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The Test
In the small town of Parsons, Kansas, 17-year old Greg is devastated when he loses his mother and sister in a horrific car accident caused by an escaped mental patient. To put behind him the desolation and loss he feels-and also to get rid of road rage drivers from the streets-Greg becomes a cop. He is good at it. During this time, life begins to turn around for him: he falls in love and marries his high school sweetheart and finds a renewed passion for life.The family moves to Denver and Greg takes a job as a police officer there. As Greg works the mean streets of Denver, a dark feeling inside of him begins to bubble up. This unexplainable thing, which he tries to keep buried, erupts with full force and with some deep dark strength, it now controls him. Greg becomes obsessively driven by this inner voice telling him to go out and kill. First it is road-rage drivers-then anyone whose looks he doesn't like. Unable to control the voice and the urges, he cannot help alienating his wife and daughter, who eventually leave him and move back to Kansas. Greg begins screwing up at work on the force and increasingly getting into arguments. One black night out on a "job," he ends up cornered by his own officers and is shot. Evil has been conquered...or has it all just been a test?
268 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2015
14 people are currently reading
48 people want to read
About the author
B.A. Sherman
7 books22 followersB.A. Sherman's passion is writing psychological thrillers. He lives in Colorado with his wife and daughter and, when not writing novels, he is a police officer in Colorado. He has been in law enforcement for 24 years. The Test is his first full-length novel.
The short stories and books he writes are based on experiences he's had over the years, with "a heaping spoonful of fiction," he says. He has published one short story, The Truth, currently available on Amazon.com.
When he's not writing and working, Brad enjoys hunting, camping, fishing and skiing. These are areas he plans to write about in the future, perhaps incorporating them into a thriller or two.
The short stories and books he writes are based on experiences he's had over the years, with "a heaping spoonful of fiction," he says. He has published one short story, The Truth, currently available on Amazon.com.
When he's not writing and working, Brad enjoys hunting, camping, fishing and skiing. These are areas he plans to write about in the future, perhaps incorporating them into a thriller or two.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
May 23, 2015
This event is over!
Ever wonder what propels a person to go into law-enforcement? Is it honor, sense of duty or possibly a devastating loss that never should have happened? Growing up Greg had the perfect and carefree life of a boy well-loved, who knew how to give love back, but that was stolen from him the day a mentally ill boy in a stolen car plowed through the family vehicle brutally snuffing out the lives of his mother and younger sister. It never should have happened and he and his father were paying the price while the killer was re-institutionalized.
Greg becomes the model officer in his small town, marries his high school sweetheart and together they take off for the big city where Greg feels he can work miracles there, also, but was he ready for the road rage, the flagrant and dangerous ignoring of traffic rules or would it switch on a part of his brain that made him what he considered to be an avenging angel? Life caves in on Greg, his vision has narrowed to a pinpoint goal, and he has crowned himself both judge and jury, will he also carry out the punishment? How hasn’t he been caught? Don’t they say every criminal messes up at some point? Only the voice in his head knows what he is doing, but is this a true slip from reality or is something else going on? Is his inner voice testing him or is this all a bad dream he cannot wake from?
B.A. Sherman’s The Test is a white-knuckle journey through the veil of reality into a chaotic and twisted world that will leave you guessing to the very end, and even then, you question your own assumptions! Mr. Sherman writes with a powerful and bold hand, knowing exactly where he is taking his readers as we are led through the shadowy mind of Greg, the twisted streets and scenes, all culminating in an ending that takes twisted ending to a new level! If you enjoy intensity, darkness and brutally frank storytelling that pounds at you page after page, this is a sure bet winner! Be advised, check your own road rage at door, Greg might be out there, citation pad in hand…
I received an ARC edition from the author in exchange for my honest review.
Publication Date: May 1, 2015
Publisher: B.A. Sherman
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Print Length: 164 pages
Available from: Amazon
Reviewed for: http://tometender.blogspot.com
Ever wonder what propels a person to go into law-enforcement? Is it honor, sense of duty or possibly a devastating loss that never should have happened? Growing up Greg had the perfect and carefree life of a boy well-loved, who knew how to give love back, but that was stolen from him the day a mentally ill boy in a stolen car plowed through the family vehicle brutally snuffing out the lives of his mother and younger sister. It never should have happened and he and his father were paying the price while the killer was re-institutionalized.
Greg becomes the model officer in his small town, marries his high school sweetheart and together they take off for the big city where Greg feels he can work miracles there, also, but was he ready for the road rage, the flagrant and dangerous ignoring of traffic rules or would it switch on a part of his brain that made him what he considered to be an avenging angel? Life caves in on Greg, his vision has narrowed to a pinpoint goal, and he has crowned himself both judge and jury, will he also carry out the punishment? How hasn’t he been caught? Don’t they say every criminal messes up at some point? Only the voice in his head knows what he is doing, but is this a true slip from reality or is something else going on? Is his inner voice testing him or is this all a bad dream he cannot wake from?
B.A. Sherman’s The Test is a white-knuckle journey through the veil of reality into a chaotic and twisted world that will leave you guessing to the very end, and even then, you question your own assumptions! Mr. Sherman writes with a powerful and bold hand, knowing exactly where he is taking his readers as we are led through the shadowy mind of Greg, the twisted streets and scenes, all culminating in an ending that takes twisted ending to a new level! If you enjoy intensity, darkness and brutally frank storytelling that pounds at you page after page, this is a sure bet winner! Be advised, check your own road rage at door, Greg might be out there, citation pad in hand…
I received an ARC edition from the author in exchange for my honest review.
Publication Date: May 1, 2015
Publisher: B.A. Sherman
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Print Length: 164 pages
Available from: Amazon
Reviewed for: http://tometender.blogspot.com
May 18, 2015
I was intrigued by this psychological thriller and can hardly wait to see what is coming next for Greg Dorn. I think part of my attraction to this story was I can relate to the location that this story takes place. Parsons Kansas, the small town feel gave what happen to him when he was a teenager more impact as I could feel his loss. With the town circling him and his father during this loss, it was a natural prediction he would want to give something back to them.
Greg’s mother and sister were killed in an accident when a mental patient stole a car and slammed into them. The devastation and pain were overwhelming for him and he lost his way in life for a while. It was one day when he saw an officer stop a car for violation he found his passion. He wanted to be a cop. He wanted to prevent another teenager from experiencing the same loss that crushed his world.
Moving up the ranks, he found he wanted to take his wife and daughter to a bigger city so he could do more to bring order to the streets. Moving to Denver was going to be a transition on its own, but to see the road rage and aggressive driving was more of a shock. Slowly his perception began to change, he wasn’t sure what this voice was that continued to tell him how to handle situation.
The author leaves us wondering if we are witnessing anger taking a personality of its own in this plot, because Greg has a lot to be angry about as more loss and dealing with people’s rage at cops happens in his life and career, or are we seeing depression come to life? Could this be a different psychological issue being born right before our eyes? Slowly he loses himself, what his goals were and dreams. His wife decides that this isn’t the life she signed up for with him and his world starts crumbling beneath him. Could he be the cause of what he was trying to prevent in the final pages of the book.
The ending isn’t flashing red lights and warnings leaving you hanging on the edge of your seat but it should leave you wanting a lot more regarding what is going on with him. I really loved this story, the unknown, the questions and watching the path of this man go from happy to torn apart was done with such subtle detail it was impossible for me to identify when he took the next step into insanity. I did have one problem with the writing style, I felt like repeat phrases, words and meanings were happening to close together and too often but that didn’t take away from the plot that I was following. It is a quick read that will absorb your attention. I look forward to see what is coming next in this series.
Greg’s mother and sister were killed in an accident when a mental patient stole a car and slammed into them. The devastation and pain were overwhelming for him and he lost his way in life for a while. It was one day when he saw an officer stop a car for violation he found his passion. He wanted to be a cop. He wanted to prevent another teenager from experiencing the same loss that crushed his world.
Moving up the ranks, he found he wanted to take his wife and daughter to a bigger city so he could do more to bring order to the streets. Moving to Denver was going to be a transition on its own, but to see the road rage and aggressive driving was more of a shock. Slowly his perception began to change, he wasn’t sure what this voice was that continued to tell him how to handle situation.
The author leaves us wondering if we are witnessing anger taking a personality of its own in this plot, because Greg has a lot to be angry about as more loss and dealing with people’s rage at cops happens in his life and career, or are we seeing depression come to life? Could this be a different psychological issue being born right before our eyes? Slowly he loses himself, what his goals were and dreams. His wife decides that this isn’t the life she signed up for with him and his world starts crumbling beneath him. Could he be the cause of what he was trying to prevent in the final pages of the book.
