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What's Wrong with Tamara?
Nine years after she was kidnapped by her demented cousin, Valerie, Tamara Wade continues the family tradition of evil by obeying her dolls when they tell her to kill. Original.
304 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1992
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
June 7, 2023
Not sure why I never read any Fowler before besides her books being out of print until recently. WWwT is a sequel to her excellent What's Wrong with Valerie? and I picked up both at Half-price books a few weeks ago on a whim. If you read the Valerie book, you will recall that Tamara was the 7 y.o girl who Valerie kidnapped from her cousin to keep safe from monsters. Valerie did quite a job with Tamara-- gagging her and hanging her in a closet, telling her there were lots of hairy spiders in there before turning out the light; locking her in an attic with a decomposing corpse; telling her she was kidnapped for her own safety, etc.-- basically a total Jekyll and Hyde thing that left some deep scars. Well, Tamara is now 16 or so and it looks like insanity runs in the family for sure!
Jonathan, who once promised to move in with Valerie after the death of his wife (he is also the father of Tamara) is still working as a coal miner, but he has recently fell in love with Simone, herself a widow with two small children. Long story, but Simone bought Valerie's old place and Jonathan and her are moving in together after they are married in a week or so. Tamara does not like the idea one bit and, like all of the other relationships Jonathan had after his wife died, does her up most to quash it. Pure dark genius.
Rather than a typewriter to engage her inner demons, Tamara has two dolls (also from the first book). Fowler's dark wit is on full display here as well; here is Tamara's depiction of Simone, soon to be her stepmom:
Besides Tamara's machinations to spoil the relationship between her and her father, we are also early on introduced to an odd serial killer on the loose in Huntington West Virginia being pursued by the same cop featured in the first novel. Mild spoiler, Tamara runs into the serial killer and survives (trigger, ugly rape involved) and he recognizes her as crazy as himself, enough in fact to consider her his wife...
Fowler pulls very few punches in her work and this is no exception. Darkly funny and kinda campy at times, Fowler manages to have you rooting for Tamara despite that fact that she is homicidally crazy (just like the protagonist Valerie from her previous book). Due to several of the main tropes being 'reused' here from WWwV, this did not come off quite as new and novel. Still, a very worthy sequel! 4.5 stars!!
Jonathan, who once promised to move in with Valerie after the death of his wife (he is also the father of Tamara) is still working as a coal miner, but he has recently fell in love with Simone, herself a widow with two small children. Long story, but Simone bought Valerie's old place and Jonathan and her are moving in together after they are married in a week or so. Tamara does not like the idea one bit and, like all of the other relationships Jonathan had after his wife died, does her up most to quash it. Pure dark genius.
Rather than a typewriter to engage her inner demons, Tamara has two dolls (also from the first book). Fowler's dark wit is on full display here as well; here is Tamara's depiction of Simone, soon to be her stepmom:
"Simone was a butterfly, a sylph, a delicate flower with a tinkling laugh and soft, melodious voice. Her willowy figure betrayed no sign of motherhood. She was a woman who had obviously never farted in her entire life, or picked her nose or masturbated, or uttered a profanity stronger than damn."
Besides Tamara's machinations to spoil the relationship between her and her father, we are also early on introduced to an odd serial killer on the loose in Huntington West Virginia being pursued by the same cop featured in the first novel. Mild spoiler, Tamara runs into the serial killer and survives (trigger, ugly rape involved) and he recognizes her as crazy as himself, enough in fact to consider her his wife...
Fowler pulls very few punches in her work and this is no exception. Darkly funny and kinda campy at times, Fowler manages to have you rooting for Tamara despite that fact that she is homicidally crazy (just like the protagonist Valerie from her previous book). Due to several of the main tropes being 'reused' here from WWwV, this did not come off quite as new and novel. Still, a very worthy sequel! 4.5 stars!!
January 15, 2023
Nine years after Tamara Wade is abducted and tortured by her psychotic cousin, Valerie, she is now sixteen years old, and still to this day is severely psychologically impacted by the events of her childhood. Valerie committed suicide and awarded her house to her parents, who took what they wanted and offered the rest to Jonathan, Tamara's father, as retribution for everything their daughter put him and his family through.
