Worst Nightmares by Shane Briant

Worst Nightmares by Shane Briant is a terrifying glimpse into what happens when your worst nightmare falls into the hands of a serial killer

My book review rating: 5 stars -- Considering how I nearly gave up after the Prologue this turned into a top read!

I’ve never been a fan of horrors -- in movie or literary form -- so when Sarah asked me to read Worst Nightmares by Shane Briant I was reluctant, but since she’d sent me so many great books this year to review I decided that it was time to step outside my comfort zone and give it a try.

I settled down with the Prologue and almost gave up right away -- the book kicks off with a girl scratching all the skin off of her skull because she believes that insects are crawling inside her head :shudder:

In chapter one we’re introduced to the main character -- Dermot Nolan -- an award-winning author who is now suffering from writer’s block. Coming home one day Nolan finds a down and out stuffing a dirty envelope into his mail box -- and envelope containing a novel filled with grisly murders -- which the author wants Nolan to publish.

Just as I was starting to become intrigued chapter two brought more gruesome murder, with spiders and scorpions…

At this point I admit I gave up -- and started reading Stephenie Meyer’s The Host!

Now if I had bought this book from the store, or borrowed it from the library -- I would have taken it back. But as I was sent it to review I felt obliged to do just that, and I can’t really review a book based on a prologue and two chapters, so I decided I had better get stuck back in.

At this point I need to confess to Mr Briant that I figured out that in the early chapters every other one saw someone meeting a grisly end at the hands of the Dream Healer -- so I started to skip them! I have nothing bad to say about the story or the writing -- those chapters were just too scary for me to read!

By chapter 13 Nolan’s wife was trying to get him to pass the down and out’s novel off as his own piece of work -- and I was hooked. [And back to reading every chapter ]

If you can get handle the terror chapters this book is fast paced and full of twists and turns. Briant keeps you guessing all the way through about the identity of the Dream Healer and the origins of the grisly novel. I figured out ‘who did it’ some way before the end -- but Briant still managed to throw in some twists that I didn’t see coming.

I have to say that if this is what Briant comes up with for his debut novel I can’t wait to read his second (although thinking about it, it might be more scary than this one!). I’d be willing to wager that it will be appearing on a movie screen near you in the not to distant future too.

If you’re willing to be kept awake at night then you definitely need to read Worst Nightmares by Shane Briant -- treat yourself to a copy today!

