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McQueen Investigation #1
Unspeakable Acts
Charlie Love is terrified, something is taking over her mind and body at night while she sleeps. There is a presence in her newly renovated home and she is facing it alone. She soon discovers that she is up against insurmountable evil and she has no idea how to fight against it.
Doug and Scott McQueen are experienced in paranormal investigations, but they are not prepared for what haunts Charlie. This is an evil unlike any they have ever encountered.
Sheila Mathers wants to help and uses her psychic abilities in an effort to help Charlie, but Sheila discovers right away that the menacing force is stronger than anything she has ever experienced before
How are the four of them going to fight this darkness, this putrid evil and why is Charlie the target?
Doug and Scott McQueen are experienced in paranormal investigations, but they are not prepared for what haunts Charlie. This is an evil unlike any they have ever encountered.
Sheila Mathers wants to help and uses her psychic abilities in an effort to help Charlie, but Sheila discovers right away that the menacing force is stronger than anything she has ever experienced before
How are the four of them going to fight this darkness, this putrid evil and why is Charlie the target?
406 pages, Paperback
First published July 6, 2016
17 people are currently reading
550 people want to read
About the author
Janet Leigh Green
1 book36 followersJanet Leigh Green lives in Fort Worth, Texas with her husband, Singer, Songwriter and Producer, Tuffy Green.
Janet has had a career in the financial services industry for many years and hopes to one day transition into a career as a full time Author.
When asked what she loves to do in her spare time, she says, "I love to sing! I have been singing since I was 2, but my husband is the true musician so I will write creepy stories and he can write amazing songs and sing them!
Janet has had a career in the financial services industry for many years and hopes to one day transition into a career as a full time Author.
When asked what she loves to do in her spare time, she says, "I love to sing! I have been singing since I was 2, but my husband is the true musician so I will write creepy stories and he can write amazing songs and sing them!
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
December 21, 2016
I give this book a 3.5 on the enjoyment scale, so I rounded up. It is an adult read due to the graphic sexual content. Janet Leigh Green delivers a terrifying tale, even though I would have liked to see some stronger characters. I think this author has really hit the ground running, and will become a premier horror writer. I loved her writing style and see a lot of promise of great things in the future too.
June 14, 2018
This book was not what I expected it was not as scary as I would've liked. But I did enjoy the book and it had a good ending. I don't know if I could live in a haunted house with bad ghosts, but I think I could live with nice ghosts. Who knows really!
September 21, 2016
If you enjoy ghost stories than this is a good book to read. Though at times there is predictability, it is a book you want to see how it ends. The only comment I will make about the alternate ending is that is was not necessary since basically the ending is the same. A minor detail is changed not how the story ends. Overall it was entertaining to read.
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November 27, 2016if you like horror this is the book for you. unspeakable acts is book 1 I cant wait to read book 2. the book can get graphic. I can actually see this as a movie. i'm hook, if you read it you maybe too.
October 17, 2016
Such a gripping and somewhat disturbing read!
Read my full review on my blog:
https://bookloverblogs.com/2016/10/17...
Read my full review on my blog:
https://bookloverblogs.com/2016/10/17...
April 12, 2020
Warning! Long winded.
I read this twice because the first time through I thought perhaps I had missed something, but I didn't. The book is hard to get through because the writing is weak and sloppy. On a sentence level, it feels like it was written by a ten-year-old, but by the subject matter... it's clear it wasn't. There is a lot of specificity when it comes to dates and location, but we're never told why the flashbacks are set in the 1850s and why the story takes place in West Texas. To have this weirdly inconsequential specificity is distracting and makes us think that we're missing something (the reason I read it twice), but we didn't miss anything. It's just not explained.
The violent sex is gratuitous, and while it's clear the author meant to push boundaries... she went too far. Violence a la "Blood Meridian" is thrilling, but here it's just shoved in our face. The shock factor became so over-the-top by the end that it was almost comical. Things like anal rape and vagina stabbing are meaningless unless these specific acts SPECIFICALLY impact the plot, and they don't. We get it. Clyde was abusive. Martha was a psycho. Time to move on.
