Prisoner of Fear by Chad Miller, review by Tasha Schiedel

It is nice to find a new author that writes well and can put together a story that pulls me in and keeps me on my toes until the end. I enjoyed this book from start to end. Chad Miller is definitely on my radar and should be on yours as well. His story telling skills and his ability to build a believable world are exceptional.

This book is set in the late 1880s, when men and women were viewed as having different values. During the time of inequality, one of the two main characters sees this injustice and values a woman’s opinion as an equal. That appeals to me greatly. While this is a topic in the book, it does not cause a distraction from the story. It shows that Miller did his research to make sure the setting of the scenes fit this era.

Two best friends, John and Thomas, like to help people and solve cases of the supernatural kind. Using diary entries and personal letters, we follow the case of a missing doctor; who also happens to be a friend of John’s. The missing doctor was on his way to help a close friend in need when he vanished. John and Thomas travel to the town the doctor was last seen in and learn of another mystery needing to be solved. This is when it really picks up and becomes a faster story. So much is happening and so many questions come up, I can’t help but think about it long after I finished reading the book. The book ends with questions unanswered, but I still feel like it is a complete book that ended perfectly. The second book in this series, Paroxysm of Fear, is already out and just as enjoyable as Prisoner of Fear.

I enjoy the Sherlock Holmes-esque feel for this book. The banter is both witty and serious. There are quite a few notable quotes I have highlighted as well. Overall, I found this book engrossing, riveting, and passionate. I would definitely recommend this book to all adult readers, no matter what your favorite genre is.

Doyle & Braham in: The Prisoner of Fear by Chad Miller

Perfect for fans of old-school horror classics like Frankenstein and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Chad Miller’s The Prisoner of Fear is an evocative, unpredictable, and disturbing horror mystery with a supernatural twist that will keep you wide awake long after you have closed the book.

It is 1889 in Philadelphia, and detective John Doyle is restless. Along with his miserable partner, Thomas Braham, Doyle pursues mysteries, strange sightings, and other obscurities tossed aside and disregarded by the police. For years, Doyle has taken on these cases in the hopes of discovering something supernatural – something that could upend and dispute his long-standing, debilitating fear that immortal souls do not exist.

Doyle’s search for the supernatural remains unsuccessful until he receives a strange letter from an old doctor friend regarding a young woman with a mysterious and rather disturbing illness. When the doctor goes missing in the same town that this young woman resides in, Doyle and Braham decide to take on the case and search for clues regarding their missing friend. In doing so, they discover that there is no longer any suffering young woman, but a dangerous abomination whose origin cannot be explained by science nor modern medicine.

Meanwhile, an unnamed victim has been kidnapped. Trapped in a cell with nothing but a journal to document their experiences, this mysterious Prisoner must undergo terrifying scientific experiments while trying not to lose all hope and sanity.

Inspired by the works of renowned horror and mystery writers like Stephen King, Edgar Allen Poe, and Arthur Conan Doyle, The Prisoner of Fear brilliantly weaves questions of mortality and the human propensity for evil into a truly intriguing, unique, and frightening narrative.

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