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	Title: Publisher: Vanguard Press Average review rating:   List Price: $23.95 Sale Price: $1.26 Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Free Shipping Available
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Surprised how bad the book was compared to the reviews...   Review Date: August 24, 2010 Reviewer: Maracuya, I didn't read the reviews before buying this. I just picked it up randomly at a book store and wanted to try out a new author, and the story synopsis seemed incredibly interesting. The book was a total bore. The Dream Healer was easily found out, the book tried too hard to be scary to the point of reeking of cheese. The main character was extremely annoying. The main character's wife had no personality. She let her husband run over her like he was a huge John Deere machine. I did not care for her, feel sorry for her. I only really ended up feeling bad for one character in the book toward the end. The ending of this book was just horrible! I had to make up my own ending in my mind. There are some books that work with the "open-ended" type finality, but this just didn't work. There were a lot of moments in the book where people would do INCREDIBLY stupid things that you mostly see in cliche teenager-naked-in-the-shower "horror/slasher" movies. The book, in the end, simply reeked of cheese. It's not the worst book I've ever read. I just wish it wasn't predictable, I wish the ending made more sense, and I wish the characters had more depth and were less annoying. The only good thing about this book is that it gave me something to waste my time with while recovering from a recent surgery. It gave me "hope" that something interesting would actually happen somewhere near the end. /sigh WILL KEEP YOU TURNING THE PAGE...............   Review Date: June 6, 2010 Reviewer: Michael Reed, eagle point,Oregon I have ONLY read 2 books straight THRU THE SHINING and WORST NIGHTMARES it is a book you cannot put down.it is litrally a page turner and I read it in 5 hours in one sitting!! I have only done that with THE SHINING most horror/thrillers cannot hold my attention long enough to do this..well SHANE BRIANTS writing is CHILLING..because this could REALLY HAPPEN..alll the events that play out in WORST NIGHTMARES will give you chills and if you frighten easily..dont read it alone!! Shane has weaved together a plot so full of twists and turns that each page is a suprise and the ending..NEVER SAW IT COMING..blew me away..I suggest that if your in the mood to read something to keep you on the edge of your seat pick up a copy of WORST NIGHTMARES and PLEASANT DREAMS..he-he-he- Interview With Shane Briant: "Worst Nightmares"   Review Date: May 9, 2010 Reviewer: Michael S. Johnston, Selinsgrove, Pa Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R3Q5I35BEH2BTU Actor/author Shane Briant is a compelling, unforgettable new voice in suspense and terror fiction. In his riveting debut novel, WORST NIGHTMARES (Vanguard Press; May 2009; $19.95), Briant leads us deep into the mind of a depraved and brutal serial killer in a tale that is both a tantalizing thriller and a story of unraveling friendship, love, and betrayal. What would we do, if we discovered that the key to our deepest desire also locked us forever in our worst nightmare? Shane has starred in 36 films in the U.S.A, the U.K., Europe and Australia. He worked with Paul Newman and James Mason in 'The Mackintosh Man', played Jack Palance's son in 'Hawk the Slayer,' starred opposite Academy Award winner Cliff Robertson in 'Shaker Run' to name but a few films during this period. Worst Nightmares   Review Date: October 17, 2009 Reviewer: Michelle K. Malsbury, Florida Shane Briant, Author Worst Nightmares Vanguard Press, ISBN 978-1-59315-514-8 Fiction-horror, suspense, thriller 344 pages October 2009 Review for Bookpleasures Reviewer-Michelle Kaye Malsbury, BSBM, MM Review Shane Briant was referred to me from one of the other authors that I read and reviewed. Thank you Davis Aujourdhui for making that connection! Mr. Briant, author of Worst Nightmares, has a very storied past. He attended Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland where he studied law. (back jacket cover, 2009) He has been an actor before writing, starring in televisions shows and films opposite many famous actors; Paul Newman, Rosemary Harris, Jeremy Irons, John Hurt, Olivia DeHavilland, and more. Mr. Briant has won awards for short films he has written and even had one in contention for an Academy Award. (A Message From Fallujah) Currently he resides in Sydney, Australia. For more information about Shane Briant and this work please log on to his web site [...]. This novel is brilliantly conceived and eloquently written. The storyline is one of the most clever I've ever had the privilege to read. I believe it would translate perfectly into a movie. Thank you Shane for an amazing read! The main character of this novel is an acclaimed writer (fictional of course) residing in California, Dermot Nolan. At the moment this story takes place he is experiencing a bit of writers block. His wife, Neela, and childhood best friend, Nick Hoyle, have been trying everything they can to stimulate his writing, but have been largely unsuccessful until a strange man resembling a homeless person drops a guttural manuscript/diary into his mailbox. This manuscript describes a series of heinous murders. Dermot is not considering reading this manuscript in the beginning. His wife feels differently and she manages to get him to take a look at it. The manuscript is pathetically written, but so compelling that they cannot put it down. Eventually, the man who they believe has written this manuscript calls them and asks Dermot to get it published for him. Dermot is uncertain if this manuscript is worthy of publication and wonders why him, but after speaking at length with his wife and best friend he decides to give it a whirl. As a good citizen and serious writer Dermot is curious if this manuscript is fact or fiction so he embarks on a series of investigative journeys to places that have been described in this manuscript. He finds some very interesting things, some he shares and others he keeps to himself. Dermot is under the gun. He has taken a million dollar advance and has promised his editor that he will have a manuscript to her within a short time frame. He ends up rewriting this heinous manuscript to suit his voice, but when his wife proofreads it she disagrees and tells him to write it verbatim. He does as she said and the novel is a huge success, but there is a dark secret that remains to be reconciled. This story takes many twists and turns before it ends up leaving you, the reader, wondering if there will closure or if there will be a sequel. (By the way, Shane Briant tells me he is working on the sequel as I write.) I recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good murder mystery with a very new age and technologically timely twist. I enjoyed every page and could hardly put it down! avid reader   Review Date: October 1, 2009 Reviewer: Trixie, Lancaster, PA This is without a doubt the best book I have read in years. And what makes it even better is that the ending could bring about a sequel. I cant wait. If you are thinking of buying this book, definitely buy it. You wont regret it.
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