Linda Bennett moves from New York to Florida to live a quieter life. She opens a bookstore and makes new friends. Her best friend, Shana, opens a magic shop with elixirs and potions. Oasis offers white sand and blue water with calming tropical breezes. Life is peaceful until the dead body washes up on shore. Linda learns that dead bodies and disappearing tourists are typical for the small town. … town. Rumors abound of secret parties given by the original residents in their secluded mansions behind the town. As soon as the sun sets, dark shadows stalk their friends. Blood soon tinges the water of Oasis a dark red. Linda and her group receive an unsigned invitation to a party at End House, a deserted house overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Its last owners vanished one evening leaving behind broken windows and destroyed rooms. The group arrives, but no one is there to greet them. End House has a sinister life of its own where horror follows their every step. Traps, illusions, and revolving rooms add to their growing fear. Wild animals escape their cages in the basement, a bloody skeleton sleeps in an upstairs’ bedroom, and body parts fall from the chimney into the living room’s fireplace. With two of their friends lost inside, the young residents flee for their lives. They embark on a difficult journey, chased by supernatural creatures, not knowing whom to trust, to uncover the one controlling the evil game. Who are The Dead? Are they humans or vampires? Or both? Will Linda lose her heart to Todd who knows more than he admits? Will Shana fall in love with Sheriff Sam? Does the door held by the villagers hold the answers to the never-ending puzzle? Is a second book needed? The Dead Game has begun. Follow the adventure in Book Two, Prey for The Dead. Now Available.
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The prologue in “The Dead Game” by Susanne Leist piqued my interest with its horrific scene of a family racing to escape their dark mansion that is falling apart before their eyes. The story begins five years later in what seems like a scenic and tranquil city—Oasis, Florida. Linda, a new arrival from New York, hopes to find a new life after losing her brother and parents from a car accident. On a whim, she signs a deal to manage a bookstore. Along with other people she has met in town, she is invited to a party at a deserted mansion, the End House, where a family had disappeared, described in the prologue. She strikes up a relationship with Todd after he saves her from an attacker on the beach. He accompanies her to the End House for the party, where all of the guests are trapped in what seems a house of horrific illusions. Slowly, Linda learns there is a dark world of vampires hiding in the city.
Susanne Leist’s strengths as an author are her vivid, eloquent descriptions and world-building of the vampires. The first chapter begins: “Leaves in rustic shades of orange, red, and yellow floated through the air, landing at Linda Bennett’s feet … She’d found her oasis, and her dreams of happiness were within reach.” However, as the story unfolds, the point of view frequently switches between various characters. It’s not easy to engage with the wide cast of characters that are often indistinguishable from one another, and the reasons for their reckless decisions are often unclear. A few times, a scene jolted me because it didn’t make sense as there was no foreshadowing or hint that this might happen, particularly with Linda’s love triangle.
A young adult who loves vampires’ world-building might find “The Dead Game,” an enjoyable read with its myriad of human and vampire characters.
Love vampire stories!
This is the first book I’ve read by this author, and I look forward to reading more of this story! The storyline is interesting though I felt at times some of it was a bit rushed.
It definitely keeps you turning the pages to see what happens next! I was a little surprised at how nonchalantly the characters accepted the idea of a vampire amongst them but hope to learn more about that as well as more background of the main characters in the next installment!
It’s a quick read that vampire enthusiasts should enjoy!
This is a fast paced easy read that will keep you held from beginning to end. The story concept is extraordinary and is very open for the books that are to come. As the story progresses we see the characters begin to grow into their own individual roles and they take us through many twists and turns in a complex maze of murder, mystery, supernatural phenomena and betrayal.
As a debut author Susanne has brought together a winning combination of character types and a complex plot line that has the potential to keep readers enthralled from book to book. Between humans, vampires, human vampires and The Dead there is plenty to keep the reader hooked!
CAUSES NIGHTMARES!
Susan Leist has done an excellent job scaring me almost to death with “The Dead Game”. I started it in the evening and that night I had some strange nightmares! The characters and the world she has created is believable and completely filled out. I read this cover to cover the next day because I couldn’t put it down. The twists and turns will keep you engaged to the end. I really enjoyed it. If you like scary you will love this book.
THE DEAD GAME
By
Suzanne Leist
The name Oasis, in South Florida, conjures up images of palm trees, white sandy beaches, and warm blue water. Don’t be fooled. Evil is trapped inside this town. All is peaceful and quiet in the daytime, but at night, that’s vampire territory.
Linda, a new inhabitant and owner of a local bookshop, finds things in her new town getting weirder and weirder. Things start happening at her bookshop, then she receives an invitation to attend a house party at End House, a mansion in the heart of the town. She and her closest friends decided to go. Mistake number one. There are many more mistakes to follow because the beautiful and majestic End House is haunted, and nothing is what it seems. You can go through one door and fall into oblivion, or another and . . .
That’s one invitation they should have left alone and one house they should have stayed out of. There’s a group of vampires…
This new breed of horror story tells the story of a group of friends who get stuck in this house, a house that won’t let them leave.
Suzanne Leist had me on the edge of my seat. I wanted to find out what happens but didn’t want it to end. And, so it is with End House.
I highly recommend this read. Five stars
Patricia Guthrie
Reviewer
A thriller from page one! End House is the focal point of this vividly written paranormal tale. The setting looms as large as the characters Linda & Todd.
The Dead Game folds together a tale of mystery, vampires, and romance between the pages. This book will keep you turning pages and sleeping with the lights on!
Highly recommended for a thrilling summer read!
You’d best be in the mood for something besides cozy love and romance when you pick up this book. Oh, there is plenty of love-like tension between mysterious Todd and bookstore owner Linda but we’d all drop our most beloved if we found yourselves in — ahhhhh!!!! — a hell hole on the edge of the town named The End House. Think vampires. No, think vampires on steroids armed with lions and tigers and bears. OK, maybe just tigers but they might have chain saws and assorted tools of torture. If you don’t enjoy a good, dark, paranormal vampire story look elsewhere. If you do, you won’t be able to put this down. Fortunately (unfortunately for the weak-hearted) this is but the first in a series. There are more tales lurking.
There is a malevolent presence governing the persuaded; actually all in the municipality. Linda and her pals have no clue as to whether these are people, prowlers, or vampires. Who would have thought, in the city of Oasis, wickedness rendezvous in the boulevards; in its dark hours. After all, the daytime is quite the opposite … laden with brightness, attractive, cozy roads, and a pale prestige seashore. But there are eerie circumstances, such as vacationers vanishing from the elaborate Oasis Hotel. Then there’s the focal point in the city; a place called ‘End House’ which has a murky past of strange vanishings. By encountering chilling deceptions and turning rooms, Linda and friends find themselves in a realm of ruses. They need to flee for their lives but find themselves imprisoned within the house’s spooky walls. As the tale unravels, menacing beings arise and a clash sandwiches amid virtue and malevolent. This novel is fast-moving and author, Susanne Leist’s writing flows swiftly so that the reader will be intrigued throughout. Great job! Looking forward to reading more of her work in the future!
I am not a fan of books written in this point of view, it makes it hard for me to connect with the characters. This book does have a great storyline. It is pretty fast paced and it is intriguing. There is a lot of mystery and it was fun to move along with the characters as they solved the mystery of what was going on around town. There were a lot of players involved in the game, and sometimes the responses they gave each other seemed cold and rather strange. It is left off with a bit of a cliffhanger. Overall, it is a good book; my biggest issue was the point of view and lack of connection with the characters.