Review ~ LYING SEASON (Experiment in Terror, #4) by Karina Halle

Ama­teur ghost-hunter Perry Palomino has bat­tled ghosts, fought off skin­walk­ers and skirted the fine line between life and death. But can she sur­vive bunk­ing down in Seat­tle for a week with her partner (and man she secretly loves) Dex and his perfect girl­friend, Jennifer? And can she do so while being tor­mented by a mali­cious spirit from Dex’s increas­ingly shady past? With love and life in the bal­ance, Perry must dis­cover the truth among the lies or risk los­ing every­thing she's ever cared about. ~ From GoodReads

LYING SEASON, book four in the Experiment in Terror Series, centers around the ever-freaking-adorable Perry Palomino and her partner (and would-be love) Dex Foray. In this installment, Perry and Dex are investigating a reportedly haunted mental institution in Seattle.  Scary, huh? Turns out, that scenario is not nearly as scary as the fact that Perry is spending the week with Dex in his apartment... oh, and his longterm girlfriend, Jenn, too. Let the fun begin.

Damn. That pretty much sums up my feelings at this moment. When I finished LYING SEASON a few hours ago,  I thought I should probably sit on my thoughts for a day or two and let everything settle. But I don't think waiting will change anything.  So here goes...

LYING SEASON. What a perfect name for this book. Perry and Dex have never been wholly upfront to one another, about their complicated and turbulents pasts, certainly not about their feelings towards one another. But the level of dishonesty is ratcheted up to a new, disturbing level in this book. Like I said, Dex has never been totally honest about his history. In LYING SEASON, though, Dex's protective shell begins to chip away, and he begins to reveal pieces of himself to Perry. It's haunting, disturbing, and quite heartbreaking. I've never seen Dex this vulnerable. I don't think he'd ever been this open with anyone before, even Jenn. Only Perry does he trust. But then he reveals these secrets he's been keeping from Perry. Things that don't seem to be a huge deal to an outsider, but have a tremendous impact on her and show her how truly selfish he can be. He just... I don't know. I love Dex, I honestly do (cue the Olivia Newton-John music), but sometimes, I want to slap the literal sh*t out of him.

And Perry, sweet Perry. This girl, she keeps going, no matter what life (and Dex) put her through. She's starting to gain some much needed confidence now. And I love that. And she always acts with the best of intentions. But she turns a dark corner in LYING SEASON. What she does...it made me so disappointed in her. I still love her. I totally get why she does it, and know that she does have good intentions. But I wanted to climb into my book and shake the girl. You cannot mess with people's minds and bodies like that, Perry!

And Jenn. I gave you a fair chance. I was determined that there must be something worthy in you if Dex loves you. Screw that. For all the fans of the series who've wanted to know Jenn better. Here's your chance.

Even though the series is called Experiment in Terror, LYING SEASON is the first book in the series that made me nearly pee my pants from fright. The other books did have tense, scary moments, but nothing that compares to this scenario. What is more terrifying than a mental institution? A haunted one at that? Compound that with a ghoulish blast from Dex's past and you have a true Experiement in Terror.

LYING SEASON definitely left me with more questions than answers. The last few chapters had me reading with my eyes bugging out and my hand over my mouth so I wouldn't swear in front of my kids. The chemistry between Dex and Perry has never been hotter. The stakes have never been higher. The dialogue, internal and verbal, has never been sharper or as laugh-out-loud funny. I must give Halle some serious credit. She is a master at bringing the characters and story up to the very cusp of happiness, then pulling the rug right out from under them. She has never given Dex and Perry an easy road, or an easy out.  And I suspect that will be the case until the very end. The ending to LYING SEASON...I'm still shattered. The fact that I'm still shell-shocked is a compliment to Halle's writing. I am excited, anxious, and terrified to read book five in the series ON DEMON WINGS.


Favorite Quote:

" 'What are you saying?' I asked softly.
'I'm saying that you're like my best friend,' he said. 'You are my best friend, and I could never let pills take away what makes you, you. Your heart. And your beautiful soul.' " (pg. 213, ARC)


Published December 13th 2011 by Metal Blonde Books

My review of DARKHOUSE (Experiment in Terror, #1).

My review of RED FOX (Experiment in Terror, #2).

My review of DEAD SKY MORNING (Experiment in Terror, #3).

