Book Review- Animosity by James Newman

If James Newman were a rapper, Eminem could never say he was a Rap God. He's not, at least as far I know, and I am so glad he's not because he would have never wrote this book if that were the case. I have enjoyed some of James Newman's shorter works, but this is my first time reading something longer from him. I will punish myself later for that because this book was so much more than I was expecting. I had read some of the 5 star reviews and was expecting a good book, but I was not expecting one the best I have ever read!

Admittedly, I am easily entertained, I read a lot of books that are fun rides with lots of explicit sex, gore, cheap thrills and scares, and If I can get lost in that story for a few days, I'm pretty happy. I read this book in one day... I could not put it down for the life of me. Even though I had stuff to do, I put it off. I was too emotionally attached to this book to put it down and had to know what was going to happen next. So don't plan on doing this unless you want to get rude looks from your family while you completely ignore them for most of the day!

Andy Holland is a horror writer. He has a dark spot in his past he is not proud of, but it's something that could have happened to everyone. He manned up and paid the cost. When he finds a body of a little girl while out for a walk in his neighborhood, his past comes back to haunt not only him, but his neighbors as well. They soon become obsessed over Andy's past and the "sick" stories he now writes.

Andy is a like-able guy, he has a daughter and he argues with his ex-wife, but who wouldn't? When Newman sends trouble Andy's way, he sucks you in and makes you feel the pain that his protagonist is going through. I found myself getting angry at all the crap Andy was facing and couldn't wait for Andy to start fighting back.

Reading this book is watching a master at work. Newman makes you care about his characters. Some of them you like through the entire book, and some you really begin to hate. Soon he has you thinking of your own evil ways to kill them for their injustices against the ones you care about. The story moves fast, and it could happen to anyone, so it is easy to imagine Andy's hell as he storms through it all.

If you like a book that pulls you close, punches you in the chest, and makes you think, this book will not disappoint you in the least. Worth every penny and then some! James Newman knows what he's doing and is a top notch story teller that you won't soon forget.

Check out James' Amazon page to get this great book along with many more!

-Cory Cline