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The Cure

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She was born with the power to cure. Now she’s developed the power to kill. Leah DeGarmo has the power to cure with just a touch. But with her gift comes adark side: Whatever she takes in she has to pass on, or suffer it herself.

Now a sadistic criminal has discovered what she can do and he’ll stop at nothing to control her. He makes a mistake, though, when he kills the man she loves, triggering a rage inside her that releases a new power she didn’t know she had: the ability to kill.


Transformed into a demon of retribution, Leah resurrects her lover and embarks on a mission to destroy her enemies. The only question is, does she control her power or does it control her?

307 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 5, 2015

10 people are currently reading
217 people want to read

About the author

J.G. Faherty

89 books138 followers
JG Faherty is a Bram Stoker Award® and ITW Thriller Award nominee and the author of six novels, nine novellas, and more than 50 short stories. He writes adult and YA horror/sci-fi/fantasy, and his works range from quiet, dark suspense to over-the-top comic gruesomeness.

His novels and novellas, all of which are listed on Goodreads, include THE CURE, CARNIVAL OF FEAR, GHOSTS OF CORONADO BAY, CEMETERY CLUB, THE BURNING TIME, LEGACY, CASTLE BY THE SEA, FATAL CONSEQUENCES, THIEF OF SOULS, THE COLD SPOT, and HE WAITS.

He enjoys urban exploring, photography, classic B-movies, good wine, and pumpkin beer. As a child, his favorite playground was a 17th-century cemetery, which many people feel explains a lot. His personal motto is "Photobombing people since 1979!" You can follow him at www.twitter.com/jgfaherty, www.facebook.com/jgfaherty, http://about.me/jgfaherty, and www.jgfaherty.com.

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5 stars
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
Profile Image for Kimberly.
1,944 reviews2 followers
February 6, 2015

Leah DeGarmo is a veterinarian who possesses the ability to cure with a touch--provided she "passes the illness/injury on" to another. This novel was filled with non-stop action and plenty of graphic descriptions to keep my attention. I would classify this as more of a "thriller" than a "horror" novel, simply because the majority of the story centers around what happens when others discover DeGarmo's talents, and wish to retain them for their own personal gain.

While the pace was relentless, I have to confess to feeling that it was a little redundant beginning at about the half-way point. The action/consequences remained much the same, only the people changed. I was fascinated with Leah and her "ability", especially as she started to come to terms with it while it morphed in relation to the events that were being forced upon her. In that regard, I only wish we could have learned more about the origin of this "gift, and how she came to have it in the first place.

If you're looking for fast-paced action, you'll find plenty of that here. The ending was a little predictable, in my opinion, but others may disagree with that.

Recommended.

Profile Image for Frank Errington.
737 reviews63 followers
May 4, 2015
Review copy

Opening line..."She was born with the power to cure. Now she's developed the power to kill." I'm in.

Leah Degarmo is a veterinarian with the power to cure with just a touch, but her gift comes with a dark side: whatever she takes in she has to pass on, or suffer it herself.

I've read a number of stories recently where the principal character has interesting powers and I don't mind telling you they have all been among my favorites.

The Cure is certainly a page turner and I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next. As the story grew and the pressures on our heroine mounted, so did her talents, what starts out as a simple way to help pets and their owners turns into something much more terrifying.

When her secret gets out and into the hands of some very bad people that's when it really hits the fan, but by the story's end when things seem to be calming down, they are actually much worse than ever.

With just a small suspension of disbelief, the plausibility of everything else is rather simple and there is an overall feeling of helplessness throughout. Every time you think you've seen the worst that could happen, something even worse happens. Fun.

I get the feeling the end is not really the end, although I have not seen any word on plans for a sequel, there is plenty left to be explored.

The Cure is available in paperback and ebook formats from Samhain Horror through their website and Amazon.com.

Recommended.
Profile Image for David Church.
111 reviews32 followers
February 26, 2016
Hard to review this one – the first 40% - 50% I was really into. The last half I felt frustrated for the ineptitude of the main character and her inability to lock a door and get kidnapped 4 or 5 different times (I lost count) in the last half the book. I was like damn how many times is this *$@$% going to get kidnapped in one book. Get kidnapped, escape, go back home, get kidnapped, escape, go back home repeat. I am used to one kidnapping in a book – but this one takes the cake. And there is going to be a sequel. And I bet my left nut she gets kidnapped again.
I really felt the first half of the book was somehow more believable, I was cool with Leah's ability to cure animals and passing their sickness onto someone or something else. The 2nd half of the book when she suddenly gained the ability to fly, control the weather, have dark shadow smoke around her felt like something out of Chris Claremont's X-Men run. Which is cool if I am reading a super hero mag kind of iffy and somehow didn't really fit for me in the last half of the book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Marvin.
1,414 reviews5,409 followers
August 2, 2015
While reading The Cure by J. G. Faherty, I found myself questioning the idea of miracles. You don't have to be a theologian to realize everything worthwhile in our life comes with a price. When the impossible happens, we acclaim it as a miracle yet in our karmic universe do we really think that which is not earned by us will not exact a payment somewhere in the future?

