He asked of God what he’d silently asked the killer.
Master Pastor, who is neither a master nor a pastor, spends the hours of his life in a fruitless search. For God, for himself—and now for Jessi, his ten-year-old surrogate daughter.
Left for dead, the sole living witness to the abduction, Devin is Jessi’s only hope. But he’s forgotten his cell phone. The landline’s
Confronting the gunman will
His hope is that they’ll both survive, that he’ll mentor Jessi to mastery, that he’ll one day play Mr.
Quarter Finalist
Assessment:
Plot: “Mentally disturbed man kidnaps girls” may be a basic plot, but what livened this take on the well-used premise are the conflict and the action scenes. The antagonist is memorably and realistically scary, and the tension in these scenes is well done, suggesting a style that draws the reader into the story on the front page.
Prose/Style: The writing is technically sound and well executed when crafting the setting and action scenes. The vivid details add to the story in an engaging way. The scenes containing the abduction itself are riveting and will remain with the reader long after the last page is turned.
Originality: The premise of the abduction and crimes committed are not wholly original and are used often in novels, TV, and movies. However, the author’s handling of these details and the antagonist is unique, intense and captivating. The antagonist’s collection of ponytails is truly chilling.
Character Development: While the characters are strong in description and allow the reader to easily visualize them, the dialogue misses the mark at times and the voices often sound similar. If the author focuses on remedying this aspect, there is huge promise in this work.
Date Submitted: April 02, 2019