"Evil never dies, it only sleeps, you know! Anybody who stays in that house is courting disaster!"
Jonathan is to marry his fiance, Simone, at the end of the month, and his house will be too small for both of their blended families, so much to Tamara's dismay, they will be moving into the very same house Valerie once held her hostage in. Tamara, her father, and her three siblings Todd, Jennifer and David all move into Valerie's old house, joined by Simone and her two kids, Summer and Autumn. Not only is that house filled with bad memories for Tamara, but so is the now vacant house next door, where Valerie stored her victims corpses.
Before the move, Jonathan thought Tamara was doing better, but shortly after, he catches her talking to her dolls again - the only way she spoke for quite some time after being rescued as a child. As days pass, Tamara begins behaving like an absolute terror from trying to break up her father's relationship to cutting off all of her sisters hair in her sleep - which she denies adamantly, insisting it was the dolls - something she herself even truly believes.
Later, she makes a deal with her dolls, they kill Simone for her and she will forget about the beating she "took for them" since she was blamed for cutting Jennifer's hair when it was really them. They agree and offer to kill her children too "no extra charge."
As days go by, and Simone still lives, Tamara wonders what the hold up is, when Valerie appears to her. She tells Tamara that she and Gavin, her boyfriend whom she poisoned with cyanide, are planning on taking over Simone and Jonathan's bodies after the wedding. Now Tamara knows Valerie was guarding Simone, her future body, not allowing the dolls access to accomplish their mission.
Tamara doesn't know what else to do but seek help from the one person who hates Valerie the most - her grandmother - Amanda Kellerman. She goes to visit her in her tomb, but instead finds the infamous escaped mental patient/serial killer plastered all over the news, Micah Steiner. When Tamara explains her situation briefly, Micah realizes she's crazy - and he loves it; she's just the girl for him - and he allows her to live.
They leave the cemetery together and decide he will stay in Mrs. Rothford's empty house, next door to Tamara. Micah tells her to fake nice around her family, so they don't send her away, like her father's been threatening to do - because from experience, "it's hell." It isn't long before Micah "meets" Tamara's mother aka when Tamara takes on her mother's voice and persona, leading him to believe she has multiple personalities and is much crazier than he thought.
One day, Micah, who has not stopped killing since his escape, sees police outside Tamara's house and is convicted she snitched on him. From that day forward, he begins planting evidence incriminating Tamara not only in her home, but his victims homes as well, vowing to himself that if he goes down, so will she.
Meanwhile, upon coming into contact with her again, detective Alex Morrison remembers Tamara, as he was the one who rescued her from her cousin nine years ago. He can't put his finger on it, but he knows there's something off about Tamara, and after a while even believes she's in cahoots with Micah. It becomes his mission to bring justice for all the victims around town lately, and he knows somehow, Tamara is the key.
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I can't even put into words how much I loved this book. Seriously, it was just so good. So entertaining, darkly hilarious, totally unforgettable. I literally can not wait to start Bad Blood, but I'm forcing myself to hold off so I don't finish all of her books too quickly. If you haven't read this yet, you don't know what you're missing.
The one thing I found lacking and this may be a bit *SPOILER* ISH
Is Tamara and Micah's relationship. I thought it was going to be a Bonnie and Clyde type situation where they teamed up and killed together and fun stuff like that, but there really wasn't much of that type thing at all, which I found disappointing, only because that's what I built it up in my head to be.
Other than that, 10/10 *chef's kiss*
"Evil never dies, it only sleeps, you know! Anybody who stays in that house is courting disaster!"
Jonathan is to marry his fiance, Simone, at the end of the month, and his house will be too small for both of their blended families, so much to Tamara's dismay, they will be moving into the very same house Valerie once held her hostage in. Tamara, her father, and her three siblings Todd, Jennifer and David all move into Valerie's old house, joined by Simone and her two kids, Summer and Autumn. Not only is that house filled with bad memories for Tamara, but so is the now vacant house next door, where Valerie stored her victims corpses.
Before the move, Jonathan thought Tamara was doing better, but shortly after, he catches her talking to her dolls again - the only way she spoke for quite some time after being rescued as a child. As days pass, Tamara begins behaving like an absolute terror from trying to break up her father's relationship to cutting off all of her sisters hair in her sleep - which she denies adamantly, insisting it was the dolls - something she herself even truly believes.
