Title: Rats in a Maze
Author: Peter Bailey
Publisher: Moonshine Cove Publishing, LLC
Publication Date: September 20, 2020
Genre: Mystery, Fantasy, Science Fiction
It was just a simple car accident and Detective Fisher closed the case easily. But why did he remember things that had never happened, and who was the “most beautiful woman in the world” who haunted his dreams?
NYPD Detective Ray Fisher thought it meant he was going mad, but there was enough of the Detective left to see that the weirdness had started after he’d investigated a car that had been driven into the river. It was a trivial case but it opened his eyes to a shadowy elite who used people like pawns.
Ray thought he had all the answers until the NYPD suspended him and he realized that the only thing worse than the elite was the vast government Conspiracy concealing it.
Why This Book
Rats in a Maze starts out simply enough with the investigation of a very strange crime and some science fiction elements. That part really drew me in, and then the story started to morph and, while a little confusing, it still had a logical flow that kept compelling me to read. And then the last part of the book comes and it half feels out of nowhere and half makes perfect sense. Along the way, this story takes on a huge life of it’s own, picking up elements from other genres before finally bringing in horror elements at the end to create a start and an end to this book that don’t match up unless you’ve been on the journey from the beginning.
I’m not one for horror. I scare very, very easily. Like sometimes afraid of my own shadow easily. So the end of this book had me turning on all the lights though it probably wasn’t as scary as I’m painting it to be. But Rats in a Maze will not only always be a memorable indie book for me since it’s so different from everything else I’ve read, but will also have one of those endings that just sticks. I’ve never read a book before where the beginning and end don’t feel like they could possibly follow, but this worked and the way it ends is etched in my brain.
Reviews
My review: “The beginning and end of the story are a strange match, one that only makes sense if the whole book is centered around Ray. Otherwise, it’s a mystery that turns into an urban fantasy that just becomes scary.”
The Prairie’s Book Review said “The protagonists, especially Ray and Brad’s struggles with their personal trauma, intriguing mystery, first-rate police procedural detail, government conspiracies, and the haunting atmosphere of dystopian landscape combine into a mesmerizing whole. Readers shouldn’t expect simple answers by the end but Baily succeeds in crafting an immersive read.”
Author Anthony Avina’s Blog gave this a 10 out of 10, saying “A larger than life story that hits all the great notes of a good suspense and mystery read and adds a bit of dystopian vibes, readers won’t want to miss the shocking conclusion to this amazing read”
Purchase Links
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop | Walmart | Waterstones (UK) | Booktopia (Australia) | imusic of Denmark | Flipkart (India) | Google Books | Thrift Books | World of Books (UK)
Check out all the other books featured this month on The Curated Bookshelf.
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