Dear Jack

by Tayler Macneill

The day they met, Jack fell in love and they’ve been together ever since. Life had been perfect, he had the kind of life every man dreamed of; the perfect wife, a great job and a foreseeable retirement. That was until the day he came across a letter addressed, ‘Dear Jack’.
Now he watches as the perfect marriage, job and life gets thrown into hell. A twisted stalker, spilt blood, desperate measures in desperate times. Who holds the secrets and who is telling lies? It’s a fight between good and evil, who will win?

319 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 13, 2019

About the author

I am what they call a hybrid writer. I have always enjoyed writing but never gave it any serious thought untill 2016 when I started writing “The Darkest Side of the Moon.” Before that I mainly wrote poetry which has been published through The American Poet Society and is in their library. I have also written lyrics for a few of paramounts musicians which is up for grabs in their country catalogue.

Website: www.taylermacneill.com

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I have 9 new books coming and 120 more planned. All series. Each series different than the others, every adventure leading you to the plae you want to be.

I also have a group I just started, if you are interested in being part of it; then we would love to have you join. https://www.facebook.com/groups/35329...

Reviews

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the privilege to read this book just before publication. It would not be my usual genre to read, but from the very beginning I was hooked. The story flows well, the writing easy to process, so that you can concentrate on the story, instead of the author attempting to show off their use of a thesaurus, which I come across all too frequently. Each chapter leaves us wondering what will happen next.
The amount of deaths is incredible! There is a serious psycho on the loose, or maybe a group of them going by what is happening.
I puzzled and puzzled. At the end of each chapter I gave myself time to digest what I had read and try to work out ‘whodunnit’. I was sure I had it, then something happened to throw me off. When I finally found out..well!!! I just had to stop reading, look up, mouth agape and declare ‘holy c***!’
This story is fabulous. I would highly recommend it to others and would also suggest they do as I do and read other novels by this very talented young lady.

[Indu · Rating 1 out of 5]

I downloaded this book from the NetGalley website: Thanks to #NetGalley.

The write-up for this book had caught my attention because it spoke of a twisted stalker and desperate measures. I was anticipating a juicy read.

I applaud the author in completing a piece of writing long enough to be a book, and to put it out there into the world. This is a courageous thing to do – well done for that.
there may be many more positive points, but I do not know them because I was not able to get very far with the book. I found the two main characters irksome, I think because I don’t handle well a loved-up couple who constantly verbalise that love but within a very short space of time and too easily. Instead it felt as though the author was trying to convince me too strongly through an emphasis on words rather than at depth; one could say the author or characters “protesteth too much”.

The early part of their story focused very much on their home life and eating habits; it was within this context that a stalker was introduced. For me, the threat and menace that could have been built up was absent and the male character began to plan his blackmailed move too quickly, capitulating far too early. The angst, the internal wrangling, the emotional upheaval was nowhere to be felt. The stalker came from a vacuum – very little context had been built.

Whilst I am not particularly an Anglophile, I found the use of American slang in the writing style of the author off-putting. The spelling and grammar were often incorrect: the word ‘to‘ was often used when the word ‘too’ was needed; the word ‘shined‘ was used rather than ‘shone‘. Punctuation was used incorrectly, and I must admit to being a stickler on that one; the schmaltzy phrase “loving wife” was used repetitively, becoming annoying through its overuse. There were numerous inconsistencies in the story, one example being that within the space of a few pages Jack first has a fast computer and then a slow one. Details like “Kate is an elegant chewer” incited a simultaneous giggle and a raising of the eyebrow.

The portion of the book I read just felt as though it needed a damn good edit and I felt the urge to get my metaphorical blue pencil out far too many times.

As it was, all these little things contributed to a delay in my picking up the book again to read. Although I did make myself read it eventually, I could not continue with it.

Overall it read like a first draft. I thought the author could have shown us reactions rather than telling us what the character did much more and that would have made the book more readable immediately. It would benefit from a thorough editing and proofreading. It’s a shame that the book did not deliver to the level of the write-up.

#amreading
#dearjack
#kindle

[Katrina Hart · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Review of Dear Jack (Lets Play A Game) by Tayler Macneill

Dear Jack is a chilling and fascinating read. I found that this book has so many different threads that I couldn’t guess who was playing who until the end. I liked Jack and Kate’s connection throughout the book as it added to the shock and chill of the end of the story for me.

The story itself follows Jack as he opens a mysterious note that leads him into someone else’s game. As murders start to happen, his mental state changes. Has the note writer turned Jack into a killer too? Or is his to be the next body to be found? You’ll have to read his book to find out.

I liked how Kate had her secrets and right through the book came off the innocent party fearing as much as Jack did. However, in some places I felt for her as she had a traumatic past and in some ways, this led her to becoming more controlling and rather darker towards the end.

I though Jack was a very well written character with all the making of a killer. But there is more to Jack than I thought and my perceptions about him changed with each chapter right up until the end.

The author does a great job at writing her characters in such a way that you can’t guess who have good intentions or who does not. And she gets in their minds very well so the readers can also see the strange and wonderful thoughts and emotions of each character.

If you love books with chilling characters and a story that will keep you guessing until the very end, then give this book a try.

[Darryl Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jack is happily married to the woman of his dreams, and he also has a dream job which pays him well, and a boss who is comfortably accommodating to his needs. His life is this perfect mixture of sub-urban bliss, until he receives a letter addressed to Dear Jack, with a set of horrific instructions that he must comply with. Desperately trying to protect his wife and their lifestyle from the ghastly machinations of the letter writer, he complies with the instructions only to have their lives descend into a maelstrom of terror and murder as the unknown blackmailer seems to know every movement of the pair of them, as well as their friends and his work colleagues. Masterfully, the author manages to shade a rosy picture of urban bliss into gradually darkening hues of terror as the plot unravels into a nightmarish climax of unexpected proportions and psychological terror, leaving Jack with a stunning decision to make.

[Jennifer Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this story free from the author for my honest review.
I will start off by saying the plot of this book was very interesting. And I was excited to begin reading it.
This is the story of Jack, and his wife Kate. They have the seemingly perfect, happy marriage, and are deeply in love. Jack and Kate seem to have the perfect life. That is until a mysterious green envelope shows up at Jacks office, and he reads it. Is this the work of some twisted psychopath, or just some sick joke, someone trying to taunt him.
The mystery person wants Jack to do some horrible crime, or they are going to harm his wife.
This story had an interesting plot, and I was excited to begin reading it. But I had trouble getting in to the story. The authors writing style was one I’m not used to. But it is an overall good story and I did enjoy it.

[Janice Lombardo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite entertaining! Deceit, lies, and domestic trouble. It's all here!

Jack and Kate live a "perfect life". Naively perfect, that is. They are married and in love with each other. Jack makes a decent living. Also, their home has been in Kate's family for years.

And then, while at work, Jack gets a threatening letter in a green envelope. He sort of dismisses it, yet he has been feeling as if he has been followed, lately. When a second letter is delivered to his house another threat - is in the letter and there is also a threatening email. Jack is confused but he must comply. After all, the life of his wife (and future baby) is at stake...

GREAT character development and plotline. A very fast read with lots of twists. A bit of a roller coaster.
I enjoyed reading this so much that I forgot to take some notes!

Many Thanks to BooksGoSocial and NetGalley for a very good read!!!

[Cindy Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Almost the 2 faces of Janus; it is all so wonderful and loving and sweet and beautiful. Then its not. And not in really awful ways. Its true that we hurt the ones we (supposedly) love worse than others. These guys could give a master class in betrayal and deception. I surely hope this is fiction.

The marriage looks so good, yet behind the scenes evil instructions are given; following them is the only way to keep things looking good. Feeling good is another matter, and distrust eats everything.

The writing is good enough to evoke the scenes described, hard images to not see, both the treacly goodness at the outset and worse things as the situation unravels..

Pretty stunning violence in some instances, and the ending still shakes me. More horror than mystery- beware.

[Desiree Leonard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book in return for my honest review. First I did not have any way to read buy tablet or Chrome and this author was so amazing by sending me a paper copy just so that I was able to have the chance to read it! Second of all this was my first time ever reading anything by Taylor Macneill but it will not be the last she knows how to put the chills down your back with her book!
Dear Jack was it an amazing cat and mouse game right to the very end absolutely loves not knowing what was going to happen which with every page I turned! It was the perfect creepy book to read during the Halloween season and a must-read for all those who like a great thrill will definitely be reading more of her books in the future.

[Natalie White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hooked from begging to end watch this author she will go a long way.

This is not the type of book I would usually but I had to from a friend and thought I'd give it a try. From the moment the game started I was hooked. The author kept me guessing who was playing the game all the way to the very end. Even when becomes increasing brutal and twisted I just had to keep reading. Tayler Macneill should be a well known author, I look forward to reading the rest of her books and recommending her to all my family and friends.

[Brandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really good book, I can't wait for the sequel.

[Brian Ketaren · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book Is awesome .

[T Olsen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really don't like books where the plot is based on stupidity by the main character. In addition the language is stilted and the dialogue naive and unnatural. Not a book for me.

[Dave Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Dear Jack' presents the reader with a mystery. Who is behind the anonymous letters and emails?

Written with a fast pace, this storyline keeps the reader guessing until the end.