The Author: A Gripping Psychological Thriller

by Sabrina Wade

Rule#1 Never taunt an author–they just might write you into the story.
Three reviewers. One twisted plot. No way out.

It started with a few snarky comments online about a book by an author no one had heard of. But now, Logan, Hannah, and Jonathan are trapped in a nightmare.

Locked in a cold, underground labyrinth, they have no idea who’s behind their kidnapping. Until the voice of author EJ Mills, echoes through the darkness.

This isn’t just about revenge. It’s about vindication.

Forced to participate in a deadly experiment, will they prove that Mills’s hypothesis is correct?

Are all people inherently selfish when it comes to their own survival?

The clock is ticking. One wrong answer could be their last.

Will they escape the story before it’s too late? Or will this be their final chapter?

Genres: Thriller

109 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 5, 2024

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Makes you think

Just how well do we really know someone. The Author in the book lives a double life for sure. She's definitely not all there to kill. Especially who she killed. I'm sure I will be thinking about this book for some time.

[Katherine Jacks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short story but well worth a read. When an author gets bad reviews, she takes the ultimate revenge. Got a feeling of the saw films about it, but without the gore

[Stephanie Thode · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC, and this is my honest review.

I guess I better write a good review about this! All kidding aside, this book blew me away, and I did not see the big reveal coming! It had me on the edge of my seat the whole time I was reading it. It's definitely the right time of year for this book. I'm glad the author didn't try to justify EJ's actions. Some people are just evil, pure, and simple. This is the first book I have read by this author, and I look forward to reading more!

[Sadie☠🖤 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Predictable but still a good little read.

[Kim Bock · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Best Book I’ve Read in a Long Time

This awesome book pulled me in from Page 1. It has ‘Escape Room’ vibes and plays on human nature, our inherent fight for our own survival and proof that in the most extreme moments of our lives, there is always hope that our better instincts will overcome our worst.

It’s truly a psychological thriller and while it’s obviously plot driven, the characters are well rounded and there is a complete story- and character arc.

The book was not only tense but also portrays the real struggle, especially indie authors, go through to not only write believable stories and characters people can care about and can get behind, but also to get the GOOD reviews we so desperately need, for our books to succeed and to sell.

I highly recommend this book. Though it is relatively short, it’s ‘perfectly formed’ and beautifully written.

I loved it, and will be looking out for her next book.

[The Poisoned Pen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was not an enjoyable book for me. It was completely unbelievable that an author would get so mad at 3 reviewers that they would spend 6 months and millions of dollars setting up a maze trap. What a waste of time, energy and money. Every author knows never to read negative reviews!

The characters in the book felt very one dimensional and fell flat. I understood why the reviewers didn't like the author's writing in the book because I didn't like the writing of this book. 😅 I couldn't root for any of them because they were all pretty blah.

And the end "twist" was meh. And the reasoning just didn't feel impactful.

I really struggled to finish this book despite how small it is. It took me 3 days to get it done, and I feel like I should have just DNFed it.

I have several other books by this author on my TBR, but I'm unsure if I will read them. I might give one more a shot to see if she does any better with a longer book.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, I'm not sure whether to review or not! Thankfully it is in my mind that the books I read come to life, but when the last word is read, It settles between the covers until the next person picks it up to read.
Not normally a reader of psychological anything, never mind a thriller, but I read this author's first book, well first for me, yesterday and immediately on checking her other books, I decided to buy this one. There is just something about her writing that keeps me going back. Again a twist in the tale, but that is good for us sometimes.
I look forward to trying some more of her books in the new year.

[Trina Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG this was a thriller and a page turner and the suspense was entertaining. I was on the edge of my seat and I couldn’t even put it down. Logan, Hannah, and Jonathan were trapped underground. It was action packed of danger and chaos. Will they get out alive and who was the culprit in this dangerous mystery. With the deception of death and pain.
I definitely recommend this book and you won’t be disappointed. I received advance copy of this book via Bookfunnel and am voluntarily leaving my honest opinion. Trina Jones

[SilverRibbonReviewer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This thriller was such a good read. had it done in about 2 1/2 hours. overall good storyline and characters. defiantly a cliffhanger at the end - i didn’t see it coming at all. its a simple story yet it keeps you hanging on wanting more. even at the end i was like why isn’t there a sequel. would highly recommend to anyone who loves a good thriller. i gave it 4 stars due to how simple the overall story line was.

[Sheri Corriero · Rating 5 out of 5]

Logan, Hannah, and Jonathan are locked underground. Apparently, author EJ Mills did not like comments they left online, and now they are forced to play Mills’s deadly game. This was my first book by this author, and I liked it. There were alot of twists in the story and it was very exciting. I received an ARC copy from the author and this is my honest review.

[Krystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do You Ever Really Know Anybody?

Ok - wow. This book was amazing! It was not what I expected at all but better than anything I could have imagined based off the title. This book gives me Verity by Colleen Hoover vibes. Such a twist at the end!!

This book was pretty short and I read it in about an hour or so. The descriptions were eerie and my hands are as cold as Hannah’s were!

5 stars

[Chere Gruver · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story will stay with me for a long, long time!

While short, this story proves it doesn’t take length to create a terrifying tale. When three online reviewers trash a book, the author takes exception and decides to do some “research” of her own with them as her guinea pigs. I sure did not see that ending either. That was another shock.

[Liane Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good psychological thriller

The Author by Sabrina Wade has a slight feel of the films saw but still is an enjoyable read, an escapism to a dark world of twisted people and human resilience, showing what being human is all about and the great way the human spirit will overcome and survive through the darkest of trials and times.

[Jenn H · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a new author for me but wow did they take me on a journey! The author is a psychologically thriller through and through with lots of twists and turns. She plays out her own real life version of a book for “research” all because of some bad reviews.

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

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Author: A Gripping Psychological Thriller, my second read from author Sabrina Wade. A 105-page psychological thriller, If you like N.L. Hinkens & James Caine you'll probably like Sabrina Wade. "I received a Kindle copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review." Lies Weaved In Ivy: A Psychological Thriller is next on my TBR list. (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 - July 24, 2018).

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Logan, Hannah, and Jonathan are all book blog reviewers.
That's not the only thing they have in common.
They are now trapped in a basement, living out the same type of
scenarios that they had reviewed the book on.
All because an author took umbrage at bad reviews for her book.

This is a fairly slow paced book with mostly developed characters and an unusual plotline.

[Nupur · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a beautifully crafted, thrilling story. Love how the Author portrayed an author who loses it, and her ways are just how she writes it. Now the question is, will the victims be able to set themselves free? Was the author really the villain or the victim? This thrilling story had me in its grip, and I love all the books by this author.

[Bren · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author of this book is extremely clever as displayed in this story and after you finish it it will have you contemplating do I dare write a real review and will it make me a target? You'll want to readð they and make your own decision cause for me it was absolutely mind blowing.

[Cari Frye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this short story. Gave me Saw vibes without the gore, and it's definitely more psychological. The twist at the end, wow.

[Lynn Boone · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent read!

I just have to say I did not see that coming! Made for an excellent ending to a suspense filled book. As a student of psychology I really liked this story.

[Darren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book. It had a good story to it. I liked the variety of characters in it. It was a well written book.

[Matt Egan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun, short read in which an author is taken captive and forced to survive the kind of impossible seeming challenges her characters face.

[Sienna S'Zell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good story. Creepy, not quite Shirley Jackson, but the same feel.

[oℓivia ⋆.✧ ݁ ٠ · Rating 3 out of 5]

the story kinda reminded me of the saw movies, it was a fun and short read, however the writing style just wasn't for me.

[Miss_curly_tots · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well what a read. Well written thriller, good characters. Had me enaged read in 2 days. 5 star read

[Heather Caldwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish that this was a bigger book, longer story. It was really good. I was proud of myself, I figured it out about half way through. Really good story and quick read!