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Juniper Trilogy #3
Scorched
Officer Teddy Barnes is a good man.
One of the few left in the twisted and depraved town of Juniper.
He has a mystery to solve during one of the worst blizzards ever recorded. People are being murdered by fire. Burnt alive. Reduced to carbon.
Lisa, a young woman with a tragic past is helping Officer Barnes with the case. She’s desperate to save her lover and end the long-suffering nightmare that’s consumed her life.
Their stories will collide with enough force to shake the pillars of Heaven. Or Hell. This is Juniper, after all…
Set after the events of Juniper and Tome, Scorched is the third instalment of Ross Jeffery’s macabre trilogy. Deliciously creepy, with unscrupulous characters, ethereal elements and a gut-wrenching storyline, Scorched will have you burning up by the time you read the last page.
One of the few left in the twisted and depraved town of Juniper.
He has a mystery to solve during one of the worst blizzards ever recorded. People are being murdered by fire. Burnt alive. Reduced to carbon.
Lisa, a young woman with a tragic past is helping Officer Barnes with the case. She’s desperate to save her lover and end the long-suffering nightmare that’s consumed her life.
Their stories will collide with enough force to shake the pillars of Heaven. Or Hell. This is Juniper, after all…
Set after the events of Juniper and Tome, Scorched is the third instalment of Ross Jeffery’s macabre trilogy. Deliciously creepy, with unscrupulous characters, ethereal elements and a gut-wrenching storyline, Scorched will have you burning up by the time you read the last page.
353 pages, Paperback
Published December 30, 2022
4 people are currently reading
120 people want to read
About the author
Ross Jeffery
28 books364 followersRoss Jeffery is the Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of 'Tome', 'Juniper', 'Scorched', 'Only The Stains Remain' and 'Tethered'.
His debut collection 'Beautiful Atrocities' was published in the summer of 2022 through Cemetery Gates Media.
His works to date have been self-published / indie-published and his stand-out, self-published and award-nominated series 'The Juniper Trilogy' is getting a well-deserved re-release in late 2022.
He is also a 3x Splatterpunk nominated author and has had his novellas 'Tethered' and 'Only The Stains Remain' translated into Czech.
'The Devil's Pocketbook', his latest and most anticipated novel to date, will be published by DarkLit press in 2023.
Ross lives in Bristol with his wife and two children.
His debut collection 'Beautiful Atrocities' was published in the summer of 2022 through Cemetery Gates Media.
His works to date have been self-published / indie-published and his stand-out, self-published and award-nominated series 'The Juniper Trilogy' is getting a well-deserved re-release in late 2022.
He is also a 3x Splatterpunk nominated author and has had his novellas 'Tethered' and 'Only The Stains Remain' translated into Czech.
'The Devil's Pocketbook', his latest and most anticipated novel to date, will be published by DarkLit press in 2023.
Ross lives in Bristol with his wife and two children.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 9, 2023
Stunning!
This one is brilliant. SCORCHED is a masterwork of terror from one of the hottest authors in horror. It's a harrowing, bleak, and beautifully-written conclusion to a truly epic trilogy. Highly recommended!
This one is brilliant. SCORCHED is a masterwork of terror from one of the hottest authors in horror. It's a harrowing, bleak, and beautifully-written conclusion to a truly epic trilogy. Highly recommended!
January 9, 2023
The juniper trilogy finally comes to an end, and what a journey it's been. From the draught-ridden sandy descriptions of Juniper in Book One, to the water clogged, rain swept correctional facility in Tome, now Ross Jeffery plants us in the icy penumbra of Scorched.
If Juniper dealt with the horrors of man, and Tome investigated the supernatural and imprisonment, then Scorched puts its hands together and brings a story of revenge and redemption in a King/Koontz/Tremblay inspired way. There is much that shares thematically with Stephen King in this novel, such as supernatural forces at play and punishing wrongdoers at its heart. Jeffery evokes vivid descriptions with his words, and it's no wonder he was shortlisted for the Bram Stoker award.
I've been lucky enough to see the journey of Juniper from the very beginning and know that Ross has more up his sleeve in the coming years with his macabre storytelling. Here's to the future!
If Juniper dealt with the horrors of man, and Tome investigated the supernatural and imprisonment, then Scorched puts its hands together and brings a story of revenge and redemption in a King/Koontz/Tremblay inspired way. There is much that shares thematically with Stephen King in this novel, such as supernatural forces at play and punishing wrongdoers at its heart. Jeffery evokes vivid descriptions with his words, and it's no wonder he was shortlisted for the Bram Stoker award.
I've been lucky enough to see the journey of Juniper from the very beginning and know that Ross has more up his sleeve in the coming years with his macabre storytelling. Here's to the future!
June 10, 2024
The town of Juniper is far more rotten than any place has any business being; teeming with misogyny, homophobia, racism and those willing to close their eyes to it.
One year ago saw lovers Zip & Lisa falling victim to the worst the town had to show when they were attacked, abused and Zip abducted (and probably killed).
Barnes is investigating the case but struggling to get anything to stick even if he knows who the 5 who did it are. Then someone complicates things by picking off “the 5” and immolating them until little more than their skulls are left. With no suspects on the horizon, Barnes will have to work hard to solve these crimes. Incredibly, he’s also let Lisa in on the investigation.
Ultimately a story about vengeance and what lies on the other side of it, as well as about undying love and redemption (if any’s to be found).
I loved the 2 other books in the series but I struggled a bit with this one; didn’t connect as much with the characters and the plot felt a bit thinner. I also felt certain parts of the plot lines were a bit too convenient, some of the conversations felt a bit forced as does the preachiness of Lisa who goes on too long a tangent for my taste.
It’s a shame, because I cared about these two girls in the beginning.
That being said, it is a story that still manages to propel you ahead, and the 2 other books in this series (Juniper and Tome) are near to my heart.
March 12, 2023
I usually start books reviews by declaring that I am not a professional writer and that this is just the view of book fan, to excuse my shoddy writing. I now also feel that I should point out that I am a massive fan of Ross’s work so this review is potentially biased. Having said that, surely that’s the first testimony here regarding why you should read this book. Just by way of balance I had to buy the book and will not benefit from this review!
Regarding the review itself, I am thinking this might be a slightly pointless endeavor. If you have not read Juniper or Tome, stop right here and go read the reviews for Juniper and get stuck in. If you have read Juniper and Tome then I doubt you will be reading reviews to make up your mind if the book is worth reading because you will already know that OF COURSE IT IS!!
I have been viewing this as a Juniper trilogy finale. If that is what it is then this book delivers the cataclysmic ending that the series deserves. Personally, I am hoping that this is just another book in the series and that Ross will unearth some new evil festering away in a dark corner of Juniper, as yet undisturbed.
Scorched is a lot of things, but fundamentally it is a tale of undying love, pain and revenge. To say it’s a classic good versus evil tale would not be doing it justice. We must remember this is set in Juniper where evil crushes the good in anyone that breathes – a place where being good and staying good is an eternal struggle.
There are some amazingly cinematic set pieces in this book. Some of us prefer books to films as we picture what’s happening while we read it. I was not just picturing what I was reading, I was there – just read the first 30 or so pages, lose yourself in the text and you will see what I mean. Ross has a serious gift for written cinematography.
Going back to basics though; this book is simply a well-crafted and perfectly paced horror novel. It grabs you from start and drags you along with no letup, which is everything you want from a story. Some trilogies become tiresome and bloated in an effort to justify their existence. This trilogy, if this is truly where it ends, is three great stories which could all stand alone in their own right and is certainly a trilogy you will not want to end.
Regarding the review itself, I am thinking this might be a slightly pointless endeavor. If you have not read Juniper or Tome, stop right here and go read the reviews for Juniper and get stuck in. If you have read Juniper and Tome then I doubt you will be reading reviews to make up your mind if the book is worth reading because you will already know that OF COURSE IT IS!!
I have been viewing this as a Juniper trilogy finale. If that is what it is then this book delivers the cataclysmic ending that the series deserves. Personally, I am hoping that this is just another book in the series and that Ross will unearth some new evil festering away in a dark corner of Juniper, as yet undisturbed.
Scorched is a lot of things, but fundamentally it is a tale of undying love, pain and revenge. To say it’s a classic good versus evil tale would not be doing it justice. We must remember this is set in Juniper where evil crushes the good in anyone that breathes – a place where being good and staying good is an eternal struggle.
There are some amazingly cinematic set pieces in this book. Some of us prefer books to films as we picture what’s happening while we read it. I was not just picturing what I was reading, I was there – just read the first 30 or so pages, lose yourself in the text and you will see what I mean. Ross has a serious gift for written cinematography.
Going back to basics though; this book is simply a well-crafted and perfectly paced horror novel. It grabs you from start and drags you along with no letup, which is everything you want from a story. Some trilogies become tiresome and bloated in an effort to justify their existence. This trilogy, if this is truly where it ends, is three great stories which could all stand alone in their own right and is certainly a trilogy you will not want to end.
March 27, 2023
The town of Juniper from yet a THIRD angle.
Dust, rain, and, this time, snow...with a dash of fire. The backward town of Juniper is revisited once again with the flowing yet wrenching prose you've come to expect from Ross Jeffrey. Reminiscent of Stephen King, you'll want to add this to your bookshelf.
Dust, rain, and, this time, snow...with a dash of fire. The backward town of Juniper is revisited once again with the flowing yet wrenching prose you've come to expect from Ross Jeffrey. Reminiscent of Stephen King, you'll want to add this to your bookshelf.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews