Wild Bolts Electric

by Adam Dompierre

Suspecting his best days are behind him, Victor Drake runs an out of the way detective agency that provides him with just enough to get by. But when James Chandler comes to him desperately seeking deliverance from a menacing stalker who seems to possess supernatural powers, Drake needs to recapture his mettle to take on the challenge of a lifetime.

Though he initially regards the paranormal elements of the story as preposterous, Drake agrees to the job. A twisting investigation encircles James’ physicist girlfriend Claire Ventura, her mob associate father, and a highly-secretive program with connections to Claire’s university. There, a reluctant source warns Drake to abandon his pursuit or risk provoking the wrath of extraordinary forces.

Overpowered but undaunted, Drake must rally his wits and resilience to discover the secret behind this fearsome adversary. With time and circumstance working against him, can he neutralize the threat before lives are lost?

Genres: Science Fiction

271 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 24, 2023

About the author

Adam Dompierre is an award-winning mystery author with a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Michigan and a master’s degree in education from Augustana University. He works as an English teacher and received the Michigan Reading Association's Secondary Teacher Award in 2025.

Adam lives in the Upper Peninsula with his wife Riley and their dog Pilot. In his free time, he enjoys playing guitar and tennis, though not simultaneously.

You can find him at adamdompierre.com.

Reviews

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where to start!

To be honest I didn't know what to expect when I picked this book up. I have never been one to read or enjoy the PI/Thriller genre as a whole. But this book was a treat!

I started off by reading the short prequel called In Rain and Sun that you can grab here at the authors website Adam Dompierre. While I wouldn't say the prequel is essential reading to enjoy Wild Bolts Electric it does do a great job at showing you how some of the characters in the beginning of the book know each other. Which was great for me as I would rather know how characters came to be involved with each other rather then summing it up to "that's just how it is". But now onto the main event!

Wild Bolts Electric follows the story of James. Just your average guy with a girlfriend, and a run of the mill job at a campus gym. But all that mundane day to day is blown away when a unknown visitor pops into James' life turning his world upside down. Soon after he's introduced to private investigator Victor Drake, who he hopes can help him with this strange predicament he's found himself in. Then the story takes off! each new lead not as it seems, and leading you only slightly more (or less) in the right direction. Each page delivering another fragment of the bigger picture. It had me jumping back and forth in the book cross-referencing things, trying to piece it all together the whole way. In the end though the conclusion to this story still sent me for a loop, spiraling its way down to a satisfying ending that I felt fit the story very well.

Wild Bolts Electric was a fun, gripping, well executed, and exciting read. It had twists I didn't see coming, strong character, a blunt and somewhat gritty private eye, and an ending that even threw time itself for a loop. Highly recommend this read to anyone looking for a solid, well written mystery thriller to tear through!

[Jeff B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read! Fast paced and fun. Elements of King, Crouch and Koontz but a voice all his own. Congratulations!

[Thomas Kownacki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

Well written supernatural mystery. Detective Victor Drake is the cool old school do it his way private investigator. Would love to see more with Victor Drake.

[S. Matisko · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book as an ARC:

This novel has incredibly rich and detailed physical descriptions. It builds up excitement and suspense very early in the narrative. The third voice envelopes you in the characters and follows the intensity of the story. The tone of the narration has a stream-of-consciousness effect and balances between expressive metaphors and more casual language.

I’m not sure why exactly, but the early part of the novel reminded me of how I felt reading Crime and Punishment. Something about “vibe”, and how it made me intrigued/nervous. Then things just kept ramping up and it felt like wild monster hunting Sci-Fi!

I haven’t read a “mystery/thriller” novel in a while, so it was outside my usual genre. It was an electrifying read! (pun intended)

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story initially follows James, looking at his past and present as well as thoughts about his future. All this is stopped when he has to reach out to a PI and encounter the supernatural. The story switches predominantly between James and Drake, following the investigation as well as the dilemma James finds himself in. The action takes time as the story delves into the characters.


I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Cotty · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an easy read and is very well written. Not my usual genre, but I enjoyed it a lot.

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much like the story's antagonist, this book ends up not quite being what it seems at first. Wild Bolts Electric starts out as a mystery with supernatural elements--if not an outright horror story--but by the end, it turns into a much more poignant tale of love, loss, and the importance of the time we have with the people we care about. The journey we take to get to that point isn't without a few hiccups along the way, and that's the only reason this isn't a five-star review. Well, that and the fact that after chapter 15 or so, James suddenly becomes an insufferable prick for most of the rest of the book.