That gets us to the plot of Faherty's very exciting and pleasantly exhausting novel. Leah DeGarmo is a veterinarian who at a young age discovers she has the gift to cure. But her gift has a dark side. What she cures goes into her and she must pass it on to another before it kills her. She uses her talent by curing the animals in her clinic and passing it to older terminal ones, never using it to heal humans less someone discovers her gift. yet once she is put into a public situation that forces her to save a young policeman's life, others find out and scheme to use her for their own needs. As she and the officer are placed in danger, she learns more about her skills and much of it is darker and more terrible than she realize.

Faherty doesn't miss a beat here. He knows how to move the story while building the characters of his protagonists into more than one dimensional fodder. The heroes are likable yet vulnerable and the villains are..well...they are fairly nasty. There is a romantic tinge to the story as Leah and her new officer friend John learn more about each other and become enmeshed in seemingly unending peril. Yet for the most part, The Cure is pure supernatural suspense thriller with a good portion of horror thrown in to scare you. It is a great summer read but, as mentioned at the beginning, it does seem to evoke some interesting themes as we find out more about her powers and discover others' reactions to what could either be a tool for good or a weapon. Here are some other points to ponder. Does our talents make us what we are? Does the way we use our talents forever mold us into what we become or can we reverse it if we choose? Is Free Will a gift or is Free Will a bitch?

So what I find in The Cure is an enthralling supernatural thriller that is a entertaining roller coaster ride but with a little philosophical leprechaun that keeps poking me in the ribs while I enjoy my roller coaster ride of a read. I like that feeling and I think you will too.

Profile Image for Majanka.
Author 70 books405 followers
April 30, 2015
Book Review originally published here: http://www.iheartreading.net/reviews/...

The Cure started out with a blast, then grabbed an interesting concept and made it even more interesting and then…ruined all that by offering one chase scene after the next, descending into a non-stop rollercoaster of events so unbelievable they seemed laughable. Leah DeGarmo, our main character, is a veterinarian with the power to cure. She routinely cures animals from illnesses like cancer, or from car accident injuries and the likes. The downside is though that she has to transfer the illness she took into someone or something else – another person or animal, or else it destroys her from inside out. She keeps cages with terminally-ill, old animals just for that purpose.

But when she stops at a local McDonalds and ends up in the middle of a robbery, she has to use her powers to cure a police officer, and to transfer his lethal injury to the gunman. The gunman dies, the officer lives, but Leah has a lot of explaining to do. Worse, the officer isn’t the only one who knows her secret. Leonard Marsh, a powerful man suffering from an incurable illness, and his henchmen, have discovered her secret as well, and want to use it for their own gain. Within days, several different factions are on the lookout for Leah and want to use her powers for different purposes, from elliminating their enemies to prolonging their own life. Meanwhile, they threaten her that if she doesn’t comply they’ll hurt the officer she saved, a man she finds herself falling for rapidly. Will Leah be able to escape the clutches of the people who want to control her? And can she do so without succumbing to the dark side of her power?

I have no trouble believing Leah has supernatural powers – after all, that’s the premise of the book, and in fiction, pretty much anything is possible. But with this set up, the consequences have to be believable too, and they just aren’t. Within days of Leah’s secret being exposed to a handful of people, just about everyone on that side of the planet is trying to capture her. That made the story not only very repetitive, but also extremely unbelievable. As for the repetitiveness, the same things happened over and over again: Leah gets captured, they threaten to hurt someone to make her comply, she narrowly escapes, and repeat.

The book should be a horror novel, but it’s not really scary at all. The main character is unique though, and has some interesting abilities – which is a definite plus – but there’s nothing scary about her, or about the people out to hurt her.