Later, she makes a deal with her dolls, they kill Simone for her and she will forget about the beating she "took for them" since she was blamed for cutting Jennifer's hair when it was really them. They agree and offer to kill her children too "no extra charge."
As days go by, and Simone still lives, Tamara wonders what the hold up is, when Valerie appears to her. She tells Tamara that she and Gavin, her boyfriend whom she poisoned with cyanide, are planning on taking over Simone and Jonathan's bodies after the wedding. Now Tamara knows Valerie was guarding Simone, her future body, not allowing the dolls access to accomplish their mission.
Tamara doesn't know what else to do but seek help from the one person who hates Valerie the most - her grandmother - Amanda Kellerman. She goes to visit her in her tomb, but instead finds the infamous escaped mental patient/serial killer plastered all over the news, Micah Steiner. When Tamara explains her situation briefly, Micah realizes she's crazy - and he loves it; she's just the girl for him - and he allows her to live.
They leave the cemetery together and decide he will stay in Mrs. Rothford's empty house, next door to Tamara. Micah tells her to fake nice around her family, so they don't send her away, like her father's been threatening to do - because from experience, "it's hell." It isn't long before Micah "meets" Tamara's mother aka when Tamara takes on her mother's voice and persona, leading him to believe she has multiple personalities and is much crazier than he thought.
One day, Micah, who has not stopped killing since his escape, sees police outside Tamara's house and is convicted she snitched on him. From that day forward, he begins planting evidence incriminating Tamara not only in her home, but his victims homes as well, vowing to himself that if he goes down, so will she.
Meanwhile, upon coming into contact with her again, detective Alex Morrison remembers Tamara, as he was the one who rescued her from her cousin nine years ago. He can't put his finger on it, but he knows there's something off about Tamara, and after a while even believes she's in cahoots with Micah. It becomes his mission to bring justice for all the victims around town lately, and he knows somehow, Tamara is the key.
-----------------
I can't even put into words how much I loved this book. Seriously, it was just so good. So entertaining, darkly hilarious, totally unforgettable. I literally can not wait to start Bad Blood, but I'm forcing myself to hold off so I don't finish all of her books too quickly. If you haven't read this yet, you don't know what you're missing.
The one thing I found lacking and this may be a bit *SPOILER* ISH
Is Tamara and Micah's relationship. I thought it was going to be a Bonnie and Clyde type situation where they teamed up and killed together and fun stuff like that, but there really wasn't much of that type thing at all, which I found disappointing, only because that's what I built it up in my head to be.
Other than that, 10/10 *chef's kiss*
May 18, 2016
This was one hell of a ride and one nasty little tale. Tamara is one crazy gal, no thanks to her aunt Valerie. In this book Tamera wants her soon to be step mom eliminated from her family, not that she cares much for them either. Throw in some ghosts from the past to steam her reasoning and a little help from a serial killer and you have a train wreck you can't help but try to pull your eyes from. The body count ain't much this time around but plenty of horrors to pass around. In the end, she survives and this isn't a spoiler as there is a third book focusing on her own children, which I couldn't help but dive in right away. It's called Bad Blood and already this is going to be another Blood Bath as her children are just as psychotic. So let the family saga continue!
January 27, 2016
This book did have a decent amount going for it - the plot isn't something you see much. There was a uniqueness with the villains, and a main fact was that the protagonist herself was a twisted villain. It was different also because of her age and her being a villain so young. The violence is extreme - people who are disturbed by rape scenes and such wouldn't want to read it. The author makes a pretty dark and twisted piece with this one. Definitely disturbing, including death of the young and torture.
March 27, 2022
This made Ed Gein and Leatherface look like the White Rabbit in Alice's Adventures!!! If you LOVE your gore steeped in shit (literally, and all different types!), eating human meat raw and grilled on the stove!, and things that I cannot even go into details here......this 2nd book of the trilogy is for you!! Cannot believe that this was written in 1992 AND by a woman!! Yikes! I loved it! Am I sick.....lol. No. But Tamara sure is!
Check out my video review for this book here on my Youtube Channel; Nightmares, Tears, Anyone?
https://youtu.be/rIym0yup59s
Please SUBSCRIBE if you have not already.
