Between The Lines

Author: Randy Mixter

Published: April 2012 by CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Category: Paranormal, Romance,Mystery

'Danger has come to the peaceful New England town of Swan Loch, Maine, in the form of an elusive killer who strikes quickly and then vanishes after each murder, leaving no bodies behind…

Police Chief Chris Hayward, with the help of FBI agent Jake Stanton, tries to solve a crime that seems unsolvable, and now it’s personal. Hayward’s wife has become the killer’s latest victim…

When all hope seems lost a young girl wanders into Swan Loch. She claims the wind brought her there and she has a message for Chris Hayward. Your wife is alive and I know where to find her.'

After finishing this book it took me a little while to gather my thoughts enough to write a review, this story elicited so many emotions. It’s a thriller, with suspense and a sweet and compelling love story threaded through, and blended with fantasy, the supernatural and a very dark evil. The concept of a parallel universe where everything is the same and yet not completely is a fascinating one. As is the ‘doorway’ between the two…as the quote (roughly) goes ‘There are more things in Heaven and Earth than are dreamt of.’ And I love the significance of the swans.

Bodies have been disappearing without trace over several years and judging by the pattern a serial killer is heading towards Swan Loch, a beautiful small town. Chris Hayward and Jake Stanton must work together and try to stop the impending disaster.

Chris begins to have vivid dreams as the evasive killer draws ever nearer, causing increasing feelings of dread and forewarning and giving rise to the question, who can predict or explain the power of the subconscious mind? 

The passages from the killer’s point of view are quite chilling…

'The man with the dead eyes dragged the body across the barren field….This was always his favourite part, disposing of the body. It was so fast, so efficient…..He imagined the confusion on the detectives’ faces as they attempted to figure this one out. Let’s see, he was shot in the head while still in his car……Although a blood trail accompanied the drag furrows, there is no excessive blood where the ruts end….He did like the confusion it caused but it was a time consuming process after all, and it cut into his already short hunting season.'

Randy Mixter has a singular and sensitive style of writing shown by the way the delightful relationships and friendships are brought into play. The characters are engaging, well-developed and real, the emotions created, happiness, pain, despair and love are all clearly apparent. Love begins and thrives, is lost and found again in the most curious and extraordinary circumstances which gives this story its strong appeal. It’s heart breaking, moving and uplifting in equal measure. Can love overcome any obstacle, no matter how seemingly final? The answer may surprise you.

I look forward to reading more by this author.