Dead Souls by J. Lincoln Fenn
Gallery Books (September 20, 2016)
352 pages; $10.16 paperback; $7.99 e-book
Reviewed by Jonathan Reitan
How J. Lincoln Fenn’s first novel Poe escaped my radar I don’t know, for it won a 2013 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award, but after finishing her upcoming second novel, Dead Souls, she’s created a new dedicated fan in this reviewer.
It’s a wonderful thing when a new writer comes out of seemingly nowhere to offer up such a mesmerizing and truly hypnotic work of fiction. When you’re knocked on your ass with its quality…even better.
In Dead Souls, we’re introduced to the lead, Fiona Quinn, as she enters a bar to discover the Devil seated next to her, who offers her drinks. One leads to two, two leads to several and several lead to Fiona trading her soul for the ability to become invisible, a trait she hopes will come in handy in finding out if her boyfriend is cheating or not. What she ends up with is not only the new ability but a life now lived in terror as she discovers her trade with the Devil means he’ll eventually be calling in a deadly favor.
Fiona encounters a group of other soul-trading people, the “Dead Souls,” who are in the same predicament she’s found herself in. One by one, her new friends’ favors start to be called in, resulting in horrific mass shootings, bombings and other chilling crimes. Fiona investigates a possible “double deal” with the Devil in order to potentially rid herself of her own upcoming favor, leading her far deeper into the workings of pure evil only the Devil himself and his worshipers could conjure.
Dead Souls is brilliantly written. Gritty horror, heart wrenching suspense and impactful prose. Make sure this one is on your 2016 reading list!
