Fiend

Life has been a bumpy ride for Lily Foyle. Orphaned at six, she is adopted by an uncle later convicted of the sex slayings of three women. Detective Neil Slater believes there are more victims. He is convinced that Lily, made a ward of the Crown after the murders, is harbouring terrible knowledge of the crimes. Now a young woman, addicted to drugs and employed in the sex trade, Slater sets out with the aid of a psychologist to find out.

PROLOGUE
Something had woken nine-year-old Lily…a thumping noise and a scream…there it was again, coming from the barn. She grasped her teddy bear for comfort and crept outside. Stars blazed in an inky cavern of a sky. Her bare feet moved silently across grass wet with dew. She held her nose as she passed the pigpen, the stench was awful, she’d never got used to it. The pigs squelched in mud and grunted. The screams were getting louder now, shrill and full of terror. Lily was afraid; she knew something terrible was happening. Should she go back to the house? There was a sudden high-pitched squeal, like a pig makes at the slaughter. Curiosity won out. She crouched down by the broken slat in the barn door and peered in. There are some sights so horrible…so shocking…the human mind can’t take them in. She was found the next day huddled in the woods unable to speak.
SOLSTICE PUBLISHING

LONG AND SHORT REVIEWS
"In Fiend, Karen Lewis has written a crime thriller of high suspense and compelling excitement...This is a fast moving story with prose so energetic it leaps off the page. The lightning pace is driven by some of the liveliest dialogue you’ll find anywhere. This author cleverly uses dialogue to start up and leap across chapter sub-sections, making the plot flow all the more compelling. Don’t begin this one unless you have time because you won’t want to put it down once you start.

Characterizations are excellent and they are excellent for both genders. Lewis skillfully uses a good cop/bad cop partnership to activate characters on an almost instantaneous basis, making them all the more distinct and vivid. Again, it is the vigorous dialogue that brings them to life...Fiend is a superb read. It’s mystery will keep you guessing; it’s story flow will keep you enthralled."

REVIEW FROM SENSUAL READS
"Gritty realism permeates the pages of Fiend. Karen Lewis takes us into the mind of a Fiend and we come out horrified. Lily lived through that horror and built up her own defenses. Now Neil wants to tear them down and Lily will do anything to keep them up. Neil is equally as determined especially when it appears as if the Fiend may have returned. If you enjoy your stories with healthy doses of horror, then Fiend is perfect for you. Karen Lewis is sure to get your heart rate up as you read through this story and finally meet the Fiend."

REVIEW FROM NIGHT OWL ROMANCE
"To say Lily Foyle has had a troubled life is an understatement. When she was six years old, her parents died, leaving her in the care of her aunt and uncle. When she was nine, her uncle was incarcerated for the murders of three prostitutes. Now 25, Lily is addicted to drugs and working in a seedy sex club.

Detective Neil Slater suspects there may be more victims and that Lily may have witnessed something that may help him find out the truth behind these horrible murders. With the help of a psychologist, he tries to get Lily's help. The trouble is, Lily doesn't remember anything-and she really doesn't want to. There also may be someone else who wants Lily to keep those memories repressed. More bodies turn up and the list of possible suspects and accomplice’s keeps grow.