You can purchase LYING SEASON at:
Barnes & Noble  |  Book Depository  |  Amazon

Source: I received an ARC of LYING SEASON from the author, for review purpose.

Exclusive: The Dead Sky Morning Book Trailer Release and Giveaway!

With the Experiment in Terror show finding some success, amateur ghost hunters Perry Palomino and Dex Foray embark on their most terrifying investigation yet. A tiny, fog-shrouded island in the rough strait between British Columbia and Washington State has held a dark secret for decades: It was a former leper colony where over forty souls were left to rot, die and bury each other. Now a functioning campground, Perry and Dex spend an isolated weekend there to investigate potential hauntings but as the duo quickly find out, there is more to fear on D’Arcy Island than just ghosts. The island quickly pits partner against partner, spiraling the pair into madness that serves to destroy their sanity, their relationship and their very lives.

The Dead Sky Morning Trailer

The Making of the Trailer

Book trailers are popping up everywhere these days, from high-budget, cinematic versions to simple title cards and public domain music. It’s a dicey experiment, one that some authors believe translate into book sales, while others think they are a waste of time and money. After making trailers for my first two Experiment in Terror novels, Darkhouse and Red Fox, I think book trailers are somewhere in the middle. Anything you put out there helps to market and create exposure for your novel – but whether it generates actual sales, well that remains to be seen.

Regardless, for my third book, Dead Sky Morning, I wanted something a little different. The novel is set off the coast of British Columbia – where I happen to live – on an actual island you can sail to. Well, sort of. See, D’Arcy Island is as inhospitable in real life as it is in my novel, so I had to settle for a quick jaunt to a closer, safer island. But I’m getting ahead of myself here…

I treated Dead Sky Morning’s trailer like a mini horror movie and a great way for a bunch of my extremely creative friends to showcase their talents and gain experience in the process. Kelly has a degree in film and has worked on various student projects and decided to take on the dedicated task of directing. Molly works as a PA and editor down in Los Angeles, and flew up here with equipment to act as director of photography and the editor. Kelly’s husband Alex is a chef…he handled the lights. And tent set-up! The gorgeous Talar (playing Perry) is a theatre actress, looking to take on more film roles. Scott (playing Dex) is a singer and musician who had just moved to Vancouver from Montreal and thought the project would be a great way to meet people (it was). And Bret, well EIT artist Bret thought playing Ranger Bill would make him the most badass ranger in town (it did).

As for me? Well, aside from locations and script, I honestly didn’t do too much. I mean, my work was done when I wrote the book. But I can tell you I did a good job of running down the dock and scaring away seagulls whose loud cries were interrupting the shoot.

Speaking of the shoot, I enlisted the help of my father, Captain Sven, who took us out on his sailboat to a small, remote island to spend a few hours shooting the majority of the scenes. Fortunately, unlike the island in the book, this one did not have zombies and rabid raccoons running around. We’re all very gracious for his time and energy, and unlike the time we shot Darkhouse, no one lost their lunch over the side of the boat.

The second day of shooting was also quite interesting. I scouted a beautiful grove in Vancouver’s Stanley Park to act as the island’s interior scenes. Little did I realize, we were actually filming in some sort of secret sex spot where gay men go to hook up. I’m not kidding. That was the most interesting couple of hours ever, as man after man could be seen wandering amidst the trees, wondering when we were going to wrap up filming so they could get back to their “activities.”

After the shoot was done, Molly and Kelly went through the long and challenging task of editing. Then came the music, courtesy of Raissa who is currently doing a music degree in New Zealand. As you can see, the Dead Sky Morning trailer is a collaboration of many different creative individuals from many different countries, all of whom I am proud to call my friends.

 And now for the GIVEAWAY!

 

To celebrate the long-awaited release of the trailer, I’m teaming up with Bookish Babes to offer a giveaway of four signed Experiment in Terror paperbacks to any reader within North America, as well as this exclusively-designed tank top in any size (don’t worry, the graphic will make sense when you read Dead Sky Morning).  

*aside from Andrea: It makes PERFECT sense.*

Also, Darkhouse is now FREE on Kindle for January 3- 4^th till midnight! Pick up your copy on Amazon HERE (link to http://experimentinterror.com/2012/01/02/darkhouse-free-on-kindle-jan-3-4th/ )

So, you ask, how do you win all of this awesome. Easy. Fill the form below and tweet your little hearts out.  Good Luck!

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