OMFG this was 10 times more gore filled, disgusting in it's violence, cannibalism, incest and disemboweling of a senior citizen.....and on and on and on! I fucking loved this book! To think that this was the 2nd of 3 books, and that it was so much more gory and disgusting than the first....well, that does not happen that often with sequels!
Tamara is now a 16 terror, who revels in sex with serial killers, torturing senior citizens with their own excrement.....YES, you can NOT imagine the amount of shit in this book and what is done with it! She was the niece that we were first introduced to in "What's Wrong With Valerie" and wow, let me tell you that this book is NOT.....NOT for the weak stomached or faint of heart! The scenes of cannibalism and torture of kids and animals.....What the hell!! And how did Fowler ever come up with these characters and the debauchery that is to come. Are you ready to meet Tamara? I cannot wait, yes, i admitted it.....to start the third one! "Bad Blood"
5 🤢🤮🩸😱🤮
Check out my video review for this book here on my Youtube Channel; Nightmares, Tears, Anyone?
https://youtu.be/rIym0yup59s
Please SUBSCRIBE if you have not already.
OMFG this was 10 times more gore filled, disgusting in it's violence, cannibalism, incest and disemboweling of a senior citizen.....and on and on and on! I fucking loved this book! To think that this was the 2nd of 3 books, and that it was so much more gory and disgusting than the first....well, that does not happen that often with sequels!
Tamara is now a 16 terror, who revels in sex with serial killers, torturing senior citizens with their own excrement.....YES, you can NOT imagine the amount of shit in this book and what is done with it! She was the niece that we were first introduced to in "What's Wrong With Valerie" and wow, let me tell you that this book is NOT.....NOT for the weak stomached or faint of heart! The scenes of cannibalism and torture of kids and animals.....What the hell!! And how did Fowler ever come up with these characters and the debauchery that is to come. Are you ready to meet Tamara? I cannot wait, yes, i admitted it.....to start the third one! "Bad Blood"
5 🤢🤮🩸😱🤮
November 14, 2021
Saving the space! Resolution swept a few things under the rug, for what I hope will be addressed in the sequel, Bad Blood. But in all, I found Tamara to be a better book than Valerie.
June 27, 2017
Good lord D.A. Fowler has a sick twisted mind! A nasty little tale.
May 5, 2020
I have never written a review before, but I felt I needed to on this one. WOW! What a morbid book!! I have never read a book like it and I read a lot. My main likes are horror, thriller, and of course a good mystery. This one was all three rolled into one. Not for the faint of heart that’s for sure. I have to give props to the author, he came up with the craziest stuff and made it all work together to be a pretty decent read.
February 1, 2008
I found this book in a used bookstore and it sounded interesting so I picked it up. I started reading and couldn't put it down. I had not read anything quite so unique is such a long time and haven't since. It was so horrific, I could not imagine how the author thought of it. But I loved it and still reread it often. It also prompted me to find the few other books D. A. Fowler wrote.
May 19, 2020
Scary story
After reading this book I will be very afraid of meeting strange people. Family means nothing to these type of people. You meet two mentally disturbed girl and guy
After reading this book I will be very afraid of meeting strange people. Family means nothing to these type of people. You meet two mentally disturbed girl and guy
February 4, 2021
audible:Too many things to count,would be my answer.This was a good story.It was disturbing in SO many ways.Written in 1992 it is from the era of great horror stories.It isn't great,but it is good. Chantel Turner was a very good narrator.I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.'
July 17, 2018
This was my favourite book to read as a child. The story is dark and twisted, expanding from one outlandish event to the next until the entire thing explodes. Tamara is witty and interesting, would love to see this as a film.
October 14, 2022
The better question really is "What's Right With Tamera?" because from page 1 we learn Tamera is bat-shit crazy, talking to her dolls and tormenting her sister. Things go even further after she links up with serial killer, Micah Steiner, as they plot to kill her father and Simone, her soon to be step mother. This is a sequel to Fowler's first book, "What's Wrong with Valerie?" which I did read a few decades ago so I only have vague memories of it. However, I really don't think you need to read it. "What's Wrong with Tamera?" is focused on Tamera and while there are many mentions of Valerie, her part in the book is explained well enough. This is the craziest, most depraved book I've read by DA Fowler, but I didn't take it too seriously, as I could tell Fowler's having more campy fun than trying to terrorize me. It's a fun read but parts of it are just a little too loopy and too unhinged to fit together neatly. The ending is abrupt as well but at the point I was ready for quick ending.
