I was lucky enough to join the ARC tour for Aften Brook Szymanski’s new novel, KILLER POTENTIAL (July 2016, BookFish Books). Here is my five-star review, also on Goodreads:

This book kept me reading well into the night. It alternates between Yvette’s dysfunctional past and her drug-hazed present, slowly building in intensity as both worlds spiral downwards.

It’s easy to see how someone’s past informs their future, as Yvette–beginning as a small child— is an innocent victim to her mother’s withdrawal into depression and prescription drugs and her father’s constant absence. Lacking any type of guidance and support, she is left to her own devices in an attempt to protect her brother from falling in with some bad influences.

We know from the beginning she has been placed in a psychiatric hospital for mental instability and possible murder, but the slow reveal of how she got there keeps you reading. As Yvette’s world slowly crumbles, her sanity goes with it, and it’s not until the very end that you learn the story even Yvette isn’t privy to.

Interested in the downward spiral into psychosis? How our pasts influence the person we become? How about straight up, hardcore revenge? Then this is the book for you. It pulls no punches, and may leave you laughing maniacally at the end.