The ending isn’t flashing red lights and warnings leaving you hanging on the edge of your seat but it should leave you wanting a lot more regarding what is going on with him. I really loved this story, the unknown, the questions and watching the path of this man go from happy to torn apart was done with such subtle detail it was impossible for me to identify when he took the next step into insanity. I did have one problem with the writing style, I felt like repeat phrases, words and meanings were happening to close together and too often but that didn’t take away from the plot that I was following. It is a quick read that will absorb your attention. I look forward to see what is coming next in this series.
May 18, 2015
The Test is Book One of the Greg Dorn series, and opens in a hospital room where a patient is being injected with fluid. A mere paragraph later the first-person voice of Greg Dorn relates how a seventeen-year-old loses part of his family to a road rage incident in Kansas and grows up to become a cop intent on preventing these kinds of scenarios from taking place.
Now married and living in Denver, Greg's life seems set on a particular course - but the dark influence he's kept at bay all his life bubbles to the surface and affects his decisions, and suddenly he's struggling with the impulse to quell road rage by becoming a killer himself.
The Test is psychological thriller writing at its best. Take a believable and compelling protagonist, show how he's overcome tragedy, then paint the slowly-evolving picture of repressed evil returning to infect everything he's done and become and you have a story replete with satisfying twists and turns that are all cemented by the work B.A. Sherman
has done to assure that settings and emotions are realistic.
Protagonists hold strong personalities evolved from life's actions and choices while the questions continue right up to the end: perfect for genre readers too used to 'seeing it coming'. The Test is truly extraordinary in this approach, and its surprise ending is just as vivid and action-punched as the rest of the saga, making it a top recommendation for readers who seek thrillers replete with psychological surprises throughout.
Now married and living in Denver, Greg's life seems set on a particular course - but the dark influence he's kept at bay all his life bubbles to the surface and affects his decisions, and suddenly he's struggling with the impulse to quell road rage by becoming a killer himself.
The Test is psychological thriller writing at its best. Take a believable and compelling protagonist, show how he's overcome tragedy, then paint the slowly-evolving picture of repressed evil returning to infect everything he's done and become and you have a story replete with satisfying twists and turns that are all cemented by the work B.A. Sherman
has done to assure that settings and emotions are realistic.
Protagonists hold strong personalities evolved from life's actions and choices while the questions continue right up to the end: perfect for genre readers too used to 'seeing it coming'. The Test is truly extraordinary in this approach, and its surprise ending is just as vivid and action-punched as the rest of the saga, making it a top recommendation for readers who seek thrillers replete with psychological surprises throughout.
March 28, 2015
Sherman's new found passion for writing comes through loud and clear in this debut of The Greg Dorn series which contains highly descriptive scene settings spanning from Kansas to Colorado, and characters with strong personalities and able-bodied voices. This captivating novel which will keep readers glued to their seats is told in first-person narrative by our hero Greg, and readers will immediately find a soft spot in their heart for him. We get to witness this teenager with a broken soul who has lost his mother and sister in a car accident grow into an adult, join the police force, and raise a family of his own. Soon thereafter, weird things begin to happen. Readers will be taken aback and become completely baffled just as Greg does when he starts to become driven by terrifying thoughts in his head. Fans of suspense and the unknown will be bewitched as they have no choice but to hurriedly race against time following Greg's frightening journey including the fight against reality. One could only imagine what could happen next when he is shot by his own fellow police officers. It's up to the reader to decide if in actuality it was all just a test.
May 9, 2015
Very interesting read that will keep readers guessing. Meet Greg Dorn, a cop who earlier had lost his mom and sister to a speeding driver who had \just escaped from a mental institution.This makes Greg want to be a cop who works with the police to deter driving accidents caused from everything from speed to road rage. Moving to Denver with his wife and daughter Greg thinks the more populated environment will allow him to be a better cop and save more lives. The story from here takes more than a few twists and turns and becomes one the reader is going to read with their adrenaline pumping.I loved the author's writing style which made the reading go quickly and the story was highly entertaining, great job.
December 25, 2015
B.A. Sherman's "The Test" is the first book in the Greg Dorn series. This is a psychological thriller that's a quick read. Although it's a quick read, I have a feeling it'll be with me for a while. It's hard to write much more without any spoilers! I don't normally read in this genre, but I will say that it's like a Criminal Minds episode that morphs into an X-Files episode! It had elements of Terminator Salvation too! If you're looking for a mind-twisting book to hold you over until the X-Files returns, this is it!
September 2, 2021
The test
Great job in the story line! I can usually pick out the plot within a few chapters but I was riveted and stumped at the outcome of this book!
Great job in the story line! I can usually pick out the plot within a few chapters but I was riveted and stumped at the outcome of this book!
September 17, 2015
This review was originally published on Kurt's Frontier.
Note: This book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis:
We first meet Greg Dorn in a hospital room where he is being injected with some sort of chemical. In the next scene, Greg is living in the small town of Parsons, Kansas. He is devastated when his mother and sister are killed in a car accident caused by an escaped mental patient. It is a wound that never truly heals. He is inspired to become a cop and marries his childhood sweetheart. Then he moves his family to Denver. It starts slowly, bursts of anger with no real explanation. Then he starts to hear a voice. Deep within him, something is growing stronger.
The voice is in control. His world grows darker as he becomes a prisoner in his own body. A body that is compelled to kill.
Review:
What would happen if your life wasn’t what you thought it was? The Test is the story of Greg Dorn, a cop motivated by the tragic loss of his mother and sister. The story is mostly in the first person with a third person shift of point of view to Detective Ryan who is working a serial killer case. Yet this is more that a detective chasing a cop turned serial killer. In many respects, they are fighting the same enemy though they don’t realize it. There are many twists and turns, surprising the reader at every turn. And yet, all is not as it seems.
Note: This book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis:
We first meet Greg Dorn in a hospital room where he is being injected with some sort of chemical. In the next scene, Greg is living in the small town of Parsons, Kansas. He is devastated when his mother and sister are killed in a car accident caused by an escaped mental patient. It is a wound that never truly heals. He is inspired to become a cop and marries his childhood sweetheart. Then he moves his family to Denver. It starts slowly, bursts of anger with no real explanation. Then he starts to hear a voice. Deep within him, something is growing stronger.
The voice is in control. His world grows darker as he becomes a prisoner in his own body. A body that is compelled to kill.
Review:
What would happen if your life wasn’t what you thought it was? The Test is the story of Greg Dorn, a cop motivated by the tragic loss of his mother and sister. The story is mostly in the first person with a third person shift of point of view to Detective Ryan who is working a serial killer case. Yet this is more that a detective chasing a cop turned serial killer. In many respects, they are fighting the same enemy though they don’t realize it. There are many twists and turns, surprising the reader at every turn. And yet, all is not as it seems.
January 12, 2016
The Test is a truly mind-bending thriller from author B.A. Sherman. This suspenseful thriller takes the reader on a trip with our protagonist who is clearly suffering from his past losses. We can feel the pain and the need for revenge and are taken on a non-stop mission of justice.
The characters in this novel are described in a minimalistic way, but this does not take away from the story. We are instead thrust into the mind of the story's main character, Greg Dorn. He is a man with seemingly nothing to lose. The plot is a tad confusing at times, but I believe it is a necessary evil with this story. There is so much to cover and the author does a great job fitting it all in without any unnecessary fillers.
This is the introduction to what appears to be a fantastic and thrilling series. I am excited to see where the story picks up after the incredible cliffhanger we are left with at the end of The Test. This novel is perfect for fans looking for a mind bending, action packed thriller, with some crazy twists and turns.
http://novelideareviews.blogspot.com/...
The characters in this novel are described in a minimalistic way, but this does not take away from the story. We are instead thrust into the mind of the story's main character, Greg Dorn. He is a man with seemingly nothing to lose. The plot is a tad confusing at times, but I believe it is a necessary evil with this story. There is so much to cover and the author does a great job fitting it all in without any unnecessary fillers.
This is the introduction to what appears to be a fantastic and thrilling series. I am excited to see where the story picks up after the incredible cliffhanger we are left with at the end of The Test. This novel is perfect for fans looking for a mind bending, action packed thriller, with some crazy twists and turns.
http://novelideareviews.blogspot.com/...
June 17, 2016
**SPOILER FREE**
Another great book from B.A. Sherman that you won't be able to put down! This is author has become on of my favorites! The best are better each time you can grab one of them.. The plot the characters are well suited for each book! The twist and turns, you will never see them coming! The Test has proven each of those factors!
*Received for an honest review*
Another great book from B.A. Sherman that you won't be able to put down! This is author has become on of my favorites! The best are better each time you can grab one of them.. The plot the characters are well suited for each book! The twist and turns, you will never see them coming! The Test has proven each of those factors!
*Received for an honest review*
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews