Hidden Doors, Secret Rooms

by Jamie Eubanks

Overview

★★★★★ "Heart Stopping Doesn't even come close!" - Amazon Customer
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On the run with her five-year-old daughter, stranded in the middle of a blizzard and critically injured, Jillian Braedon finds herself unable to push forward, leaving young Valerie to brave the storm alone.

Eventually stumbling onto the remote property of the reclusive John Mills, young Valerie barely makes it to his doorstep.

For Jillian and little Valerie, the nightmare has painfully unfolded for half a decade.

For John Mills, the nightmare has just begun, as he must find the lost child's mother and is soon caught up in their torment, coming face-to-face with a shocking reality he had never dreamed possible.

John soon realizes that he's all that stands in the way of the pursuing covert agents - a handful of determined operatives who are willing to kill even a small child in order to bury the explosive secret that had once saved but now threatens the woman's life.

If you loved "Lightning" or the "Odd Thomas" series, you will love this!

"This is a phenomenal first novel; an excellent read for anyone who loves mystery, and would-be writers who want to learn exactly how it's done." - Kirkus Reviews

"This brisk and original cat-and-mouse thriller exceeds expectations with unpredictable results." - Clarion Reviews

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781482356182
Publisher:	CreateSpace Publishing
Publication date:	03/11/2013
Pages:	342
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.76(d)

About the Author

Jamie Eubanks resides in Southern California where she studies Martial arts at Red Dragon Karate in Azusa, CA, runs a small business and is currently working on her next novel. She can be found on Facebook at: www.Facebook.com/JAEubanks1

Editorial Reviews

12/16/2013
In Eubanks's lackluster thriller, retired musician John Mills finds a frightened child and her badly mauled mother, Jillian Braedon, outside his Arizona home during a blizzard. But Jillian harbors a powerful secret, and John is soon plunged headlong into a knotty conspiracy—one that causes him to be pursued by the FBI, but that may also lead to his redemption. Although she provides all the elements of a page-turner, Eubanks's novel will fail to thrill readers. At times, the science underpinning the narrative seems foggy, while the book's romantic interludes are stilted and many of its characters underdeveloped. The story's conclusion strains credulity and results in a novel that doesn't live up to its potential.

Publishers Weekly

This finely wrought sci-fi/mystery/thriller explores the themes of rebirth and renewal through characters on the run and those who come to their aid. The story begins in medias res: tossing the reader squarely into the midst of the action. Lost in a blizzard with her young daughter Valerie, badly hurt, the FBI in hot pursuit, Jill Braedon sends the child off into the raging storm alone. Valerie stumbles into the cabin of John Mills, a former rock star-turned-recluse since the deaths of his wife and child. Mills, who walks with the aid of a cane, ventures out into the storm and surprisingly finds Jill alive. As she recovers, puzzles gradually unravel, only to expose yet other mysteries. Superbly crafted and flawlessly executed, Eubanks doles out both plot and back-story in small doses, expertly keeping readers turning page after page. This book is a study in how to show and not tell a story, and should be required reading in creative writing courses. Not to spoil the adventure, some of what comes out is that Jill, dying from Hodgkin's disease, was given an illegal surgery which effectively endowed her with the ability to heal herself. However, a side-effect causes her nightmares to become real and do physical harm. Ostensibly, the FBI is after her to secure this power and keep it out of enemy hands; even if that means killing Jill and Valerie. But these agents are not what they seem. Mills tries to protect Jill from the FBI and her dreams, and in so doing, opens hidden doors and rooms within his own psyche. Eubanks utilizes a variety of techniques such as character interaction and dreams to fill in past details without bogging down in exposition. Perhaps the most engaging occurs as Jill relates her story to Mel Talbot, a computer hacker par excellence that Mills has summoned to help. After enough explanatory interaction to build Mel's character, Eubanks shows us her story, a device often used in film. This is a phenomenal first novel; an excellent read for anyone who loves mystery, and would-be writers who want to learn exactly how it's done.

Kirkus Reviews