Survival of the Fittest: Do you have the will to survive?

by C.L. Clark

One tragic childhood night, Gillian lost her father and her sight in a horrific accident. Blind and bereft, she was forced to endure the suffocating control of her over-protective mother until the day she was old enough to break free. With Garrett, her beloved seeing eye dog, at her side, Gillian made a simple, yet independent life for herself in a California coastal town. Strong of faith, lighthearted, and graceful, Gillian has never had reason to fear anything . . . until now.

A madman bent on ridding the world of "defects" has set his sights on Gillian. As he begins his horrific game of cat and mouse, each act of terror meant to break Gillian down, he must struggle with his own inner demons to hold himself together. Destroying Gillian may be the only way he can gain salvation . . . or at least lie to himself that he isn't falling apart and becoming a defect himself.

˃˃˃ In a game of cat and mouse, it can take all you've got to not be the mouse<<<

260 pages, Paperback

First published September 14, 2014

About the author

As far as genres go, I enjoy writing Ghost Mysteries (my heroine sees and helps them, but she isn't one) and Psychological Thrillers (the kind that cause a person to become a little paranoid) with a dash of Twilight Zone style short stories. My fingers have a mind of their own somewhere on the dark side, so sometimes even I'm surprised at what turns out.
I am also a voracious reader - so much so that I usually have more than one book going at any given time. Plus, I have the tendency to go back and re-read books that I enjoyed so much the first time. Honestly, can any true bibliophile not, at least on occasion, feel that pull to re-visit an old friend, even if it means popping back into the same part of their life they previously explored? Yes, I have also spent inordinate amounts of time pondering the possible outcomes or future dealings that my favorite characters might have continued past the pages where I first met them. With that in mind, how could I have not become a writer? In fact, I have been writing for as long as I can remember - poems, uplifting notes, a play or two, newspaper articles, short stories, novellas, and now novels. Some things have been well received and others not so much (just ask my children how they feel about the various "uplifting notes" I leave around the house for them).
With regard to actual biographical information, well, I am one of 2.3 kids who grew up on a cul-de-sac in a house without a picket fence, but plenty of animals. I moved all over the country and beyond after graduating high school, meeting all manner of people in all sorts of places. I enjoy music, scrapbooking, and making the occasional comfort food, along with my constant reading. I tend to the Twilight Zone way of thinking and the "What's your fear? Let me write about that" kind of style. Although I like to explore the dark depths of the human psyche, I am generally a happy and pleasant sort of gal.

Reviews

[Carol Piner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I agree with some of the responses in the review by Silver Screen Videos, but not all. In Survival of the Fittest by C. L. Clark, I saw the budding possibilities of a really fine mystery novelist. She put together all the elements needed to achieve this and, for the most part, stayed true to her course.

The premise of a blind person, Gillian, being repeatedly attacked by a person who is clearly in the final stages of losing his mind, Alex, is not new but it was well presented. I found the "tick" very offputting, but I got the point of its being there. Most clear was Clark's ability to go right to the edge of what real terror was. Whether it was the mental terror Alex felt at the beatings of his father, from whom he learned to hate those he called "defects", or the very real terror Gillian went through at his hands. I have read a lot of scary books but even I cringed at her characterization of evil.

The middle of the book was devoted to the growing relationship between Gillian and Rye, who was the detective on the case. Rye was definitely in the throes of love at first sight even though he was cognizant of the problems associated with loving a person who was blind, but given the fact that it was reciprocated in full, dealt the relationship an even balance that rang true. How he dealt with Gillian and her difficulties with her mother were such that we should all be lucky enough to know a Rye.

Naturally there is a climax and I never reveal the ending of a book I am reviewing. The climax is everything the build up had led me to believe it would be. There were some issues that led me to give this a four star rather than a five, but those are best ignored for the moment because her next book won't have them. Baby steps, authors. We all took baby steps.

Carol Piner
Kindle Book Review

Kindle Book Review received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for a honest review. Kindle Book Review does not have an association with Amazon or the author.

[Kathryn Svendsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gillian Parker is the target of a crazed killer who believes that “defects” should not be allowed to live. In his first attack, he merely terrorizes her by breaking into her apartment and rearranging her furniture so that when she returns from her walk to the beach with Garrett her guide dog she is totally confused by the arrangement of her belongings, knowing that someone has been in her apartment.

Rye Bryant is the detective assigned to the case and despite department protocol is immediately attracted to Gillian and asks her out to dinner after only a few days on the case.

Alex, the psychopath was once a gentle loving boy with a kind heart and a love for creatures whether they were disabled or not. His father however, beat that out of him, literally, instilling in him the concept that it is the survival of the fittest and animals with defects must be put down.

The third person point of view moves between Gillian and Alex so we have an awareness of what each is doing throughout the novel. We have the ability to see Alex’ state of mind and how it changed and developed while the characters do not.

We see Gillian and Rye’s characters and romance develop through the novel as they interact with one another and tell each other their life story. It takes a lot for Gillian to be comfortable enough with Rye to discuss her past. I felt that this book was more of a romantic suspense than a psychological thriller.

The twists and turns in the story brought additional mayhem to the residents of the town and almost killed Gillian before Alex wanted her dead. Ultimately, no one can answer the question of why Alex felt so much hatred toward this one particular person (Gillian) over all the other “defects” that he killed.

I liked seeing the change in Gillian’s relationship with her mother from what she described in the past to what it is now that she is an adult. Whether that was a result of Gillian’s perspective or of her mother’s mellowing is left to the imagination.

I also liked that the author has done some research into how blind people handle some of their life skills such as how to label their clothes and locate items at a table setting. The only thing the author missed is that blind or not it is appropriate to use the word look or see even if the blind person is using their hands to do so since the hands are performing the tasks of the eyes.

I very much enjoyed Survival of the Fittest. It is a book that holds your attention and keeps you guessing as to what is going to happen next. I would recommend it to those who enjoy psychological thrillers and romantic suspense. I gave it 4 stars out of 5.

Thank you to the author for providing a copy of the book in exchange for a fair and honest review. A positive opinion was not required. All thoughts are my own.

To see my complete review visit Shelf Full of Books http://kathrynsshelffullofbooks.blogs...

[Shirley Ford · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gillian, as a child, loses her sight in a tragic accident, in which she also loses her father. In time she manages to escape from the clutches of her over-protective mother and now leads a successful and independent life, watched over by her seeing-eye dog, Garrett, who accompanies her everywhere.

Alex, a child traumatised and bullied, brought up by an abusive father, grows into a man who hates ‘defects’ as he calls anyone with a disability. He wants to rid the world of them. Gillian becomes his latest target and the story follows his stalking of Gillian and his attacks on her.

Detective Ryesam (Rye)Bryant is already investigating several similar cases and is attached to Gillian’s case. Gillian manages to escape the clutches of Alex who becomes increasingly agitated as he hears his father’s voice. He thinks his father is there, but the voice is in his head, goading him. He washes his hands compulsively and smashes up his apartment.

The book is a psychological thriller with romance thrown in, as Gillian and Rye fall in love. The impetus of the thriller becomes a bit lost in places due to all the kissing and cuddling by the loved up pair. I understand what the author was trying to convey, but for me, it wasn’t as thrilling as it could have been.

[Ken Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story, very well written. Had me hooked from the first page. Looking forward to the next book.

I have already told all of my friends to get it. Won't loan out my copy. I have ordered extra copies for Christmas.