The Perfect Game

by Stephen Paul

In a dark Manhattan alley, a young woman suddenly collapses from a brain hemorrhage. The statistics say it’s rare to have happened to someone so young and healthy, yet all signs point to natural causes. But when Kyle Vine, the man she was supposed to meet that night, learns she wasn’t the only victim, he knows there’s something more going on and soon discovers a mysterious link to the sudden success of a journeyman pitcher for the New York Yankees.

As the lethal brain bleeds continue to strike, Kyle and the woman’s eccentric uncle work together to unravel a mystery unlike any the world has ever seen in order to stop a ruthless killer from striking again.

Stephen Paul’s debut supernatural suspense thriller, The Perfect Game, is a fast-paced gripping ride that will continue to keep readers on the edge of their seats while trying to figure out who’s behind the deadly episodes, how they’re doing it and, perhaps most shocking of all, why.

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Ebooks

254 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 20, 2014

About the author

Stephen was raised in the suburbs of Long Island and now lives with his wife and son in New York City. When not crusading on behalf of the design professional community, he enjoys writing thrillers with a supernatural touch.

Reviews

[Christie72 (Devilishly Delicious Book Reviews) · Rating 4 out of 5]

~ I was given a complimentary copy by the author for an honest review.~

It has been a while since I have read such a good, fast-paced thriller. It captured my attention and kept it from the beginning until the end.

Kyle Vine is a professor whose life isn’t at all what he expected it to be. He is trying to adjust to the changes in his life, the divorce from his wife and her remarriage and not seeing his daughter as much as he wants to. In addition, he is fighting a wrongful death lawsuit brought against him by his deceased patient’s family. One night he makes a fateful decision to meet a female student of his with the anticipation of having sex with her. However, he doesn’t realize how that decision will completely upend life as he knows it. He finds her unconscious in an alley outside of the bar where he was meeting her. There aren’t any visible signs of an attack, and it’s determined that she has suffered a brain aneurysm. Little does Kyle know that she is just the latest victim in a string of strokes that are affecting seemingly young, healthy individuals. When the Allie’s uncle contacts Kyle, they join together to get to the bottom of the mysterious deaths. As Allie lays in a hospital in a coma and fighting for her life, the two men are in a race against time to find the culprit before he claims more victims.

I love a fast-paced thriller, and this book did not disappoint at all. It is told from Kyle’s POV and the killer’s POV… which I loved. The author did a great job of teasing me with just the right amount of clues to make me think it was one person, but then I wasn’t so sure. In fact, there was one point that I was completely sure I knew who it was, and Stephen Paul threw me for a loop. The book doesn’t just fall into one genre, but several. It is a thriller and mystery with sci-fi and paranormal thrown in which makes it fantastic. For those of you who are in the mood for something to read that is a bit of a cross between James Patterson and Dean Koontz yet completely fresh and different, give The Perfect Game a try. I guarantee you that you will not be disappointed.

[Anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought I had a good idea of what I was getting when I began reading this book – and brought with me a certain suspension of belief – however I was wrong. The main character, Kyle, a psychologist who got it tragically wrong with a client and is thus under investigation, who has been divorced by his wealthy wife and now lives in a three story walk-up - isn’t nearly as self-pitying or damaged as one would expect.

Kyle is flawed, yes, but he has a positive, non-mercenary attitude to life, so when a chance to flirt with a pretty student goes terribly wrong and she ends up in a coma, he doesn’t just thank his luck for having dodged a bullet – but is genuinely ashamed at having encouraged her. His guilt draws him into finding out how she was injured, despite that his involvement could be discovered.

Kyle’s relationship with his daughter Bree is lovely, so as a reader I didn’t want him to be caught out or blamed when the coma victim’s Uncle Liam decides there is a dangerous killer targeting young people with a weapon that is impossible to detect, or prove, and he needs Kyle to help him.

For a debut novel this is excellently structured, with engaging characterisation and a plot where the sense of menace and various twists and turns as the story moves into the supernatural are expertly portrayed. The clues are there but never do they slap you in the face. Despite the off-the-wall premise, I found myself believing in how the antagonist was killing his victims without too much of the ‘as if that could happen’ element this might have given.

I was even left at the end wondering if, at some stage of our evolution, the human mind may just evolve to this level, engendered by the theories Kyle and Liam throw out – for instance that people know on some higher level when they are being stared at – Creepy!

I can honestly say I’m looking forward to Stephen Paul’s next novel.

I received an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

[Aly · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the very beginning this book had me hooked. The main character, Kyle Vine grabbed my attention from the very first. I found that Stephen Paul described him in such a way that I found myself sympathizing with him even as I felt that I should be saying that something was wrong there or just something against Kyle. But the way that Stephen Paul wrote him and his inner musings I found myself actually feeling that this guy was having a difficult time with what he was doing. And I found myself getting into the killers head when chapters were written in his perspective. Just not enough that I could discover who it was.

And that was another thing. In the Perfect Game, there are these little clues that are constantly being left and just when you feel you have a bead on who did it than you're proved wrong. And then you think you've found the answer yet again, only to be told no, no you didn't. It kept me guessing and interested. I have to say that I was reading just to find out what happened, and who was behind everything?

This book is one that will keep you reading, always trying to discover who is doing the killing and more importantly how. The method of killing is certainly different and I found that interesting as well, especially because it was presented in such a way that you couldn't help but want to find out more about the method of killing and exactly how it could be possible.

Feel free to check out my blog, Reading Shy With Aly!

[Charles Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kyle Vine is about to make the biggest mistake of his life. A professor, he is about to secretly meet one of his students, a girl not much older than his daughter. Before he can take that fatal step that could mean the end of his teaching career, however, something happens that threatens even more – his life. The young girl, Allie Shelton, suddenly collapses. Kyle sees a strange man in the vicinity, but doesn’t immediately connect him with the incident.
The Perfect Game by Stephen Paul is a mystery with a touch of the supernatural that will keep you on the edge of your seat from the first page to the last. I received a free copy of The Perfect Game for review, and am not at all hesitant to admit that it’s one of the best mysteries I’ve read in a while. Paul skillfully combines razor-sharp dialogue with chilling narrative to keep the reader guessing as he unfolds more twists, turns, and folds than an origami sculpture.
Paul’s pacing is superb, as he dangles clues, makes you think you’re on to something, and then yanks the rug out from under your feet – only to set you back on the clue trail with a vengeance. The Perfect Game is just about that – nearly perfect.

[Kristin Scearce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I received an e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Kyle is having a rough time right now: he's divorced, he's being sued by the family of a dead former patient, and he's trying to hook up with a college student. HIS student. However, something horrible happens to her just as Kyle turns the corner to meet her, and his life just keeps going downhill. How did this young woman happen to suffer from a blown aneurysm? And how come she's not the only one? Just what is going on here? The answer is quite surprising, and the mystery is just as good as the reward.

This book definitely grabbed me from the start, even if it was to bash and condemn Kyle for his decisions. As soon as he reached the alley, though, the mystery begins, and from that point forward, I was hooked. The story is written very well; it keeps you guessing, and it's just elusive enough to give you that false hope that you THINK you've got it all figured out. I will certainly add this author to my watch list, and I hope he churns out more thrillers like this one very soon.

5 stars

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entangled in a litigation due of a client's death and still overcoming his divorce, Kyle Vine is not sure what's happening when he has a late night rendezvous with a young student and finds her collapsed on the ground. The mysterious collapse of the young woman spirals into a mystery as other young people are diagnosed with aneurisms with no apparent cause. A meeting with Liam, the young woman's uncle, leaves Kyle unsure if he should be fearing the worst or laughing at the man's strange convictions. Kyle, Liam, and Kyle's friend Eddie venture on a hunch that has them following people at late night hours. While Eddie is convinced the whole thing is the mad ravings of a lunatic, Kyle begins to wonder if his new friend is grasping at straws instead of dealing with reality.

This is a fast paced novel that will keep you turning the pages. The characters are excellent, and the novel keeps the reader in suspense until the very end.

[Eugene MacRae · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fast paced story filled with suspense that will keep you turning page after page. The premise is very real and you can easily imagine it happening to you. Kyle Vine is a professor who allows the exciting potential of a sexual encounter with a leggy blonde student get in the way of common sense. His life is changed because of that decision and he ends up being the one who leads the way in trying to find out who is behind a string of possible homicides. Along the way you are given just enough clues to the answer that you think you know who is responsible. And then a twist hits you. A good, fast-paced mystery. I received a copy from Story Cartel to review.

[Marika Charalambous · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars review on my blog: http://mysterysequels.com/perfect-gam...

It all started guiltily enough: Kyle Vane, a middle aged professor was about to commit the worst sin a teacher can commit: sleep with one of his students. However his misguided plan didn’t come to fruition as Allie Shelton, his pretty young student who would have become his career downfall, suddenly collapsed in a back alley just as he was turning the corner to eagerly meet her. He only got a glimpse of a shadow disappearing out of sight, however Kyle’s problem was more immediate than wonder about someone running away: what to do about Allie and still save his skin? Afterall her accident might have just saved his already shaken career.

