Bear Trap

by Cullen K. Thomas

278 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 15, 2026

Reviews

[Stacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC REVIEW

Horrifying! This creepy book will keep you on your toes. I couldn’t put it down.

I like Mary’s character; she is a strong-willed survivor. Marge is another fabulous character.

The book is fast-paced and well-written. I highly recommend it.

Thanks to Book Sirens for sending me an advanced copy to read and review.

[Teresa Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh! My! Stars! So, for those of you who read the synopsis and thought this would be a crime story about a kidnapping, nothing could be further from the truth. This is the handicapped child of a bad acid trip and a version of World War Z! And horror is not anywhere near my favorite genre, so you can imagine how not excited I was to realize that fact. However, here's the thing. As twisted, gory, and just plain ugly as this story is, I couldn't stop reading it. I can't even explain it myself. I jumped ahead to the last four chapters and was going to let that be the end of it, but I couldn't do it. I had to know what happened. Hence the three stars. I'm not sure I will ever try another book by Cullen Thomas, but I know myself well enough to know not to say "never, ever". I will say this: horror fans will love this book. I received a review copy from the author via BookSirens, and this review reflects my honest and voluntary opinion.

[danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one! It would make an EXCELLENT movie.

There’s the story of Owen finding Mary. Then the deeper story of him suffering from, confronting, and then accepting his past. The last 10% of the book will have you going back and forth with varying emotions. It all wrapped up nicely and left me kinda holding in the tears myself.

Personally, I liked the background story throughout the entire book that followed his childhood/life choices that kinda shaped who he was/became the most. The struggle of the unresolved trauma, the anger, the sadness… and later acceptance. That’s the star of the book as a whole for me.

Anyway! The action was great. It moved fast. Kept going. I found myself rooting for Owen so much. What a nice read!

[jennifer thrasher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow… Just wow! Cullen K Thomas is either a genius or a crazy person. Maybe both. I went through ALL of the emotions while reading this book. I loved the way the story jumped back and forth in time. At times I was asking myself if the horrors in this book were even real.

The author did a wonderful job of creating an anti-hero with his main character, Owen. He's deeply flawed, yet I wanted to see him succeed. The ending of this book got me much more emotional than I would've expected.

I'm excited to read more books by this author.

I received an advance review copy for free (though I'd totally pay to read it), and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Go get a copy of this book!

[Debbie (Can’t breathe w/o a BOOK) D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is this how Zombies are made? I was confused for practically the entire book, but never once did I think of giving up. The story was complex and compelling, I couldn’t figure out reality from a dream sequence. I do think this could be a great television series told in approximately 6 or 7 episodes.

I thought there was a lot of imagination involved in this book. If I weren’t so confused I could have given this 5 stars.

I received an advanced copy for free, and am leaving this review voluntarily.

Keep on writing, so we can keep on reading.

[Que · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently read a highly suspenseful and entertaining horror novel. The story’s eerie atmosphere kept me hooked throughout. The author masterfully created tension and made the characters feel authentic.

One standout aspect was the gradual buildup of suspense. While some parts were slightly slow, the overall excitement and memorability of the story made up for it. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys horror and mystery, as it keeps readers engaged and delivers ample suspense.

[Melanie Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

Filled with fast paced action and gory descriptions from start to end.

Think of it as a mix somewhere between Sons of Anarchy and World War Z.

I found it confusing at times as it switched from past, to present, to dreams often - but that didn’t stop me from wanting to keep reading.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holy moly, that was a wild read. A brutal ride for our MC to unleash revenge. I felt like I was in a fever dream for most of the book! I look forward to reading more by this author! Thank you to Booksirens and the author for the advanced reader copy, i am leaving this review voluntarily.