Cthulhu Blues is the third and final book of the SPECTRA FILES trilogy. I'm sad to see the series end!

In this volume, Becca Phillips is in the hospital trying to find a way to get some sleep. While being monitored overnight, Becca begins to sing, while asleep, and weird things begin to happen-not the least of which is the mirror in her room coming alive with... something. Something from the other side?

Jason Brooks, Becca's friend and colleague is still around, and working for SPECTRA, albeit under a new director, when he hears about Becca. He also discovers that a few children have been singing while asleep as well, and now those children are disappearing, one by one. He invites Becca to stay at his house, (turns out he's having trouble sleeping too), and together they begin work on the mystery of the song. They work together, that is, until Becca filches an important artifact from the SPECTRA stores, and joins the missing children to sing WITH them. What will come through, if the chorus is allowed to continue until completion? What will happen to the earth and all of mankind as a result? You will have to read this to find out!

It would be hard to pick up this volume without knowing what happened in the first two, but it's not impossible. (However, I recommend reading the first two because they're creative and a lot of fun!) I have developed quite a liking for both Becca and Jason over the last 2 years as their stories have unfolded. Neither of them are perfect people; they are dealing with PTSD, sleep disturbances and all kinds of other problems that make them come across as more real to me. Even Becca's dog, Django, has a place in my heart. SPECTRA itself is an interesting entity, being the group that helps keep cosmic horrors out of our realm.

Speaking of which, there is no shortage of imaginative cosmic horror here. There are all kinds of Lovecraftian creatures and there never seems to be a shortage of people willing to give up everything, even their lives, to help them take over.

The last entry in this trilogy delivers on the great storytelling that took place in the first two. I have no problem recommending it, or all of the books, really. They're innovative, full of engaging characters, and fascinating monsters. They're everything a horror lover could ask for!


You can get your copy here: Cthulhu Blues

*I received a free digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. This is it.* ( )

Review copy

Cthulhu Blues is a fitting conclusion to the SPECTRA Files series which began in 2015 with Red Equinox and continued last year with Black January. I'm going to miss Becca Philips and Jason Brooks as they battle the cosmic horrors found in the Lovecraftian mythos. I'll even miss Becca's dog Django.

The latest story begins with Becca having checked herself into the Psych Center at UMASS, Tewksbury, to be monitored while she slept. Her symptoms, singing in her sleep and a recurring nightmare at 3:33 every morning. In addition, mirrors are showing a link to another world.

"A cyclone of eels revolved in the water below the mirror's surface, coalescing in a pattern resembling a woman turning in a pirouette, trailing scarves of black flesh. A chill coursed through Becca's skin just as warmth ran down the inside of her leg and urine puddled at her feet."

There are a number of children around the country who also have been singing in their sleep and they've been collected by a mysterious minstrel to form "A choir of the Voice, an instrument played by the ocean...'They're going to raise Cthulhu.'"

Can Becca save the children and stop this catastrophe from occurring or will she join the choir?

Filled with twists and the Lovecraftian vibe these SPECTRA Files stories are known for.

Cthulhu Blues works well as a standalone novel, but I certainly recommend reading all three books in the series.

Cthulhu Blues is available in both paperback and e-book formats from JournalStone.

From the author's bio. Douglas Wynne wrote his first dark fantasy novel at the age of fifteen but has never found the courage to take it down from the attic and read it. After a long detour through music school, rock bands, and recording studios, he came full circle back to fiction writing and is recently the author of five novels: The Devil of Echo Lake, Steel Breeze, and the SPECTRA Files trilogy (Red Equinox, Black January, and Cthulhu Blues). He lives in Massachusetts with his wife and son and a houseful of animals. ( )