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Supernatural Serial Killers #1
She Wore a Pretty Mask
Win a free print copy of this book!
6 days and 16:10:58
5 copies available
U.S. only
Evil has moved into the sleepy little town of Crater Lake, Iowa. A serial killer is murdering young girls and it’s Sheriff Nathan Murphy’s job to stop him.
But there’s nothing cut-and-dried about this investigation. The killer drains his victims’ blood before staking them through the heart and decapitating them.
Nathan enlists the help of an FBI Profiler, Lindsay Trujillo, to aid in the investigation of these heinous crimes, and things take a supernatural turn when they discover they might not be dealing with something human at all, but something much older and much more dangerous.
Why are some of the victims wearing masks that represent the Unknown Girl of the Seine? Are they dealing with a serial killer or a vampire? Or both?
Whichever it is, Nathan knows one thing for certain: they are looking for a monster.
But there’s nothing cut-and-dried about this investigation. The killer drains his victims’ blood before staking them through the heart and decapitating them.
Nathan enlists the help of an FBI Profiler, Lindsay Trujillo, to aid in the investigation of these heinous crimes, and things take a supernatural turn when they discover they might not be dealing with something human at all, but something much older and much more dangerous.
Why are some of the victims wearing masks that represent the Unknown Girl of the Seine? Are they dealing with a serial killer or a vampire? Or both?
Whichever it is, Nathan knows one thing for certain: they are looking for a monster.
- GenresHorrorParanormalFiction
265 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 20, 2017
About the author
J.W. Bouchard
25 books195 followersJ.W. Bouchard is the author of over twenty novels spanning horror, mystery, and science fiction. When he’s not writing stories that pull readers into the dark, the strange, and the unknown, he’s exploring them firsthand—spelunking underground or scuba diving below the surface.
In the past, he has been a grocery bagger, waiter, hearing aid consultant, promotional products salesman, telemarketer, janitor, security guard, law enforcement officer, treatment facility supervisor, healthcare fraud investigator, business manager, and serial entrepreneur. He is a licensed real estate broker and a formerly licensed private investigator.
His latest hobby is teaching his kids bad habits. He lives in Iowa.
In the past, he has been a grocery bagger, waiter, hearing aid consultant, promotional products salesman, telemarketer, janitor, security guard, law enforcement officer, treatment facility supervisor, healthcare fraud investigator, business manager, and serial entrepreneur. He is a licensed real estate broker and a formerly licensed private investigator.
His latest hobby is teaching his kids bad habits. He lives in Iowa.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 26, 2020
While I enjoyed the plot and the writing of this novel, I just am not a fan of vampire fiction so this was not one of my favorites. Nathan is a new sheriff and when a masked girl is discovered in the lake, they realize it's not a "normal" murder as she also has a weird marking on the back of her neck. And as the murders continue, each new woman killed in a different way--but all with the same markings--Nathan brings in a profiler and they realize they are up against something not quite human. Again, I enjoyed the writing and the fast-paced action so if you like paranormal or vampire fiction, this is one I'd recommend!
October 4, 2020
To be totally honest I was nervous to read this because of the low Goodreads score. I received this via a Goodreads giveaway and thought, "ugh, I guess I should read that book now..."
HOLD UP... I couldn't put this down! The negative reviews seemed to be mostly attributed to the vampire aspect (it's in the description, people). The characters were likeable and the dialogue was totally believable. I couldn't stop turning the pages and read this quickly in one day because I needed to know what happened.
My only complaint was the prominence of Nathan's left testicle on every other page. It was explained in the book; however, it was more prominent than any of the other secondary characters and seemingly added nothing to the plot.
Overall, a quick read that I couldn't put down. I'm truly not sure why this is rated so low on Goodreads, but I am glad that I was able to experience it (and enjoy it).
HOLD UP... I couldn't put this down! The negative reviews seemed to be mostly attributed to the vampire aspect (it's in the description, people). The characters were likeable and the dialogue was totally believable. I couldn't stop turning the pages and read this quickly in one day because I needed to know what happened.
My only complaint was the prominence of Nathan's left testicle on every other page. It was explained in the book; however, it was more prominent than any of the other secondary characters and seemingly added nothing to the plot.
Overall, a quick read that I couldn't put down. I'm truly not sure why this is rated so low on Goodreads, but I am glad that I was able to experience it (and enjoy it).
April 12, 2023
I won the second book in this series in a goodreads giveaway so I figured it would make sense to read this one first.
Interesting characters and a quick moving plot made for a very enjoyable read. Sorta creepy and I thought a very unique take on the vampire angle. Looking forward to book 2.
Interesting characters and a quick moving plot made for a very enjoyable read. Sorta creepy and I thought a very unique take on the vampire angle. Looking forward to book 2.
May 16, 2017
I loved this book so much, but it’s going to be so hard to tell about it without giving away too many spoilers!! Given to me for free in exchange for a fair and honest review, I was told that it was a stand alone serial killer mystery with a supernatural twist. There is no better description than that!
People are dying in the small town of Crater Lake, a town that hasn’t seen even a single murder in as long as any one resident can remember. The first mysterious body that washes up in the lake is bad enough with the eerie mask that has been placed upon the dead girls face. But when a second girls body, a local girl, turns up in the woods with a stake through her heart and her head chopped off, the small town police department starts to freak a little.
I think that the characters are well written and fleshed out. Nathan is a relatively new police chief, sorta new to the town and even newer to the job of sheriff (I enjoyed picturing him as my own Charlie Swan). He only has the help of a couple deputies that have also lived in the same town all their lives. The work that the cops are doing trying to unravel the mystery is broken up by scenes of the killer, from the killers point of view. Throughout the story I was constantly turning the pages to get to the next time that the killer is shown. The jumping around is in no way confusing, but fuels the story in a great way.
Small town serial killer murder mystery, kinda gory but not predictable. VERY SMALL SPIOLER I found I spent most of my time trying to figure out if there was really a creature or if it was in the serial killers head, a delusion. So props to you author to keep me guessing until the last 1/3rd of the book or so. He has a nice style of writing that was easy to read and easy to follow along.
Thoughts: While there are some extremely minor sub-plots in this, there is no romance and the cop/serial killer story is front and center and it plods along at a moderate pace.
If you enjoy James Patterson or Kathy Reichs I think you would enjoy this story too. The descriptions of the crime scenes are a little graphic but nothing that they wouldn’t show on TV, and while a little violent, most of the serial killing is done “off camera.”
This was a book that you could get lost in. The way that the author describes the surroundings, there were times I felt like I could clearly see the crime scenes, see the dense fog or smell the pine trees.
I think what makes this book unique was the ending. I didn’t see the twists coming, and in the end it was an altogether satisfying read.
This is my first book by this author but I will be checking out his old stuff and eagerly awaiting anything new! I give this book 4.5 out of 5 stars!
People are dying in the small town of Crater Lake, a town that hasn’t seen even a single murder in as long as any one resident can remember. The first mysterious body that washes up in the lake is bad enough with the eerie mask that has been placed upon the dead girls face. But when a second girls body, a local girl, turns up in the woods with a stake through her heart and her head chopped off, the small town police department starts to freak a little.
I think that the characters are well written and fleshed out. Nathan is a relatively new police chief, sorta new to the town and even newer to the job of sheriff (I enjoyed picturing him as my own Charlie Swan). He only has the help of a couple deputies that have also lived in the same town all their lives. The work that the cops are doing trying to unravel the mystery is broken up by scenes of the killer, from the killers point of view. Throughout the story I was constantly turning the pages to get to the next time that the killer is shown. The jumping around is in no way confusing, but fuels the story in a great way.
Small town serial killer murder mystery, kinda gory but not predictable. VERY SMALL SPIOLER I found I spent most of my time trying to figure out if there was really a creature or if it was in the serial killers head, a delusion. So props to you author to keep me guessing until the last 1/3rd of the book or so. He has a nice style of writing that was easy to read and easy to follow along.
Thoughts: While there are some extremely minor sub-plots in this, there is no romance and the cop/serial killer story is front and center and it plods along at a moderate pace.
If you enjoy James Patterson or Kathy Reichs I think you would enjoy this story too. The descriptions of the crime scenes are a little graphic but nothing that they wouldn’t show on TV, and while a little violent, most of the serial killing is done “off camera.”
This was a book that you could get lost in. The way that the author describes the surroundings, there were times I felt like I could clearly see the crime scenes, see the dense fog or smell the pine trees.
I think what makes this book unique was the ending. I didn’t see the twists coming, and in the end it was an altogether satisfying read.
This is my first book by this author but I will be checking out his old stuff and eagerly awaiting anything new! I give this book 4.5 out of 5 stars!
April 5, 2023
I really enjoyed this book! I won All the Silent Voices, which is book 2 in this series, in a giveaway so I figured I should read this book first. Honestly, I was a bit hesitant but I was very pleasantly surprised. The book was well-written, the characters were likable and the dialogue was realistic. The only typo I noticed was that Talley's name was spelled "Tally" a few times. A very minor issue, in my opinion. I am definitely looking forward to All the Silent Voices now!
August 20, 2020
J. W. Bouchard’s “She Wore a Pretty Mask” gave me a fun ride through horror land. It offered me a chilling, terrifying respite from the mainstream mysteries that I normally read. “She Wore a Pretty Mask” is a quick, fast-paced read that kept me intrigued for a few hours.
For my complete review, please see the September issue of Gumshoe at www.gumshoereview.com.
For my complete review, please see the September issue of Gumshoe at www.gumshoereview.com.
January 30, 2023
A solid thriller.
The book was an unexpected read for me but I did overall enjoy it. The only thing I wasn't a fan of was the duel povs were a bit tricky to keep up with and know when it changes. However, the story was good and did keep me on my toes.
The book was an unexpected read for me but I did overall enjoy it. The only thing I wasn't a fan of was the duel povs were a bit tricky to keep up with and know when it changes. However, the story was good and did keep me on my toes.
August 16, 2020
A little different type of mystery story. The newly elected sheriff has his first murder case which gets complicated. An unusual blend of mystery and supernatural. Won this in a Goodreads Giveaway.
August 17, 2021
DNF... this book just wasn't for me, I was never drawn into the story.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews