EXCERPT and GIVEAWAY
Gates of Perdition
(The Belcorte Murders Book 2)
(The Belcorte Murders Book 2)
by R. P. Kraul
Gates of Perdition is the second book in R. P. Kraul's Belcorte Murders series. It is the prequel to Mirrors of Anguish.
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Description
Mary watches in awe as a man plays guitar at gloomy Indianhead Reservoir. His skill is astonishing. But Mary is in the wrong place at the wrong time.
This man is a physiological oddity who suffered wicked abuse at the hands of his foster parents - for which he took revenge. He wants to be normal and whole again, but a manipulative psychiatrist has wakened the demons.
Mary will spend her last days chained in a basement -until she bears the child of a madman the media will call the Indianhead River Killer.
He will become Pennsylvania’s most prolific serial killer, and he will wreck the lives of the people in Belcorte. Twin Peaks meets The Silence of the Lambs in Gates of Perdition, the prequel to Mirrors of Anguish.
Excerpt
Kurst Hellerman pulled a gold key from his pocked and unlocked the door to the study.
It was then that Arthur Townsend met the Monster of Belcorte. He sat in Hellerman’s study, tucked in the leather lounge chair. His eyes were closed. Immediately Arthur noticed the scars from his abusive background. His foster parents, Kurst said, had been devoutly religious. His foster father, in fact, had been a minister. The upbringing of this patient—Kurst called him Patient X—was riddled with malevolence.
When they had entered the room, Patient X’s eyes had flickered open, but he did not speak. Only the heaving of his chest indicated his heart still beat, that blood still surged through his veins.
Kurst circled the leather chair, stood behind the patient, and placed a palm each on his shoulders. “I’ve brought a friend. Would you like to meet my friend?”
Patient X’s gaze traveled from oblivion and fell on Arthur. One side of his face was so badly burned that he looked half human and half … something else. Maybe an opossum, its fur burned down to its pink skin.
As Arthur would replay that image in his mind the next several weeks—as the months traveled by, he would remember it as an image of great horror. And sometime he would wake in the black of night, startle and jump up in bed, and that face, that terribly ruined face, was imprinted in his mind.
For now, though, he felt a wave of sadness—a sadness that squeezed his heart and pricked at his throat. Who had done these things to another human being? What cowardly monster? That his parents were responsible, that this man had suffered at the hands of parents who worshiped a figurehead named Jesus—likely a delusional schizophrenic like the Muslim Muhammad—left him not terribly surprised. And despite this wave of sadness, Arthur felt threatened. He was compelled to leave the room.
Patient X said, “I can smell her perfume on you. Where is she?”
Who was he referring to? Heaven forbid, was it Margaret, or was it one of his self-aggrandizing hussies who sat in his—
No, it was Margaret. He hadn’t lectured, not since this morning. With the word “who” on his lips, Arthur gazed across at Kurst, who was lost in his own delusional grin, those eyes burning like pilot lights.
Praise for the Book
" ... this novel is an absolute masterpiece of intricacy, balancing and weaving together a number of developed story lines and ideas. I am impressed by the sheer amount of time, subject matter and characters covered within this novel and how all of these things are fused into one book so seamlessly." ~ Chelsy
"There’s a lot to love here with the complexity, if that is your story. This isn’t one of those high-concept books. It’s more literary in nature, more concerned about the characters. As you will see in the reviews of the author’s other book, the descriptions here are sublime. This is a writer who can truly paint a vivid picture. Sometimes, in fact, it’s a beautiful picture, and other times it’s a horrific picture. There are some truly memorable dark scenes in this book, and if you read it, you’ll probably know what I mean." ~ LC
"This is one of my favorite books by this author. He's a master storyteller with an eye for intricate detail that makes the story come alive. The characters in this story were sublime. It is a rare author who can pull off humor with dark themes, but he manages to do it. This is a true nailbiter that will have you on the edge of your seat. It's not for the faint of heart, either, as there are some gory scenes. But the psychological horror is what really stands out, and the author weaves that into the story with a deft hand that makes you come away feeling like you didn't just read a book, but had an EXPERIENCE. This book stayed with me long after I read it, as did Book 1 in this series. I look forward to reading more from this author. His stories are both enjoyable and truly unique." ~ Amazon Customer
"This is horror at its finest, and to be honest, though I hadn't though it possible, I enjoyed this book even more than the first. I can't wait to see what RP Kraul has in store for us next." ~ Book Crazy
"The protagonist is a complex, multi-layered character. In my opinion, Gates of Perdition is character-driven novel, with Kraul developing interesting backstories for many of the characters. The writing is descriptive, graphic and telling, effectively relaying scary, mysterious, and emotional scenes to the reader. The plot is paced well, with ample time for development of the story before crescendoing. I’d recommend this to anyone who wants to read a serial killer novel with developed characters and tight descriptive writing." ~ J. Linson
From the Author
Gates of Perdition, the prequel to Mirrors of Anguish, is the most challenging book I've written so far. The book has a large cast of characters and covers a fairly large timeframe - at least larger than I've been accustomed to. We travel backward in time more than twenty years prior to Mirrors of Anguish. Even so, I would highly recommend that you read Mirrors first - that is, if you intend to read both books. I certainly hope so.
Gates of Perdition is a story of regret, manipulation, and revenge. It's a story about how perceptions vary. You're a savior. You're a fiend.
About the Author
R. P. Kraul was enamored of horror from a young age, where he would sneak down to the family room with his mother sleeping, turn on that big console television - think 1970s here - and watch a double shot of horror on Pittsburgh's Chiller Theater.
He then took to creative writing, borrowing pieces of his favorite films. Today, he writes a unique blend of literary mystery and horror - throw in some crime now and then. It's one part H. P. Lovecraft and one part David Lynch and one part Kurt Vonnegut - and probably some other stuff, too. He is author of three books: Mirrors of Anguish, Demon of the Fall, and Gates of Perdition. He also co-authored Dangerous Grace, a soon-to-be-released erotic thriller.
Giveaway
Enter the blitz-wide giveaway for a chance to win an ebook copy of Mirrors of Anguish by R. P. Kraul.
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