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Mist
Seven years ago, I was kidnapped and held against my will by a monster who made me his 'bride'. I was kept for more than forty days -- 964 hours, to be precise. 964 hours of torment, fear, and humiliation. Each of those hours twisted me until I was no longer Carolyn O'Malley, a woman with a normal life, a woman who lived in a nice home on a nice street with a man who loved her, with a sweet little dog and a good job and a life just like yours...
By the time I jumped out of a window and escaped, running naked through the snow to freedom, I was mangled into the person I am today, a scarred and crippled woman whose lover was brutally murdered, whose life was torn asunder, a creature who lost everything in those nights of terror.
Now there was just one focus in my Find the monster and kill him. I've spent the years recovering from my wounds, planning, and training for what I would do. My chance might finally be here, if I play my cards right. The FBI task force has laid a trap with my bodyguard, Ned Buchanan, as the bait. I'll be going into the trap with him and if I have my chance...
Have you ever wondered what happens to us afterward, to those who were missed? Have you ever wondered how we feel, how we adjust to 'real life' again? Have you ever wondered what would happen if we could face our torturer?
Have you ever wondered how good revenge might feel?
By the time I jumped out of a window and escaped, running naked through the snow to freedom, I was mangled into the person I am today, a scarred and crippled woman whose lover was brutally murdered, whose life was torn asunder, a creature who lost everything in those nights of terror.
Now there was just one focus in my Find the monster and kill him. I've spent the years recovering from my wounds, planning, and training for what I would do. My chance might finally be here, if I play my cards right. The FBI task force has laid a trap with my bodyguard, Ned Buchanan, as the bait. I'll be going into the trap with him and if I have my chance...
Have you ever wondered what happens to us afterward, to those who were missed? Have you ever wondered how we feel, how we adjust to 'real life' again? Have you ever wondered what would happen if we could face our torturer?
Have you ever wondered how good revenge might feel?
ebook
First published December 1, 2011
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9 people want to read
About the author
J.L. Wilson
49 books15 followersI'm stepping away from Goodreads. I'll leave my profile here, but I won't be around much. My books are listed at https://bit.ly/JLWbooks and of course, there's my Facebook page:
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Happy reading!
https://www.facebook.com/jayeAtplay
Happy reading!
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 31, 2016
I’ve been fortunate in my life: I’ve never been terrorized, never been held against my will by a monster, never been tested to the limits of my psychological and physical endurance. In Mist, a novel of psychological suspense by JL Wilson, this is the fate of Carolyn O’Malley, who was kidnapped and kept for more than forty days by a murderous psychopath known as the “Groom.” Now, seven years later, from the rubble of her once-normal life, Carolyn has the opportunity to face her torturer and exact her revenge.
Carolyn’s voice is one of the reasons that Mist rises above the average suspense novel. Through Wilson’s first-person narrative, we get an inside look at what it’s like to lose everything. We feel what it’s like to be a normal person pushed to the edge, to be permanently scarred and crippled on the outside, but untiring in the desire for healing and retribution on the inside.
Carolyn is helped in her quest for revenge by a task force of cops and FBI agents. One cop says to her, “Victims don’t have it in ’em to do it. They dream about it and they think about it and they plan it, but when push comes to shove, they can’t pull the trigger.” Through Carolyn, we can explore the question that we can’t help but ask ourselves: If I were the victim, would I have the courage? If I were the hunted, could I become the hunter?
Ned Buchanan is also helping Carolyn and is another reason that Mist is so interesting. Ned is a friend of Carolyn’s murdered lover and a self-appointed bodyguard in her quest to confront the monsters in her life. But more than a bodyguard, more than a friend, more than a love interest, Ned turns out to have secrets of his own. That Wilson pulls off such an intricate and complex supporting character, while never leaving Carolyn’s point of view, shows a great deftness of writing and adds to the psychological depth of the novel.
