Animosity by James Newman
Judge not.
This is one of the most powerful horror novels I have read in my life. Because it can happen. It is happening. And there is no end in sight.
In a world where public opinion, born of baser impulses, rules. Internet judgement. Trial by Facebook. Where a rumor, a flat out lie, can take on a life of it's own, usually from the broken body of the truth, left to rot, forgotten in the mad rush to judgement, which builds from a trickle to a torrent without thought. Fueled by an irresponsible media, for whom shock value means more than fact, the mob builds, as whispers become a roar. And only blood will appease the mindless beast once unleashed. Innocent blood.
Newman offers up the ultimate morality tale, a sleek, powerful monster of a story, that puts the reader in the shoes of Andrew Holland, an innocent victim of that mindless spawn of public opinion gone rabid.....mob justice, cranking up the suspense to a fever pitch as Holland's life becomes a living Hell, pushing him to the limits of his endurance and sanity, to the breaking point where his humanity takes a backseat, and the beast within is unchained, as survival instincts take over.
The author's writing is as tight as a hangman's noose, the pacing and tension as taut as the rope.
It's so timely, it's timeless.
Raw, visceral and so very, very real.
Highest possible recommendation.