September 6, 2021
This horrifying sequel stands on its own. I was immediately drawn into Tamara's twisted and demented world, alternating wishing I was there and glad I was safely far away. The horror was graphic, disturbing and mesmerizing. Oddly, at times I thought D.A. Fowler went too far, then at others wished he'd pursued some parts further.
There was a strange familiarity about it, like a feeling of deja vu when meeting someone you have never met before. The book has a cinematic quality, and if Rob Zombie ever directed a Lifetime movie, this is what might result from such an unholy collaboration. And its humor will sometimes have you laughing out loud. If graphic horror is your thing, then you may want to spend some time with Tamara--she will make sure you are glad you did.
There was a strange familiarity about it, like a feeling of deja vu when meeting someone you have never met before. The book has a cinematic quality, and if Rob Zombie ever directed a Lifetime movie, this is what might result from such an unholy collaboration. And its humor will sometimes have you laughing out loud. If graphic horror is your thing, then you may want to spend some time with Tamara--she will make sure you are glad you did.
November 11, 2020
Very creepy and scary. This book makes me want to research schizophrenia and some more. While it is not necessary, I recommend that readers read the authors previous work, what’s wrong with Valerie? I believe it provides a bit more background to the current story, and there’s also a good read. Note: I was given this free audio book copy at my request, and I voluntarily left this review.
July 13, 2022
Aviso: es necesario leer What's Wrong with Valerie antes de empezar esta novela, porque retoma los mismos personajes, tramas y hechos.
Personalmente prefiero Valerie por su sencillez y la ambigüedad que sabe mantener, pero Tamara cuenta con varias líneas que se cruzan una y otra vez de forma muy satisfactoria. Me ha faltado alguna escena más entre dos de los personajes principales, aunque el estilo de aniquilación mental que describe en un par de ocasiones solo lo he visto en tebeos guro, no por nivel de gore sino intensidad (a lo mejor me he entusiasmado yo sola, ya lo comprobaré en una relectura).
Personalmente prefiero Valerie por su sencillez y la ambigüedad que sabe mantener, pero Tamara cuenta con varias líneas que se cruzan una y otra vez de forma muy satisfactoria. Me ha faltado alguna escena más entre dos de los personajes principales, aunque el estilo de aniquilación mental que describe en un par de ocasiones solo lo he visto en tebeos guro, no por nivel de gore sino intensidad (a lo mejor me he entusiasmado yo sola, ya lo comprobaré en una relectura).
October 13, 2023
I was confused but then got sucked in. What a wild ride! I didn't know this was a sequel. There is literally no information on the author online. Which made this all the more mysterious. There are a few racist stereotypes played for laughs which made me uncomfortable. This book was published in 1992 and it shows. But the plot will keep you guessing!
October 18, 2023
2.5 stars...this one started ok for me...but the longer it went on the less I was enjoying it. The basic premise of the story had potential but I just never cared about any of these characters or what was happening. There were specific scenes that SHOULD have been upsetting but...I just didn't care. This one just wasn't for me.
April 10, 2024
I read this as a stand alone, not realizing it was a sequel. It was great and had enough of a recap to follow the story. Had I read them in order, it may have felt repetitive. Because there was enough recap peppered throughout the entire book to not feel like anything was missing from the story.
June 2, 2024
I honestly don't even know what I just finished reading. Main girl Tamara def had serious mental issues and to get involved with a serial killer who then turned into a cannibal. I guess I was disappointed on how it ended, would have liked a better one in my opinion.
August 12, 2020
It wasnt nearly as twisted as i was expecting- guess i’ve watched too many horror movies and read too many richard laymon stories. It was ok. I dont need to ever read it again
February 23, 2021
Superb
This sequel was just as well-written as the first book. However, this book was better developed and had stronger characterization.
This sequel was just as well-written as the first book. However, this book was better developed and had stronger characterization.
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