Chain Reading

Reviewed by Shawnee Goodnight

FBI Agent Caitlin Diggs is called back to work after facing a devastating tragedy. With her own focus on avenging the death of her partner, she must first track down a killer possessed by an ancient crystal that has a vendetta of its own.

The crystal has been waiting for over a hundred years to find someone to control and in the Colorado wilderness, teenage runaway Shenk is just the mentally troubled person the crystal need to unleash its supernatural powers.

However, Agent Diggs is not the only one after the killer. Hidden within her midst is a devious organization called the "Right Hand" that have been looking for a way to control the will of all civilization and the crystal is just what they need to complete their goal. And Agent Diggs is in their way.

With a sentient crystal that feeds on the darkest bloody desires of its hosts, Agent Diggs must stop the killer and destroy the crystal without falling prey to its desire for vengeance herself.

In Blood Web, Gary Starta has written a supernatural thriller with a charismatic leading character and some of the most despicable villains I have encountered in my reading in a while.

Questions for the author:

I noticed Blood Web is the first of a series of books about Caitlin Diggs. Have you finished writing any others in the series?

Yes, the next in the series is definitely in the works, just a question of when it will publish. I am even playing around with ideas for book three.

And can you give us a sneak peek into what happens next with Caitlin?

Caitlin now empowered with nocturnal visions becomes targeted by a secret organization run by a rogue member of a government agency. Eventually she will learn her current murder investigation is linked with the organization which just may have definitive answers about Geoffrey McAllister's (her former partner and lover) death. She will also learn she has a role in the fate of humankind.

Many male authors tend to write their leading character as males but you have chosen a female lead. What inspired you to create Caitlin (as opposed to a Carl)?

I simply feel it was high time a female took the lead role. I even gave her a female partner. Dana Scully was such a strong character in The X-files proving a female lead can captivate an audience.

In Blood Web you provided a lot of information on organic chemistry and geology. How much research did this novel entail for you?

I did a lot of reading via the greatest tool authors have nowadays - the Internet! I try to base my ideas upon scientific basis, hopefully leaving the reader wondering if such things could ever happen and making the story a bit more credible hopefully.

As a fan of science fiction and horror novels, what would you say scares you the most?

I would say the scariest monster of all is the human one. The wickedest or most devious thoughts are often borne from the human brain, and because of that I tend to believe humans are sometimes more frightening than the supernatural creatures which hide in the shadows. The most despicable humans walk among us in the light.

As an added bonus, a copy of Blood Web is to be raffled off to a reader. Enter by signing the guestbook at www.uponfurtherreview.org. To view other comments you just need to click on the View Guestbook tab.

The drawing will be held the first week in January. The winner will be announced on the website under Raffle Winners, and on the discussion group at Shelfari.