Liquid Fear by Scott Nicholson

Title: Liquid Fear

Author: Scott Nicholson

Genre: Mystery Thriller

Publisher: Haunted Computer Books

Publication Date: 1st April 2011

ISBN: 9781452494715

Stand alone or series: Stand Alone

Pages: 268 pages

Book Received from: Author

First Lines: The rain fell like dead bullets.  David Dunn blinked against the drops.

Synopsis:
When Roland Doyle wakes up with a dead woman in his motel room, the only clue is a mysterious vial of pills bearing the label "Take one every 4 hrs or else."
 
Ten years before, six people were involved in a secret pharmaceutical trial that left one of them murdered and five unable to remember what happened. Now the experiment is continuing, as Dr. Sebastian Briggs wants to finish his research into fear response and post-traumatic stress disorder. He's backed by a major drug company and an ambitious U.S. Senator, but he also has a personal stake in the outcome.

Only by taking the mysterious pills can the survivors stave off the creeping phobias and inflicted madness that threaten to consume them. But the pills have an unexpected side effect-the survivors start remembering the terrible acts they perpetrated a decade ago. They are lured back to the Monkey House, the remote facility where the original trials took place, and Briggs has prepared it for their return.

Now they are trapped, they each have only one pill left, and cracks are forming in their civilized veneer.
After the pills are gone, there's only one option. "Or else."

My Thoughts:

After a rocky start of picking up my e-reader and putting it down, it took a little while for me to get into this story.  I'm not sure whether it was just my inability to grasp what was going on or what but after about twenty pages in it clicked.  But then, I could have been having an off day.. it happens

I enjoyed the storyline, it's one I haven't come across in anything I've read so far so it was nice to have something fresh to read.  The idea of someone having control of you like that really did give me the creeps though.  It made me think of how easy someone could do that in real life and that was what drew me into the story further. 

Scott Nicholson has a way with coming up with unique storylines, and as this is the second book I've read from him, I'm looking forward to reading more of his work.