Eric J. Obmann October 31st

October 31st

Eric J. Obmann

In Clarion, the townsfolk plan on celebrating Halloween with costume parties. However, instead of fun and games, in different families someone loses it killing all the others. Nothing makes sense as these are good people slaughtering loved ones. The mass murderers all share one apparent common link besides their hometown; they all wore costumes designed by Wormwood Costumes.

The FBI sends Agent Monar to assist Clarion Police Detective Thakien on the investigation into homicides that defies logic as these were happy caring people who committed the atrocities against loved ones. As they investigate what happened, how and why, a shocked Mayor Delcet joins the two cops. The only lead the costume making company Wormwood Costumes sends the investigators looking into the activities of its owner Lucas Grier though his software empire is worth billions making him seem above reproach. At the same time teen hackers Trial by Fire insist they know the truth. After insuring that the teens were not behind the atrocities Monar fears that Grier will come after them next because they seem to be the only threat to expose his evil.

This exhilarating Halloween thriller starts off like a simple police procedural and in fact Monar assumes the case will be over in a few days at best; however the plot soon twists into a terrific horror tale with mystery overtones as the two cops and the mayor struggle with what occurred as much as why and how. The key threesome seem genuine especially their reactions to the calamities while the villain is creepy malevolence personified though the Trial by Fire teens seem a bit of stretch, but also a fun intriguing addition. Readers who appreciate a fast-paced action thriller will want to read OCTOBER 31ST which cleverly blends a delightful mystery inside a battle between innocent and 200 proof pure evil.

Publish America, Mar 2005, $16.95

ISBN: 1413749186

Harriet Klausner

This is the basis for Eric J. Obmann's debut horror novel, 'October 31st', released by Publish America.

The town of Clarion is about to celebrate Halloween; parties are planned and costumes are bought, but evil is lurking in a form these townspeople will never see coming, and will find very hard to believe.

As different families begin to participate in the festivities, murder also begins to manifest at the hands of the most unlikely subjects. Entire families are wiped out by one of their members, and the only common denominator is that each killer was wearing a costume made by Wormwood Costumes, run by a demonic man named, Lucas Grier.

There was something else odd, as it seems the masks these killers wore, somehow were fused to their faces, almost as if it were their own flesh. Creepy! Our three main crime fighters in this chilling novel are Detective Thakian, FBI Agent Monar and Mayor Delcet, all joining forces to try and figure out what was happening.