Small town secrets can't stay buried when a disturbed dead man pesters an unwilling teenage
medium in this off-the-wall paranormal thriller.
Readers
Say:
"What a story teller, the author had me at the first page all the way to the climatic
ending."
"I couldn't put it down."
"...will keep you guessing and wondering."
"The characters and story sucked me in and wouldn't let go."
"This is writing at its finest."
"A genre-bending mystery that straddles the boundaries of time and
space."
"A literary marvel haunted by the cold and fiery dead."
“What a ride! I’m recommending this book to everyone!”
“I’d highly recommend HELL IS IN ME. Realistic and very likeable characters; a story line that is part ghost story but also has an underlying paranormal mystery to it and has just as many twists
and turns as a roller coaster ride has and is just as exciting.”
“This book deserves more readers.”
Quinn discovered he had fallen asleep on the lounge chair when birdsong awoke him in the twilight of dawn.
There was still a mist of rain falling languidly beyond the overhang of the veranda, and the air was cool. Tiny raindrops dripped off the tips of the shimmering low foliage of his mother’s
gardenia plants along the chain-link fence separating the Vanderfield property from the weedy roadside below. Quinn appreciated their beauty and the accompanying memory of his mother who loved
gardenias more than any other flower. At one time, the gardenia bushes had grown tall enough to block the view of the roadside below, but his father had pruned them last winter to reinvigorate
them. Now the view was not so pretty. Ugly, neglected scrub and unruly weeds followed the gradual descent of the hill from the fence to the flat section along the road. It was mostly low-growing
stuff that afforded an unimpeded view of the two-lane thoroughfare.
This morning, the road to and from the lake was unusually vacant, save for one older model GMC pickup
towing a small motorboat. The pickup puffed white exhaust as the driver pressed the accelerator to crest the hill. The driver slowed his vehicle at the curve where the road continued around from
the front corner of Quinn’s house to the rear in a crescent shape. Farther on, he would have to slow again for the notorious “S Curve” also known as, “Coroner’s Curve.” Beyond that, the road
became straight again. After the truck towing the boat passed, there came no others. Quinn guessed it was because of the rain and the early hour. He expected things would pick up later once the
clouds moved on.
Lethargic and vacillating between another hour’s sleep or staying up to start the day, Quinn reclined and
passively observed his surroundings, delighted in the fragrance of rain, gardenias, and wet soil, and felt lulled into a state of near hypnosis by the rhythmic patter of raindrops. He seldom felt
this relaxed and, although a part of him wished to surrender to sleep, another part of him felt compelled to take in the beauty of this rare early summer rain. So he watched the world awaken,
watched the birds begin their morning rituals, watched the first rays of light emerge at the horizon.
Something moved among the scrub beyond the fence, something tall and shadow-like. Quinn at first thought
it was an animal, perhaps a big raccoon or coyote standing up on its hind legs. Quinn dismissed that thought when it drew closer to the fence, and then he didn’t know what to
think.
Concurrently, the vibration commenced in his body, rolled up from his toes to the top of his head where it
exploded into a million screaming stars in his brain. His skin tingled as if electrified.
Another one.
A dark form, human in shape but almost translucent, emerged through the thick scrub and began to ascend the hill
toward the terrace. Initially thinking his eyes and the dim gray light of morn was playing tricks on him, Quinn sat up and watched the slowly ambling figure as it approached the chain-link fence
at the property line. The longer he observed it, the more he concluded it was a man, but not an ordinary man. The blackness surrounding the man’s form shimmered, contracted, expanded, shimmered
again, contracted again, expanded again. The process continued in an endless pattern of shimmer, contraction, and expansion as he trudged up the rise of the hill toward the chain-link fence at
the Vanderfield yard.
Quinn could feel the visitor’s innermost emotions; it made him nauseous.
