Swarms of powerful mosquitoes sucking victims dry. Insatiable horseflies feasting on living flesh. Huge roaches with a ferocious bite. No tent is safe at the Green Swamp Zip-Line Adventure and Campground.
Camp manager, Casey Lovitt, and entomologist, Dr. Phillip Edwards, must go up against powerful business interests and cover-ups from the local sheriff’s department to stop the deadly infestation. And with the busy tourist season fast approaching, time is running out. Will Casey and Phillip stop the onslaught of hungry bugs, or will the bodies continue to pile up among the long-buried secrets of the Green Swamp?
Book 2 in the Rewind-or-Die series: imagine your local movie rental store back in the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s, remember all those fantastic covers. Remember taking those movies home and watching in awe as the stories unfolded in nasty rainbows of gore, remember the atmosphere and textures. Remember the blood.
Title: Infested | Series: Rewind or Die | Author: Carol Gore | Publisher: Unnerving | Pub Date: 23/1/2020 | Pages: 97 | ISBN13: 978-1989206300 | Genre: Horror | Language: English | Source: Purchased | Starred Review
Casey Lovitt is the Green Swamp Zip-Line Adventure and Campground camp manager. The swamp has been her refuge since her father committed suicide and her family fell apart. Although she has a degree and could have many other career opportunities, she’s stayed near her childhood home to look after her mother, who is seldom sober.
Casey is tasked with helping entomologist Dr. Phillip Edwards. He is releasing mosquitoes into the swamp as part of a controlled study. When Casey is bitten by a giant bug, he assures her that, other than its size, it’s perfectly normal. Casey isn’t convinced, and when oversized bugs start killing and devouring wildlife, she fears for the safety of the campground guests. Casey begs the owner to shut the campground down. She’s determined to figure out why the bugs are mutating, and desperate to find a way to stop it.
This book could be classified in a lot of subcategories. The insect population is infected with a mutation, and this mutation spreads, causing the problems to increase as the story progresses. In this respect, you could say it’s a pandemic. The problem is spreading and without an evacuation the people in town will be the next victims. It’s also a revenge story. And, with the breakneck speed the plot develops at, it’s a horror with strong thriller elements.
One of the strengths of this story is that it is anything but predictable. Casey has to figure out who to trust and keep an open mind as she gathers evidence. This isn’t easy because she is attacked by giant bugs herself and desperate to protect the public.
She is also determined to find out the truth about her father’s suicide. This means that she has to process some difficult truths and come to terms with them. Casey finds herself balancing her career with her romantic interests and her family’s problems simultaneously. She’s emotionally conflicted and it’s easy to see why her judgement may be clouded. These conflicts effectively add to the tension and the twists as the story unfolds.
The author packs a lot of story into this novella and delivers a strong read with an intriguing premise and a compelling protagonist.
4 out of 5 stars
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Eliza writes YA, horror, sci fi, fantasy and crime fiction. She also reviews for Sci-Fi and Scary. Stay up to date by following her on Twitter @ElJBrandt
