HANDS
Wayne Henninger
READER COMMENTS
“The book has so many captivating characters, including the town itself. It’s as if it has its own voice. I never lived in a small town, so seeing how everyone reacted to the game was an eye-opening lesson.”
“Not many books can combine a bizarre world with unique humor, and life-and-death scenarios like HANDS. It blends fantastical with reality so well. Throw in a murder and a love story – the book has it all!
“I wasn’t sure what Anthony was going to do at the end. I let out a sigh of relief when I found out. The moment he confronts the secret he’s subconsciously kept buried for thirty years is presented so well.”
Anthony, a man with a three-decade-long secret stumbles on a Hawkins-esque town (Stranger Things) where misfits play a haunting and disturbing game. The contest has turned the impoverished town upside down with families and friends battling over the game’s morality. Is it a harmless game of chance or something way more sinister?
When the town’s hellraiser disappears, the game takes a deadly turn, with all eyes on the misfits. As Anthony begins to figure out the truth, he’s forced to protect his newfound girlfriend, and confront what he has kept buried inside him for years.
FROM THE BOOK
“I try to guess what the giant’s unseen torso might look like – buried under the tons of rock, dirt and sludge – wrenched, pained and restricted from both manufactured and authentic weight of existence and beyond. I’m drawn to the symbolism. I’m drawn to the fight. I’m drawn to my own fear and eventual awakening each time I encounter the artwork’s final piece – the hand.”
The Bad Taste of Thirst
Wayne Henninger
READER COMMENTS
“I felt like I was in the scenes in the amusement park. I could smell the funnel cakes, feel the rollercoaster’s rumble, hear the oom-pa-pa music from the carousel, and taste the candy apples.”
“The book does a remarkable job of addressing society’s intense thirst for fame, and how far people will go to achieve it, including murder. I loved learning about the weird underbelly world of wannabees.”
“A whodunnit that had me guessing throughout the book. I loved the twists and turns at the end. And, that scene where Anthony talks to his mother – I cried tears of joy.”
Anthony, a documentary filmmaker, visits a quaint, amusement park that offers thrilling rides and entertainment from top impersonators. The fun quickly ends as the park’s top draw goes missing. As Anthony pieces together what could have happened, he discovers a wonderfully bizarre, cutthroat world where superstar copycats have a difficult time differentiating celebrity and celebrity lookalike. Anthony learns their uncontrollable thirst for fame can drive them to do the unthinkable, but in a setting that also includes rabid fans, employee misfits, and peculiar park visitors, almost anyone could be responsible for the presumed murder.
FROM THE BOOK
“And, while it is light-years more innocent than serial and spree killings, all you have to do to spot our internal need for stardom, no matter how brief, is to turn on any professional sporting event, and watch how people will kick, claw, and knock over grandma just to get on camera for three seconds.”
HOPE LOST
Wayne Henninger
Reader Comments
“A week after reading this, I still thought of Hope. She spoke to me. Too many women can identify with her pain and abuse. Captivating character. Captivating book.”
“I feel like I fell in love with Key. He knew the force he was going up against and what he was risking. He sharpened his tines and went to work. My hero!”
“That last scene! Wow! Some readers will question what Key did, but I didn’t. A gripping ending. I was in tears. So heartfelt.”
HOPE LOST redefines the modern anti-hero, and is a lesson in recognizing abuse, and simply doing what is right.
Key has never gotten over his high-school crush, and just when she’s reintroduced to him, she gets involved with the most popular man in a town filled with his devotees.
For years, Key was loyal to the town’s unofficial mayor, but he painfully begins to recognize the real man. He chips away at his tainted allegiance to allow love to make a daring dash to the forefront. In doing so, Key’s beloved small town turns on him in the cruelest of ways.
FROM THE BOOK
“I didn’t want any light. Light meant life, and I felt as dead as Hope. If it could have extinguished the moon and stars, I would have.”
“Everyone knows it’s hard burying a loved one. Imagine, though, what it’s like being the one who actually brings shovel to ground.”