing him with unknown motives. He begins to suspect everyone in his life, including himself. He must fight to learn what is happening before it is too late for him…and his family.
292 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 23, 2013
8 people are currently reading
30 people want to read
About the author
Cory Toth
5 books23 followersCory Toth is the author of five novels including Paper Dolls, Stone Secrets, Firefly, Ashes to Ashes, and No Man's Land.
Toth was born and raised in Upstate New York and draws inspiration for his novels from local towns and landscapes. When he is not writing, he enjoys skiing, biking, kayaking, and spends much of his free time helping the American Red Cross. He also plays the drums terribly and daydreams of being in a rock band.
Toth was born and raised in Upstate New York and draws inspiration for his novels from local towns and landscapes. When he is not writing, he enjoys skiing, biking, kayaking, and spends much of his free time helping the American Red Cross. He also plays the drums terribly and daydreams of being in a rock band.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
August 24, 2013
In the beginning of the book, Calvin has lost his dog, Hobbes, in his home to a house fire. Fortunately Calvin and the baby were not in the home, but he still mourns for his best friend. They mysterious part of this whole thing is that the police were not the ones to contact him to inform him of his house being burned. A man whose voice he hadn't recognized, called him from a blocked number, in the middle of the night informing him of the tragedy and suddenly without warning, hung up.
The mystery remains, how the fire was started, and the fire marshall is looking into the problem to give Calvin the answers he is looking for. From the sounds of it, it seems they suspect the fire was started on purpose. But by who? The marshall thinks this is a very unusual fire that cannot be explained for many of the signs that were left behind after the fire as put out.
Follow along with Calvin as his life goes into a downward spiral with mystery's behind each one. Calvin is a serious character with some intense problems that I was immediately sucked into. You'll learn about his fears and hopes in life and how he deals with every obstacle.
I thought this book was very well written, it kept me on the edge of my seat as I was trying to guess the mystery to the fire along with the characters. I even at one point suspected the fire inspector. Was it him? I cannot say, you must read to find out for yourself.
I would definitely categorize this book as a suspense or mystery. You are constantly guessing if Calvin has lost his mind, and is just completely paranoid. Maybe, it's a dream. It's amazingly written and I highly recommend this book to all you suspense junkies. It's a 5/5 in my opinion.
www.stuffedshelves.com
The mystery remains, how the fire was started, and the fire marshall is looking into the problem to give Calvin the answers he is looking for. From the sounds of it, it seems they suspect the fire was started on purpose. But by who? The marshall thinks this is a very unusual fire that cannot be explained for many of the signs that were left behind after the fire as put out.
Follow along with Calvin as his life goes into a downward spiral with mystery's behind each one. Calvin is a serious character with some intense problems that I was immediately sucked into. You'll learn about his fears and hopes in life and how he deals with every obstacle.
I thought this book was very well written, it kept me on the edge of my seat as I was trying to guess the mystery to the fire along with the characters. I even at one point suspected the fire inspector. Was it him? I cannot say, you must read to find out for yourself.
I would definitely categorize this book as a suspense or mystery. You are constantly guessing if Calvin has lost his mind, and is just completely paranoid. Maybe, it's a dream. It's amazingly written and I highly recommend this book to all you suspense junkies. It's a 5/5 in my opinion.
www.stuffedshelves.com
May 24, 2014
Ashes to Ashes, by Cory Toth, is a suspense/mystery that opens with the main character Calvin receiving a call from a blocked number and a mans voice telling him that his house has just been burned down. The man hangs up with no explanation and without leaving a name. Calvin is devastated that his dog died into the fire, but is relieved that he and his child were not home and not harmed. The fire marshal confirms Calvin's worst fear, the fire appeared to have been purposefully started and not an accident, but the question is who would have done it? Calvin's life becomes a downward spiral of paranoia and fear. He constantly questions every corner before turning around it, he constantly feels like someone is watching him, waiting for the right moment. This goes on until he starts to question himself. Was it him, is he the one doing these things?
Great job to the author. This book was simply amazing. It honestly had me guessing up to the very end of the book and I did not see it coming. I felt almost like Calvin, I was questioning each of the characters of the book as well, wondering if it would turn out to be them in the end. I would highly recommend this book to fans of mystery and I will be looking forwarding to reading more by Toth in future.
