Great Anthology

Unearthed an Anthology of Suspense

Authors: Shawn McPike, David Stelzig, Seth Lender, Edmond Cheng

This book can be found at http://www.midnightshowcase.com/

Unearthed is a book of four stories written by four different authors. The title is very fitting. Over all I believed this to be an excellent book. What follows is my review of each of the stories.

"Last Fragment" by Shawn McPike

Stuart Nichols is a contractor mysteriously hired to tile over some beautiful hardwood floors so the house can be sold. He can't stand the thought of destroying such beautiful wood so he starts ripping the flooring out before tiling it. He has never personally met the person who hired him, he received a check paying him in advance. As he is ripping up the floor he starts hearing strange tapping sounds and seeing strange things. He must decide whether he is losing his mind or if there is something ghostly going on. Shawn McPike does an excellent job of keeping the suspense going. ONce again the ending wasn't what I expected. Great story!

"Help Me" by David Stelzig

Mario Pinelli has lost his wife and his sister and he believes it is his fault. He spends most of his free time hitting the bottle. When Barbara, an old friend calls to tell him she is being stalked and needs his help, he decides he won't fail this time. He tracks down the man he believes is stalking her and then things start to take some turns. The author takes us down a path we see as predictable only to drop the floor from beneath our feet. Wonderful plt. Characters were very believable. This is a great read for anyone who loves suspense.

"Crown of the Earth" - Seth e. Lender

Detective Nicole Maros has just learned of her sister's murder. to make matters worse a witness says the murderer was the man she secretly loved, her sister's fiance. The witness identified him and said he watched him turn into a demon. Kate sets off to find the murderer and learns someone is actually turning humans into demons. Her search leads her to the City of Toronto where she meets someone who tells her about the on-going battle for Earth. He helps her in her quest. This one had an ending that surprised me. I had imagined it ending one way and boy was I wrong. It left me with questions and wanting more. I am hoping there will be a sequel to this to answer those questions.

"Illusion" by Edmond Cheng

Illusion - something that deceives by producing a false impression of reality. This book lived up to that definition. Illusion is the story of Thomas a man who is warned in a seres of visions about the murder of his friend Jonathon. He tries everything to tell Jonathon that his wife is going to kill him. I won't say more because it would definitely give the plot away. I loved the way the story started with two people carrying something down the beach and loading it in a boat. It isn't until it is dropped over the side of the boat you realize it is a body. I really thought I knew where this story was going. Bam! I hit a wall. Edmond Cheng threw so many twists and turns into his story that I was pleasantly surprised. He knows how to keep the plot so enticing you keep reading only to find out what you thought was itself an illusion.

I will definitely visit the Midnight Showcase and check out more of their work. I recommend all four of these authors to anyone who loves mystery, suspense and thrillers.