Suzi Albracht

“Scorn Kills” by Suzi Albracht grabbed my attention with the first sentence and held it throughout this book. A somewhat tongue in cheek examination of man’s weakness when it comes to women and money (not necessarily in that order) Albracht created a character I wanted to smack in the head. From the beginning Bill Branch is obviously an opportunist. I liked him and almost felt sorry for him when he first became entangled in the web of lies he spun. But as the story unfolded I began to lose patience with good old Bill. Without giving away too much I will say I had very little sympathy for him at the end. He is never satisfied with what he has and always seems to be looking for something better. His well to do wife has secrets of her own that make the story even more compelling. The ending was a surprise I didn’t see coming. If this story has a moral it might be “when you sell your soul to the devil, expect to get burned”.… (more)

In “The Devil’s Lieutenant” Suzi Albracht weaves a tale of evil horror that made my skin crawl. With characters that jump off the page I was drawn into the story, following Jake Holyfield as he battles the malevolent forces that seek to destroy those he loves. In a story where good looks bad and bad looks good and shockers lay in almost every chapter, I couldn’t put the book down.
Starting with a horrifying and very gruesome killing Jake sets out investigating similar crimes. Meeting a strange and ethereal young girl at that first crime scene he is given a tool that will come in handy down the line. With dead bodies that have been dissolved into “globs” of fat and blood the story unwinds in growing tension. Interwoven in the story is the relationship between Jake and Bobby Holyfield and their childhood friend Max Wilson. Along with the mysterious Mikael Ruskoff, Jake battles the minions of the Devil himself. Filling out the story are the personal relationships of the characters; important relationships that carry the story forward neatly. Always terrifying and often heart-breaking, The Devil’s Lieutenant is a must read for horror fans.
Since this is book one of a collection I can hope my favorite characters will continue their war against evil in future editions.
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