I got this recommendation from instagram and read the reviews on Goodreads. They are mostly positive between 3.5 stars to 5 stars and that's all the encouragement I need to devour this thriller series. The word is not a typo—I did devour the five-book series within four days. Every book sent me into a dark hole and the deeper I go into the story, the darker it gets!
The Mindfuck Series is a blend of mystery, crime thriller with a romance subplot written and published by S. T. Abby. It consists of five novellas: The Risk, Sidetracked, Scarlet Angel, All The Lies and Paint It All Red. They are not standalones so you must read them in the order listed to follow the story.
A boy and a girl are murdered in a small town called Delaney Grove and as a result, a father is sentenced to a horrifying fate in prison. The sheriff and mayor of the town are so corrupt and also deeply involved in the murder and imprisonment. Every effort of the police and FBI to resolve the case is twattered. Fast forward to ten years later, the people involved in this gruesome injustice begin to die, one after the other. Someone is killing them and the FBI is concerned.
In the present time, Logan Bennett, an FBI agent, makes a bet with his partner to get Lana Myers' attention in a coffee shop. She's an online entrepreneur and they immediately hit it off. She's different from the ladies Logan knows—serious and mature. Soon, they start dating. Lana has a past that she hides from Logan while he hints her about a murder that happened years ago which he's investigating. He's slowly falling in love with her unaware that she's the killer he's after.
Soon, another serial killer begins to target women of a specific profile in Delaney Grove which matches Lana's physical features. That makes her a potential target. Logan is torn between protecting her while doing his job of unearthing the dark history that the small town desperately wants to bury. Can this couple's love blossom despite the secrets? Can Logan set aside his feelings and do his job as a law enforcement agent?
Genres: Mystery, Crime, Thriller, Romance
Publication: December 2016
Pages: 683
My Review And Rating
Like I hinted earlier, this series is not your typical crime thriller. It's really dark and it's best to go in mentally prepared. There are trigger warnings at the beginning of each novella because of the gory depictions of torture, PTSD, sexual assaults, violence, child abuse, racism and more. Still, it's a fast-paced, intriguing and entertaining read.
The plot is brilliant—a tale of a dark anti-heroine on a killing spree, hellbent on revenge and a heroic FBI agent tasked with finding this killer in a town plagued with a dark history. They meet unaware of their circumstances and fall in love. It's fascinating to read through each novella, seeing how the couple meet, fall in love while hiding dangerous secrets from each other.
The story is told in dual POV: Lana and Logan's making for an interesting read. The author did a great job developing her characters well. Logan Bennet and Lana Myers are spectacular together. They are both courageous, strong minded and determined. Their chemistry is steamy and convincing. I love how they sort of collide without realising they are suppose to be enemies. There are fight and shooting scenes that keep me on my toes. Every book ends in a cliffhanger and I immediately jump into the next one.
Rating this series, I'd give it a 4.5 stars out 5. It's well-written, fast-paced with action-packed scenes that make readers reflect on the complexities of justice, the power of hate and vengeance, and the depravities in our societies. It's worth reading.
All images above are from my E-library
Header images compiled in Canva.
Thank you for visiting and supporting my blog. 🤗