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Cryofactory Cryptid
When urban exploration photographer Cat McIntyre and her wife Lelia stumble upon a gruesome discovery in an abandoned cryofactory, their lives are thrown into chaos. Pursued by relentless security forces, they barely escape only to realize something even more terrifying is stalking them.
The creature in the shadows isn’t just any predator. It’s intelligent. It’s deadly. And it may be tied to Cat in ways she never imagined. As the women fight for survival, Cat must confront a buried secret from her past, one that has unleashed a monster.
When the cryofactory’s enforcers strike again, the bond between Cat and the beast becomes undeniable, forcing Cat and Lelia to make an impossible choice.
A campy horror thriller, Cryofactory Cryptid is a tale of survival, identity, and the unexpected bonds of found family.
The creature in the shadows isn’t just any predator. It’s intelligent. It’s deadly. And it may be tied to Cat in ways she never imagined. As the women fight for survival, Cat must confront a buried secret from her past, one that has unleashed a monster.
When the cryofactory’s enforcers strike again, the bond between Cat and the beast becomes undeniable, forcing Cat and Lelia to make an impossible choice.
A campy horror thriller, Cryofactory Cryptid is a tale of survival, identity, and the unexpected bonds of found family.
ebook
Published September 23, 2025
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About the author
Brenda Murphy
62 books76 followersBrenda Murphy is the author of more than twenty books, mostly about American drama and theater. Recently she has been writing biography, memoir, and biographical fiction. Her latest books include When Light Breaks Through: A Salem Witch Trials Story (2023), Becoming Carlotta: A Biographical Novel (2018), based on the life of the actress Carlotta Monterey, Eugene O’Neill Remembered (2017, with George Monteiro), a biography in documents, and After the Voyage: An Irish American Story (2016), historical fiction based on the experience of her immigrant family in the Boston area from 1870 until the 1930s. After teaching at universities in New York and Connecticut, Brenda now lives in Maryland where she enjoys writing full time surrounded by deer and horse farms.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 23, 2025
A youtube looking to gain views — and get some money — and her wife break into a factory only to find it isn’t quite as abandoned as they thought. To wit, the dead body in the hallway. The very fresh dead body. And from there it’s a disjointed and poorly paced adventure as Cat and her wife head home, have sex, watch a movie, have dinner, and then get accosted by people who don’t want the secret of the cryofactory coming out.
While the writing isn’t bad, the chapters are choppy and blunt. There’s no segue or flow between them, especially in the beginning, with every chapter feeling like it’s a separate short story being stitched into a novella. It does smooth out, eventually, but the story still focuses on small mundanities only to have a sudden burst of action, then back to a leisurely moment with no sense of urgency for dealing with the dead bodies, the horrible monster, the blood everywhere.
It reads very much both like a novella, and like the prequel to a series, with a more time spent establishing the characters, Cat and Leila, their relationship to one another and the world, and introducing Beatrice. Honestly, I’m interested enough to probably pick up the next book in the series — if this turns out to be a series — to see if there are more monsters out there, to see if there are more cryofactories, and I think it’s a pleasant enough read as we get close to October.
While the writing isn’t bad, the chapters are choppy and blunt. There’s no segue or flow between them, especially in the beginning, with every chapter feeling like it’s a separate short story being stitched into a novella. It does smooth out, eventually, but the story still focuses on small mundanities only to have a sudden burst of action, then back to a leisurely moment with no sense of urgency for dealing with the dead bodies, the horrible monster, the blood everywhere.
It reads very much both like a novella, and like the prequel to a series, with a more time spent establishing the characters, Cat and Leila, their relationship to one another and the world, and introducing Beatrice. Honestly, I’m interested enough to probably pick up the next book in the series — if this turns out to be a series — to see if there are more monsters out there, to see if there are more cryofactories, and I think it’s a pleasant enough read as we get close to October.
October 1, 2025
A Joyfully Jay review.
3 stars
There are some ideas in this book that I think really work well. I think they’re established smoothly and hint at some very intriguing story ideas that, due to the length of this novella, never really get a chance to be fleshed out. With the way everything ends, though, I wouldn’t be surprised if the author comes out with another book or two to continue Cat and Leila’s adventures. As such, I won’t touch too much on the twists and explain instead how this book almost worked for me, but didn’t quite.
Still, while clumsy, it’s not terrible, and if you’re looking for secret organizations, conspiracies, and things that go bump in the night, this is a very quick read.
Read Elizabeth’s review in its entirety here.
3 stars
There are some ideas in this book that I think really work well. I think they’re established smoothly and hint at some very intriguing story ideas that, due to the length of this novella, never really get a chance to be fleshed out. With the way everything ends, though, I wouldn’t be surprised if the author comes out with another book or two to continue Cat and Leila’s adventures. As such, I won’t touch too much on the twists and explain instead how this book almost worked for me, but didn’t quite.
Still, while clumsy, it’s not terrible, and if you’re looking for secret organizations, conspiracies, and things that go bump in the night, this is a very quick read.
Read Elizabeth’s review in its entirety here.
September 27, 2025
I’m disappointed, BUT let me say that I went in with romantic Brenda Murphy expectations and not the story that was presented. So this is one me. Read the story and let me know what you think.
“Thank you, Nine Star Press, for providing this book for review consideration via Indigo Marketing & Design. All opinions are my own.”
“Thank you, Nine Star Press, for providing this book for review consideration via Indigo Marketing & Design. All opinions are my own.”
September 30, 2025
4 stars. This was fun! Dark and gritty but also well written and entertaining. I liked the plot, the characters, and how different this was. I love Murphy's writing and the way that she can pretty much write in any genre. Super impressive.
October 8, 2025
I adored this book and the characters. Cat and Lelia were great and the horror woven into the story made it such an awesome read. When I was nearing the end, I didn't want to finish - I wanted more. Secretly hoping we will see these characters again someday!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews