Twin Lakes: Autumn Fires
Michelle Garza & Melissa Lason
Sinister Grin Press
September 30, 2018
reviewed by Brian James Lewis

Hello friends and welcome to my parlor! Today’s review topic is the excellent novel Twin Lakes: Autumn Fires by the Sisters of Slaughter-Michelle Garza and Melissa Lason. In fact, this novel from Sinister Grin Press is so excellent that it is a Bram Stoker Award nominee. So you know for sure that this is one butt kicker of a read! Without further ado, let’s take a walk on the wild side…

Liz stumbles in off the road after being horribly assaulted by a major creeper. Seeing a campfire in the woods, she heads towards it in hopes of getting help and maybe some clothing. But the person by the campfire isn’t much help to Liz because she’s dead. And yet, that’s not the worst thing about the fire. Someone, or something, else is hiding in the surrounding darkness, waiting for its chance. Even in her battered condition, Liz knows that even though the dead person on the ground is scary, whatever lurks in the shadows is even more frightening.

Next time she comes to, it’s in a hospital and the police want to talk to her. But her memory is spotty and like many women who’ve gone through what she has, Liz doesn’t want to talk about it. Before anybody says much of anything, they’re quickly shut down by the doctor. No ifs ands or buts-this meeting is adjourned! The grey haired chief and his fellow officer don’t seem very intimidating, but why are they so eager to keep what information they have about similar crimes to themselves? I mean, everybody knows from watching TV that it’s time to call the forensics experts and all that jazz, right?

What’s going on around the town of Twin Lakes? Everybody seems very interested in keeping the crimes hush-hush and having secret meetings in a hidden house to talk about it. Even the police have their own agenda and do not wish to have any meddling from “the feds.” Maybe this sleepy little country town is run by mobsters? Perhaps in another novel it would be, but not this one! Twin Lakes is a unique town to be sure and what goes on there is well out of the jurisdiction of the FBI. Many of the residents here are more than just plain country folks. They’re actually members of an ancient family who dovetail with other special residents that possess powers such as shape shifting and telekinesis. It’s also the location of a portal to other worlds. Whoever holds the power there will control what comes through that opening, be it good or evil.

The source of the Autumn Fires is pure, destructive evil and it’s found a chink in the armor of the ancient family. His name is Randall, the ne’er do well son of a woman who runs the local diner. Common knowledge doesn’t explain why he’s so important, but all will be revealed at just the right time in this excellent novel. And what about Liz? Is she but a drifter or does she play a part in this epic struggle? Is the brooding doctor friend…or foe? There is a LOT going on in the pages behind the richly painted cover art! A lot is on the line in this battle between good and evil. Whoever loses will find their entire existence in question. One thing to keep in mind is not to be hasty in one’s initial assessment of things. Appearances can deceive.

Twin Lakes: Autumn Fires by Michelle Garza and Melissa Lason is a suspense-packed 5 Star read! I really enjoyed this novel a lot. Another excellent release from Sinister Grin Press that’s a winner, regardless of who takes home the awards at Stoker Con! You’re constantly kept guessing about what’s next, who are the good guys and might they be a bit less perfect than they think? Evil makes a frightening appearance and may even win the war. He reminds me a lot of George Stark, the bad guy in Stephen King’s novel The Dark Half. See if you agree!

I highly encourage you to grab a copy of Twin Lakes: Autumn Fires. The Sisters of Slaughter will take you on one hell of a wild ride with their fantastic writing. Better get ready to call out sick tomorrow, because once you start turning these pages, you won’t be able to stop! Available from all finer book retailers. If you purchase on Amazon, be sure to follow the author pages of this excellent writing team. You can also learn more by going to Twitter and visiting the Sisters of Slaughter @fiendbooks or Sinister Grin Press @SinisterGrinPre or www.sinistergrinpress.com