The larger theme of the story is about revenge, and Wilson delivers all the suspense and trappings you could want in the genre—including a home invasion, a Halloween maze, a costume party, plot twists, and a big finish with a macabre “Groom” looking for his “Bride.”
But make no mistake: this novel offers much more than just the latest episode of Criminal Minds. Mist is about a woman’s struggle to face the worst destruction that life can offer, and about her courage in carving something from the wreckage.
Carolyn’s voice is one of the reasons that Mist rises above the average suspense novel. Through Wilson’s first-person narrative, we get an inside look at what it’s like to lose everything. We feel what it’s like to be a normal person pushed to the edge, to be permanently scarred and crippled on the outside, but untiring in the desire for healing and retribution on the inside.
Carolyn is helped in her quest for revenge by a task force of cops and FBI agents. One cop says to her, “Victims don’t have it in ’em to do it. They dream about it and they think about it and they plan it, but when push comes to shove, they can’t pull the trigger.” Through Carolyn, we can explore the question that we can’t help but ask ourselves: If I were the victim, would I have the courage? If I were the hunted, could I become the hunter?
Ned Buchanan is also helping Carolyn and is another reason that Mist is so interesting. Ned is a friend of Carolyn’s murdered lover and a self-appointed bodyguard in her quest to confront the monsters in her life. But more than a bodyguard, more than a friend, more than a love interest, Ned turns out to have secrets of his own. That Wilson pulls off such an intricate and complex supporting character, while never leaving Carolyn’s point of view, shows a great deftness of writing and adds to the psychological depth of the novel.
The larger theme of the story is about revenge, and Wilson delivers all the suspense and trappings you could want in the genre—including a home invasion, a Halloween maze, a costume party, plot twists, and a big finish with a macabre “Groom” looking for his “Bride.”
But make no mistake: this novel offers much more than just the latest episode of Criminal Minds. Mist is about a woman’s struggle to face the worst destruction that life can offer, and about her courage in carving something from the wreckage.
February 18, 2012
Mist is a compelling psychological thriller that captivated me from page one. Wilson takes us on a suspenseful ride as we enter the life of Carolyn O’Malley; the woman who escaped from the sadistic serial killer known as the Groom. The tale was fast paced, with twist and a little romance. I read this over two evenings.
Carolyn O’Malley was the only one to escape from the serial killer known as the Groom. He grabbed her in her home and seven days later made her his bride. He held her for over forty days before she jumped from a window and made her escape. Permanently scarred both mentally and forever physically, she has spent the last seven years helping the FBI. They have created a task force know as the Bridegrooms. Ned, an ex-military buddy of her late partner, has been living with her as a bodyguard. Every year on the date of her escape, the Groom sends a sympathy card. Carolyn has spent the last seven years secretly plotting her revenge. After Carolyn escaped, the serial killer changed his MO. He began taking girls in the spring and fall; each girl resembles Carolyn. If she changes her hair color, he changes his victim. The FBI task force believes she is the key and together they will lay a trap to capture him.
The tale that unfolds sent me on quite a ride, as Wilson slowly revealed what occurred during the forty days Carolyn was held. As Carolyn works with the FBI, we learn they are keeping things from her and she is keeping things from them. The clever twists and reveals Wilson provides kept me engaged, as I connected with the characters and worried about them. The relationship between Ned and Carolyn is unique. He has spent the past seven years acting as her bodyguard, maid, nurse and friend. Ned is deeply in love with strong-willed Carolyn and deep down she knows this. As Ned hints about life after the Groom, Carolyn must address how she feels about Ned. The climatic, weekend ending, was gripping and a surprise reveal left shocked. After I closed the book, I realized Wilson had cleverly dropped clues along the way.
