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Grayscale
Quinton is a recluse with lifelong visions he calls wakeful dreams and is haunted by a moment from his past. An anonymous artist who, under the pseudonym Jay Walker, has seen success from two graphic novels and several ink sketches for contemporary magazines. When he agrees to take on a new project about a missing couple, Quinton is hurled into a story that could span more than a century, or not. Grayscale is a modern gothic mystery where the line between what is real and not is blurred.
250 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 11, 2018
7 people are currently reading
25 people want to read
About the author
T. Reilly
3 books67 followersT. Reilly is a writer of fiction who is drawn to the darker and more mysterious elements of our world, and to the vulnerabilities of the human condition. Reilly tends to borrow from multiple genres like horror and science fiction to conceive unique stories with a literary bent.
Reilly resides in the progressive town of Collingswood that sits across the river from Philadelphia. An ideal geography to stimulate the imagination, he grew up a stone’s throw from the city, the Jersey Shore and the Pine Barrens, all of which have played integral parts in many of his stories.
Reilly resides in the progressive town of Collingswood that sits across the river from Philadelphia. An ideal geography to stimulate the imagination, he grew up a stone’s throw from the city, the Jersey Shore and the Pine Barrens, all of which have played integral parts in many of his stories.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 12, 2020
This novel is a trip. Part gothic ghost story, part mystery, the author kind of leaves it to the reader to decide what’s real and what’s not, which definitely worked for me.
The story revolves around Quinton, a successful graphic artist who, as a result of a painful past, does everything he can to isolate himself from any attachments (and therefore, the world) to avoid more pain, including writing under a pseudonym to stay anonymous. He feels everything deeply and suffers from what he calls ‘wakeful dreams’, hallucinations or visions? You’ll have to decide that one.
Quinton is drawn into a real life mystery when another author asks him to collaborate on a true crime novel about a missing professor and his beautiful, young wife. Soon, a pattern going back a century of missing and dead people becomes apparent. Quinton becomes obsessed with finding out what happened to the doomed couple and begins to spiral out of control.
I have to say I loved T. Reilly’s writing style. I loved his analogies and how detail oriented he is. You can easily imagine yourself in Quinton’s shoes and visualize the setting like you yourself are walking down the cold, dark country road instead of Quinton. He also has a way of writing his characters that makes them incredibly relatable. They’re just so human, flaws and all.
There’s a lot of Hitchcockian creepiness in Grayscale, which in my opinion is the best kind of creepiness. The kind where your brain starts to go off on a tangent of horror filled imaginings, so you have to sleep with a nightlight.
I also enjoyed the open ended parts of the mystery. I don’t always like when the author leaves it up to the reader to decide what’s real and what’s not because it can read like a cop-out, but this did not. This felt much more calculated than an author not being able to make up their mind about how they wanted the story to play out and therefore, leaving it to the reader. This novel is a discussion starter because two people might interpret the ending totally differently. I definitely recommend it to those of you who enjoy a good mystery with a touch of paranormal. I look forward to reading more by T. Reilly in the future! I won this novel in a giveaway done by the author.
The story revolves around Quinton, a successful graphic artist who, as a result of a painful past, does everything he can to isolate himself from any attachments (and therefore, the world) to avoid more pain, including writing under a pseudonym to stay anonymous. He feels everything deeply and suffers from what he calls ‘wakeful dreams’, hallucinations or visions? You’ll have to decide that one.
Quinton is drawn into a real life mystery when another author asks him to collaborate on a true crime novel about a missing professor and his beautiful, young wife. Soon, a pattern going back a century of missing and dead people becomes apparent. Quinton becomes obsessed with finding out what happened to the doomed couple and begins to spiral out of control.
I have to say I loved T. Reilly’s writing style. I loved his analogies and how detail oriented he is. You can easily imagine yourself in Quinton’s shoes and visualize the setting like you yourself are walking down the cold, dark country road instead of Quinton. He also has a way of writing his characters that makes them incredibly relatable. They’re just so human, flaws and all.
There’s a lot of Hitchcockian creepiness in Grayscale, which in my opinion is the best kind of creepiness. The kind where your brain starts to go off on a tangent of horror filled imaginings, so you have to sleep with a nightlight.
I also enjoyed the open ended parts of the mystery. I don’t always like when the author leaves it up to the reader to decide what’s real and what’s not because it can read like a cop-out, but this did not. This felt much more calculated than an author not being able to make up their mind about how they wanted the story to play out and therefore, leaving it to the reader. This novel is a discussion starter because two people might interpret the ending totally differently. I definitely recommend it to those of you who enjoy a good mystery with a touch of paranormal. I look forward to reading more by T. Reilly in the future! I won this novel in a giveaway done by the author.
January 13, 2019
*Was given a copy by the author for a fair and honest review.*
Quinton is a recluse with life long visions he calls wakeful dreams and is haunted by a moment from his past. He works as an anonymous artist who, under the pseudonym Jay Walker, has had success from a few graphic novels and several ink sketches for contemporary magazines. His life is thrown askew when he is approached by a man who offers him a lot of money to illustrate a true crime book he is writing about the disappearance of a local married couple.
This book was a trip to read! Almost immediately the reader is thrown into the many mysteries that build the framework of this story. There is the main mystery of the disappearance of the local professor and his wife, and what is the protagonist agonizing about in his past? The reader has a few mysteries they feel they need to try and solve, and the author sprinkles plenty of clues to keep the reader hooked and leads them into disturbing and dark territory.
T. Reilly weaves a gothic tale of mystery and suspense, with hints of humor throughout. There is a thin line between reality and fantasy in the story, and sometimes you don't know which side you are on. Well written and a main character you can connect with and get behind, Grayscale is a type of book that you don't want to put down, and can't wait to get back to.
Quinton is a recluse with life long visions he calls wakeful dreams and is haunted by a moment from his past. He works as an anonymous artist who, under the pseudonym Jay Walker, has had success from a few graphic novels and several ink sketches for contemporary magazines. His life is thrown askew when he is approached by a man who offers him a lot of money to illustrate a true crime book he is writing about the disappearance of a local married couple.
This book was a trip to read! Almost immediately the reader is thrown into the many mysteries that build the framework of this story. There is the main mystery of the disappearance of the local professor and his wife, and what is the protagonist agonizing about in his past? The reader has a few mysteries they feel they need to try and solve, and the author sprinkles plenty of clues to keep the reader hooked and leads them into disturbing and dark territory.
T. Reilly weaves a gothic tale of mystery and suspense, with hints of humor throughout. There is a thin line between reality and fantasy in the story, and sometimes you don't know which side you are on. Well written and a main character you can connect with and get behind, Grayscale is a type of book that you don't want to put down, and can't wait to get back to.
December 13, 2018
Quinton is an artist who is also a recluse from society. He uses his art in graphic novels to express his thoughts and feelings. He is approached by a man who offers him a lot of money to illustrate a true crime book he is writing about the disappearance of a local professor and his wife. This takes him into uncharted and disturbing territory. A very good first novel. T.Reilly has a good career ahead of him.
September 23, 2019
If you're a fan of stories that keep you guessing and you can't put down, look no further than Grayscale. Part mystery, part romance, maybe even part ghost story, T. Reilly's novel will have you collecting clues and visualizing Quinton's quest from the very first page. It's one of those stories that when you finish, you just might have to dive right back in and read again.
January 28, 2020
I struggled with this review a little bit because this story is fluid; according to the author, it is intentionally meant to conform to the reader’s own biases and these biases will guide the reader to a conclusion.
Where this intentional fluidity supports the book is that it leaves itself open for any reader to enjoy the story and see what they want in it.
Where it hurts the story is that it leaves a hint of a depth of meaning but never quite follows through on its own.
That being said, I am a huge fan of Reilly’s prose and the way he structures language. I felt the emotions, sensed the scenery, and found myself underlining passages for their resonance and beauty.
This is a fantastic first novel and I will be recommending it while anticipating the author’s next one.
Where this intentional fluidity supports the book is that it leaves itself open for any reader to enjoy the story and see what they want in it.
Where it hurts the story is that it leaves a hint of a depth of meaning but never quite follows through on its own.
That being said, I am a huge fan of Reilly’s prose and the way he structures language. I felt the emotions, sensed the scenery, and found myself underlining passages for their resonance and beauty.
This is a fantastic first novel and I will be recommending it while anticipating the author’s next one.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews