Cage of Invisible Bars

Maddison, Indiana Supernatural Thriller #3

by Dawn Merriman

Some cages are in our minds.

Nellie has no memory of life before the cabin. Pleasing Jack and caring for her small daughter are her entire life. Living far in the woods, away from the chaos of the destroyed world keeps them safe. Life is simple. Jack goes scavenging, she stays home and cares for Aster. Above all else, keep Jack happy.

Everything changes when she finds the doll.

Then a chance encounter makes her realize life outside the woods may not be what it seems. Her entire life may be built on a lie. Nellie starts to question her past and question Jack.

Jack doesn’t like to be questioned. When he threatens Aster, Nellie has no choice but to escape the cage she didn’t know she lived in. She must fight for her life and the life of her daughter. How do you escape a cage you created in your mind?

252 pages, Paperback

Published June 7, 2021

About the author

Dawn Merriman lives in northeastern Indiana on a small pig farm with her husband and teenage children. She enjoys animals, auctions, reading, snorkeling and writing small town murder mystery novels. Dawn Merriman completed her first novel in Middle School and a few others in High School and college. She won 1st place in the Northeast Indiana Young Writers short story contest in 1990. After a writing hiatus to raise her children, she published her debut novel, "How Murder Saved My Life" in 2019.

Reviews

[Crystal FloridaGrams Of3 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the 3rd book in the Maddison Indiana series.
Poor Sheriff Kingsley sure deals with a lot of crazy that goes on in this series. You can't help but feel for the guy.
You can read this as a stand-alone, but the repeat characters from the other two books really tie them all together.
If you need a good, quick read, then this book is for you. I read it in a few hours.

[Patricia Ibarra]

This was a hard book to read; I was about to drop it more than once. Not because I didn't like it in itself, but bc unfortunately stories like this happen in real life, more often than one may think, and it makes me sick. The worst kind of criminals, their twisted, manipulative, revolting minds, are clearly reflected in this book, and their victims' point of view as well. The paranormal side of the story almost gets unnoticed when put side by side with the gruesome facts that this poor victim had to go through for years, and for the even worse future that awaited her baby daughter. For once, it's even paradojical that one may even thank the cursed doll for its intervention.
I cannot imagine how hard it must be for an author to write a story like this, so I'd like to thank Dawn for depicting it for us, her followers.

[Marbeth Skwarczynski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cage of Invisible Bars by Dawn Merriman is the third book in the Maddison, Indiana Supernatural Thriller series, and it contributed significantly to my insomnia. This spooky story takes place deep in the woods where Nellie and her daughter, Aster, are protected from the apocalyptic outside world by Jack, who insists that they remain on the property where he can provide for and "protect" them. Keeping Jack happy is the goal of Nellie's life. After all, if Jack isn't happy, no one is safe.

This is a tight, original story that I highly recommend, and once again, I have to ask, WHY? Why isn't Hollywood beating down Dawn Merriman's door?

[Jennifer A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Third book in series does not disappoint

I was wondering what kind of story could top the second book in the Maddison Indiana Supernatural Thriller series… WOW. Just. Wow!
I don’t know how Dawn Merriman thinks up these stories and their plot twists, but she crafts a spellbinding story here. I love how the first person perspective shifts between characters throughout the book. I really felt that I got to “know” the characters more intimately this way. Dive into this book with your eyes wide open, you’ll be caught up in the story before you know it!!!

[Jane Marler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Winner

I read this in one sitting. It was so good, I didn't want to put it down. The story is about a man, woman and their child living in a cabin in the woods. The man leaves to go looking for food. The woman is told she cannot leave because there are dangers everywhere. If you like suspenseful stories you will love this book.

[Crystal FloridaGrams Of3 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this Kindle copy for free on 8/13 for an honest review.

Holy canoli, I think Dawn M. Tried to scare the living daylights out of me with this all together to real suspenseful thriller.
I highly recommend this book to anyone wolves spooky and suspenseful thrillers!
Very well written 👏 👌 👍 🙌

[Mickey Noel]

Simply amazing story!

This is an imaginative and scary telling of what could be a real situation. Dawn has storytelling skills that bring the reader right into the tale she tells. This book, and all of her others are highly recommended. Well done!

[Christy Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

another amazing book by Dawn!!!

Dawn’s storytelling and the way the characters intersect is my favorite part. The story in this book brings all the books before it in this series together and brings anyone suspense for what isn’t come next!

[Patricia Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow

Loved it. Another creepfest in Maddison Indiana.
That creepy Elyse is gonna give me nightmares. But I’ve enjoyed reading these books.

[Thompson615 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this author

Great series of creepy thrillers! I’m hooked and can’t wait to read the next one! I’ve read all of the author’s books.

[Marian Elavsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll never look at dolls the same. This book will keep you on the edge of your seat.

[Annette Abbott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really great read!! I didn't want to put it down. Loved the characters...except Jack. LOL. I will definitely check out her other works!

[Evelyn Launderville · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cabin Life

Memoir and her daughter Ashes live in a cabin deep in the woods. They depend on Jack to forage for food and necessities in a chaotic world.

[Ashton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing

I am loving this series. Keeps me on the edge of my seat. I can not wait to read the next one

[Amy Marnon · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 for this one. It was a quick read, but I didn’t like it as much as the first two in the series.

[Terry Goodger]

Great story, poor ending

The story was great, grabbed my attention from the beginning. Good character development, but failed at the endIng to the story.

[Katym521 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Hard to put down!

This was very good, it was hard to put down to have to do regular stuff around the house! Can’t wait to start the next book in this series!

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good spooky series for Halloween.

[Kandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series. Following Elyse through her adventures are both creepy and exciting. I can't wait to see where this series is going next.

[Rebecca Ellis · Rating 4 out of 5]

More paranormal mayhem

A good continuation of Maddison, Indiana. There were still too many typos, but I was able to keep in the story even with the mistakes.

[tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was not like the others not much paranormal but still a page turner.I didn't like how it ended what happened to her and her daughter?

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Creepy (in a good way)

I enjoyed this book. I'm finding it hard to describe though. I read this in a couple of days. I was finding it hard to put down.

[Sheena Winter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enthralling page Turner!