"The Family Buried" by W.R. Parrish

“I am recording this for two reasons.  The first: so you understand…And second: to preserve”.  This is where “The Family Buried” by W.R. Parrish, tells us the reason for this short story.  And yet, it is so vague, as to entice reader to read on about the account of a man.  A lonely man, whose sanity is in question very early in the story.    The story is based on a single character who finds a dreadful secret about his family; a secret so gruesome as to drive any normal man to the brink of insanity.   “ …I’d been led to the container by mysterious circumstances.”  

The style of this story is no different from “One Day in October”, a novel written by Mr. Parrish.  It is full of metaphors that describe the surroundings so well, that the reader can see in their mind’s eye, feel, taste, hear, and smell what our character experiences. This narrative left me with the same feeling of dread that the character felt, which only goes to show how well Parrish writes. 

 In his background, he has a mixture of religion and a love of horror movies, both of which are prevalent in his writing.  Although I am not a fan of the horror genre, I am a fan of Mr. Parrish, and I would read anything that he wrote.  “The Family Buried” is 20 pages long and a tale that reads very fast.  One warning:  do not read at night!

"If Looks Could Kill" by Kate White

“If Looks Could Kill” by Kate White, is the first of a series featuring the character, Bailey Weggins.  This series is full of suspense and mystery, with a soupcon of wit.  It takes place in the fast paced world of magazines.  Baily is a freelance writer who works for Gloss, a magazine aimed at today’s woman.   She contributes true crime articles to the publication . Her sometimes friend, Cat, is the editor of Gloss, and she is in trouble.  Cat is the object of an attempted murder spree, and she turns to Bailey to find her would-be killer.

I gave this book three stars however, if I could, I would give it three and half.  I enjoyed the plot and liked the main character.  However, I found most of the supporting characters almost exactly alike, which made it hard for me to follow who did what to whom.  This book is an entertaining and fast read  Although it is a novel, it has the feel of short novel and a cozy mystery.  I will try the next  Bailey Weggins book before I make a decision to quit the series.