Bolder Guilt-Edged
by Janice Tremayne
GENRE: Supernatural Suspense, Thriller
BLURB:
A demon hell-bent on playing psychological games to torment its victims. A guilt-edged past comes to the fore to be relived again. Can Bolder overcome his mental suffering and destroy the voracious demon?
In the Australian ghost town of Ravenswood in North Queensland, a gruesome suicide occurs after the famous annual Halloween ball. Bolder is called in by Detective Wellock to help track the evil incarnate responsible.
However, has Zack Bolder met his match? Can a trained parapsychologist by the Church withstand the guilt-edged torments of the demon? This poltergeist dangles psychology as its weapon by tempering that frail part of the mind to those that get in its way. Bolder is taken back to relive dark secrets—ridden and guilt-edged.
Can Bolder overcome this tempest of the mind and save the town before more people take their lives?
Excerpt:
An ominous shadow glided across the room then rested on the classic armchair next to the window that was covered in blue police tape. The shadow transposed into an older man, well-dressed, and carrying a gentleman’s walking cane with a lion’s head handle, appearing in front of him. He wore a distinctive 1842 Prince Albert coat, brown jacket, yellow vest, check brown trousers, and a gentleman’s bowler hat—a hard hat with a short, rolled brim and a thin grosgrain band. He placed his right hand on the rim, tipping in acknowledgement of Bolder’s presence. Then he took a seat and crossed his legs.
“Well, I’m glad to leave my eternity box for a while. My coffin, that is. I keep forgetting you’re not from my time,” the poltergeist said.
Bolder squinted, looking straight ahead, his eyes fixated on the demon. It was a death stare and not meant to be welcoming. “It’s you? I can feel it.”
“Hmm, you were always more in tune with the afterlife than anyone I have encountered before. A special talent, if you ask me, my dear boy.”
Bolder took a couple of steps forward to get a closer look at the demon. “But that’s not why I’m here?”
“Ha-ha, you know that, too?”
“It’s not coincidental unless you think I’m stupid.” Bolder folded his arms across his chest and remained silent. He knew this demon was a conversationalist.
“I had to stage it, you know. Poor girl, she was so sweet, but I don’t deal with amateurs.” The demon pointed toward the balcony. “I encouraged her to jump, and she leapt without a second thought.”
“You killed a young, innocent woman?”
“No need to get emotional. A small sacrifice to get you here. Fimble-fumble. A lame excuse to get your chief to send you to this dreaded town.”
“I don’t understand.”
“We have unfinished business, you and I.”
“You took my Kelly from me, demon, and I’m not done with you!”
“A fighting priest … Revenge will get you nowhere. Or didn’t your God teach you that? Love thy neighbor, my dear boy.”
Bolder brushed his hand over the side pocket where he always carried a small bottle of holy water. He patted it gently to make sure it was still there.
“Oh, that water is useless,” the demon said in a sarcastic drone. “I wouldn’t even bother, if I was you.”
Bolder took the holy water from his pocket, ignoring the demon’s claim that it was ineffective. He unscrewed the lid and raised it toward him.
“You know, my dear boy, a new demon often asks me how it feels to be splashed by holy water. It’s a good question, don’t you think?” The demon appeared to be more agitated as his mild-mannered tone became aggressive. “I tell them it feels like boiling water on your skin at the beginning—and yes, it’s painful—but after a while, you learn to manage that pain. It’s only short-lived.” The demon stood up from the armchair while resting on his walking stick and said, “But to avoid the pain of holy water … I have a surprise for you.”
“What surprise, demon? You only carry tricks, lies, and deceit.” Bolder raised the holy water, ready to propel it toward the demon.
The demon raised his hand for him to stop. “No, no, it’s not like that. I have someone who would like to say hello. And keep in mind that I can bring Kelly back whenever I like … She lives in my world now.”
My Review:
In a small ghost town in Ravenswood, North Queensland, Australia people have been going missing every year at the annual Halloween Ball. On the night after the Halloween Ball takes place strange events happen in-room 12A at the Imperial Hotel the very room where people check-in but never check out so to speak.
Zack Bolder and Detective Wellock are assigned the case of the missing people from room 12A at the Imperial Hotel. Once Bolder enters room 12A he knows that a very bad demon is involved one that likes to play mind tricks on its victims by using things from their past that is very disturbing to his victims.
Can Zack Bolder and Detective Wellock find out what happened to all those people at the Imperial Hotel? Can they find the demon and stop him before he takes another life? Can they find out what happened to this demon on his death day?
I love these Zack Bolder novels. I love how they are loaded with mystery and suspense. I love the little banter between Zack and Detective Wellock. I love that there is action from beginning to end. I love how they keep me hanging on racing to the end anxiously waiting to see how they turn out. I won’t stop thinking about Zack Bolder and Detective Wellock until I have the next book before me.
I would like to recommend Bolder Guilt-Edged as well as the first two novels, Bolder Blindsided book one and Bolder Cursed book two in the Zack Bolder series to all mystery and murder fans. One-click your copy of Bolder Guilt-Edged today for an epic murder/ghost mystery!
Interview with Janice Tremayne
What made you want to become a writer?
Since a child, I had been fascinated with horror, the paranormal, and the supernatural. I grew up watching the X files, Stephen King, Twilight Zone, and The Night Stalker (Kolchak), to name a few. As I grew older, I started to unpack my faith and Christian beliefs. I concluded that if you believe in God, then you must believe in the spirit world and that demons exist. That took me a long time to work out because it's an internal discourse.
I have always been interested in writing from a young age. When I decided to become an author, the supernatural/paranormal horror genre was a logical choice. It allowed me to explore the fight between good and evil and the other dimension—the spirit world. What happens when we die? Where do we go? What happens to those that cannot cross over? Who can communicate with the spirit world? How do we fight evil? Is evil embedded around us? The problem is we are conditioned to think in a two-dimensional landscape that we don't see what's on the other side.
My books explore all these points of view with unique settings and characterization. Every installment of the Zack Bolder Series explores a new ghost town in outback Australia. There are so many found on the back of gold exploration, mining, and convict penal settlements. They were decadent places, where mystery sickness, superstition, and death prevailed. The main protagonist in the Zack Bolder Series is a young priest turned supernatural detective—a spirit hunter--Zack Bolder. He teams up with a hard-nosed detective who's a skeptic and can't understand what the fuss is about with ghosts and demons.
Together, as an investigating team, they uncover the curses that have controlled these towns for over a hundred years. Some are dormant and re-awakened when threatened and caught in a mysterious revolving curse. In the end, the evil is defeated, and the murders cease—or is it? Demons are more intelligent than we think and motivated to succeed. You will need to read the series to find out more.
What inspired you to write Bolder Guilt-Edged?
It happened accidentally when I was studying Australian ghost towns for another project. I couldn't get over how many ex-convict and mining towns there were in this country in the early 19th century that fizzled away after the gold ran out. Each town with its unique stories of despair and ghost sightings steeped in mystery. After that, I created the characters, and I thought, what would be better than a priest turned detective and spirit hunter? This character would visit these towns to solve cold case murders of the supernatural kind for the police branch for unexplained crimes.
My ideas are a progression and an evolution. I have the seed of the storyline and plot developed in advance, and then the scenes develop through the novel. On a more spiritual level, the ideas come from my imagination of what spirits and the afterlife could conjure up. The bizarre and strange paranormal phenomena missed because we either don't believe or are not attuned to them. In Bolder Guilt-Edged, there is a confrontation with a sly demon that plays psychological games to torment your mind. And then there is a connection to a one-hundred-year curse from a Japanese ghost—a Ying Ling. They are all intertwined into a multi-level horror story that has cursed the ghost town.
Can you tell us a little bit about the characters in Bolder Guilt-Edged?
The main protagonist in the Zack Bolder Series is a young priest turned supernatural detective—a spirit hunter—Zack Bolder. He teams up with the hard-nosed Detective Wellock, who's a skeptic and can't understand what the fuss is about with ghosts and demons. Together, as an investigating team, they uncover the curses that have controlled these towns for over a hundred years. Some are dormant and re-awakened when threatened and caught in a mysterious revolving curse.
Zack Bolder is young and in his early thirties, good-looking. You would not recognize him as a priest in a café—he's fashionable with his hairstyle and clothing. Women attach themselves to him because he has a calm interior and cares about others—emotionally intelligent and trustworthy. His faith and belief system are strong, and that's why he can see the spirit world. The spirits know this and communicate with him. Essentially, he is a spirit hunter.
Detective Wellock is a tough-talking, chain-smoking detective who's in his late forties. Tall and solid built—he can be an intimating man—particularly if he doesn't like you. Although he is a skeptic, he looks after Zack Bolder when he gets into trouble—like an unofficial bodyguard. He is learning to accept demons and the spirit world with each investigation.
In Bolder Guilt-Edged, the antagonist is a master demon—John Stable. He is different than your usual demon because he plays with your mind using psychology. He's worked out how to torment his victims by unleashing their past—tucked away deep in their minds—suppressed and compartmentalized. He brings the memories back to the fore—guilt-edged so that his victims give up and kill themselves. He is the master of the curse that holds the town ransom and has a network of sub-demons doing his dirty work for him.
You know, I think we all have a favorite author. Who is your favorite author, and why?
My favorite author is Stephen King. His stories grip you and keep you on the edge of your seat. He doesn't write in a complicated way, so anyone can pick up his books and enjoy them. I like this because writing is for the reader's benefit and enjoyment. Too many authors show off their literary genius by using complicated words and expressions that lose the reader. His creativity and imagination are what grabs me the most. Pet cemetery, for example, is a story that frightens you but is also emotional because of the love of a mother and father for their deceased child. Stephen King can draw on the emotions and struggles of the main characters in his book. This is a crucial point because horror stories are essentially about the efforts of individuals with the unknown dimensions in life and how they cope with it.
Can you tell us a little bit about your following books or what you have planned for the future?
I have so much on my mind and don't have the time of day to put all my ideas on paper! I have another installment of the Zack Bolder Series scheduled for September 2021—Bolder Ultimate Cause—I have started writing it. I also want to write the next installment of the Haunting Clarisse Series—I have the outline for that book already. So hopefully, another two books by the end of the year.
What did you enjoy most about writing this book?
My capacity to push me harder emotionally and spiritually. This book was harder to write because it was more than a horror story. There is an underlying emotion instilled in the characters. It was a battle we all fight—our inner thoughts and who we deal with past incidences that have affected us. Notably, for some, how we manage it and compartmentalizes it. I unleash a lot of emotion in the book that makes us think about our place in the world spiritually.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Janice Tremayne is an Amazon bestselling and award-winning ghost and supernatural writer. Janice is a finalist in the Readers' Favorite 2020 International Book Awards in fiction-supernatural and was awarded the distinguished favorite prize for paranormal horror at the New York City Big Book Awards 2020.
She is an emerging Australian author who lives with her family in Melbourne. Her recent publications, Haunting in Hartley and Bolder Blindsided, reached number one in the Amazon kindle ranking for Occult Supernatural, Ghosts and Haunted Houses categories hot new releases and bestseller. Janice is well-versed in her cultural superstitions and how they influence daily life and customs. She has developed a passion and style for writing ghost and supernatural novels for new adult readers.
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1 comments:
Thanks for the review! Amazing write-up. Janice
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