Wild Bolts Electric does a lot of things right, though. The initial introduction, and subsequent visitations of the mysterious stranger, are really quite weird and unsettling. When the tone shifts toward the end to something much more sentimental, the sense of sadness really comes through. But when we get to some of the things the stranger can do, and the explanation of just where they came from, that's the part that didn't fully work for me. Still, there's a lot of heart here, and the parts that do work really work quite well.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first blush, this is a mystery - a private investigator is hired to find out who someone is but that's all the basic story we get. It pumps up the action with twists and turns that were not expected (far too often you can see them coming, but I wasn't ready for what happened). A bonus twist into more science than I would have predicted. While this may not be for everyone, it ticked off all the boxes for me.

Along with the great story, the writing is wonderful with many standout sentences and phrases. There are times when a good story/plot can suffer with bad writing but I didn't find that happening here - I even jotted down a couple phrases to remember for later.

To my knowledge, this is Adam Dompierre's first book but I'd have no qualms about reading more if his work.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Diane Rock · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the suspenseful beginning to the surprising yet satisfying ending, the story captivated my attention. Details reveal psychological innuendos, true to life scientific studies (The Novikov Self Consistency Principle) and carefully inserted classical familiar poems (by Emerson, Tennyson, Joyce Kilmer) and timeless folk tales (The Rich Man from Baghdad). It was all a delightful surprise for someone who doesn’t usually read science fiction.

I dare you to delve into the layers of Victor Drake’s psyche through his past and present while he attempts to deliver James from a menacing stalker with supernatural powers.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audiobook: This was my first experience with this author's work, and it was an exciting blend of noir. paranormal elements. and a super-secret organization. I appreciated Victor Drake who reminded me of other fictional detectives developed within a noir framework. I liked James and Claire. I felt for James who was being stalked and who only wanted the best for Claire. I enjoyed the twists. I thought Warren du Plooy's narration was good. I was given a copy of the audiobook. I volunteered, without financial gain, to post this review which reflected my honest opinions regarding this audiobook.

[Kris10 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great read from beginning to end. It was suspenseful, thrilling, technical and educational. It grabbed me from the opening paragraph and I couldn't put it down until I had devoured it completely! The book was well-written and had the appropriate amounts of suspense, humor, intrigue and technology. This is a new author on the scene and if he keeps putting out books like this, he's bound to be the next best seller!!

[Brittany Britton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wild Bolts Electric by Adam Dompierre is an excellent paranormal mystery. Warren du Plooy did an incredible job with the narration. The story is entertaining, interesting, exciting, suspenseful, thrilling, engaging, romantic, twisted and turns, and more.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.would recommend.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Kat M · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was a strong concept and I was hooked from the first page, it had a great overall concept and worked well. I was interested in what was happening during this book and thought it worked together well with the characters and world. Adam Dompierre does a fantastic job in writing this and had a great overall feel to it.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Joe Holman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I gave this book 5 stars because of how original it was coupled with how well developed the characters were and how well the book flowed. This book was written by a local author and he did an outstanding job. A combination of syfi and detective story. It took a long time for me to figure out who the "monster" was. Well done.

[Rachel Pomeroy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think the best science fiction is that which extends existing science into the "what if" scenarios that are both awe-inspiring and terrifying. Blend that with a solid detective mystery and relatable characters and you have Wild Bolts Electric, a gripping novel that had my mental gears turning from beginning to end.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I purchased Wild Bolts Electric and have to say I found it very interesting and suspenseful. What I enjoyed most in this book was the unexpected ending. The twist and turns the author created kept me so excited I found it hard to put the book down. Adam Dompierre’s first book is definitely a page turner. Can’t wait to see what other books this up and coming author will write!

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very entertaining listen! A mystery with some sci fi thrown in. Experiments gone wrong. A great cast of characters. Twists. Danger. A little romance. Warren du Plooy narrates this story beautifully. He has a nice voice with appropriate expression. 5 stars for him as well.

[Riley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bolting open with intrigue from the first page, Wild Bolts Electric shocks readers with twists and turns as detective Victor Drake seeks to illuminate the mystery haunting James Chandler. If you're looking for a rainy fall reading companion, look no further. This book is clever, the characters compelling, and the stakes are real. An excellent first novel from Adam Dompierre, a writer we will surely see more from in the future.
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