So in short, I liked the premise and the start, but lost most of my interest halfway through. I did finish the book though, but more for completion’s sake than anything else.
Profile Image for Theresa Braun.
Author 26 books241 followers
July 30, 2019
If you are up for a relentless thrill-ride, buckle up when opening this book. Faherty wastes no time getting us in the thick of the action. And, we’re ready to care about DeGarmo, who has a soft spot for animals and wants to save as many of them as she can. We get the sense that her moral compass is working overtime, which is why she has isolated herself from most people. She knows she needs to guard her special powers because they have the potential to make her life uber-drama-filled. Which is exactly what happens when she saves a cop (John) at a local fast-food restaurant. Her secret is out, and soon every bad guy in town wants a piece of her supernatural abilities. It’s also when DeGarmo’s moral compass is tested to its limits. From there, it’s one bumpy ride after another—the point in which to grab that seatbelt.

What works in this novel? The pacing and the descriptions, especially when DeGarmo uses her abilities. Faherty ups the ante throughout as she discovers what she’s really capable of. Her transformations are gloriously disturbing and the carnage she wreaks is on epic levels. For me, these are the shining moments in the book. Everything is so crisp and clear—so skillfully depicted. I also enjoyed the moral ambiguity of the story. Not everything is black and white, or merely life and death. All those lines get wonderfully fuzzy.

My only critique is that the number of kidnappings feels excessive. And poor John. I won’t spoil anything here, but damn. He really hangs in there, which proves he must have a deep, authentic love for DeGarmo. I have to suspend my disbelief in regards to their relationship, which I’m willing to do.

The ending? I personally didn’t expect it and was actually hoping for a different outcome, but that doesn’t really bother me one bit. And, there are loose ends that leave things open for a sequel, one I hope gets written. I’d really love to see more of a background/explanation for the origin of DeGarmo’s powers. Hint, hint, Faherty…
Profile Image for Eva.
Author 9 books28 followers
April 11, 2016
In this thriller from JG Faherty, Leah DeGarmo is a veterinarian who has the unique ability to cure humans and animals of everything from gunshot wounds and broken bones to cancer. The only catch is that she has to transfer the sickness to someone, another human or another animal, because if she doesn't expel it from herself and transfer it elsewhere, she will get stuck with the illness and can die.

It doesn't take long for the wrong kind of people to find out she can do this after an exciting inciting incident at a McDonald's. She saves the life of a police officer, John, and they become romantically involved but both of their limits are severely tested in this book. Toward the second half of the book, there are more surprises, including some new unexpected side effects that keep things interesting.

Overall, "The Cure" is an entertaining novel that will keep the reader guessing as to what will happen next. The reader will feel Leah's torment and emotional conflicts very vividly as well as John's, which I thought enhanced the story. Although I won't spoil the ending, this is the kind of book where a sequel could easily come about should the author wish to continue the story. If you like tightly-plotted and fast-paced thrillers with supernatural elements, you will enjoy this book.
Profile Image for Kesha.
17 reviews3 followers
June 2, 2016
"Leah DeGarmo has the power to cure with just a touch. But with her gift comes a dark side: Whatever she takes in she has to pass on, or suffer it herself."

The start was strong. I empathized with Leah. How do you maintain a life for yourself with a power like that? How can you have relationships but keep that secret? How can you help others but not draw too much attention to yourself? Who can you trust? I was here for it all, but OMG scene after scene of kidnap/danger/shooting/beating/supernatural!!!! It wore me out. Worse, it made me stop caring. How many times do you have to get kidnapped before you STOP OPENING THE DOOR WITHOUT SEEING WHO IT IS?!

I was exhausted and over it by the end. There was a pretty big happening but I couldn't muster the energy to do more than take note. 2.5 stars
Profile Image for Chantal Noordeloos.
Author 30 books122 followers
March 26, 2015
I wasn’t sure where this book would go, but it took me on a pleasant journey. I had expected a horror novel, but this wasn’t horror (though it certainly had a few graphic descriptions), I would say it’s an action / thriller. Confession time: it’s not a genre that I’m usually into, but this book had just enough supernatural twists and turns to keep me interested.
The protagonist was a fascinating person, and I really liked how she used her powers. Her love for animals was really a nice touch to her personality.
The Cure is a fast paced story, that really keeps you on the edge of your seat. Definitely recommended for readers who like action packed stories, and have a special love for animals.
Profile Image for Illustrious Illusions.
1,218 reviews33 followers
January 31, 2015
**Cliffhanger alert**

I really enjoyed the beginning of this book. It sucked me right in and kept me going. I really enjoyed Leah as a character and her special powers and what she did with them. But at about the half way point, the story seemed to become repetitive and didn't keep my interest as well. I wasn't expecting to cliffhanger at the end and it kind of knocked me for a loop! lol
Profile Image for Mommacat.
607 reviews31 followers
February 7, 2015
Leah DeGarmo is a healer. She has maintained her secret for her entire life until one day everything falls apart and she is discovered. Suddenly this small town vet finds herself on several gangs most wanted lists.