Confused, lost, burdened, and broken, this strange entity wandered along the chain-link fence until the
fence caught his attention. He stopped and stared at it, placed his soiled fingers through the links and tugged on them. It seemed to Quinn the barrier made no sense to him. The ghostly man's
aura shimmered again and then expanded in front of him like a parasite tasting its environment. The aura passed through the chain-link fence and quickly projected itself into the yard in Quinn’s
direction. Quinn ducked as the aura, still attached to its host, shot over his head and landed on the wall behind him. Eight tentacles sprung out of its mass. It wandered upon the surface like a
giant shimmering black spider on a long fat leash. Quinn watched it, curious and repulsed, his breath coming in short spurts. Never had he seen anything like this. Abruptly, it retracted its
tentacles and propelled itself onto Quinn's chest. It immersed itself into his body in one sinking movement. Quinn had no time to react and brush it off. Now helpless, he felt tingling and heat
spread through his body as the thing’s energy scanned his core. His heart suddenly raced as his terror grew with the realization the aura discovered the gift he had hidden and had transmitted the
knowledge to its host. Quinn folded into himself in reaction to the sudden chill in his body as the spectral man rapidly sucked the aura energy back. It made Quinn picture a tape measure rolling
back to its source. It entirely enveloped its host upon reunion.
The dark shimmering man stepped through the fence and, satisfied, gazed at Quinn with a slow and
triumphant smile at their sudden connection. Their eyes locked. Quinn’s breathing and heartbeat increased. His mouth went dry. This thing, man, demon, whatever it was, was
unlike any of the roving dead he had ever encountered. Frozen in place, he could only gape wide-eyed at it. Slowly, the man faded away. Somehow, Quinn understood he would
return.
Quinn felt his ribcage release its vice grip around his heart and lungs. He inhaled deeply, pursed his
lips and released his breath. He closed his eyes, panted slowly and gently, inhaled and exhaled, each breath decreasing the speed and power of the blood surging through his arteries. He could
hear his heart beating in his ears, could feel the percussion in his chest slowing, slowing.
He opened his eyes. He wished he hadn’t.
The dead man was bent nose to nose in front of him, and their eyes locked again. Dead eyes. Eyes veiled
behind a thin viscose white crowned by thick black eyebrows. As if that wasn’t frightening enough, he reeked of pungent chemicals and regurgitated cheap whisky.
“D—don’t…” Quinn whispered, recoiling.
The voice was raspy, playfully taunting, “Don’t what?”
He couldn’t control the trembling of his body or the tremor in his voice. “I can’t help
you.”
Man, creature, demon, thing… it didn’t seem to breathe. It mouthed words, but the sound of the words transmitted
from its mind as it replied gently, “You can, and you will.”
Its only clothing was the shimmering black aura that continued to expand and contract. Yet, everything else
about it impressed Quinn as intrinsically human. Suddenly, its aura spit colorful pinpoint fragments of energy that died within seconds of meeting the air. The colorful emissions triggered a
recent memory in Quinn’s mind of seeing this thing along the road when he and Stephanie were returning from the library – that same day Bruno and Farley pulled over to hassle him just for fun.
How long had this entity been stalking him? And what in hell was it?
“What… what are you?”
“The sum of my errors.”
“God forgives.”
“God forsakes.”
Quinn’s voice came as a plea. “Go away.”
It leaned its face closer to Quinn’s. “I’ve come a long way for this.”
Quinn could barely speak. “…can’t help you.”
The man smiled ever so slightly, enough to exude an underlying gentleness. His voice was full of patience and
encouragement as he told Quinn, “You can, and you will.” He broke into a grin that deepened the cavernous lines upon his decaying face. He giggled softly and said in a singsong manner, “Scaredy
cat. You pissed your pants.”
I sure did, Quinn realized ashamedly.
From Author Joel R. Dennstedt:
Upon first glance, one assumes that Hell Is In Me by Colleen A. Parkinson is a supernatural
thriller. Okay, it is. But it is so much more nuanced than what you would expect from such a facile expectation. First, it is significantly more literary than much of what passes for this genre
in today’s general market. Sometimes, even more than King. Second, this remarkable book meticulously avoids clichés, requiring the reader to reassess even hellish creatures for their motivations.
And third, it does not rely on the myriad of unbelievable plot twists common in so many books today. No, this is writing at its finest. With complex, believable characters developed by an author
who understands the natural contradictions, inconsistencies, and inevitable compulsions held by real people in this world. And all of this makes Ms. Parkinson’s supernatural thriller a literary
accomplishment worth savoring.
Colleen A. Parkinson presents the reader with several interesting, engaging,
highly-nuanced individuals in Hell Is In Me. Again, no clichés here. Quinn may be a young man who sees dead people, especially when restoring a long-forgotten cemetery. Stephanie may be his
exuberant but socially distant girlfriend. Caleb may be a mystery, but likable. And Jake may be a demon or disenchanted ghost. None of this, however, will tell you who they really are. Instead,
Ms. Parkinson performs her task by exquisitely revealing them to each other over the course of a truly wonderful story, masterfully told. Again, this is a book to savor, not to devour piggishly
in greedy gulps. Unless, of course, like me, you simply cannot stop reading until its perfect end.
http://www.joelrdennstedt.com/2020/05/28/joel-r-dennstedt-review-11/?fbclid=IwAR3HCf0J_BgttFkNzlDTXMXDpD-orp-sayaRbn2JMLU7Yiwm_9BsVUbL2mM
From Beverly Ali via Facebook:
Oct. 23, 2021
This book is
a MUST read!! One of my all time favorite books! The characters really come alive and I was completely drawn into the story! It is absolutely amazing!!! I felt the storm! I felt what Quinn, Steph, and Farley felt!! I am
so impressed and will definitely be recommending this book to EVERYONE!!
John Allred
5.0 out of 5 stars A Complex Story Beautifully Told
Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2020
Verified Purchase
Colleen A. Parkinson weaves words together wonderfully. She introduces us to fascinating characters (physical and spectral) as
she deftly unfolds the plot & subplots. I want to be invested in everyone who plays a role in a developing story, even the "bad guys". In this story it is easy to do. Quinn, Stephanie, and
all of the supporting characters are genuine & well developed. I also like a "happy ending". Hopefully it's not a spoiler to inform that I got that in HELL IS IN ME. Not a "lived happily ever
after" ending though... more fun than that. There's some real scary stuff that develops, and it gets resolved. Even better though, there is personal growth & redemption. I love that
stuff!
Reviewed in the United States on April 4,
2021
A
fascinating and very well written novel and as with any good story one that will keep you guessing and wondering as you're teased with a bit more of the backstory.
Parkinson knows teenagers, how they rib and bait and bully, she knows the insecurity of teenage boys who don’t want to look weak but want to fight their own battles. We're
rooting for Quinn all the way as he grows in confidence and when, back at school, sees off his bullies.
Hell Is In Me is well plotted and keeps you in suspense, with beautiful descriptions and spot-on portrayal of complex and flawed characters. Parkinson writes with skill,
beauty and humour. She excels in authentic and witty conversation and this supernatural story has a satisfying ending. I was sad to leave these characters. 5 stars.
Chantelle Atkins's review
Jun 01, 2020
really liked it
Having previously enjoyed The Finest Hat In The World by this author, I was keen to read her next book. For me, this novel had some things
in common with the first; great writing, classic story-telling, believably flawed and likable characters and a gentle, slow burn approach which drew me in and made me feel at home. What's
different about this book is the content and genre; a dark ghost story mixed with a coming-of-age/teenage angst storyline. Quinn is a troubled teen who has been acting out since the death of his
mother. His father copes by leaning on alcohol. Quinn can't keep his mouth shut at school so is a frequent victim of the town bullies. The only place he feels happy and secure is at the old
family graveyard on their property. Quinn starts to tend the site, gently and lovingly uncovering old graves and in doing so, meets Stephanie, the new girl in town. They have something in common,
as she has recently lost her father. They also both have interesting skills. For instance Quinn can see dead people and is often in conversation with ghosts, and Stephanie can tell what people
are thinking and feeling. An unlikely friendship evolves slowly, as Quinn warms up to Stephanie and together they uncover the graves and the stories attached to them. This endeavor leads them to
discover an old connection between their families and when Quinn is visited and threatened by the angry ghost of Jacob, they join forces to find out what he wants. There is far more to this
story, but I don't want to ruin it with spoilers. It's a unique book, in my opinion, both a family mystery and a tragedy, as well as a ghost story and a coming-of-age tale. It covers this genres
perfectly and therefore has something for everyone. Highly recommended.
Top review from India
Siri
5.0 out of 5 stars A great story.. an exciting read!
Reviewed in India on 22 September 2020
Now, this is one book that once you start reading you will not want to keep it down. It’s a great story
with interesting characters and good plot twists that will keep you on the edge. The journey of our young boy with a troubled life that has an unconventional outlook and how his life takes a
turn. An action-packed journey – a roller coaster of emotions. Looking forward to more from this author.
