What's on your 'to do' list
for the next couple of days?

Dentist? Post Office? Groceries? Work? 

Well, forget all of them.

You're not going to get them done. 

In fact, you might as well
take the phone off the hook, too. 

Why? 

Once you pick up
MINE
by Miki Cross and Maggie MacPhail,
you won't want to be interrupted.

“Good morning, Katie,” cooed the sandpaper voice on the other end.

A chill spiked up Kathryn's back, causing her to shiver. Her hand squeezed the neck of the phone until her knuckles turned white. She didn't recognize the voice. The grating, mechanical sound was disturbing. Gooseflesh popped out along her arms as the haunting familiarity of his voice flowed through the receiver and shook her with a terror she didn't quite understand.

“Who is this?” she whispered nervously. As the words tumbled from her lips, she already knew it was a stupid question. It was him, the creep who had ransacked their home.

So starts the day that changes Kathryn's life forever. Kidnapped from her own bed in the middle of the night, bound, drugged, and ripped from her quiet life with her devoted husband, daughter, and best friend, Kathryn is plunged into a horror she'd never even imagined before. Imprisoned in an impenetrable glass cell by a cruel and capricious captor, she begins the struggle of her life – just to survive.

“Talking back – three days. Sitting on furniture – seven days. Leaving food on the floor – three days. Attitude – five days. Total punishment – eighteen days solitary confinement. Now get out of my chair!” crackled the mechanical voice.

A black silence fell.

Earlier, she had hated the room's lights. They hurt her eyes. She felt completely naked under their relentless blaze. They offered her nowhere to hide. But the blackness that smothered her now that they were off was terrifying. Unlike the hood, it was a darkness she could feel all over her body. It seemed to have a life of its own. She thought she could hear it laughing at her.

Kathryn hadn't realized she heard the fain whir of fans blowing air through the eight ceiling vents. They had been so quiet, but now that they were completely silent, she was stricken with an increased level of apprehension. She had never been in total soundlessness before. In the woods there was at least the chirping of crickets and the high-pitched whine of insects speeding by.

Here, there was only the sound of her own shallow breathing.

Miki Cross and Maggie MacPhail have crafted a psychological thriller so gripping, so enthralling, that you won't be able to put it down until you finish the very last word.

I couldn't put it down. Great book! Can't wait for the sequel. Kylene R., GA

It scared me. It completely freaked me out. It is so believable. I couldn't put it down. Read it in only two days. Great book. Made you think. It was compelling. Zofia M., BC

I loved it! Couldn't put it down. Forget the husband. Forget the kids. Had to finish it. I felt everything. Tierne G., WA

Great book. What a great read. I read it in one day...it was so good! Barbara R., MA

   Horror, fear, terror, are all words that would sum up this book, Mine,  by authors Miki Cross and Maggie MacPhail. We meet Kathryn, a married woman with a beautiful child, Meaghan.  Kathryn's life was about as perfect as one could be.  Love bloomed, happiness abounded until that faithful night she was abducted by terror itself. Taken away from those she loved, she was imprisoned in a mirrored room, treated worse than an animal, commanded to submit to insane rules in order to survive, all without any explanation as to why this madman had chosen her as his victim.

   Progressing in the read, we travel with Kathryn who comes to the understanding that to survive, with any chance of possible escape,  she would have to play the game set before her. Realizing her best defense would be to try and understand the mind of  Dylan, her capture,  whose actions and reactions are anything but the norm, she purposes in her heart to press on. As she delves deeper into his mind, and he opens up to her,  she begins to understand that something sinister controls him; yet she knows that deep inside is a soul crying out for help. After many, many months of submitting to Dylan's demands, Kathryn's rejoices as his brother James shows up. Thinking surely he would help her, Kathryn soon learns that James is far more sinister than Dylan, and more greatly to be feared. She must come up with a plan for escape knowing that soon her life will end, as she begins to understand that pure evil  is behind her captivity. Her time is truly running out.

    I do not dare give you anymore of the storyline than I have without ruining the read for you.In this story, our authors take us into the mind of a troubled soul. One who has given into the hurts and pains that the world unmercifully dishes out to those they do not understand, and one who has tried to find comfort and revenge from the dark side, only to be consumed by it. Where were those who could have stopped this and intervened for this soul?  How many other hurting souls are out there that the darkness will snatch and not let go? The question will tug at your heart.

    This book is a thriller that will chill you to the bones. It is a story that crawls under your skin, and shakes your very core with fear.   Strangely, it draws you in and won't let go; I could not stop reading despite the intense stirring within me. The ending is a double homerun with one shock after another that believe me you will never, and I mean never see coming. What a ride! What a read! I greatly anticipate book two with the sincere hope that Kathryn finds the source to overcome the evil that now stalks her.

Scary! Terror at its best! A must read for the thrill seeker!

Shirley Johnson
Senior Reviewer
MidWest Book Review