It was supposed to be a quiet end to a long day: five close-knit family and friends settling in for some much-needed sleep after coming together for an early Christmas party. This book now sits on the short list of favorite reads this year. The Invasion is filled with enough tension to make you anxious and love every minute at the same time. When I finished I thought it would make a great movie. This book had me engrossed and I couldn’t put it down. No one is safe this night, not even the house is able to escape the brutality. They torture and kill each house guest one at a time while filming each scene. They terrorize Debra and her house guests with no mercy and enjoy the torture in a way only a psychopath can.

The characters are easy to fall in love with and the antagonists are a special kind of crazy. This story is brutal and unforgiving from the moment of the break in to the minute the fear squad leave. It makes the fear more real and far more terrifying with the known and unknown both waiting for you. The isolation is both physical and psychological and in the dark environment plays with your mind. Then he adds another layer and the story takes place over one evening in the dead of night adding to the horror that occurs during the home invasion.Ī young and crazy group of twenty somethings terrorizes the family torturing them one at a time. The house is a character in of itself along with the family living inside.

He uses it as a tool to bring the story to life. He isn’t afraid to give us the map and worry we will hold him to it. Every room is described with such complete detail I could do a walk thru in my mind’s eye. The story moves from room to room with complete accuracy while feeling free-flowing. He didn’t just make it for the sake of having a cool ‘map’ of where the story be occur. Page one has the floor plan of the house. It may seem small but it let me know he has a complete grasp how to layout his narrative.

This is the kind of book you start and don’t put down, well maybe for a bit of sleep but not much else.īrett McBean gave me something I really enjoy but don’t see often. This book not only met my expectation but exceeded them. I sat down thinking it would be a great read based on the synopsis and the words of just one review. This is one of those times I glad as hell I read an author I’ve not only not read before and one I’m not even familiar with. I’m an avid reader and the odds aren’t always in my favor. When I’m given the chance to read a new author I never know what I’ll find. Review copy provided as part of The Invasion blog tour.

The Mother by Brett McBean