This is a very fast moving moving book that I read in one day. It's an an action packed thriller that I highly recommend.
Profile Image for Patricia V. Davis.
Author 5 books313 followers
December 10, 2019
In this novel, I truly believed the protagonist was a female in her twenties, when I know the author is a male considerably older than that. The authenticity of voice allowed me to buy into everything else that happens in the story, including the unending devotion of the protagonist's love interest despite her "metamorphosis," and all she does, once she realizes how far her powers can go. Why? Good writing suspends disbelief, not to mention the "save the cat" maxim utilized to its optimal best. How refreshing to read a woman's empowerment story written by a man. The ending will deflate some readers, but let's not forget the genre. This is really not supposed to have a happy ending, although I wager lots of readers were keeping their fingers crossed for one. But maybe there's going to be a sequel? One can only hope.
Profile Image for Jrubino.
1,170 reviews5 followers
January 11, 2020
Nothing in the opening chapters is new.

Once again, here’s the same old plot of a hidden power and the covert organization that wants to control it. Something this cliched needs more style and atmosphere than this simplistic approach. I stopped after 60 pages.
Profile Image for Catherine Cavendish.
Author 41 books425 followers
February 8, 2015
Imagine you had the power to cure – however seriously injured and apparently beyond help – any living being that inhabits the earth. That would be a wonderful gift, right? Especially if you happened to be a veterinarian? Dr Leah DeGarmo is just such a person. Her ability to effect the Cure has helped countless numbers of her animal patients and their grateful owners. But with this gift comes a curse. In order to cure, she must take in the disease or injury of the one she is helping. Then she has just a limited time to pass it or she will develop all the symptoms. Over the years, she has developed a way of handling this. It works. No one is any the wiser. They think their pets have recovered under her skillful care. No one knows her secret. Of course, that couldn’t last, could it?

The Cure is fast-paced and original. As the story progresses, Leah is drawn into a deadly world where her powers are discovered by ruthless criminals of the worst kind. They will stop at nothing to exploit her gift and any refusal to co- operate carries a price tag she cannot afford. Deep within her an anger grows – and when Leah is angry, you’d better get out of her way. Fast.

As I have to come to expect with JG Faherty’s expertly crafted stories, this was a riveting story, full of twists and turns, strong characters and a compulsive plot. I empathised with Leah. I suffered with her. Just when I thought she might make it, along came another enemy. I genuinely had no idea how the story would resolve and the ending fitted perfectly. Thoroughly recommended. Suspenseful, thrilling horror.
Profile Image for Bree Verity.
Author 19 books27 followers
June 11, 2016
The premise of the book was really interesting - if you know you can kill a baddie to save a goodie, do you do it? And what do you do when you are forced to use your powers to kill innocents?
Leah has been using her powers for years to save gravely ill pets in her veterinary clinic. But as soon as she uses her power to save the life of a cop in a crowded fast food restaurant, people become very interested in her...
The middle of the book got a bit boggy, with the same thing happening over and over and over. She and her boyfriend (the cop) are kidnapped, the cop is endangered and to save him she needs to kill whoever the other guys say.
It gets interesting again toward the end when Leah realises the full extent of her powers (as do the baddies, to their detriment!)
I felt like there was no real resolution at the end, leaving too many unanswered questions.
However, if the writer was looking to do a second book, this may have been intentional.
Overall, a good read, emotional overload, life & death in the balance... nothing to keep you up at night, but a nice, comfortable read.
Profile Image for Gregory Bastianelli.
Author 8 books80 followers
January 17, 2019
“The Cure”
“The Cure” by JG Faherty involves a woman who has the power to heal with just a touch. It’s a special power that benefits Dr. Leah DeGarmo in her veterinary clinic. She is able to save some animals, at the sacrifice of others that are reaching the end of their life span. She guards this power with an intense secrecy, but when her secret is inadvertently revealed during a dangerous random encounter, a criminal element sees a great opportunity in her powers.
This is the kind of book where the reader can’t catch their breath. As soon as Dr. DeGarmo escapes from one predicament and feels safe, she’s thrust right back into another one. With each escalating incident, the doctor’s amazing power grows even more out of control, unleashing unimaginable horrors on everyone who gets in her way.
The book is written in a very cinematic style, with scenes that jump from one character’s view to another without hesitation. This adds to the frenetic rhythm of the novel.
Profile Image for Angela Crawford.
387 reviews23 followers
May 5, 2015

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. This is in no way reflected in my opinion of this novel.


