Lying Season (Experiment in Terror #4)
by Karina Halle
Published December 2011
AmaÂteur ghost-hunter Perry Palomino has batÂtled ghosts, fought off skinÂwalkÂers and skirted the fine line between life and death. But can she surÂvive bunkÂing down in SeatÂtle for a week with her partner (and man she secretly loves) Dex and his perfect girlÂfriend, Jennifer? And can she do so while being torÂmented by a maliÂcious spirit from Dex’s increasÂingly shady past? With love and life in the balÂance, Perry must disÂcover the truth among the lies or risk losÂing everyÂthing she’s ever cared about.
My Thoughts:
Let me just start off by saying kudos to those people who were able to read this book as it came out and wait patiently for book five. I would not have been one of those patient, sane people contentedly sitting by during the interim between books with the giant game-changer of an ending for this book. Bravo, Karina Halle for making me love a series so much that I devoured one book right after another without taking a break in between. I’ve yet to grow bored with Perry and Dex.
With the company Christmas party coming up and a haunted still functioning insane asylum to investigate, Dex invites the very-much-in-love-with-him Perry to stay with him and his live in girlfriend, Jennifer, at their apartment in Seattle for the week. This is a bad idea on so many levels, with Perry’s aforementioned feelings for Dex, Jennifer’s sickly sweet yet transparent attempts at being nice to Perry, and the fact that there’s a female ghost from Dex’s dark past turning up that only Perry can see.
Perry is hurting in this book. She’s agreed to stay with Dex on the advice of her uncle, hoping that by the end of the trip he’ll be out of her system and they can just be friends, allowing her to move on with her life. But her dark past keeps threatening to pop up and with them, her old fears that aren’t so buried, and the lies flow freely–to herself and to her new coworkers, and especially to Dex when he really needs her to be honest with him. And all of this leads to a lot of bad decisions and bad behavior on Perry’s part.
Dex has the most to lose and hide. No one really knows what’s going on inside of him or what has happened in his past (even his girlfriend Jen has no clue), but a week of Perry within such close proximity to him threatens all that he holds secret and close to himself. He knows that there’s a deep connection that he shares with Perry, but will they finally act on their true feelings? While he’s still the driven, arrogant, sexy Dex that we know and love, he’s thrown off his game because Perry has pulled a fast one on him unbeknownst to him, and this leads to some horrible outbursts from him too.
Lying Season is my favorite book in this series so far, and I give it five creepy dolls out of five. Complex characters that aren’t on their best behavior because they’re cornered combined with some truly dark scares in the mental institution investigation make for a truly enjoyable horror novel that is so much more. The will they-won’t they tension of the budding romance between Perry and Dex is blistering in this installment, and hardcore fans like me finally get some pay off with a side of “Oh, hell no. Don’t end it like that!” But lucky for us, the next book is available now.
If you’re curious, my reviews of Darkhouse (Experiment in Terror #1) (free on Amazon), Red Fox (Experiment in Terror #2), Dead Sky Morning (Experiment in Terror #3)
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Are all five out? This sounds like I’d want to read them all in a row (after putting on my big girl pants and grabbing a dog for protection from the unseen!). Love that you’re still so into them! So awesome when that happens.
Mary @ BookSwarm recently posted..Waiting on…THE COLDEST GIRL IN COLDTOWN by Holly Black
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There’s six books out right now, with number seven coming out in June (and it’s the first being told in Dex’s POV–I’m super excited). There’s also three novella’s available.
If you’re still unsure of the horror/ghosty aspects of the story (which are not the main focus of the books), just read them during the day. That’s my advice. But these are books that you shouldn’t miss because the author has written such a real and heart-wrenching relationship between two people with issues. The angst almost kills you at times, but it’s so good!
Heather recently posted..Lying Season by Karina Halle
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Ohhh! This sounds fabulous! Thank you so much for the link! I just went and got it and hope that I love these as much as you do. They sound right up my alley!!
Nova Reylin recently posted..Book Review: Desert Flower by Angela Scott
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I’m glad that I could introduce you to a new series. This is my favorite horror series at the moment, and I can’t wait for each new book to come out. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!
Heather recently posted..Lying Season by Karina Halle
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And honestly, I’ve been reading WAY too much romance! I need to read some good horror!! 😀
Nova Reylin recently posted..Book Review: Desert Flower by Angela Scott
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Ok, you read my arc’s and I am gonna spend a week reading this series..crap Heather you are killing me with these awesome reviews,. I have book one and now I am afraid to start until I am able to consume them all in a row!
kimbacaffeinate recently posted..Review: The Blue-Ribbon Jalapeno Society Jubilee by Carolyn Brown
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You might want to have all six of these books lined up and ready to go, Kimba. I went through them in a week and a half, and that was just because I forced myself to slow down because I knew I was coming to the end. I hope you like them too, so let me know what you think!
Heather recently posted..Lying Season by Karina Halle
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I am so intrigued by this one. THE COVER IS SO CREEPY. And the rating dolls you have for this one also are chilling. I think I need to check this one out 🙂
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