Killing Time

by John Penney

Daniel Nash, a recent widower drifting through life, takes a job remodeling an isolated old house in the Louisiana bayou. His life takes a sudden terrifying turn when an 18-year-old woman staggers out of the misty darkness, bloodied and beaten. She desperately pleads for Daniel's help and warns him that her attacker is right behind her. Daniel takes the distraught young woman in, but while he is searching for his phone to call for help, he hears her blood-curdling scream from the other room. Daniel frantically searches the disorienting old house but is unable to find the mysterious young woman or her attacker. Who was she? Who was trying to kill her? Did she get away? The disturbing incident shakes Daniel to the core and sends him on an obsessive quest...

Genres: Horror, Paranormal, Thriller

144 pages, Paperback

First published December 23, 2012

Reviews

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dennis Nash is doing some renovations on an old house. It's residents moved away ten years ago. A tragedy happened to that family he comes to know. Their daughter was murdered. When Dennis tries to rescue a young girl from a man hunting her with a knife history seem to repeat itself. Dennis is drawn into the past. Can he rescue the girl and change the course of events? What about the sheriff of the area? How is he involved in the story? This was a very fast paced story with many eerie elements, a great twist and some interesting time travelling passages. The author got me hooked from page one and I really enjoyed his tale. Highly recommended stuff here!

[Debra Barstad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow I really liked this book. I liked the mystery and the ending and I found this book to be a real page turner. I would recommend this book.

[Dianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can history be changed? Is it possible for a man who has lost all motivation for life to find renewed purpose when a young woman’s desperate screams for help set off an unbelievable chain of events that leave no evidence? Daniel is recently widowed, lost in his grief; time has no real meaning for him anymore. Alone in an isolated area, terrifying events repeat themselves, each time with a slight change, each time more real than the last, but no evidence is left behind. Is he losing his mind?

Killing Time by John Penney puts mystery and the thrill of “things that go bump in the night” into his tale of death, and terror as he cleverly weaves a tragic death from the past into the present life of an emotionally distraught man. His characterization of Daniel as a man still reeling from his wife’s death is very realistic, as the reader is invited into the turmoil that is Daniel’s mind. Seamlessly portraying each scene, as it is made apparent that there is more than meets the eye going on, the tale winds through different times, each unsettling, yet by the end of this tale, the final outcome was a twisted surprise.

Not too horrific, not totally predictable, a great mystery/thriller with a steady pace and very vividly describe scenes!


Publication Date: December 23, 2012
Publisher: John Penney
Genre: Adult Paranormal
Number of Pages: 150
Available from: Amazon

[Todd Russell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Daniel Nash, recently widowed, buys a house to renovate in the Louisiana Bayou. A murder of an 18-year-old girl is tied into the house and Daniel must uncover the mystery and keep his sanity in tact. Think this would have been stronger as a short story. A simplistic and somewhat cliched story that drags.

I enjoyed Penney's other book, Truck Stop, much more. On a positive note, Penney is a very cinematic writer, he is good at painting scenes with a minimum of description. Quick research turned up that he is, in fact, a filmmaker and has written screenplays for Return of The Living Dead 3, Contaminated Man and more (check IMDB). I will continue to keep an eye on his other stories, as I think he has the potential to crank out a really good horror story someday. I do like his writing style. 2,353 Kindle locations. 2.25 stars. Not recommended.

[Sunshine✰✰✰ · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book's about a man who is living a bit detached from the world. Only doing his job as a carpenter keeps him grounded. He takes a job remodeling an abandoned house and stumbles upon a mystery. John is able to slip time and goes back to the year of the murder. I couldn't put the book down, but I think the story missed a whole direction it could of added with the butterfly effect.

[Douglas Castagna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fans of his Truck Stop may find this one a bit disappointing. What gets off to a good start goes awry with a halfhearted time travel story. That in of itself would not be so bad, if it were not poorly executed.If you never read anything by the author, read Truck Stop. I do look forward to new material from this author, Killing Time was not it.

[Jennifer A. Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great twist

good story line and good twists at the end. good reading flow that made for a quick read. would recommend to those that enjoy a good thriller and want something with a bunch of twisty turns.

[Kellie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Daniel is looking for a reason to live. Lost after the death of his wife he feels like he has no purpose. He has started a renovation on an old house and strange things begin to happen. Has he finally lost his mind or is something else going on.

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another great, easy read from John Penney. It is well written and well edited, and very enjoyable to read.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a pretty good book, kept me interested and I was surprised at the end!