The author doesn't seem to understand point-of-view. She makes the biggest mistake an amateur writer can make, and this is called "head-hopping." Essentially, instead of anchoring the story in a solid third person POV, the author "hops" between her characters' minds. It can be dizzying to hop in and out of four people's thoughts when they're all in the same room and interacting with each other.
On the note of characters:
The four main characters manage to weirdly act too old and too young at the same time. Charlie's age wasn't specified but I got the impression that she was between 29 and 33. She refers to her previous relationship as "only" lasting three years, and at her age... a three year relationship would've been significant. Granted it's nothing compared to twenty years of marital bliss, but she's not even old enough to have been married for twenty years.
Also, why are two thirty-something single brothers living together in a large house in a small West Texas town? That's weird. It doesn't ring true to real life, and reflects the overall issue of these characters not coming across as having any life outside of this particular story.
All the characters go out dancing (like lovey-dovey ballroom dancing, not getting down at duh club) at one point to unwind, but it's more likely people of their age would do something cool like see a concert or go bar hopping.
In short, the characters do not feel like real people and are all pretty annoying. They speak like automatons, are constantly either crying, fainting or having sex, and make the strangest, most illogical decisions.
All the characters are described as being good looking (another reason they're annoying) and their features are WASP-y. Being set in West Texas, there would definitely be Hispanics in the area. The two McQueen brothers are given generic names (Doug and Scott), and it's easy to confuse them since their names are bland and none of the characters have much of an individual personality in the first place. After some time I just learned to associate Sheila with Scott and Charlie with Doug and that's how I told them apart.
If there is one redeeming quality in this book, it's the premise. A single woman being molested by the ghosts of her ancestors... Good concept, and the in hands of a better writer could be thrilling. Unfortunately, that's not what we get. We get stilted dialogue that sounds unrealistic and lacks any speck of subtext. Even the characters' internal monologues are on the nose. I'm assuming this book is self-published, so hopefully the author can look back at some of her feedback and comb through the issues before she sends it out to a real publisher, if she ever does.
I read this twice because the first time through I thought perhaps I had missed something, but I didn't. The book is hard to get through because the writing is weak and sloppy. On a sentence level, it feels like it was written by a ten-year-old, but by the subject matter... it's clear it wasn't. There is a lot of specificity when it comes to dates and location, but we're never told why the flashbacks are set in the 1850s and why the story takes place in West Texas. To have this weirdly inconsequential specificity is distracting and makes us think that we're missing something (the reason I read it twice), but we didn't miss anything. It's just not explained.
The violent sex is gratuitous, and while it's clear the author meant to push boundaries... she went too far. Violence a la "Blood Meridian" is thrilling, but here it's just shoved in our face. The shock factor became so over-the-top by the end that it was almost comical. Things like anal rape and vagina stabbing are meaningless unless these specific acts SPECIFICALLY impact the plot, and they don't. We get it. Clyde was abusive. Martha was a psycho. Time to move on.
The author doesn't seem to understand point-of-view. She makes the biggest mistake an amateur writer can make, and this is called "head-hopping." Essentially, instead of anchoring the story in a solid third person POV, the author "hops" between her characters' minds. It can be dizzying to hop in and out of four people's thoughts when they're all in the same room and interacting with each other.
On the note of characters:
The four main characters manage to weirdly act too old and too young at the same time. Charlie's age wasn't specified but I got the impression that she was between 29 and 33. She refers to her previous relationship as "only" lasting three years, and at her age... a three year relationship would've been significant. Granted it's nothing compared to twenty years of marital bliss, but she's not even old enough to have been married for twenty years.
Also, why are two thirty-something single brothers living together in a large house in a small West Texas town? That's weird. It doesn't ring true to real life, and reflects the overall issue of these characters not coming across as having any life outside of this particular story.
All the characters go out dancing (like lovey-dovey ballroom dancing, not getting down at duh club) at one point to unwind, but it's more likely people of their age would do something cool like see a concert or go bar hopping.
In short, the characters do not feel like real people and are all pretty annoying. They speak like automatons, are constantly either crying, fainting or having sex, and make the strangest, most illogical decisions.
All the characters are described as being good looking (another reason they're annoying) and their features are WASP-y. Being set in West Texas, there would definitely be Hispanics in the area. The two McQueen brothers are given generic names (Doug and Scott), and it's easy to confuse them since their names are bland and none of the characters have much of an individual personality in the first place. After some time I just learned to associate Sheila with Scott and Charlie with Doug and that's how I told them apart.
If there is one redeeming quality in this book, it's the premise. A single woman being molested by the ghosts of her ancestors... Good concept, and the in hands of a better writer could be thrilling. Unfortunately, that's not what we get. We get stilted dialogue that sounds unrealistic and lacks any speck of subtext. Even the characters' internal monologues are on the nose. I'm assuming this book is self-published, so hopefully the author can look back at some of her feedback and comb through the issues before she sends it out to a real publisher, if she ever does.
April 14, 2023
This is what I like in a book.I finished this book in five days. I couldn't put it down.And yes I will recommend this to my family and friends.
This is what I like in a book when I can't put it down. I read this book in five days. And yes I will recommend this book to family and friends. I gave it a five star because I read it in five days. Can't wait to read the next one.
This is what I like in a book when I can't put it down. I read this book in five days. And yes I will recommend this book to family and friends. I gave it a five star because I read it in five days. Can't wait to read the next one.
October 27, 2016
First of all, I want to make it clear that this paranormal horror romance novel should be rated X/NR-17 (at least), not so much for the graphic sex, but rather for the sick psychopathic behavior including rape, torture, and murder. I definitely do not recommend this book for teenagers or anyone offended by such subject matter.
The book tells the story of a young woman who lives in a very old house haunted by four ghosts, three of whom are as sickeningly evil in death as they were in life. After being repeatedly raped by one of the ghosts while sleeping, she seeks the help of a three paranormal detectives, who eventually succeed in freeing her and the house from its evil inhabitants.
The basic premise and plot are interesting, and I very much liked the backstory. In the hands of a more talented writer, this book could have been an excellent chilling tale of horror for the more mature audience. Unfortunately, the author was not up to the challenge. There was far too much telling and not enough showing. There was a lot of unnecessary repetition, and the action dragged in spots. But the worst aspect of the book (and the reason I gave it 2 stars rather than 3) was simply the writing. Too often, the author employed simple declarative sentences at a reading level more appropriate for a younger audience than the subject matter demanded. In addition to a more sophisticated writing style, the book could greatly benefit from a good copy editing; grammar errors (especially missing commas) are numerous and the number of typos often jarred me out of the story.
Bottom Line: While the book holds a lot of promise (if for a somewhat niche market) and is worthy of a rewrite, I reluctantly recommend passing on this edition and waiting for the next.
The book tells the story of a young woman who lives in a very old house haunted by four ghosts, three of whom are as sickeningly evil in death as they were in life. After being repeatedly raped by one of the ghosts while sleeping, she seeks the help of a three paranormal detectives, who eventually succeed in freeing her and the house from its evil inhabitants.
The basic premise and plot are interesting, and I very much liked the backstory. In the hands of a more talented writer, this book could have been an excellent chilling tale of horror for the more mature audience. Unfortunately, the author was not up to the challenge. There was far too much telling and not enough showing. There was a lot of unnecessary repetition, and the action dragged in spots. But the worst aspect of the book (and the reason I gave it 2 stars rather than 3) was simply the writing. Too often, the author employed simple declarative sentences at a reading level more appropriate for a younger audience than the subject matter demanded. In addition to a more sophisticated writing style, the book could greatly benefit from a good copy editing; grammar errors (especially missing commas) are numerous and the number of typos often jarred me out of the story.
Bottom Line: While the book holds a lot of promise (if for a somewhat niche market) and is worthy of a rewrite, I reluctantly recommend passing on this edition and waiting for the next.
October 23, 2016
Description by Amazon
Charlie Love is terrified, something is taking over her mind and body at night while she sleeps. There is a presence in her newly renovated home and she is facing it alone. She soon discovers that she is up against insurmountable evil and she has no idea how to fight against it.
Doug and Scott McQueen are experienced in paranormal investigations, but they are not prepared for what haunts Charlie. This is an evil unlike any they have ever encountered.
Sheila Mathers wants to help and uses her psychic abilities in an effort to help Charlie, but Sheila discovers right away that the menacing force is stronger than anything she has ever experienced before.
Charlie Love is terrified, something is taking over her mind and body at night while she sleeps. There is a presence in her newly renovated home and she is facing it alone. She soon discovers that she is up against insurmountable evil and she has no idea how to fight against it.
Doug and Scott McQueen are experienced in paranormal investigations, but they are not prepared for what haunts Charlie. This is an evil unlike any they have ever encountered.
Sheila Mathers wants to help and uses her psychic abilities in an effort to help Charlie, but Sheila discovers right away that the menacing force is stronger than anything she has ever experienced before.
August 15, 2022
I can't rate this. it's my book.
October 11, 2016
Full review to come.
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October 27, 2016Summary:
This story takes place in the early 1800's in a small town of Leigh, Texas. Unexplained things are happening in Charlie Love's life and she is being sexually assaulted. With no where to turn she sought out the McQueen brothers and their psychic friend. Jay and Charlie were drawn together by an unknown source. Although they didn't have anything in common they couldn't break this union. They purchased a house together and over a couple of years Jay became violent with Charlie so she did the only thing she thought was right to put Jay out. She thought that when she told Doug and Steve what has been happening to her that they would laugh or think she was crazy, but it was the opposite. As the investigation progressed some ugly and sad truths were reveled.
Could this have anything to do with Charlie's mom being given away? Is there an end In sight for this sexual assault and unexplained happenings? Or is Charlie's home haunted, could she really be crazy or does she have an over active imagination?
Read the book.
What I thought of the book:
Very spine gripping, several different points of views from key characters from the 1800's and the present day key characters. If you are one those who can't do horror film at night , alone at home or at all then this book is not for you. However, if you love horror flicks any time of day and if you can watch them or read about them when your home alone then this book is right up your alley.
There is one thing that about this book that every reader should know a head of time. The person who proof read (if there was one) did not do their job and the publisher should've double checked the book before publishing it. There are a few grammar issues that you will run into but they are errors that we all make.
Ending:
I loved that Ms. Green offered an alternate ending to her story. Not many authors do that and it reminded me of those choice your own adventure books I read as a child.
This story takes place in the early 1800's in a small town of Leigh, Texas. Unexplained things are happening in Charlie Love's life and she is being sexually assaulted. With no where to turn she sought out the McQueen brothers and their psychic friend. Jay and Charlie were drawn together by an unknown source. Although they didn't have anything in common they couldn't break this union. They purchased a house together and over a couple of years Jay became violent with Charlie so she did the only thing she thought was right to put Jay out. She thought that when she told Doug and Steve what has been happening to her that they would laugh or think she was crazy, but it was the opposite. As the investigation progressed some ugly and sad truths were reveled.
Could this have anything to do with Charlie's mom being given away? Is there an end In sight for this sexual assault and unexplained happenings? Or is Charlie's home haunted, could she really be crazy or does she have an over active imagination?
Read the book.
What I thought of the book:
Very spine gripping, several different points of views from key characters from the 1800's and the present day key characters. If you are one those who can't do horror film at night , alone at home or at all then this book is not for you. However, if you love horror flicks any time of day and if you can watch them or read about them when your home alone then this book is right up your alley.
There is one thing that about this book that every reader should know a head of time. The person who proof read (if there was one) did not do their job and the publisher should've double checked the book before publishing it. There are a few grammar issues that you will run into but they are errors that we all make.
Ending:
I loved that Ms. Green offered an alternate ending to her story. Not many authors do that and it reminded me of those choice your own adventure books I read as a child.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews