Bloody Bloody Apple

De: Howard Odentz

Narrado por: Jon Oak

Apple, Massachusetts, is rotten to the core.

Every fall, when the orchards ripen and the leaves begin to die, there are murders. We know it, and we accept it. It's the price we pay for living in Apple. Families mourn, but no one is ever caught. Now, there's a body in the woods, and the cycle is starting again. People bruise easily in Apple.

Finding a murdered and mutilated girl plunges Jackson Gill into the middle of a decades-old horror. For Jackson, the newest murders become personal. His mentally ill sister knows far more about the murders than anyone restrained in a basement room should know.

When one by one, her sick, cryptic predictions prove true, Jackson will have to believe the unthinkable and stop what no one has been able to stop in 60 years.

He has no choice. He lives in bloody, bloody Apple.

©2014 Howard Odentz (P)2019 Bell Bridge Books

Surprised All the Way Through

I am not the biggest fan of horrour, but I really enjoyed this book. So much so, I have already recommended it to a few friends.

The synopsis is what had me hooked. I thought it was really creepy, but I never felt super scared. I quite liked that. The characters and town are great. The idea of the story of everything being apple related was super well done. I wasn't rolling my eyes about it at any point.

Jon Oak does a great job with the narration.

I kept thinking I had it figured out and then I didn't. I loved that. The last line of the book is perfection! I want to read what comes next!

I received this audio book at my request and have voluntarily left an honest review.

An Intriguing Story

In Apple, where everyone knows your name and the small-town friends you have are for life is a great place most of the time, except in the fall. In the fall, during harvest time when death lingers through November dead bodies turn up in the most gruesome ways. But that’s ok, it’s Apple.

Jackson Gill is a teenager now and the killer is killing again; his mentally ill sister knows who the killer is and what is going to happen. Jackson has to stop the killer before someone he loves dies.

Howard Odentz, author, builds an intriguing story that relates to his listeners. We were all teenagers at one time who tended to poke around where we shouldn’t. The dialog between characters is natural and flows well. The character development is solid with just enough doubt around certain characters to make them more mysterious.

The narrator, John Oak, provides an entertaining listen where he further moves the story through his talented reading. Between Oak and Odentz, I was thoroughly enmeshed in the tale. Oak was smooth and professional in reading but let just enough creep slide in for some characters. There were no issues with the quality of the audio production. It was crisp and clear.

Loved!

I loved this story! While it was extremely depressing because of the situations the kids found themselves in, the story was so gripping that it pulled me in and held onto me very tightly. It was also interesting to realize that the murders weren’t necessarily the worst things to happen in Apple, unfortunately. Needless to say, I didn’t want the story to end.

One comment:

I wasn’t a fan of the ending. I was confused actually, was Jackson taking over for his grandfather or was there another killer in Apple?

Two questions:

Why were no higher forces (like the FBI) were ever involved if the murders were on a schedule?

It was decided that Mr. Burg would have to stay away from his daughter after Mrs. Burg was killed. Why wouldn’t someone have done something sooner?

The narrator had a great voice for this type of story. His female voices were a little cheesy sounding at times but, overall, he did a great job. He definitely added to the mystery and the spookiness aspect of the story based on way certain characters talked, specifically Becky.

Great story

I have to admit, I am pretty good at guessing an ending, but this one totally got me. The story kept me listening with great characters. Then the ending. BAM.
Excellent.

Creepy, Scary and Will Hook You!

I received this book for free. I am voluntarily leaving this review and all opinions expressed herein are my own.

Here, Jackson lives in Apple, where every fall several murders occur. Everyone who lives in Apple accepts it as a natural part of their existence. Jackson takes care of his mentally ill mother and sister and his elderly grandfather. His father has somewhat checked out of the family and relies on Jackson to keep the family together. This fall, Jackson and his friends find the first body and Jackson begins to suspect that maybe his family is involved in the deaths...

This books reminds me of Stephen King for the underlying creep factor in the story. It is a story you cannot put down and an ending you cannot forget. The characters are each so well developed, each with their interesting back story. It is very well written with great pacing and suspense. Highly recommend.

The narrator was fantastic. He developed a great intensity as the story evolved that brought the story to life. And his Not Becky character sends chills down your spine!

Interesting creepy mystery

Good mystery with a creepy storyline. I was voluntarily provided this review copy audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator.

Loved it

Lots of twists and an ending that I didn’t see coming. The narrator is excellent and kept me interested and wanting more. I highly recommend this book if you like horror stories.

I received this book at no charge and my review is my own.

Horror/Thriller

Even though is stated for teens and young adults I enjoyed it. It is about 3 teens (Jackson, Annie and Newie) in Apple Mass. who come from very dysfunctional families find the body of classmate and become involved with the murders that occur every fall for the past 60 yrs. The cops of the town have never been able to solve. It is an intense dark thriller with some twist and turns and unexpected ending. I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. Thank you

Entertaining with a fun attitude

First, I'm not sure why it's considered a young adult novel, except for the fact that the main characters are in high school, the story, language and ideas behind it are pretty mature. The overall story was a fun listen - with full on horror with a sense of humor - it reminded me a little of Koontz's Odd Thomas books. The main characters are well fleshed-out and likeable. I happen to live near the area where Apple is supposed to be located and there are lots of fun Easter eggs for the locals to chuckle at. I liked the ending, but it's a bit open-ended which can frustrate some readers. The narrator was excellent, and I'll be looking for more books read by him. He reminded me a bit of the narrator of A Christmas Story.

Apple, MA Is Rotten To The Core

Bloody Bloody Apple is a really great story that continued to surprise me all the way to the end. I really enjoyed every aspect of it. This was one of those books that although I needed a resolution, I didn’t want it to end. I really enjoyed having spent the time I did with each of the characters. If you like small town 80’s horror feel that isn’t overly gory this is a perfect book to use a credit on.

I really enjoyed the first person aspect of the story. It really gets you intimate with Jackson and makes you much more sympathetic to his and his friend’s plight. The coming of age feel this book had, although not one I would truly call coming of age, coupled with the small town feel really made for a great setting. Outside of the teens having cellphones I would have said that this story took place decades ago. The simplicity of everything heightens this feeling and really set the somber tone of the overall story.

The characters are great and are really fleshed out. Every character has an interesting story being told and you really get a sense of how screwed up the community is living in Apple. Everyone has problems and in the small community everyone knows each other’s problems. The turmoil of living there coupled with the seasonal murders really seems to stifle the energy the town has and casts a gray cloud over the whole story. My favorite character hands down was Not Becky. Her story is the most tragic and while it provides a horror element, it provides the most emotional aspect as well. Without her piece of this I think this would have been a completely different story and probably not one that would have worked as well.

I really enjoyed Howard Odentz’s writing style. The story flowed quite smoothly and was suspenseful enough that I didn’t want to stop listening. Woke up in the middle of the night and listened to a few chapters. He has a good way with words and all his descriptions really put you there on scene as things were unfolding. The potential demonic possession of Becky sprinkled throughout ratcheted this mystery thriller up and provided a nice supernatural horror. That wasn’t expected and provided some nice twists that elevated the overall story. I can’t wait to see what Odentz does next.

Jon Oak did a great job. His tone was perfect for the overall feel of the story and he has that familiar sounding voice that can just put you in that sweet spot to where you don’t want to stop listening. His cadence and inflection reminded me of Jean Shepherd’s narration of “A Christmas Story”.

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.