Carolyn O’Malley was the only one to escape from the serial killer known as the Groom. He grabbed her in her home and seven days later made her his bride. He held her for over forty days before she jumped from a window and made her escape. Permanently scarred both mentally and forever physically, she has spent the last seven years helping the FBI. They have created a task force know as the Bridegrooms. Ned, an ex-military buddy of her late partner, has been living with her as a bodyguard. Every year on the date of her escape, the Groom sends a sympathy card. Carolyn has spent the last seven years secretly plotting her revenge. After Carolyn escaped, the serial killer changed his MO. He began taking girls in the spring and fall; each girl resembles Carolyn. If she changes her hair color, he changes his victim. The FBI task force believes she is the key and together they will lay a trap to capture him.
The tale that unfolds sent me on quite a ride, as Wilson slowly revealed what occurred during the forty days Carolyn was held. As Carolyn works with the FBI, we learn they are keeping things from her and she is keeping things from them. The clever twists and reveals Wilson provides kept me engaged, as I connected with the characters and worried about them. The relationship between Ned and Carolyn is unique. He has spent the past seven years acting as her bodyguard, maid, nurse and friend. Ned is deeply in love with strong-willed Carolyn and deep down she knows this. As Ned hints about life after the Groom, Carolyn must address how she feels about Ned. The climatic, weekend ending, was gripping and a surprise reveal left shocked. After I closed the book, I realized Wilson had cleverly dropped clues along the way.
January 27, 2016
This was a surprisingly interesting book. The main character was kidnapped, tortured and abused for 40 days, seven years prior. She was the only victim of this madman to have escaped. Her life has been hard, as she has dealt with emotional, psychological and physical issues, but the overriding force as been her plan for revenge.
She works closely with the task force to try to find and capture the villain. It is now clear that she will be the bait to finally draw him in. The events that pursue drew me in. I liked the characters and the different personalities that interact. The hunt for clues was interesting and the interpretation of the clues made for good detective work.
I would recommend this book to those who like something different in a mystery. This will fill the bill. Some of the elements are pretty intense, which may not appeal to some. I received a free copy of the book in exchange for writing a review.
She works closely with the task force to try to find and capture the villain. It is now clear that she will be the bait to finally draw him in. The events that pursue drew me in. I liked the characters and the different personalities that interact. The hunt for clues was interesting and the interpretation of the clues made for good detective work.
I would recommend this book to those who like something different in a mystery. This will fill the bill. Some of the elements are pretty intense, which may not appeal to some. I received a free copy of the book in exchange for writing a review.
April 13, 2012
Cari O’Malley was kidnapped, raped and tortured for forty days, and then escaped. She was the lucky one. A man called the Groom, kidnaps and kills his ‘brides’. But now he is back to reclaim Cari and she is set on revenge!
I found this psychological thriller to be gripping and captivating. The author writes a story that pulled me in and I wanted to know who was going to get who. Around two-thirds of the novel, I thought I knew who the Groom was, but Wilson tricked and surprised me, making the climax even more exciting.
I found this psychological thriller to be gripping and captivating. The author writes a story that pulled me in and I wanted to know who was going to get who. Around two-thirds of the novel, I thought I knew who the Groom was, but Wilson tricked and surprised me, making the climax even more exciting.
February 23, 2015
I've never read J.L.Wilson before, and running into her novel Mist
was my good fortune. It's the story of Carolyn O'Malley woman was kidnapped, held captive, raped and beaten repeatedly, but managed to escape. Seven years later, she's recovered, mostly. She has a body guard who live with her, and the approaching anniversary of her kidnapping has brought her kidnapper back. Carolyn has plans for him - while the police task force surround her and plan to take her kidnapper prisoner, she has a different outcome in mind- she means to take him down herself.
was my good fortune. It's the story of Carolyn O'Malley woman was kidnapped, held captive, raped and beaten repeatedly, but managed to escape. Seven years later, she's recovered, mostly. She has a body guard who live with her, and the approaching anniversary of her kidnapping has brought her kidnapper back. Carolyn has plans for him - while the police task force surround her and plan to take her kidnapper prisoner, she has a different outcome in mind- she means to take him down herself.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews