Title: Faithful
Author: Dean Skinner
Genre: Thriller / Psychological Thriller / Horror
Book Blurb:
"It's been 30 days now, about four and a half weeks, but it might as wel be forever because I'm in Hel . I am absolutely in Hel and apparently. . I'm atoning for my sins. ."
Body horror is just the start. Faithful is a suspense-fil ed novel a that unwinds the relationship between a captor and his victim in a cold and agonizing thirty-day plot. With a purposeful and melancholic melody, it wil have you holding your breath and body close.
From the author who brought you Broken, Paths, and Healed, al reaching and maintaining number one spots in numerous categories (#1 in Horror Short Stories, #1 in One-Hour Literature & Fiction Short Reads, #1 in 90-Minute Mystery, Thril er & Suspense Short Reads, etc.), Faithful is by far Dean Skinner's darkest novel a yet. As one reader described it, "This 90-minute book f@#ed me up for an entire week."
Excerpt:
“Whoa, tie a yel ow ribbon 'round the ole oak tree
It's been three long years; do you stil want me?
If I don't see a ribbon round the ole oak tree
I'l stay on the bus, forget about us, put the blame on me
If I don't see a yel ow ribbon 'round the ole oak tree”
It’s been 30 days now, about four and a half weeks, but it might as wel be forever because I’m in Hel . I am absolutely in Hel and apparently… I’m atoning for my sins.
The day starts like every day… Tie a Yel ow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree by Tony Orlando and Dawn (can’t believe I remember that) begins to play through the shittiest PA system ever…
warped, grainy… broken. It reminds me of how old phonographs used to sound during an episode of The Little Rascals, when they used words like “shucks”, “gee-whiz” and “sarsaparil a.” Funny, how I associate the most innocent of times with undoubtedly the darkest of mine.
Sometimes the song plays once. Sometimes the song plays twice. Sometimes the song plays for what seems to be an hour… two… maybe more… I don’t know… I just know when the song starts,
eventual y so wil the day’s torture. And inevitably, the song signifies that he wil make his appearance.
I don’t know who he is. And I don’t know why this is happening to me. Who did I piss off? Who did I cross? Sure, I can think of a mil ion men that may have an ax to grind with me, but this… this…
this is beyond anything any human… any animal for that matter, should have to. .
My internal daily detective work is interrupted by his appearance. And today, like every day, he’s sporting the look that has terrorized me since the beginning of this living nightmare: a retro, Hal oween Batman mask. . you know… the ones with the rubber band worn behind the head, and the smal slit in the mouth to barely breath; an old pair of blue mechanics overal s with an embroidered name tag that reads “Chuck”, and yeah. . I’m guessing his name isn’t Chuck. I cal ed him Chuck at first in a desperate attempt to connect with him and the beatings that fol owed were. . raging. . intense. . personal; his relic of a gym bag that looks like it’s right out of a JCPenney catalog from 1979; and of course. . those shoes. . those f#cking shoes.
I see him, hear him… shuffle across the dirt and grime of this abandoned school. A school that hasn’t heard the screams of little souls for decades. . but definitely hears mine….
Every…
Single…
Day.
Today… I notice an uncharacteristic and disturbing spring in his step. . even more so than yesterday. . f#cking yesterday. . f#cking monster. Today, my maniac is frolicking. Performing.
Sliding and gliding across the debris ridden floor, as I hear the dirt and dust crumble beneath his unmistakable shuffling running shoes. I don’t know what to make of this, and frankly, at this stage of this horror movie that I am apparently the star in, I just want to die. But I haven't died yet. And I can’t take my eyes off my tormentor’s hypnotic yet somehow familiar dance. And then… it hits me…
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What makes your featured book a must-read?
I’ll use an actual Amazon review to answer this question😉…
“Super Dark but Super Good - By far the darkest story by Dean Skinner but so good! The twist at the end is a masterpiece!”
Giveaway –
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Author Biography:
Dean is an artist and an author of supernatural thril ers. His last book, Healed, was number one on six of Amazon’s best sel er lists and remained within the top spots in multiple categories wel over a year since it was published in 2021. And his first book, Broken, held multiple top ten spots, including number one in Horror Short Stories, four years after its release in 2019.
Dean is also an artist who has painted over one hundred large-format portraits. His work has been featured in gal eries throughout the US and UK and he has been commissioned by numerous NFL athletes, including former Cleveland Browns quarterback, Baker Mayfield, and Tennessee Titans Al -Pro running back, Derrick Henry.
If you’d like to see Dean’s artwork, please visit www.instagram.com/deanskinner . If you’d like to read a recent article about Dean’s journey, please visit www.boldjourney.com/news/meet-dean-skinner
Social Media Links:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deanskinner/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dean.skinner.92