What would you chose to do if you had the power to heal? Leah DeGarmo choses to help animals and their owners. As a pet owner/lover I totally get that. It also makes parts of this story hard to read through the tears. Leah is a believable and sympathetic main character. I found myself rooting for her and John to get away from the evil men chasing them. And cheering when she got her revenge. JG Faherty is a master of pulse pounding action. The Cure grabbed me from the first sentence and wouldn't let go, I had to know what was going to happen next. The storyline is filled with more twists and turns than a mountain road and you won't see the end coming. An exciting 4.5 star read.
Profile Image for Stuart West.
Author 35 books39 followers
December 17, 2015
The Cure is a no-holds barred, breath-taking suspense horror thriller that never lets up. Reminiscent of some of the great conspiracy horror thrillers of the '70's and '80's (John Farris' The Fury, King's Firestarter), the compelling storyline will carry the reader through to the end, begging the question of how can this possibly end. Faherty has created a slew of very colorful, heinous villains pursuing the heroine and I've always believed tales like this are only as good as the bad guys. And this one's great. Sure, after a while, the constant kidnapping of the heroine grows a little redundant. But that's nitpicking. If you enjoy a solidly written horror thriller that zips by like a blockbuster movie, this comes highly recommended.
Profile Image for David Bernstein.
Author 23 books112 followers
March 16, 2015
Loved this book. Kept me turning the pages, which is what I want in a novel. I found the main character really easy to route for, and her "abilities" from the beginning to end were awesome. When I thought I knew or understood "stuff" I was shown I hadn't seen anything yet. The author kept giving me more, uping the stakes and building the tension. Threw me for a couple of loops along the way, stuff I wasn't expecting. Again, love it when a book does that. Plain and simple, this was a FUN read. Plenty of action and thrills in this one. The writing is smooth and flows like water. Highly Recommended!!!
Profile Image for Russell James.
Author 48 books216 followers
May 6, 2015
This splendid novel by JG Faherty follows Leah Degarmo’s odyssey as the world discovers she has the power to cure with a touch.
Her gift attracts attention from unsavory elements. The actions kicks in early and hard, and it doesn’t let up as first one, and then another group tries to hold and exploit her. Every captivity is more frightening than the last.
JG Faherty blends excellent dialogue with sharp action for a story that is positively addicting. His handling of Leah’s transformation through the story is superb.
Horror fan? Thriller fan? Doesn’t matter. This is the book for you.
Profile Image for Cheryl.
1,086 reviews2 followers
June 14, 2016
The concept was excellent, but the writing was not much better than mine. There was a lot of repetition in the events, but the same descriptions tended to get used over and over as well. And then the 2 main characters... there insta-love I can almost make sense of because they are sharing a series of events that would be likely to cause people to develop quick attachments to each other. The worst though...how do two supposedly smart people continuously make so many stupid ass choices? All the characters that are people (there are a lot of animals) seem to. Every. Flipping. One.
Profile Image for Thomas Drago.
Author 7 books44 followers
July 14, 2015
I shared interview time on Zombiepalooza Radio with this author. He's intelligent and inspiring. The Cure is one of the scariest novels I've read in a long time. It's also one of the best. JG Faherty is a master at building characters and it shows. The reader feels the torture that protagonist Leah DeGarmo goes through. This powerful story of love, corruption, redemption, pain, and loss is a must read for mature readers everywhere. I can't wait to read another of his books.
Profile Image for Barry Koostachin.
4 reviews
September 26, 2015
It took me several days to finish the ebook. I was pleasantly surprised, a blend of believable main protagonist the kind you would see every day, good dialogue, and action, though there's tad of suspension of disblief.
I think Leah reminded me of Storm from X-men, except a touch of being demonic entity. Pretty interesting concept.
A decent novel, I rate it a four.
534 reviews10 followers
April 12, 2016
this author has a gift. buy his books and have some fun reading.
401 reviews2 followers
April 18, 2016
I found this book quite enjoyable. Towards the end it started to drag a bit and then Pow! out of nowhere a twist presents itself and the story really takes off.
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