Specimen

The sight of her best friend’s mother lying dead on the floor shocked Thea Riggs. The possibility of being caught in the house with the killer leaves her frightened and dialing for help. Her best friend, Fergus, arrives to help Thea escape the crime scene. However, Thea soon receives a text from an unknown source implying knowledge of her actions. While talking with Fergus and a mutual friend, Thea learns that the killing may be connected to a popular interactive game. Thea’s presence at the murder house has become the topic of Reddit chatrooms, and she is being followed. Any answers Thea gets only lead to more questions, and her safety becomes more precarious, given how much she truly knows about the victim and the game itself. 

Specimen is the latest gripping mystery from Author Lisa Towles. Towles begins the narrative with a seemingly random murder but dials up the heat to turn the story into a conspiracy-laden thriller. Thea Riggs is an intelligent young woman bound for academic excellence at San Francisco State, yet she struggles with issues about her identity. The murder and the immediate aftermath have shaken her trust in those closest to her. The predicament she has been placed in may seem unreal, but Thea’s emotions throughout are authentic. Her tormentors operate primarily in the shadows, but their menacing capabilities are apparent. The plot is solid, and the pacing is consistent. The writing is exquisite, peppered with vivid descriptions and dazzling dialogues. The drama continues nonstop, and the psychological stakes grow from page to page. Lisa Towles delivers believable characters and a genuinely flawed, intelligent heroine who instantly wins the readers' attention. This deftly plotted, skillfully accomplished literary creation will appeal to mystery lovers, young and older.