"Horror of the human kind"
Only three people know about The Straw Men; two are on the
run (Ward and John) while the third works as an agent for
the FBI (Nina). The group believes they are the only ones
not infected by a virus promoting social conscience which
gives them the power to kill whomever they wish and are
responsible for many of the atrocities that have happened
throughout history. The members are wealthy, powerful and
hold positions of authority in law enforcement and
government and sometimes they work behind the series to
further their agenda. Paul is the Upright Man, a serial killer in his own right
who procures victims for the Straw Men to kill. He also is
Ward's identical twin brother, the man responsible for
killing Ward's parents and John's daughter. Nina gets
pulled into a case that is of interest to the group and
brings herself, John and Ward to their attention. The
group decides it is time for the trio to die. Ward, John
and Nina meet in a forest in the Pacific Northwest for a
final showdown with THE UPRIGHT MAN and members of The
Straw Men. There is nothing more frightening and none more dangerous
than the sane person who believes he can kill with
impunity because it is his or her sanctimonious right to
do so. The antagonist and The Strawmen are evil, not
insane which make this a horror novel as frightening as
that of King and Koontz because they wear the guise of
humanity to hide their depravity. Ward is an innocent who
learns fast how to stay alive against people so ruthless
that they are beyond imagining. Michael Marshal is a
master when it comes to writing horror of the human kind. Harriet Klausner
Reviewed by PNR Group Member
Posted March 6, 2004
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