Great job to the author. This book was simply amazing. It honestly had me guessing up to the very end of the book and I did not see it coming. I felt almost like Calvin, I was questioning each of the characters of the book as well, wondering if it would turn out to be them in the end. I would highly recommend this book to fans of mystery and I will be looking forwarding to reading more by Toth in future.
March 6, 2015
I was disappointed with this book. The characters were flat and not interesting. The story line had a lot of mistakes that made it tiresome. I was glad that it was over! lol
July 10, 2017
A serious look at the book's overall structure.
I loved the characters in this book.the plot was great and very well developed. What I disliked was the perplexing ending. I was hoping either for a better look at Calvin and family getting the lives back, the necessary answers from the insurance company.not getting that I was hoping for a second book further explaining those very same items plus a follow up on officer Patton.i am not recommending this book to anyone of my friends nor do I plan to read any other book by Cory in the foreseeable future. I loved th promising start of the book and was so let down in the end. I even read the last third of the book to make certain I had not missed something or that my Kindle had somehow moved ahead.
I loved the characters in this book.the plot was great and very well developed. What I disliked was the perplexing ending. I was hoping either for a better look at Calvin and family getting the lives back, the necessary answers from the insurance company.not getting that I was hoping for a second book further explaining those very same items plus a follow up on officer Patton.i am not recommending this book to anyone of my friends nor do I plan to read any other book by Cory in the foreseeable future. I loved th promising start of the book and was so let down in the end. I even read the last third of the book to make certain I had not missed something or that my Kindle had somehow moved ahead.
April 17, 2015
Author, sorry - I really am - if bad reviews bother you, stop now.
Oh my poor eyes. Not since "Siding star" have I stumbled on such a disaster in book form. Author, please do some other job. Find work with your hands. Put this down to a career misstep. I guess you might still be young enough to make a real go of something (anything) else. If you enjoy writing it, then continue, but please don't put it in the public domain.
Amazon - please flag up self published stuff more obviously.
Readers - if you can put aside the cliches, inconsistencies and incomprehensible shifts in tone and focus, you will still need to push through dialogue which reads as if it was written by someone who has never met a living human. You know the phrase "so bad it is good"? Well only the first part applies here.
Reviewers - if there is anyone both over the age of 15 and who is also unknown to the author, who has given this more than two stars, please tell me - what does it take for you to recognise a stinker? What counts as bad in your world?
Oh my poor eyes. Not since "Siding star" have I stumbled on such a disaster in book form. Author, please do some other job. Find work with your hands. Put this down to a career misstep. I guess you might still be young enough to make a real go of something (anything) else. If you enjoy writing it, then continue, but please don't put it in the public domain.
Amazon - please flag up self published stuff more obviously.
Readers - if you can put aside the cliches, inconsistencies and incomprehensible shifts in tone and focus, you will still need to push through dialogue which reads as if it was written by someone who has never met a living human. You know the phrase "so bad it is good"? Well only the first part applies here.
Reviewers - if there is anyone both over the age of 15 and who is also unknown to the author, who has given this more than two stars, please tell me - what does it take for you to recognise a stinker? What counts as bad in your world?
April 8, 2015
Cory Toth's "Ashes to Ashes" tells the story of a man who seems to have a streak of horrid luck. Calvin Strong's in the midst of a lawsuit, his house has burned down, and the list goes on and on. But does Calvin just have bad luck or is there something else at play? That is the question in “Ashes to Ashes.” From the opening scene, with Calvin investigating the remnants of his house, author Cory Toth paints an eerie scene, leading the reader to feel all is not as it seems. As the plot develops, I found myself completely caught off guard time after time. A recommended read if you like suspense/thriller novels.
July 9, 2014
Too predictable
July 8, 2021
Inconsistant
an amusing story, not Toth's best. Unanswered details,never a mention of the girlfriend's dog after it was lost. Not recommended.
an amusing story, not Toth's best. Unanswered details,never a mention of the girlfriend's dog after it was lost. Not recommended.
September 19, 2014
Gripping story, explosive action. The more I read this author the more I like him. He seems very young and I am interested in what amazing works his writing career will bring.
October 16, 2014
A great new author to me! I really love Cory's writing style and the way his books move right along. Nothing boring, no excess dialogue or unnecessary detail. Great book!!
January 23, 2015
Captivating
I thoroughly enjoyed this book from the first page to the last. I was totally surprised when the "who done it" was revealed. Enjoyable to read.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book from the first page to the last. I was totally surprised when the "who done it" was revealed. Enjoyable to read.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews