Skyward

by Philip David Alexander

In this dark and gritty crime novel, the vacant Skyward Fairgrounds loom in the background as regional police officers pursue a stolen car and its unpredictable driver. A dangerous, high-speed chase unfolds. A few miles from the frozen highways, relentless Detective Kyle McVeigh pushes the boundaries to arrest local troublemaker Stan Hill; McVeigh is convinced Hill is responsible for three abductions that occurred at the Skyward Fair. The peculiar life of the pursued unfolds as he taunts and dares his pursuers, while the single-minded McVeigh moves ever closer to taking down his suspect. But when rookie officer Sheila Warfield enters the fray, the facts—and her uncanny premonitions—threaten to drag everyone into frightening and deadly territory.

220 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 1, 2016

About the author

Philip David Alexander's short fiction has appeared in various magazines and journals, including Storyglossia, Front & Centre and Hardboiled.

He is the author of four novels: Skyward (2016); Peacefield (2014), North of Here (2012), and The Next Rainy Day (2005).

He lives in Burlington, Ontario, Canada

Reviews

[Vikram May · Rating 4 out of 5]

A scary book. There is some American style tough-guy taste to this story but there is some Neil Gaiman peculiarity as well. Read it with the lights on.

[Emma May · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this because of comparisons to the Coen Bros and Fargo and I was not disappointed.

[Jon Edgar · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this one. There is always a bigger story lurking in the background of this writer's stuff. In this case a mysterious and sometimes funny car thief with a huge, dark secret. I enjoyed the plot and characters as they were real and Alexander peels back the layers on them. If you like crime stories that really study the characters and their motives you will love this one. Highly recommended! JE

[Gary Vibert · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read with a ton of suspense. In line with Lehane but with a touch of Ray Bradbury weirdness and Stephen King chills.

[Dolores Fielding · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was recommended to me by a friend. Originally, I was hesitant about reading another gritty crime novel, but I am glad I read this one. This book has the same eccentric feel as a Shirley Jackson book does. The story and the style of writing are very different from Shirley Jackson, but the eccentric characters and spooky atmosphere keep this book enticing, and hold many similarities, in my opinion, to the zany characters and suspenseful atmosphere in "The Haunting of Hill House". This is a great novel, that I highly recommend to those who want to read a classic, gritty crime procedural, but are also looking for more.

[Ann Dadswell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed this novel, however I found the protagonist to be too unsavory, a bit too much of an outlaw for my tastes. This author is a gifted writer and creates real and believable characters. This story has plenty of suspense and intrigue, but the main narrator is a nasty piece of work. This author's book North of Here is a small and rough and tumble miracle of a story and hope to see him return to form for his next novel.

[Lanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Skyward is a gritty and gripping crime novel. While it is chilling and dark, the author has done a superb job of contrasting its intense atmosphere with humour and with the quirkiness of the main characters. It was a great read!

[Susan Coffer · Rating 4 out of 5]

My, what a chilling and suspenseful story. This is a strange book in that it's almost what the author does not write, or spell out makes it more sinister. Not a tale for the faint of heart though!

[Pasca Noulle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel is very similar to the X-Files which is something I cannot get enough of. The Detectives in this story have good chemistry and the story is quite freaky, but realistic.

[OffPut · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark and hilarious. The protagonist, actually the entire story is worthy of Easton Ellis.