What do you think?
The Color of Evil
Tad McGreevy has a power that he has never revealed, not even to his life-long best friend, Stevie Scranton. When Tad looks at others, he sees colors. These auras tell Tad whether a person is good or evil. At night, Tad dreams about the evil-doers, reliving their crimes in horrifyingly vivid detail.
But Tad doesn't know if the evil acts he witnesses in his nightmares are happening now, are already over, or are going to occur in the future. He has no control over the horrifying visions. He has been told never to speak of his power. All Tad knows is that he wants to protect those he loves. And he wants the bad dreams to stop.
At Tad's 8th birthday party (April 1, 1995) in Cedar Falls, Iowa, the clown his parents hire to entertain Tad's third-grade classmates is one of the bad people. Pogo, the Killer Clown (aka Michael Clay) is a serial killer. So begins 53 nights of terror as Tad relives Pogo's crime, awakens screaming, and recites the terrifying details to his disbelieving family. The situation becomes so dire that Tad is hospitalized in a private institution under the care of a psychiatrist---who also does not believe the small boy's stories.
And then the police arrest Pogo, the Killer Clown.
Flash forward to the beginning of Tad's junior year in high school, 8 years later. Tad is 16 and recovered from the spring of hi third-grade year. When Michael Clay was caught and imprisoned, the crime spree ended and so did Tad's bad dreams.
Until now, in the year of our Lord 2003, when evil once again stalks the land.
This is a terrifying, intense story of the dark people and places that lurk just beneath the surface of seemingly normal small-town America. As one reviewer says, "Wilson nails the darkness beneath the surface of small-town rural America."
But Tad doesn't know if the evil acts he witnesses in his nightmares are happening now, are already over, or are going to occur in the future. He has no control over the horrifying visions. He has been told never to speak of his power. All Tad knows is that he wants to protect those he loves. And he wants the bad dreams to stop.
At Tad's 8th birthday party (April 1, 1995) in Cedar Falls, Iowa, the clown his parents hire to entertain Tad's third-grade classmates is one of the bad people. Pogo, the Killer Clown (aka Michael Clay) is a serial killer. So begins 53 nights of terror as Tad relives Pogo's crime, awakens screaming, and recites the terrifying details to his disbelieving family. The situation becomes so dire that Tad is hospitalized in a private institution under the care of a psychiatrist---who also does not believe the small boy's stories.
And then the police arrest Pogo, the Killer Clown.
Flash forward to the beginning of Tad's junior year in high school, 8 years later. Tad is 16 and recovered from the spring of hi third-grade year. When Michael Clay was caught and imprisoned, the crime spree ended and so did Tad's bad dreams.
Until now, in the year of our Lord 2003, when evil once again stalks the land.
This is a terrifying, intense story of the dark people and places that lurk just beneath the surface of seemingly normal small-town America. As one reviewer says, "Wilson nails the darkness beneath the surface of small-town rural America."
- GenresHorrorParanormal
246 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
About the author
Connie Corcoran Wilson
29 books34 followersConnie Corcoran Wilson has published 10 books since 2003. "Hellfire & Damnation" (www.HellfireandDamnationtheBook.com) came out in February, 2010. Her three volumes of true ghost stories of Route 66 (Ghostly Tales of Route 66, www.GhostlyTalesofRoute66.com) are out from Quixote and in E-book format from Quad City Press. Her first book ("Training the Teacher As A Champion") was published by PLS Bookstores in 1989. Her sci fi novel "Out of Time" was published by Lachesis in 2008 and the screenplay written based on the book was a winner in a "Writer's Digest" competition. Her 2 humor collections are "Both Sides Now" (2003) and "Laughing through Life" (2011). Her illustrated children's book, "The Christmas Cats in Silly Hats" was released at Christmas in 2011. "Hellfire and Damnation II" was released July 28, 2012 in E-book format and in paperback shortly after (The Merry Blacksmith Press.) Her nonfiction book showcasing many of the movie reviews written for the Quad City Times between 1970 and 1979 made up the bulk of the book, along with 76 photos, major cast and interactive trivia. "The Color of Evil," a novel that is the first in a trilogy about a young boy with paranormal abilities, was released in 2012. "Red Is for Rage," the second book in the trilogy, will be released in January, 2013. Connie has been writing for pay since age 10 and taught writing at 6 IA/IL colleges. She is a member of AWP (American Writing Program), MWA (Midwest Writers' Association), MWC (Midwest Writing Center), HWA (Horror Writers Association), ITW (International ThrillerWriters) and IWPA (Illinois Women's Press Association.) Her books have won E-Lit, Pinnacle, NABE and Silver Feather awards and the 400,000 member blog Associated Content named her its Content producer of the year (for politics) in 2008. Since then, she has been named Midwest Writing Center Writer of the Year (2010) and won the Chicago chapter of IWPA Silver Feather award on June 6, 2012.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
August 3, 2012
Initially I was struck by the repetitious nature of THE COLOR OF EVIL. During the first part of the book we are repeatedly told that Jenny's parents did not want her to date Jeremy and had forbidden her to do so. Then we are told over and over again about Tad's and Stevie's problems as they went about their daily lives. Even Tad's daily notes to Jenny always began with the same opening line. I found this repetitive tone annoying. I do realize that the author has spent a portion of her life as an educator at various colleges in Iowa and Illinois, and perhaps repetition is a good teaching mechanism for 2nd and 3rd graders, but I believe most of the audience for a book depicting the horrific murders perpetrated by twisted minds would be geared to readers far above that age level. If her target audience was the YA group, all I can say is that there are enough deviants and less than appropriate Hollywood "role models" featured in the daily paper that rehashing a particularly brutal 35 year old murder case for consumption by a young impressionable audience verges on criminal.
The author probably got the idea of her clown villain from John Wayne Gacy. Gacy, a serial killer-rapist from Illinois lived a short 150 miles away from the community in which the author resides and (surprise, surprise) performed at charity events as a clown named POGO, murdering 33 boys and disposing of most of their bodies by burying them in the crawl space beneath his house.
The lives of the Stevie & Tad characters seem to mirror some of the unpleasant events that took place during Gacy's school-days while other aspects of Gacy's life appear to be highlighted in the personality and actions of the Jeremy character.
Like many authors, Ms. Wilson seems to be unable to refrain from political commentary when she indicates that POGO the Clown (Michael Clay) was once a REPUBLICAN precinct captain. The real John Wayne Gacy did work as an assistant precinct captain for the DEMOCRAT Party and was active in the politics of that party. Why Ms. Collins chose to include that bit of minutia in her book escapes me unless it was to cast a sly aspersion on a particular political party.
While the idea of a young man who can see good and evil in the aura's of those around him is an interesting one that presents many possibilities, I found the presentation of the characters in this novel most resembled a banquet at which very little nourishing food is offered. The timeline was so full of holes that it resembled swiss-cheese, and the narrative itself seemed to rely heavily on the gore factor rather than any cogent or cohesive story-telling flair.
Perhaps, it's just that I have read a few pretty good novels of late and as the "luck of the draw" would have it, Ms. Collins offering had the misfortune of coming after these in my TBR pile. I realize that COLOR OF EVIL is book one of a trilogy but I think, based on this experience, that I will pass on books two and three.
The author probably got the idea of her clown villain from John Wayne Gacy. Gacy, a serial killer-rapist from Illinois lived a short 150 miles away from the community in which the author resides and (surprise, surprise) performed at charity events as a clown named POGO, murdering 33 boys and disposing of most of their bodies by burying them in the crawl space beneath his house.
The lives of the Stevie & Tad characters seem to mirror some of the unpleasant events that took place during Gacy's school-days while other aspects of Gacy's life appear to be highlighted in the personality and actions of the Jeremy character.
Like many authors, Ms. Wilson seems to be unable to refrain from political commentary when she indicates that POGO the Clown (Michael Clay) was once a REPUBLICAN precinct captain. The real John Wayne Gacy did work as an assistant precinct captain for the DEMOCRAT Party and was active in the politics of that party. Why Ms. Collins chose to include that bit of minutia in her book escapes me unless it was to cast a sly aspersion on a particular political party.
While the idea of a young man who can see good and evil in the aura's of those around him is an interesting one that presents many possibilities, I found the presentation of the characters in this novel most resembled a banquet at which very little nourishing food is offered. The timeline was so full of holes that it resembled swiss-cheese, and the narrative itself seemed to rely heavily on the gore factor rather than any cogent or cohesive story-telling flair.
Perhaps, it's just that I have read a few pretty good novels of late and as the "luck of the draw" would have it, Ms. Collins offering had the misfortune of coming after these in my TBR pile. I realize that COLOR OF EVIL is book one of a trilogy but I think, based on this experience, that I will pass on books two and three.
October 6, 2017
A PERVERSE UNIVERSE FOR LOST AND WASTED TEENS
Welcome to adventure and action literature for older teenagers and youngsters. If you are slightly more advanced in age than 25, you might find it a little bit easy. You will, as Stephen King would say, see the zipper in the back of the monsters, here human monsters, but monsters all the same. Let me give you one example of the zipper to push aside forever.
Between locations 219 and 254, we find the following statements: “Monday, May 24th . . . fifty-two days since his birthday” (219); “on Monday, May 22nd, fifty-two days after his birthday party” (230); “On the 52nd day after his eighth birthday party, May 23rd,1995” (234); “Fifty-three days. Fifty-three nights. Thirty-three victims” (254). Is it important or not? Yes, if we keep in mind that fifty-two is three times thirteen, and this last number is supposed to be a very bad omen for anyone who is under its influence. Three times mind you, worse than 999 or 666, three times nine or three times six, the Beast in the Apocalypse. There are some other discrepancies of that type but once again that is not that important.
Then what is important?
First of all, the small community somewhere in the Middle West. The economic dimension is not clear but we can imagine the main activities are agriculture with a lot of corn and some food processing industry in the line of meat. So it is a mixed city in the corn belt. Corn and meat, but not that much Bible. Things have changed. We all know Stephen King and his great inspiration about this corn belt, with Children of the Corn and of course The Stand. And that’s only two examples. Corn, in fact, Indian corn, maize, el maiz, el elote or the wild teosinte has always played a very important role in American mythology since it was one of the sacred plants of American Indians along with tobacco (by far the first ritualistic one) and beans, but also tomato, squash, pumpkin, potatoes, and so many others.
Imagine the nine divine or spiritual identities of this plant among Native Americans: Atna (Arikara), Chicha (South American), Corn Maidens/Kachina Mana (Hopi), Corn Mother (Wabanaki), Little Giver (Seminole), Mondawmin (Ojibwe), Selu (Cherokee), Spirit of the Corn (Iroquois), Unknown Woman (Choctaw). And this is only the most important ones. The legends about corn are essential in the same line. I could quote nineteen legends, tales, stories about corn, and there are probably, definitely, a lot more. We could endlessly discuss these stories and the mythology about the creation of the world that is contained in them, but also the dangers, the conflicts, the wars even, between and among these various forces. The one I prefer is the story of the three sisters, maize, beans, and squash. Tobacco is absent because I presume tobacco is not food. That makes these three sisters, these three plants the heart of survival and expansion, of human existence. The community we are speaking of here is surrounded by corn fields. But the connection with Indian culture is lost, hardly mentioned if at all.
The next interest in this community is the clear-cut division between one side of e separation and the other side of the same separation, and this is common in the USA with a river, a railroad, or a highway as the divide. There is the respectable city on THIS side and the less respectable or even unrespectable city on THAT side and we are not surprised that the mostly illegal Mexican or Latino immigrants, most of whom are working in the meat factory and probably in the fields, are living on THAT side of the limit and even at the farthest end of THAT side. The funniest point is that the real estate agent who covers the buying and selling houses in these rather deprived neighborhoods far away on THAT side is, of course, residing in one of the most imposing and even forbidding house on THIS side. The Latino and Mexican illegal immigrants, if they want to live in anything that is not a plain shantytown have to produce a profit for this real estate agent, who by the way is a woman. The infamous landlord is, in fact, a landlady who is harvesting a profit on the back of these illegal immigrants.
Then you have to follow the style of this author. She is an impressionistic writer who lines up many small chapters, most of them shifting from one character to another without a real continuation in time or in space. That leads to some repetitions and that also leads to some fuzziness on detail. But what is important is that after a rather slow beginning the action becomes very swift and dense with the multiple vision that these different characters imply. This is also the result of the particular power Tad has to see auras around the people he meets, colorful auras that represent their psyches. He is thus able to have some “precognitive power” that makes him a seer of the bad things that may happen, centered on a clown, Pogo, who is a very bad and dangerous character, an Id in a way. The colors, like a rainbow, are hierarchized; The best is emerald green. The second best or good is yellow. Pink is not bad but it is verging onto red that is silent violence, anger contained and refrained as long as it does not integrate some black. Black is definitely sickness and illness and probably suicidal. Blue shows such people are indifferent to others, totally cut off from others, which means in a story like this one, blue is not very important since action needs contact. But the worst color is khaki also called gray-green. That’s the real murderous, destructive character in the worst people you can imagine. Stay away, as far as possible, and even so, that evil person will manage to get to you if you are a “person of interest” for him. Note only men qualify as carrying this deadly color. And that’s of course Pogo, though it is not far from the high school principal, a certain Puck, whose name makes Shakespeare turn around in his earthen hole or in his urn in Westminster Abbey.
These colors are not innocent of course. We all know that red is the color of bad and dangerous things, the button/switch that has to be pressed in a factory when there is some emergency and you must cut off electricity or start security procedures is red. The famous red button. And it was invented a long time before Eugene McCarthy. It is also seen as positive in some situations like for the uniforms of the Queen’s guard in London. On the other hand, khaki is always attached to military force and military action since the Germans invented the color for the First World War. Khaki has become the symbol of violence, military order and dictatorship and a few other horrors of that type. But clearly, this hierarchy of colors does not refer to any particular symbolical spectrum in any culture for probably a simple reason: the fact that in Asian cultures there are only two non-western words for colors, in Irish and other Celtic languages there are only at the most three colors. This number seems to be also true technically since for painters there are only blue, red and yellow that you can mix. For video artists, there are only three colors, red, green and yellow, that you can mix. And for any security measure based on visual color capture, it is advised not to have more than three colors basically different like for traffic lights, red, yellow, green; or red, amber, green; or red, orange, green. And what’s more in that vertical order for colorblind people who can only see the world in various shades of grey to capture the meaning and be able to drive. That means for me that seven different colors are difficult especially when some black can be added to the red of the angry person, showing his or her desire to become violent to the point of killing if no restraint is applied to this person. Black really? That’s an old western rejection of this color into the field of death.
I find the sexual dimension quite interesting in many ways from the obsessed bully to the totally locked-up bashful virgin, and we are speaking of men as well as women. But the story considers as acceptable only heterosexual relations. All relations that imply any gay element is reduced to pedophilia which is at least criminal (or even the most horrifying torturing of the victims), and fruit-picking which is definitely shown as the default sexuality of a perverse pedophile when locked up in a prison. This very simple vision of gayness is in full contradiction with the extraordinary friendship between Tad and Stevie which is reduced to some kind of sexless virginal and yet disquieting friendship with no possible choice. These two boys are locked up in a world where the two and only two possibilities are normalcy (hence sexless virginal friendship) and pedophilia (hence a criminal activity they can only suffer from some grownups). Note pedophilia is also shown on the side of men for underage girls, though this time it is not “criminal” because it does not kill anyone. It just deflowers underage girls. On the boys’ side, hence Stevie, he is a victim who can only run away from his victimizer to fall in the hands of some even worse fate: “run-away,” “missing,” or “kidnapped.” And we all know what that means after 24 hours.
Enjoy the adventure. There are two more episodes after this one.
Dr. Jacques COULARDEAU
Welcome to adventure and action literature for older teenagers and youngsters. If you are slightly more advanced in age than 25, you might find it a little bit easy. You will, as Stephen King would say, see the zipper in the back of the monsters, here human monsters, but monsters all the same. Let me give you one example of the zipper to push aside forever.
Between locations 219 and 254, we find the following statements: “Monday, May 24th . . . fifty-two days since his birthday” (219); “on Monday, May 22nd, fifty-two days after his birthday party” (230); “On the 52nd day after his eighth birthday party, May 23rd,1995” (234); “Fifty-three days. Fifty-three nights. Thirty-three victims” (254). Is it important or not? Yes, if we keep in mind that fifty-two is three times thirteen, and this last number is supposed to be a very bad omen for anyone who is under its influence. Three times mind you, worse than 999 or 666, three times nine or three times six, the Beast in the Apocalypse. There are some other discrepancies of that type but once again that is not that important.
Then what is important?
First of all, the small community somewhere in the Middle West. The economic dimension is not clear but we can imagine the main activities are agriculture with a lot of corn and some food processing industry in the line of meat. So it is a mixed city in the corn belt. Corn and meat, but not that much Bible. Things have changed. We all know Stephen King and his great inspiration about this corn belt, with Children of the Corn and of course The Stand. And that’s only two examples. Corn, in fact, Indian corn, maize, el maiz, el elote or the wild teosinte has always played a very important role in American mythology since it was one of the sacred plants of American Indians along with tobacco (by far the first ritualistic one) and beans, but also tomato, squash, pumpkin, potatoes, and so many others.
Imagine the nine divine or spiritual identities of this plant among Native Americans: Atna (Arikara), Chicha (South American), Corn Maidens/Kachina Mana (Hopi), Corn Mother (Wabanaki), Little Giver (Seminole), Mondawmin (Ojibwe), Selu (Cherokee), Spirit of the Corn (Iroquois), Unknown Woman (Choctaw). And this is only the most important ones. The legends about corn are essential in the same line. I could quote nineteen legends, tales, stories about corn, and there are probably, definitely, a lot more. We could endlessly discuss these stories and the mythology about the creation of the world that is contained in them, but also the dangers, the conflicts, the wars even, between and among these various forces. The one I prefer is the story of the three sisters, maize, beans, and squash. Tobacco is absent because I presume tobacco is not food. That makes these three sisters, these three plants the heart of survival and expansion, of human existence. The community we are speaking of here is surrounded by corn fields. But the connection with Indian culture is lost, hardly mentioned if at all.
The next interest in this community is the clear-cut division between one side of e separation and the other side of the same separation, and this is common in the USA with a river, a railroad, or a highway as the divide. There is the respectable city on THIS side and the less respectable or even unrespectable city on THAT side and we are not surprised that the mostly illegal Mexican or Latino immigrants, most of whom are working in the meat factory and probably in the fields, are living on THAT side of the limit and even at the farthest end of THAT side. The funniest point is that the real estate agent who covers the buying and selling houses in these rather deprived neighborhoods far away on THAT side is, of course, residing in one of the most imposing and even forbidding house on THIS side. The Latino and Mexican illegal immigrants, if they want to live in anything that is not a plain shantytown have to produce a profit for this real estate agent, who by the way is a woman. The infamous landlord is, in fact, a landlady who is harvesting a profit on the back of these illegal immigrants.
Then you have to follow the style of this author. She is an impressionistic writer who lines up many small chapters, most of them shifting from one character to another without a real continuation in time or in space. That leads to some repetitions and that also leads to some fuzziness on detail. But what is important is that after a rather slow beginning the action becomes very swift and dense with the multiple vision that these different characters imply. This is also the result of the particular power Tad has to see auras around the people he meets, colorful auras that represent their psyches. He is thus able to have some “precognitive power” that makes him a seer of the bad things that may happen, centered on a clown, Pogo, who is a very bad and dangerous character, an Id in a way. The colors, like a rainbow, are hierarchized; The best is emerald green. The second best or good is yellow. Pink is not bad but it is verging onto red that is silent violence, anger contained and refrained as long as it does not integrate some black. Black is definitely sickness and illness and probably suicidal. Blue shows such people are indifferent to others, totally cut off from others, which means in a story like this one, blue is not very important since action needs contact. But the worst color is khaki also called gray-green. That’s the real murderous, destructive character in the worst people you can imagine. Stay away, as far as possible, and even so, that evil person will manage to get to you if you are a “person of interest” for him. Note only men qualify as carrying this deadly color. And that’s of course Pogo, though it is not far from the high school principal, a certain Puck, whose name makes Shakespeare turn around in his earthen hole or in his urn in Westminster Abbey.
These colors are not innocent of course. We all know that red is the color of bad and dangerous things, the button/switch that has to be pressed in a factory when there is some emergency and you must cut off electricity or start security procedures is red. The famous red button. And it was invented a long time before Eugene McCarthy. It is also seen as positive in some situations like for the uniforms of the Queen’s guard in London. On the other hand, khaki is always attached to military force and military action since the Germans invented the color for the First World War. Khaki has become the symbol of violence, military order and dictatorship and a few other horrors of that type. But clearly, this hierarchy of colors does not refer to any particular symbolical spectrum in any culture for probably a simple reason: the fact that in Asian cultures there are only two non-western words for colors, in Irish and other Celtic languages there are only at the most three colors. This number seems to be also true technically since for painters there are only blue, red and yellow that you can mix. For video artists, there are only three colors, red, green and yellow, that you can mix. And for any security measure based on visual color capture, it is advised not to have more than three colors basically different like for traffic lights, red, yellow, green; or red, amber, green; or red, orange, green. And what’s more in that vertical order for colorblind people who can only see the world in various shades of grey to capture the meaning and be able to drive. That means for me that seven different colors are difficult especially when some black can be added to the red of the angry person, showing his or her desire to become violent to the point of killing if no restraint is applied to this person. Black really? That’s an old western rejection of this color into the field of death.
I find the sexual dimension quite interesting in many ways from the obsessed bully to the totally locked-up bashful virgin, and we are speaking of men as well as women. But the story considers as acceptable only heterosexual relations. All relations that imply any gay element is reduced to pedophilia which is at least criminal (or even the most horrifying torturing of the victims), and fruit-picking which is definitely shown as the default sexuality of a perverse pedophile when locked up in a prison. This very simple vision of gayness is in full contradiction with the extraordinary friendship between Tad and Stevie which is reduced to some kind of sexless virginal and yet disquieting friendship with no possible choice. These two boys are locked up in a world where the two and only two possibilities are normalcy (hence sexless virginal friendship) and pedophilia (hence a criminal activity they can only suffer from some grownups). Note pedophilia is also shown on the side of men for underage girls, though this time it is not “criminal” because it does not kill anyone. It just deflowers underage girls. On the boys’ side, hence Stevie, he is a victim who can only run away from his victimizer to fall in the hands of some even worse fate: “run-away,” “missing,” or “kidnapped.” And we all know what that means after 24 hours.
Enjoy the adventure. There are two more episodes after this one.
Dr. Jacques COULARDEAU
November 16, 2016
I recently had the less than satisfactory experience of reading this book in two days while I was hunkered down in front of the wood stove during the Blizzard of '13. When I began reading, "The Color of Evil" originally struck me as a YA novel, judging by the writing, but it later became apparent that this is not intended for the younger set, after all. You'd never know its target audience is actually adults from the first half of the book, which is completely set in a high school and concerns the kids, not the adults. One of the cover blurps states that this book should bring to mind Stephen King's "Carrie." Simply put, don't expect anything like King here.
The story takes a long time to get going. Eight-year-old Tad McGreevy, who sees auras around people and can tell the nature of a person based on the color of the aura that he sees, is terrified by a clown hired for his birthday party, which opens the book. For the next two months, he is tormented by night terrors in which he sees the evil clown doing unspeakable things. Although all of his visions eventually come to be proven true, it's all chalked up to coincidence, and, for telling his visions to the adults, Tad suffers a brief stay in a mental institution. It takes him a year to recover, and Tad chooses to keep his visions to himself from then on. Jump ahead eight years, and Tad is sixteen. He has never stopped seeing auras; it's just something he doesn't share. Here, we are introduced to a whole host of high school characters, and so begins the sappy high school soap-opera that dominates most of the book.
Near the middle, I had high hopes that this novel was going to grow up quickly and become gripping when we finally gain entry into the minds of the sadistic killers who, unbeknownst, pass each other at the same secluded location like two ships in the night. In this page-turning section, we actually do hear the echo of King, but unfortunately, the suspense ends quickly. There is another fast-paced section near the end when the killer clown has Tad's crush Jenny in his clutches, but even the stand-off with police becomes tedious, and again, the suspense is frustratingly short-lived.
Even more irritating is the constant repetition throughout the book. We hear the same descriptions of people, places and events over and over. There are big, gaping holes in the story, and the book is riddled with discrepancies. Names, dates, even hair and eye color in one chapter are then contradicted in another. The author didn't think a few other things through, either. How does a man well over three hundred pounds easily swim out through a car's window? And just exactly what happened to Cassie Chandler's car? Incorrect information is given. For instance, Carrie Underwood's song "Jesus, Take the Wheel" is mentioned. Carrie Underwood won American Idol in 2005. This story is set in 2003. The author should have checked her facts a little more closely. These kinds of easily corrected mistakes, so constant throughout the book, are unacceptable to me. The author should find herself a good editor. And Tad's special talent hardly ever surfaces at all.
This all-hell-breaks-loose tale of two murderers run amok in a small town really tries hard to be a full-fledged horror story, but misses the mark. There's too much irrelevant prattle and not enough horror. It is hard for me to believe that a college professor penned this mish-mash of soap-opera and (attempted) horror that is so riddled with inconsistencies and easily identifiable mistakes. In "The Color of Evil," author Connie Corcoran Wilson falls short in her attempt to bring me spine-tingling terror. I understand this is book one of what will become a trilogy. Based on a slow-moving, soap-opera-like first edition filled with characters I never really did come to care about, I think I'll have to pass on the rest of the series.
(Review copy provided by publisher.)
The story takes a long time to get going. Eight-year-old Tad McGreevy, who sees auras around people and can tell the nature of a person based on the color of the aura that he sees, is terrified by a clown hired for his birthday party, which opens the book. For the next two months, he is tormented by night terrors in which he sees the evil clown doing unspeakable things. Although all of his visions eventually come to be proven true, it's all chalked up to coincidence, and, for telling his visions to the adults, Tad suffers a brief stay in a mental institution. It takes him a year to recover, and Tad chooses to keep his visions to himself from then on. Jump ahead eight years, and Tad is sixteen. He has never stopped seeing auras; it's just something he doesn't share. Here, we are introduced to a whole host of high school characters, and so begins the sappy high school soap-opera that dominates most of the book.
Near the middle, I had high hopes that this novel was going to grow up quickly and become gripping when we finally gain entry into the minds of the sadistic killers who, unbeknownst, pass each other at the same secluded location like two ships in the night. In this page-turning section, we actually do hear the echo of King, but unfortunately, the suspense ends quickly. There is another fast-paced section near the end when the killer clown has Tad's crush Jenny in his clutches, but even the stand-off with police becomes tedious, and again, the suspense is frustratingly short-lived.
Even more irritating is the constant repetition throughout the book. We hear the same descriptions of people, places and events over and over. There are big, gaping holes in the story, and the book is riddled with discrepancies. Names, dates, even hair and eye color in one chapter are then contradicted in another. The author didn't think a few other things through, either. How does a man well over three hundred pounds easily swim out through a car's window? And just exactly what happened to Cassie Chandler's car? Incorrect information is given. For instance, Carrie Underwood's song "Jesus, Take the Wheel" is mentioned. Carrie Underwood won American Idol in 2005. This story is set in 2003. The author should have checked her facts a little more closely. These kinds of easily corrected mistakes, so constant throughout the book, are unacceptable to me. The author should find herself a good editor. And Tad's special talent hardly ever surfaces at all.
This all-hell-breaks-loose tale of two murderers run amok in a small town really tries hard to be a full-fledged horror story, but misses the mark. There's too much irrelevant prattle and not enough horror. It is hard for me to believe that a college professor penned this mish-mash of soap-opera and (attempted) horror that is so riddled with inconsistencies and easily identifiable mistakes. In "The Color of Evil," author Connie Corcoran Wilson falls short in her attempt to bring me spine-tingling terror. I understand this is book one of what will become a trilogy. Based on a slow-moving, soap-opera-like first edition filled with characters I never really did come to care about, I think I'll have to pass on the rest of the series.
(Review copy provided by publisher.)
March 16, 2013
3 stars is quite good for me for an Indie novel. The writing style was ok but repetitive, I know this is a book for young adults but I don't think that repeating what has been said before is really necessary.
I felt there were a few too many characters and I got confused between two of them at one point as we'll as between Jeremy and Pogo during the end scenes.
More on the 'thriller' side than 'horror' I think this is a story than can be enjoyed by teens but they should be warned of some of the adult sexual content and expletives contained.
I felt there were a few too many characters and I got confused between two of them at one point as we'll as between Jeremy and Pogo during the end scenes.
More on the 'thriller' side than 'horror' I think this is a story than can be enjoyed by teens but they should be warned of some of the adult sexual content and expletives contained.
September 27, 2014
The writer some how found a way to make clowns, who are already terrifying to most grown adults and make them even more disturbing. And that's only with the cover! Beware as you enter into this book, they are not for the easily bothered, and the stories will stick with you.
July 11, 2014
Pretty good book. It was fast paced at times and at other times dragged a little.
November 8, 2017
Tad McGreevy is 8 years old and has to ability to see colors around people which corresponde to the different people’s behaviors. For example, emerald green people seem to be the best people, red can mean violence, and black can mean sickness or be suicidal. The clown that Tad’s mother has hired is a shade of khaki, the sign of a murderer. After this party, Tad has nightmares of the clown butchering people. No one believes him and he spends a week in a mental institute. Of course the kid was right and no one wants to accept the truth, even after being proven.
Fast forward 8 years and Tad is now in high school. He has a love interest, Jenny that is dating the school bully, Jeremy. Tad sees red around Jeremy and is trying to protect Jenny but Jenny is displaying typical battered wife syndrome. Then there is Tad’s best friend Stevie who has been abused by the principal, several students, and ends up disappearing. If that was not enough, Michael Clay, aka Pogo the Killer Clown has escaped and is planning on killing Tad.
This was an interesting, dark read. You can’t help but feel for poor Tad, how shattering to have those you love not listen to you and lock you up in a mental institute. I could feel bad for Jenny for the situation she was in but at some point you can only care for a person so long when it is evident that she never wanted to really change. Then there is Stevie. The poor kid has gone through hell, literally.
There are brutal murder scenes and horrible situations that are well written in this story. They are well portrayed and get you fully invested in them. I will admit that there were times when the story started to really drag but would pick up again. There was also some repetition that was starting to wear my patience too.
Over all I really liked this story and am eager to see what is in store for Tad, Stevie, Jenny and the lot in the next book.
I received The Color of Evil from Teddy at Premier Virtual Book Tours for free. This has in no way influenced my opinion of this book.
Fast forward 8 years and Tad is now in high school. He has a love interest, Jenny that is dating the school bully, Jeremy. Tad sees red around Jeremy and is trying to protect Jenny but Jenny is displaying typical battered wife syndrome. Then there is Tad’s best friend Stevie who has been abused by the principal, several students, and ends up disappearing. If that was not enough, Michael Clay, aka Pogo the Killer Clown has escaped and is planning on killing Tad.
This was an interesting, dark read. You can’t help but feel for poor Tad, how shattering to have those you love not listen to you and lock you up in a mental institute. I could feel bad for Jenny for the situation she was in but at some point you can only care for a person so long when it is evident that she never wanted to really change. Then there is Stevie. The poor kid has gone through hell, literally.
There are brutal murder scenes and horrible situations that are well written in this story. They are well portrayed and get you fully invested in them. I will admit that there were times when the story started to really drag but would pick up again. There was also some repetition that was starting to wear my patience too.
Over all I really liked this story and am eager to see what is in store for Tad, Stevie, Jenny and the lot in the next book.
I received The Color of Evil from Teddy at Premier Virtual Book Tours for free. This has in no way influenced my opinion of this book.
November 20, 2017
I liked the set up for the first book in this box set. The concept that Tad had abilities to see colors and through these colors, he can tell if someone is good or evil. It is no wonder that so many people have a fear of clowns; especially if they are portrayed as evil, manic killers like Pogo. Which by the way Pogo is a psycho as well as a sexual pervert. The worse kinds of psychos are the ones that feel no remorse.
The abilities that Tad possess are not ones that I would count as lucky but more as a curse. To see the killings as Michael aka Pogo commits them is a curse. Tad could have just left the task to the police to catch Pogo but I like that Tad did not just sit it out. Yet, I did have some trouble connecting with the characters. Additionally, I agree with other readers that the repetition was tedious and it slowed the pace of the story down. Lastly, when it came to the gore, I had no issues with it and in fact, I have read more gruesome killings. I hope that the next book is better.
The abilities that Tad possess are not ones that I would count as lucky but more as a curse. To see the killings as Michael aka Pogo commits them is a curse. Tad could have just left the task to the police to catch Pogo but I like that Tad did not just sit it out. Yet, I did have some trouble connecting with the characters. Additionally, I agree with other readers that the repetition was tedious and it slowed the pace of the story down. Lastly, when it came to the gore, I had no issues with it and in fact, I have read more gruesome killings. I hope that the next book is better.
March 18, 2020
Honestly, one of the worst books I’ve ever read. I couldn’t stand any of the characters, and the repetitive nature of the book was beyond annoying. There were also so many mistakes in the book. The author will be talking about a character and then she’ll call the character a different name. Or she’ll mix up last names.
Some of the details included were odd too. There were multiple mentions of Pogo being a staunch republican and Andrea’s ex being big into the NRA.
Overall, a strange book. I’m pretty sure the author wrote the entire book and never once went back to reread any of it. I’m pretty sure no one edited it either.
I definitely don’t recommend this book to anyone! This is unfortunately the first book in a trilogy. I have 0 desire to find out what happens to any of these characters.
Some of the details included were odd too. There were multiple mentions of Pogo being a staunch republican and Andrea’s ex being big into the NRA.
Overall, a strange book. I’m pretty sure the author wrote the entire book and never once went back to reread any of it. I’m pretty sure no one edited it either.
I definitely don’t recommend this book to anyone! This is unfortunately the first book in a trilogy. I have 0 desire to find out what happens to any of these characters.
November 17, 2017
I can understand that this book, although too graphic for the age group in my opinion, would attract young adult readers. As an adult reader, not so much. Throughout the author keeps presenting the same backstory over and over. An occasional reminder is fine, but not at such length or so frequently. The book was also full of line errors and inconsistencies, and was not believable. It made me suspect the author did not use an editor, or a very poor one. In essence, I found the writing amateurish. The only likeable character was Tad. I did like the physical description of the clown, which didn’t seem generic. But the story just did not hang together or conclude in a satisfactory manner for my taste.
May 23, 2020
Almost a great read.
Grabbed me right at the beginning and held on until the end. I couldn't put it down but the ending left a lot to be desired. It was almost like "ok, that's enough pages so bam....a paragraph here about this character, a paragraph about these people..! I get that the author wants people to buy the next installation, but the story needed more at the end drawing you along. Very disappointed with the ending.uhh
Grabbed me right at the beginning and held on until the end. I couldn't put it down but the ending left a lot to be desired. It was almost like "ok, that's enough pages so bam....a paragraph here about this character, a paragraph about these people..! I get that the author wants people to buy the next installation, but the story needed more at the end drawing you along. Very disappointed with the ending.uhh
May 17, 2020
Fast, action packed read.
Young guy, has dreams of things happening in real life. He also sees auras around people. The colors tell him if the person is bad or good. The teen, saw a serial killer who worked as a clown part time. This clown, seems based on Gacy. An actual serial killer, who was a clown. He also killed and buried his dead under his home.
Young guy, has dreams of things happening in real life. He also sees auras around people. The colors tell him if the person is bad or good. The teen, saw a serial killer who worked as a clown part time. This clown, seems based on Gacy. An actual serial killer, who was a clown. He also killed and buried his dead under his home.
August 2, 2012
A YA Fiction Horror Story
The story opens with Jeannie McGreevy, eight year old Tad’s mother having a birthday party for him and hiring Pogo, the clown to entertain the children. Tad could see auras and when he first caught sight of Pogo, the clown’s aura of gray-green frightened him so badly that he vomited and wouldn’t go near the clown. He had seen the gray green aura of Manson on TV. Later he began having nightmares, screaming so loud that the family couldn’t sleep. In twenty-five days he had twenty nightmares and they all contained the clown mutilating, torturing, dismembering people, even to the point that in one dream Pogo ate someone’s heart. Out of desperation, Jeannie and her husband, Jim Greevy, an attorney, took Tad to Dr. Einstadt, a psychiatrist. Dr. Einstadt could not believe that what Tad was seeing could actually be occurring and suggested he be committed to a psychiatric institution for a week. Tad was committed and upon his return home, he spoke hardly ever, could not go back to school for a year and was home schooled with a tutor.
Pogo, whose real name was Michael Clay, ran his father’s grill, Mike’s Chicken Shack at night and became Pogo the clown upon demand. Eventually Michael was discovered with thirty three bodies or parts of bodies buried under his house, most of them missing persons of the area, the same ones Tad had dreamed about and was arrested. Tad seldom dreamed after that, but continued to see auras, although never speaking of his ability. He sometimes still dreamed but they were of the precognitive quality and not like those of Michael Clay while he was incarcerated.
When sixteen years old and a Junior in High School, Tad met Jennie San Giovanni, a fifteen year old girl at his school and they became close friends. Although to Jennie he was just a friend, but Tad wished it was more than that. Jennie had been dating the bully of the high school, Jeremy Gustaffson, 19 years old, taking his fifth year in high school because his family had moved so often. Jennie’s mother, Andrea San Giovanni, felt Jeremy was too old for Jennie and forbid her dating him, but although Jennie didn’t have a crush on Jeremy, he was so persistent and also the high school jock that she sneaked to meet him. But she became more uncomfortable as time passed because of his increasing asking for sex and grabbing her. So far she had kept him in check, but she didn’t know how long that would last. Tad could see Jeremy’s red aura, meaning violence, and he tried to subtly warn Jenny to stay away from him.
Tad’s best friend Stevie Scranton, a fun-loving, homely kid, was always in trouble because he couldn’t think ahead. A few times he had been sent to Principal Puck for punishment and when he came out, he always looked extremely upset. Puck was known for liking boys.
After eight years in jail, Michael Clay escaped while being transported from one jail to another and the horror really began again, encompassing many of the individuals around Tad. Throughout the story, the author flashed back and forth between scenes to maintain the story’s momentum and to build her characterizations solidly. There were times when the same scenes were described by different characters, which may bore some readers, and others may find it helps them keep up with the action. There are many twists and turns and it is a page turner and entertaining. The biggest problem I had was the abrupt ending, leaving too many unexplained threads, far beyond what I consider to be a cliffhanger, to encourage reading the sequels to this story. For those YA readers who like this genre, I recommend this book.
The story opens with Jeannie McGreevy, eight year old Tad’s mother having a birthday party for him and hiring Pogo, the clown to entertain the children. Tad could see auras and when he first caught sight of Pogo, the clown’s aura of gray-green frightened him so badly that he vomited and wouldn’t go near the clown. He had seen the gray green aura of Manson on TV. Later he began having nightmares, screaming so loud that the family couldn’t sleep. In twenty-five days he had twenty nightmares and they all contained the clown mutilating, torturing, dismembering people, even to the point that in one dream Pogo ate someone’s heart. Out of desperation, Jeannie and her husband, Jim Greevy, an attorney, took Tad to Dr. Einstadt, a psychiatrist. Dr. Einstadt could not believe that what Tad was seeing could actually be occurring and suggested he be committed to a psychiatric institution for a week. Tad was committed and upon his return home, he spoke hardly ever, could not go back to school for a year and was home schooled with a tutor.
Pogo, whose real name was Michael Clay, ran his father’s grill, Mike’s Chicken Shack at night and became Pogo the clown upon demand. Eventually Michael was discovered with thirty three bodies or parts of bodies buried under his house, most of them missing persons of the area, the same ones Tad had dreamed about and was arrested. Tad seldom dreamed after that, but continued to see auras, although never speaking of his ability. He sometimes still dreamed but they were of the precognitive quality and not like those of Michael Clay while he was incarcerated.
When sixteen years old and a Junior in High School, Tad met Jennie San Giovanni, a fifteen year old girl at his school and they became close friends. Although to Jennie he was just a friend, but Tad wished it was more than that. Jennie had been dating the bully of the high school, Jeremy Gustaffson, 19 years old, taking his fifth year in high school because his family had moved so often. Jennie’s mother, Andrea San Giovanni, felt Jeremy was too old for Jennie and forbid her dating him, but although Jennie didn’t have a crush on Jeremy, he was so persistent and also the high school jock that she sneaked to meet him. But she became more uncomfortable as time passed because of his increasing asking for sex and grabbing her. So far she had kept him in check, but she didn’t know how long that would last. Tad could see Jeremy’s red aura, meaning violence, and he tried to subtly warn Jenny to stay away from him.
Tad’s best friend Stevie Scranton, a fun-loving, homely kid, was always in trouble because he couldn’t think ahead. A few times he had been sent to Principal Puck for punishment and when he came out, he always looked extremely upset. Puck was known for liking boys.
After eight years in jail, Michael Clay escaped while being transported from one jail to another and the horror really began again, encompassing many of the individuals around Tad. Throughout the story, the author flashed back and forth between scenes to maintain the story’s momentum and to build her characterizations solidly. There were times when the same scenes were described by different characters, which may bore some readers, and others may find it helps them keep up with the action. There are many twists and turns and it is a page turner and entertaining. The biggest problem I had was the abrupt ending, leaving too many unexplained threads, far beyond what I consider to be a cliffhanger, to encourage reading the sequels to this story. For those YA readers who like this genre, I recommend this book.
December 11, 2012
RECEIVED FREE FROM GOODREADS FIRST READS. Initially I was struck by the repetitious nature of THE COLOR OF EVIL. During the first part of the book we are repeatedly told that Jenny's parents did not want her to date Jeremy and had forbidden her to do so. Then we are told over and over again about Tad's and Stevie's problems as they went about their daily lives. Even Tad's daily notes to Jenny always began with the same opening line. I found this repetitive tone annoying. I do realize that the author has spent a portion of her life as an educator at various colleges in Iowa and Illinois, and perhaps repetition is a good teaching mechanism for 2nd and 3rd graders, but I believe most of the audience for a book depicting the horrific murders perpetrated by twisted minds would be geared to readers far above that age level. If her target audience was the YA group, all I can say is that there are enough deviants and less than appropriate Hollywood "role models" featured in the daily paper that rehashing a particularly brutal 35 year old murder case for consumption by a young impressionable audience verges on criminal.
The author probably got the idea of her clown villain from John Wayne Gacy. Gacy, a serial killer-rapist from Illinois lived a short 150 miles away from the community in which the author resides and (surprise, surprise) performed at charity events as a clown named POGO, murdering 33 boys and disposing of most of their bodies by burying them in the crawl space beneath his house.
The lives of the Stevie & Tad characters seem to mirror some of the unpleasant events that took place during Gacy's school-days while other aspects of Gacy's life appear to be highlighted in the personality and actions of the Jeremy character.
Like many authors, Ms. Wilson seems to be unable to refrain from political commentary when she indicates that POGO the Clown (Michael Clay) was once a REPUBLICAN precinct captain. The real John Wayne Gacy did work as an assistant precinct captain for the DEMOCRAT Party and was active in the politics of that party. Why Ms. Collins chose to include that bit of minutia in her book escapes me unless it was to cast a sly aspersion on a particular political party.
While the idea of a young man who can see good and evil in the aura's of those around him is an interesting one that presents many possibilities, I found the presentation of the characters in this novel most resembled a banquet at which very little nourishing food is offered. The timeline was so full of holes that it resembled swiss-cheese, and the narrative itself seemed to rely heavily on the gore factor rather than any cogent or cohesive story-telling flair.
Perhaps, it's just that I have read a few pretty good novels of late and as the "luck of the draw" would have it, Ms. Collins offering had the misfortune of coming after these in my TBR pile. I realize that COLOR OF EVIL is book one of a trilogy but I think, based on this experience, that I will pass on books two and three.
The author probably got the idea of her clown villain from John Wayne Gacy. Gacy, a serial killer-rapist from Illinois lived a short 150 miles away from the community in which the author resides and (surprise, surprise) performed at charity events as a clown named POGO, murdering 33 boys and disposing of most of their bodies by burying them in the crawl space beneath his house.
The lives of the Stevie & Tad characters seem to mirror some of the unpleasant events that took place during Gacy's school-days while other aspects of Gacy's life appear to be highlighted in the personality and actions of the Jeremy character.
Like many authors, Ms. Wilson seems to be unable to refrain from political commentary when she indicates that POGO the Clown (Michael Clay) was once a REPUBLICAN precinct captain. The real John Wayne Gacy did work as an assistant precinct captain for the DEMOCRAT Party and was active in the politics of that party. Why Ms. Collins chose to include that bit of minutia in her book escapes me unless it was to cast a sly aspersion on a particular political party.
While the idea of a young man who can see good and evil in the aura's of those around him is an interesting one that presents many possibilities, I found the presentation of the characters in this novel most resembled a banquet at which very little nourishing food is offered. The timeline was so full of holes that it resembled swiss-cheese, and the narrative itself seemed to rely heavily on the gore factor rather than any cogent or cohesive story-telling flair.
Perhaps, it's just that I have read a few pretty good novels of late and as the "luck of the draw" would have it, Ms. Collins offering had the misfortune of coming after these in my TBR pile. I realize that COLOR OF EVIL is book one of a trilogy but I think, based on this experience, that I will pass on books two and three.
July 16, 2014
Well this is a book that had me turning pages , even though it has a psychotic killed clown in it . This is a well written book that takes us on a journey . Ta is just a boy when they realize that he can see auras and has dreams of death . Noone believes him so he hides it . We jump ahead where Tad is a junior in high school and has friends and is in love with his best friend Jenny. As they navigate through school and life things start to happen and events unfold as they do their best to figure out where Stevie went and how to get Jenny away from Jeremy
The author took us on an adventure . The two main characters are well written and just a little misunderstood. Pogo the clown is the epitome of evil. And no I am not biased because I hate clowns . The clown is psychotic and jut pure evil. Then there is Tad, you just really want to hug him and keep him safe. He is so sweet and kind and lovable . The boy can see evil and is trying to understand it . He doesn't know how to explain to people about the evil he sees.
There is so much more going on in this town then anyone wants to know. There is the psychotic boyfriend of Jenny's and the people cheating on each other. Jeremy is one character that has the makings to be the next serial killer. He is very abusive to his family and Jenny. Jenny was to me in my opinion, acting like an abused girlfriend. She knew she shouldn't see him but she did anyway. That to me is classic battered wife syndrome. They are very complex characters that will make you scream at the computer and then in the next sentence you want to hug them up and never let them go.
The author threw a bunch of twists and turns in the story, like what ever happened to Stevie . You actually need to keep turning the pages to find out what the hell is going on . I will tell you this isn't an easy story to read. It will actually play with your mind a bit. I know it did with my mind. I was all over the place with this book, in a good way. I just couldn't get enough . I do admit it did drag for just a minute when Jenny kept saying that she shouldn't be seeing Jeremy but it wasn't that bad .
This is a great horror/thriller that will most definitely keep you reading. You will want to know what happens and what will become of the characters . Yes you will get invested in them, Cause honestly they are like the people that are in your life and live on your street. Yes even the psycho clowns. There is a cliff hanger at the end of this book but there is book two out.
So if you want a good horror story this is the book for you. But be prepared you will most definitely hate clowns after this book. Thanks Connie for adding to my clown phobia LOL
June 30, 2012
My thoughts:
This is a chilling, gruesome tale. Not a read for the faint of heart. There is no end to the sick and twisted nature of some of the characters in this story.
I need to begin my review with a side note: I read for the happy ending. Always. Regardless of the type of story - romance, paranormal, thriller, horror, fantasy...
I am always waiting for that moment at the end where it all comes together. That moment where the bad guy gets caught, love is finally found, you know - THAT moment. Closure.
Some books hang at the end and you know that there will be another to come. This is that kind of ending. You get a little bit of loose end tying, but for the most part we will all be awaiting the next book to find THAT moment.
The characters in this book stand out because they garnered such a dramatic reaction.
They are mostly all evil or at least bad. (With the exception of a few). The author has created characters that got an immediate response from me; some of those responses being, "Shame on them!" or "Wow, what a yucky person."
I was repulsed by Pogo the Clown. I have an aversion to clowns in stories - well, because they are always the worst of the worst as bad guys and the author has created the ultimate bad guy in Pogo the Clown.
As a person and a parent, I found myself automatically emotionally attached to Stevie and Tad. I am that person who always picks the runt, the left out, and the unwanted.
As a teacher, my heart cried out for them being bullied and abused by students and I was outraged and sickened by the bullying and abuse at the hands of the school staff.
The setting is local for me, which I think is great. But the town is filled with unhappiness, resentment, jealousy and despair. The author does a nice job of describing the people in the story and their lives. The overall mood of the book is dark, overshadowed by the darkness of unsavory people.
One repeating theme to the story was how small the world is and how things happen and the number of people affected by those things. Another theme, to me, was choices. How a person could choose to walk away from their life, but that sometimes because of the choices that are made sometimes their life walks away from them.
The plot twists around itself and you wonder who will be caught, who is going to get away with what, and who gets to "win" in the end.
A rollercoaster ride of terror. I am sure that I will be looking for the next book so that I can find out what happens at the end of this road.
This is a chilling, gruesome tale. Not a read for the faint of heart. There is no end to the sick and twisted nature of some of the characters in this story.
I need to begin my review with a side note: I read for the happy ending. Always. Regardless of the type of story - romance, paranormal, thriller, horror, fantasy...
I am always waiting for that moment at the end where it all comes together. That moment where the bad guy gets caught, love is finally found, you know - THAT moment. Closure.
Some books hang at the end and you know that there will be another to come. This is that kind of ending. You get a little bit of loose end tying, but for the most part we will all be awaiting the next book to find THAT moment.
The characters in this book stand out because they garnered such a dramatic reaction.
They are mostly all evil or at least bad. (With the exception of a few). The author has created characters that got an immediate response from me; some of those responses being, "Shame on them!" or "Wow, what a yucky person."
I was repulsed by Pogo the Clown. I have an aversion to clowns in stories - well, because they are always the worst of the worst as bad guys and the author has created the ultimate bad guy in Pogo the Clown.
As a person and a parent, I found myself automatically emotionally attached to Stevie and Tad. I am that person who always picks the runt, the left out, and the unwanted.
As a teacher, my heart cried out for them being bullied and abused by students and I was outraged and sickened by the bullying and abuse at the hands of the school staff.
The setting is local for me, which I think is great. But the town is filled with unhappiness, resentment, jealousy and despair. The author does a nice job of describing the people in the story and their lives. The overall mood of the book is dark, overshadowed by the darkness of unsavory people.
One repeating theme to the story was how small the world is and how things happen and the number of people affected by those things. Another theme, to me, was choices. How a person could choose to walk away from their life, but that sometimes because of the choices that are made sometimes their life walks away from them.
The plot twists around itself and you wonder who will be caught, who is going to get away with what, and who gets to "win" in the end.
A rollercoaster ride of terror. I am sure that I will be looking for the next book so that I can find out what happens at the end of this road.
May 10, 2014
When Tad McGreevey opens the door, he falls back in fear. Standing before him is Pogo the Clown, hired to entertain the kids at his eighth birthday party.
It’s not the clown suit that terrifies him. It’s the aura that surrounds him. Tad can see auras, or colors, around people. Different auras show whether that person is good or bad. Pogo’s aura is gray-green, or khaki, the worst color.
Nothing happens at his birthday party, but Tad suffers 53 days of nightmares. Pogo is a serial killer and Tad sees each violent killing in his dreams.
Night after night he wakes up screaming and no one is getting any sleep. His family doesn’t believe in his visions and Tad spends a brief time in a psychiatric hospital before Pogo the Clown is caught and his horrific deeds are revealed.
The author then takes you forward eight years. Tad’s nightmares ended when Pogo was caught and his biggest problem now is that Jenny, one of his best friends, is hot for bad boy Jeremy, while Tad’s feelings for her have changed from platonic to to romantic. He is falling for her.
Tad’s nightmares begin again. This time he can’t see the crime as clear. Can’t quite tell who the killer or victim is. And his dreams don’t tell him whether the crime is going to happen, whether it’s happening now, or whether it’s yet to occur. But it will happen. And his biggest fear is not being able to do anything about it.
Something this author does and does well is catch you unawares. You’ll be reading a scene, and suddenly, with no warning, it turns ugly. It rocks you back on your heels. And it happens often, catching you again and again.
The atmosphere of pending danger is felt the whole time you are reading, even in scenes that seem innocuous. Not that they stay that way for long as the evil in this small town is rampant. Hiding in plain sight. Happening to many different people. It’s as if the town harbors evil.
As I neared the end of the book, I knew there were going to be many issues left unresolved. So when I read the title for the last chapter, Loose Ends, I feared the author would cram all of the unfinished scenes into this last chapter.
The author does tie up some of the loose ends. But some really big ones are still hanging wide open. I’ve never read a book with so many things left unfinished and I still loved the ending.
It’s not the clown suit that terrifies him. It’s the aura that surrounds him. Tad can see auras, or colors, around people. Different auras show whether that person is good or bad. Pogo’s aura is gray-green, or khaki, the worst color.
Nothing happens at his birthday party, but Tad suffers 53 days of nightmares. Pogo is a serial killer and Tad sees each violent killing in his dreams.
Night after night he wakes up screaming and no one is getting any sleep. His family doesn’t believe in his visions and Tad spends a brief time in a psychiatric hospital before Pogo the Clown is caught and his horrific deeds are revealed.
The author then takes you forward eight years. Tad’s nightmares ended when Pogo was caught and his biggest problem now is that Jenny, one of his best friends, is hot for bad boy Jeremy, while Tad’s feelings for her have changed from platonic to to romantic. He is falling for her.
Tad’s nightmares begin again. This time he can’t see the crime as clear. Can’t quite tell who the killer or victim is. And his dreams don’t tell him whether the crime is going to happen, whether it’s happening now, or whether it’s yet to occur. But it will happen. And his biggest fear is not being able to do anything about it.
Something this author does and does well is catch you unawares. You’ll be reading a scene, and suddenly, with no warning, it turns ugly. It rocks you back on your heels. And it happens often, catching you again and again.
The atmosphere of pending danger is felt the whole time you are reading, even in scenes that seem innocuous. Not that they stay that way for long as the evil in this small town is rampant. Hiding in plain sight. Happening to many different people. It’s as if the town harbors evil.
As I neared the end of the book, I knew there were going to be many issues left unresolved. So when I read the title for the last chapter, Loose Ends, I feared the author would cram all of the unfinished scenes into this last chapter.
The author does tie up some of the loose ends. But some really big ones are still hanging wide open. I’ve never read a book with so many things left unfinished and I still loved the ending.
June 19, 2012
Hiding in plain sight. In my opinion, that's what clowns do. All that overt make-up and distracting clothing, but what are they hiding or hiding from. Eight year old Tad really didn't care what was behind the make-up, he just knew he wasn't going anywhere near the clown that had been hired to entertain at his birthday party. When Tad looked at the clown all he saw was a horrid gray-green aura, the worst possible color. Every person that Tad looked at had an aura, most of them benign.
After the birthday party, Tad started having gruesome dreams. For the next few weeks, he dreamed of Pogo the Clown committing the most evil acts. Once the clown is arrested, Tad's dreams stopped, but the young boy was left in an almost catatonic state. We next meet Tad, eight years later, and he is a seemingly well adjusted young man, a junior in high school. He has continued to see aura, but he doesn't tell anyone about them. He has found ways to live with what he knows about people. At least that is the case until he meets and befriends Jenny.
When I read a horror story, I don't want to set it down until I turn the final page, and that is exactly what I did with this one. By the time I reached the middle of the book, I knew I wouldn't sleep until I found out 'what happened'. For the first few chapters I was distracted by the straight forward story telling and the repetition of some plot facts. As the story continued and the story intensified, I found that those very same techniques kept me from getting too wound up. The repetitions of the mundane parts of Tad's daily life were very reassuring that life was good and that he was safe from the guys with the 'bad' auras. Each time I felt that I had a grip on the gruesome events, then author Connie Corcoran Wilson would throw in a twist which would put me on edge once again. When I was one chapter from the end of the book, I thought everything was wound up and I would sleep fine, but then she used that final chapter to present those 'loose ends' that I had conveniently pushed to the side. As I read those final paragraphs, I was once again forced to consider the evil and discomfort associated with those horrible colours.
After the birthday party, Tad started having gruesome dreams. For the next few weeks, he dreamed of Pogo the Clown committing the most evil acts. Once the clown is arrested, Tad's dreams stopped, but the young boy was left in an almost catatonic state. We next meet Tad, eight years later, and he is a seemingly well adjusted young man, a junior in high school. He has continued to see aura, but he doesn't tell anyone about them. He has found ways to live with what he knows about people. At least that is the case until he meets and befriends Jenny.
When I read a horror story, I don't want to set it down until I turn the final page, and that is exactly what I did with this one. By the time I reached the middle of the book, I knew I wouldn't sleep until I found out 'what happened'. For the first few chapters I was distracted by the straight forward story telling and the repetition of some plot facts. As the story continued and the story intensified, I found that those very same techniques kept me from getting too wound up. The repetitions of the mundane parts of Tad's daily life were very reassuring that life was good and that he was safe from the guys with the 'bad' auras. Each time I felt that I had a grip on the gruesome events, then author Connie Corcoran Wilson would throw in a twist which would put me on edge once again. When I was one chapter from the end of the book, I thought everything was wound up and I would sleep fine, but then she used that final chapter to present those 'loose ends' that I had conveniently pushed to the side. As I read those final paragraphs, I was once again forced to consider the evil and discomfort associated with those horrible colours.
December 11, 2012
Tad McGreevy has a secret power that he has never revealed, not even to his best friend Stevie Scranton. When he looks at others, Tad can see their auras - the colors around people that tell Tad if they are good or evil. At night, Tad dreams of the evil-doers, reliving their crimes in graphic and horrifying detail. But Tad never can tell if the crimes in his nightmares are happening right at the moment, have already happened, or will happen in the future.
He has been told by his parents never to speak of his powers. All Tad knows is that he wants to protect the people that he loves. And he desperately wants the nightmares to stop.
At Tad's eighth birthday party, the clown his parents hire to entertain Tad's third-grade classmates is just such an evil person. Michael Clay, masquerading as Pogo the Clown during his day job, is a serial killer. So begins 53 nights of terror for Tad and his family, as Pogo goes on a murder spree, and a distraught Tad relives each murder in gruesome detail, then awakens screaming to recite each murder to his disbelieving family. The situation becomes so dire that Tad is hospitalized in a private institution under the care of a psychiatrist, who also doesn't believe the small boy's stories.
And then, the police arrest Pogo the Killer Clown.
It is eight years later, and Tad is sixteen years old, just entering his junior year in high school. He is fully recovered from the events that happened in the spring of his third-grade year. Michael Clay was arrested and sent to prison for life. His crime spree ended with his incarceration, as did Tad's nightmares. Tad's experiences are nothing more than dim and distant memories to him. Until now, in 2003, when evil once again stalks the night.
I really enjoyed this book and was drawn into the story from the first sentence. I really felt for the characters and look forward to discovering what will happen throughout the next books. I give this book an A+! and am looking forward to reading the next book in this series, Red is For Rage.
He has been told by his parents never to speak of his powers. All Tad knows is that he wants to protect the people that he loves. And he desperately wants the nightmares to stop.
At Tad's eighth birthday party, the clown his parents hire to entertain Tad's third-grade classmates is just such an evil person. Michael Clay, masquerading as Pogo the Clown during his day job, is a serial killer. So begins 53 nights of terror for Tad and his family, as Pogo goes on a murder spree, and a distraught Tad relives each murder in gruesome detail, then awakens screaming to recite each murder to his disbelieving family. The situation becomes so dire that Tad is hospitalized in a private institution under the care of a psychiatrist, who also doesn't believe the small boy's stories.
And then, the police arrest Pogo the Killer Clown.
It is eight years later, and Tad is sixteen years old, just entering his junior year in high school. He is fully recovered from the events that happened in the spring of his third-grade year. Michael Clay was arrested and sent to prison for life. His crime spree ended with his incarceration, as did Tad's nightmares. Tad's experiences are nothing more than dim and distant memories to him. Until now, in 2003, when evil once again stalks the night.
I really enjoyed this book and was drawn into the story from the first sentence. I really felt for the characters and look forward to discovering what will happen throughout the next books. I give this book an A+! and am looking forward to reading the next book in this series, Red is For Rage.
May 1, 2012
After reading a lot of fantasy and YA novels, I found myself looking for a change, and The Color of Evil fell right into my lap at precisely the right time. If you are a fan of the macabre and looking for a good thriller that will keep you awake at night, this is definitely the book for you. The characters were easily related to. The storyline flowed smoothly. While I could not relate to the area in which they lived, having money and all of that, I could relate to the trials and struggles and secrets that the characters faced and lived with.
The story sucks you in pretty much from the beginning, begging you to keep reading just to find out what is coming next. The excitement begins early on, and does not let up until the very end.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel and would highly recommend it to those who enjoy thrillers and horror reads. I will warn, however, that there are some pretty adult scenarios that are not for the faint of heart and I do not recommend this for anyone under the age of 16.
The reason for the 3 star review was related to some grammatical issues and minor inconsistencies within the story, and after having had this information passed on to the author, I have heard rumor that there may be a revised copy coming sometime in the future.
On a personal note, I want to thank the author for a generous offer made in terms of giveaway, which will be posting in another thread directly following this one. Keep your eyes open, folks, as there is more to come from this author and I really think that she has the potential to hold ranks with the likes of Stephen King.
Thanks to Premier Virtual Author Book Tours for a copy for review.
The story sucks you in pretty much from the beginning, begging you to keep reading just to find out what is coming next. The excitement begins early on, and does not let up until the very end.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel and would highly recommend it to those who enjoy thrillers and horror reads. I will warn, however, that there are some pretty adult scenarios that are not for the faint of heart and I do not recommend this for anyone under the age of 16.
The reason for the 3 star review was related to some grammatical issues and minor inconsistencies within the story, and after having had this information passed on to the author, I have heard rumor that there may be a revised copy coming sometime in the future.
On a personal note, I want to thank the author for a generous offer made in terms of giveaway, which will be posting in another thread directly following this one. Keep your eyes open, folks, as there is more to come from this author and I really think that she has the potential to hold ranks with the likes of Stephen King.
Thanks to Premier Virtual Author Book Tours for a copy for review.
April 26, 2012
A traditional horror story in the vein of Bentley Little, Dean Koontz or James Newman. In a small town in Iowa, 8-year-old Tad McGreevey sees auras, and one aura in particular, that of Michael Clay, otherwise known as Pogo the Clown. Pogo is a serial killer, and Tad soon lapses into visions of Pogo's heinous crimes, but his insistence on relating the visions lead's to Pogo's incarceration.
Fast forward eight years: Tad still sees auras, but the visions no longer plague him. Instead, he's beset by his love for Jenny SanGiovanni, his worry about her violent football player-boyfriend and concern for his best friend, Stevie.
Then the visions begin again, and all hell breaks loose.
Based on the cover, I'd been expecting more killer clown. I like killer clowns. I know I'm in the minority here, but they're genuinely scary. And this book too, is genuinely scary.
It takes awhile to get going, and there are a few chapters up front which seem to repeat themselves unnecessarily, but once the killings start, the book seems to find its footing, even if the timeline crashes and burns at one point. Ignore the timeline! Keep reading!
You'll also have to ignore the bit where someone with first aid training yanks a hunting knife out of a stab wound for selfish purposes, cookie-cutter characters and racial stereotypes, but you might, like me, keep going with one burning question in mind: what *did* happen to Stevie Scranton?
Fast forward eight years: Tad still sees auras, but the visions no longer plague him. Instead, he's beset by his love for Jenny SanGiovanni, his worry about her violent football player-boyfriend and concern for his best friend, Stevie.
Then the visions begin again, and all hell breaks loose.
Based on the cover, I'd been expecting more killer clown. I like killer clowns. I know I'm in the minority here, but they're genuinely scary. And this book too, is genuinely scary.
It takes awhile to get going, and there are a few chapters up front which seem to repeat themselves unnecessarily, but once the killings start, the book seems to find its footing, even if the timeline crashes and burns at one point. Ignore the timeline! Keep reading!
You'll also have to ignore the bit where someone with first aid training yanks a hunting knife out of a stab wound for selfish purposes, cookie-cutter characters and racial stereotypes, but you might, like me, keep going with one burning question in mind: what *did* happen to Stevie Scranton?
December 16, 2012
Free Book Dude Blog Tour Dec. 21
Review of The Color of Evil
Free Book Dude Blog Tour Dec. 21
4 stars
A complex mystery with multiple characters and many plot lines, “The Color of Evil” is the story of a small town In Iowa, Cedar Falls, adjacent to Waterloo. An eight-year-old boy, Tad, has precognitive dream visions and sees auras. The clown chosen to perform at his eighth birthday party, “Pogo,” carries the worst aura of all, a gray-green ugly shroud that even at his young age Tad understands signifies serious trouble. After the party Tad begins to repetitively dream of the clown’s marauding, and before long, his visions are proved to be true.
But Pogo is not the only psychopath in this town; one is disguised as a “fifth-year-senior,” so called because he couldn’t graduate on time. With poor impulse control, this young man, Jeremy, sets up a situation in which he kills one and abducts another. Pogo escapes, and a new reign of terror commences. Meantime, Tad’s somewhat skewed best friend Stevie, persistently molested by the school principal, disappears.
Review of The Color of Evil
Free Book Dude Blog Tour Dec. 21
4 stars
A complex mystery with multiple characters and many plot lines, “The Color of Evil” is the story of a small town In Iowa, Cedar Falls, adjacent to Waterloo. An eight-year-old boy, Tad, has precognitive dream visions and sees auras. The clown chosen to perform at his eighth birthday party, “Pogo,” carries the worst aura of all, a gray-green ugly shroud that even at his young age Tad understands signifies serious trouble. After the party Tad begins to repetitively dream of the clown’s marauding, and before long, his visions are proved to be true.
But Pogo is not the only psychopath in this town; one is disguised as a “fifth-year-senior,” so called because he couldn’t graduate on time. With poor impulse control, this young man, Jeremy, sets up a situation in which he kills one and abducts another. Pogo escapes, and a new reign of terror commences. Meantime, Tad’s somewhat skewed best friend Stevie, persistently molested by the school principal, disappears.
March 5, 2013
There are times when, as a reader, I make a conscious decision to step outside of my normal reading box and pick up something totally uncharacteristic for me. I was approached about reading this series, and although I knew it wasn’t entirely my bag, I decided it would be fun to try something a bit different. I looked at the synopsis and figured that since it’s been awhile since I tried some horror, it could be interesting to try it again.
As I was reading, you can imagine my surprise when I discovered that I didn’t like the book, but for an entirely different reason than not being a big fan of the genre. See, I was mentally prepared for this to be a thrill ride, and a bit gory. I knew going into it that I was going to have to steel myself for all that, and I did. But there were some other elements of the story that I had a difficult time with, and I really thought they would pass, but the final chapter came around and I had the same complaints as I had at the beginning.
To read the rest of my review, please visit my blog.
As I was reading, you can imagine my surprise when I discovered that I didn’t like the book, but for an entirely different reason than not being a big fan of the genre. See, I was mentally prepared for this to be a thrill ride, and a bit gory. I knew going into it that I was going to have to steel myself for all that, and I did. But there were some other elements of the story that I had a difficult time with, and I really thought they would pass, but the final chapter came around and I had the same complaints as I had at the beginning.
To read the rest of my review, please visit my blog.
February 2, 2015
I started this series with the third book and was not in love with the book, but interested enough to finish it, and puzzled enough about some of the details to return and buy the first two ebooks in the series. Book one is better, The writing is simpler and the story line less cluttered with tragedy upon tragedy befalling a small group on a small community. My biggest problem with book one is that it could start as a true crime book if she was honest about the fact that almost every detail is taken straight from the horrible life of John Wayne Gacy. Then she adds in her imagination, and some interesting characters who include an 8 year old boy who has the ability to see all of Gacy's perversions. Then the story veers into "What if Gacy had escaped and continued and other true crime stories become entangled." Still, still not able to like these books, but I read them and compulsively until they were finished. I like mystery and i like true crime books and I love paranormal - but I am not sure that this mish mash of all three is something I can ever be comfortable with.
June 18, 2012
This was a good suspense novel. The characters were believable and you could really picture them. They were also well developed with a sense of history and background to them. You really see a lot of the small town characters and how an event can happen that affects the entire town.
This story itself is not an easy read if you are looking for something light in the small town vein. It is not a light read by any means. But it is a good story which pulls you in and keeps you reading to find out what happens.
My only issues were minor. I am not a fan of the cover. And there were some parts of the book that seemed a bit repetitive and awkward. But they were not enough to make me want to stop reading. And I am looking forward to seeing what she has in store for these characters next. If you are looking for a suspense novel with twists and turns and am interesting mix of characters you should definitely be checking this one out.
This story itself is not an easy read if you are looking for something light in the small town vein. It is not a light read by any means. But it is a good story which pulls you in and keeps you reading to find out what happens.
My only issues were minor. I am not a fan of the cover. And there were some parts of the book that seemed a bit repetitive and awkward. But they were not enough to make me want to stop reading. And I am looking forward to seeing what she has in store for these characters next. If you are looking for a suspense novel with twists and turns and am interesting mix of characters you should definitely be checking this one out.
June 29, 2014
I received this book from the author and from Paranormal Romance and Authors That Rock.
Normally this isn't the type of book i would read, but I have read a few Stephen King books and I have to say that I felt the authors style was very similar.
The story revolves around a young man named Tad who has the special ability to see auras and know what the colors mean. The author creates avery detailed environment in which her tales of horror are set. Her characters were real and each one was interesting. If you like Stephen King novels like under the dome you are going to want to read this book, and the rest of the series.
I'm giving this book 4 fangs only because this isn't a genre where i find myself having to run out and get the next book.
Normally this isn't the type of book i would read, but I have read a few Stephen King books and I have to say that I felt the authors style was very similar.
The story revolves around a young man named Tad who has the special ability to see auras and know what the colors mean. The author creates avery detailed environment in which her tales of horror are set. Her characters were real and each one was interesting. If you like Stephen King novels like under the dome you are going to want to read this book, and the rest of the series.
I'm giving this book 4 fangs only because this isn't a genre where i find myself having to run out and get the next book.
February 23, 2012
"Connie Corcoran Wilson's THE COLOR OF EVIL is a scary, entertaining novel. Dealing with a young person's supernatural powers, bringing Stephen King's CARRIE and John Farris' THE FURY to mind, Wilson introduces us to Tad McGreevy, a young man who can see people's auras. A haunting childhood experience has already taught him the color of evil. This territory has not been mined in a while, and Wilson's take is fresh. With first-rate writing, a strong story, and believable characters, THE COLOR OF EVIL is a winner. Highly recommended." (Peter J. Giglio, author of "Anon" and "A Spark in the Darkness.")
August 10, 2012
I turned on my Kindle and began reading Color of Evil while sitting in a kayak on a bright, sunny day. A gentle breeze was blowing. The next thing I knew, my kayak bumped the shore on the opposite side of the lake. I had been so engrossed in the story that I had not even realized how far I was drifting.
I can't wait for the sequel to come out. But, I'll sit on dry ground when I open Connie Wilson's next book!
I can't wait for the sequel to come out. But, I'll sit on dry ground when I open Connie Wilson's next book!
December 17, 2012
"The Color of Evil" is a real chilling, roller coaster riding horror story with really interesting characters. Even though it was a bit slow in the beginning for me, it caught my attention once story got underway and didn't let go. I would recommended this for all adult readers who love the thrill of horror.
This review is based on a complimentary copy which was provided for an honest review.
This review is based on a complimentary copy which was provided for an honest review.
February 21, 2016
Connie Wilson has once again risen to the top. Her extensive background and experience in getting the least-known details of the story are absolutely amazing. She is thorough and keeps you entertained and informed with an unmistakable wit that gives you tremendous insight on any subject she writes about. I have been reading Connie's work for many years now. I loved this and can't wait for the next great project.
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