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Death Raise
**2014 KINDLE BOOK AWARDS SEMI-FINALIST**
When ten lucky winners of a vacation and poker tournament of a lifetime arrive at a mansion on an island located in a remote part of the Atlantic Ocean, they quickly find out their vacation is not what it seems. The winner of the first round is invited to the head of the poker table where he is handed a gun by The Dealer, who in turn pulls a second pistol. He tells the winner he has exactly three seconds to shoot and kill one of the nine players at the table. If he fails to do so, he will be executed. This pattern is to be repeated until there is a single survivor.
The players find themselves forming alliances and plotting against one another. Escape attempts are made and failed, and secrets are discovered inside the mansion, which has now become death row.
Far from the island a middle aged man, Sean Stockdale, discovers his wife of 25 years has been cheating on him. This discovery accidently ends her life when he kills her out of a jealous rage. He then launches a personal crusade to find the man who wrecked his marriage, only to find out he has died in a plane crash. Unsure of where to turn Sean contacts his father, a former political giant, for guidance. The elderly Stockdale stupefies Sean when he explains the adulterer is in fact alive and participating in a tournament which he has helped design.
Action, strategy, mystery, murder, sex, chaos and horror all
combine in the fiction thriller Death Raise.
When ten lucky winners of a vacation and poker tournament of a lifetime arrive at a mansion on an island located in a remote part of the Atlantic Ocean, they quickly find out their vacation is not what it seems. The winner of the first round is invited to the head of the poker table where he is handed a gun by The Dealer, who in turn pulls a second pistol. He tells the winner he has exactly three seconds to shoot and kill one of the nine players at the table. If he fails to do so, he will be executed. This pattern is to be repeated until there is a single survivor.
The players find themselves forming alliances and plotting against one another. Escape attempts are made and failed, and secrets are discovered inside the mansion, which has now become death row.
Far from the island a middle aged man, Sean Stockdale, discovers his wife of 25 years has been cheating on him. This discovery accidently ends her life when he kills her out of a jealous rage. He then launches a personal crusade to find the man who wrecked his marriage, only to find out he has died in a plane crash. Unsure of where to turn Sean contacts his father, a former political giant, for guidance. The elderly Stockdale stupefies Sean when he explains the adulterer is in fact alive and participating in a tournament which he has helped design.
Action, strategy, mystery, murder, sex, chaos and horror all
combine in the fiction thriller Death Raise.
303 pages, Paperback
First published January 16, 2014
4 people are currently reading
527 people want to read
About the author
Christopher Parks
2 books35 followersChristopher Parks (1980- ) was born in the Bronx, New York. He is a railroad mechanic and small business owner. He has worked as an actor in hit television shows such as; OZ, Law & Order and ED. He has also starred in the award winning short film Oh Baby. The idea for his debut novel Ticket for Terror derived from an incident in which he was mugged while driving a taxi. He currently lives in New Jersey with his wife, Jessica and their three boys.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 7, 2014
Ante up folks! Parks has done it again! Brilliant storytelling in this gripping life or death poker tale. Your hair will stand up with each trip to the poker table. An exotic location, a maniac host, and players so mysterious and fun you won't know who to route for. You feel like you are in the game yourself, and you won't know whether to play your hand or duck under the table. Block out some time for yourself, because once you read the opening scene, you won't have time to do dishes or watch the kids. Each trip to the table brings a new cliffhanger, and will put you on the edge of your love seat, car seat, or toilet seat. Just an exciting read all the way around, a must MUST read! I won't think twice about grabbing Parks' next book, but I may think twice on sitting in on my next hand of poker.
January 21, 2014
This book is for you if...
1. You like a fast read that keeps you guessing.
2. You enjoy a large cast of colorful characters.
3. Solving mysteries is fun for you.
4. You think some sexual tension adds something to a story.
5. A bit of cussing doesn't offend you.
6. You loved "The Hunger Games," "The Most Dangerous Game" and/or "Survivor."
7. You just want to read a fun, rollicking novel that's full of intrigue.
...and several other things I could add, but since I don't write spoilers I don't want to give away too much of the plot.
Parks's second novel shows off his talent for keeping us on the edge of our seats and his ability to let his characters speak. Yeah, there's some "blood and guts," but it is a contemporary murder mystery, after all.
Oh, a couple of other things: this book would be a fabulous suspense/thriller movie and, although I'm loathe to read books in series, this one seems ripe for a sequel; I'd read it the instant it was published. In fact, I've been trying to imagine what comes next ever since I turned the last page of "Death Raise."
Bottom line: this book is a helluva lot of fun. If you like books in this genre you won't be disappointed.
1. You like a fast read that keeps you guessing.
2. You enjoy a large cast of colorful characters.
3. Solving mysteries is fun for you.
4. You think some sexual tension adds something to a story.
5. A bit of cussing doesn't offend you.
6. You loved "The Hunger Games," "The Most Dangerous Game" and/or "Survivor."
7. You just want to read a fun, rollicking novel that's full of intrigue.
...and several other things I could add, but since I don't write spoilers I don't want to give away too much of the plot.
Parks's second novel shows off his talent for keeping us on the edge of our seats and his ability to let his characters speak. Yeah, there's some "blood and guts," but it is a contemporary murder mystery, after all.
Oh, a couple of other things: this book would be a fabulous suspense/thriller movie and, although I'm loathe to read books in series, this one seems ripe for a sequel; I'd read it the instant it was published. In fact, I've been trying to imagine what comes next ever since I turned the last page of "Death Raise."
Bottom line: this book is a helluva lot of fun. If you like books in this genre you won't be disappointed.
March 18, 2014
This book started off deep into the dramatic storyline. The story involves sex, manipulation, murder and mystery. The book was hard to put down because you want to see what twists and turns will happen next. The storyline is amazing with the characters pitted against each other and not knowing who is being deceptive at any point. Who knew poker could be so exciting! A must read for anyone who likes high stakes.
April 18, 2014
Fun, Fast and a very good story. I bought this book before boarding a 7 hour flight and stayed up to finish it in my hotel. I love books like this. Hope to see more from this author.
May 11, 2019
Hard to put down once you start - twists, betrayals, plotting, tension. All of it's here in a killer poker game. Full review to come.
March 20, 2015
It has been a while since I’ve read a book that has pulled me in from the very beginning and refused to let go until the final page is turned, but Death Raise did just that. The quick pace, interesting characters, and exciting premise made putting it down very hard. The reader is taken to a secluded island where a harrowing poker tournament is being played and the stakes are as high as they can get. It’s a modern mash-up of And Then There Were None, Survivor, and Mortal Kombat that really works.
Reading the book feels effortless, with clear writing, concise descriptions, and a straight forward plot. But what I found most impressive was how the characters were written. Their individual reactions to the situation they find themselves in felt genuine and not contrived for the story. And although they all fit into fairly standard stereotypes, it didn’t feel as though they were created from a list to be checked off.
This is one of the better books I’ve read in a long time and it really shows the level of talent in the self-publishing community.
Reading the book feels effortless, with clear writing, concise descriptions, and a straight forward plot. But what I found most impressive was how the characters were written. Their individual reactions to the situation they find themselves in felt genuine and not contrived for the story. And although they all fit into fairly standard stereotypes, it didn’t feel as though they were created from a list to be checked off.
This is one of the better books I’ve read in a long time and it really shows the level of talent in the self-publishing community.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews