MOSNAR

by R.K. Howard

WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW CAN INDEED HURT YOU.

A psychological short-story that never stops building its intensity to the very end.

A high-tech group of criminals decide to kidnap Ethan to extort money from his father, a world-renowned surgeon. The job goes off without a hitch at first, but they soon discover that Ethan has a mental sickness that puts everyone in mortal danger, proving that what you don’t know can indeed hurt you.

MOSNAR is a fast-paced short-story written in first-person streaming conscious that allows the reader to feel first-hand what the main character goes through as he transforms from an innocently odd young teen to a deeply disturbed psychopath.

ebook

First published November 24, 2014

About the author

Howdy, I'm Ryan Keith and I'm the author of Black Machetes, Error Code, The Aparting, The Express, and a short-list finalist of the 2015 Eric Hoffer Award.

When I'm not writing or marketing my fiction, odds are I'm probably incubating gnarly software in Seattle where I reside with my beautiful wife and teenage kiddos.

Learn more by visiting my official author site at https://www.ryankeith.online

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ethan is an odd teen. He likes to count his steps between places and his social skills aren’t up to par. However, Ethan’s dad is a doctor. A group of kidnappers think they will get decent ransom money for Ethan. But Ethan has a secret, one that could kill.

This is an interesting short story. At first, I wasn’t sure I would like the inner monologue as the primary mode of getting info to the readers, but I quickly fell into step with it and enjoyed it. Ethan is a bit naive, and he wants to believe his kidnappers when they say they don’t plan to harm him and that he’ll be back home soon. But as the pressure mounts and Ethan goes longer and longer without his daily medication, a shift happens inside Ethan’s head. Without spoiling things, I really enjoyed how this came about and found it clever and entertaining.

My favorite character was probably Emily. I know that’s a bit naughty because she’s chaotic and a bit destructive. Her straight forward attitude and shamelessness in who she is were great. Since there were some bad guys to take out, I didn’t mind her enjoyment in the task.

Overall, it’s a great lunch time break. There’s a touch of horror without getting too gruesome. Of course, there’s some dark humor and this really appealed to me.

I received a copy of this audiobook at no cost from the author (via the GoodReads Audiobooks group) in exchange for an honest review.

The Narration: James Simenc was a good pick for this book. I like his cautious, socially inept voice for Ethan. His voice for Emily is quite different and really fits her. He did a really good job with the inner monologue, especially when Ethan slumps into unconsciousness or is freaking out a bit.

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first started this short story I wasn’t really sure what to make of it. We are inside the main characters head as he makes his way to the bathroom, leaving me with the impression that he was Autistic or had Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). During this trip he gets kidnapped for ransom…still doesn’t seem much right? Well, holy crap…when the synopsis say a psychotic mental condition, they were friggin right. I sure didn’t expect that.

Same as before, this is a short story leaving the description of my thoughts very short. Howard really gets us inside this psychopath’s head, but be warned, you will probably end up feeling sorry for him as well. This is one of those short stories that I wished was a little bit longer so we could have dived in a little bit more. James Simenc did a great job with narration, but I think it could have been more expressive once the psychotic break happens. However, by this time you are already invested to the end. This is another short story that I will dive back into.

[Bookwyrm Speaks · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a short, hard hitting story about a boy who is kidnapped from school, who seems to be autistic or something, as gotten from his internal monologue. Instead, what he is is drugged into that state to stop his real personallity, that of a raging Psychopath, from emerging through his other personality, that of his twin sister Emily. Deliciously twisted, it takes a bit to figure out exactly what he is, but when you do, its like a brick to the head it hits so hard. Great plot, wicked action, all told from an internal monologue of the main character, Ethan. Sometimes Monsters do walk amongst us. James Simenc sounds like he is channeling A deranged Jessie Eisenberg in his narration, which is so good! Any fans of psychological horror should enjoy this one.

I was given a copy of this audiobook free of charge by the author, narrator or publisher in return for an honest review through Audiobook boom.

[Leslie Fisher · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this short story. I would probably consider this a horror/suspense short story. It really grabbed me from the beginning and kept me wanting more. I listened to the audio version, and it was a little over an hour. The narration was good, though the voice for "Emily" had a quality that annoyed me a tiny bit, but other than that, it was great. This is my first story from R.K. Howard, and I am hooked. I definitely want to read more.

[Kristen Edgar · Rating 5 out of 5]

“This audiobook was given by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom.”

Brilliant. So brilliant. I think I just found a new favorite author.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really fun short story.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marcus Damanda