As luck would have it, there were no signs of struggle and all evidence pointed to the fact that she suffered a brain aneurysm. Quite young to have such a strange health problem, but it seemed natural enough, all doctors agreed with it.

Kyle had enough problems of his own. He was being sued by the family of a client who committed suicide, he was divorced and his relationship to Bree, his daughter, was the only highlight of his life, and even this seemed a bit strained at the moment. And now this. What was he even thinking trying to bury himself even deeper in the mud by acting like a horny teen?

All these were going through his mind when he got contacted by Liam, Allie’s uncle who found some older text messages between him and Allie (luckily he did delete the latest incriminatory ones that would give away his to-be affair), and decided that Kyle could help him solve the riddle of the murder attempt on his niece’s life. No matter how much doctors would insist it was a brain aneurysm, Liam was sure that someone tried to murder Allie. And he chose Kyle Vance to help him solve the case.

With this started a strange chase after an elusive killer who left several young people dead and no trace of any crime at the scene. Only Liam, the weird uncle, was able to connect all these deaths and make it all plausible, even though outwardly there was nothing to connect them – except that they were all too young for this disease to hit them, and each “accident” matched with a particular event happening the very next day.

The story was fast paced and intriguing enough to keep me reading without many breaks. Indeed there was a supernatural aspect to it, however it was not so far-fetched that one couldn’t actually imagine something like this existed. Afterall – without giving away any clues – its opposite exists right now in various esoteric traditions, not to mention alternative healing branches. So if you don’t like supernatural thrillers, don’t worry, it wasn’t that much of it in the book. But if you do, there was enough to make you like the novel even more.

[Stephanie (the nerdy princess) · Rating 4 out of 5]

** I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review**

Kyle Vine a college professor, recently divorced, decides to go out one night and meet up with one of his female students named Allie….. yes this sounds all wrong, but when he finds her on the ground in a dark alley, and a dark shadow running away , something just isn’t right. He was contemplating calling the cops, but was worried about his career and someone finding out about the relationship. Everything turns out find when the doctors claim she had a brain hemorrhage and is fighting for her life in the hospital.
Kyle had enough problems of his own. He was being sued by the family of a client who committed suicide, his relationship to Bree, his daughter, was the only highlight of his life, and even that seemed a bit strained at the moment and now add all of this to the mix.
Liam, Allie’s uncle who found some older text messages between him and Allie and decided that Kyle could help him solve the riddle of the murder attempt on his niece’s life. No matter how much doctors would insist it was a brain aneurysm, Liam was sure that someone tried to murder Allie.

Kyle inlist his friend Eddie to help him solve this case. Does Allie’s crazy uncle have a point, or does he really need to get in touch with reality?
A great, fast pace thriller that will have you up till the butt crack of dawn trying to figure out who did it.

[Underground Book Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

Forced from private practice following the tragic death of one of his patients, recently divorced and growing distanced from his only daughter, Vine has taken a job teaching psychology at a local college. He and an attractive student have been flirt-texting, all rather innocent, until she asks him to meet her one night.

Finding the woman unconscious, Vine erases their texts on her phone, calls for help and leaves. He intends to leave her alone and pray no one finds out. As he learns when he's contacted for help by the woman's odd uncle, she wasn't the only young, healthy adult to suffer a brain hemorrhage.

The uncle ties the attacks to the New York Yankees' star pitcher's run of great games. Even though Vine knows the smart thing is to keep away, he is quickly drawn into the uncle’s search for a cause and then, a killer.

...read the rest of this review by Richard ED Jones at UndergroundBookReviews(dot)com!

[Kathy Golden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just finished this book; read it in about two days. I really enjoyed it and will write a detailed review later. What I can say is that it is a good combo of sci-fi/supernatural and people you come to care about. I hope Stephen will write another book featuring Kyle, the protagonist in this story.

[Sheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Perfect Game by Stephen Paul

A woman collapses from a brain hemorrhage. She was supposed to meet up with Kyle Vine, he starts to wonder if something sinister is going on. as he starts to investigate and finds she is not the only one to have a brain hemorrhage, there are more people with this condition, which is not common for people young and healthy. What he discovers is unheard of.

A fast paced supernatural thriller. The story was very original,the characters were likable. A definite all night read! Supernatural and thriller/suspense lovers should enjoy The Perfect Game.

[Bill Thibadeau · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a difficult to categorize book. It is a mystery but with a dose of the supernatural. Just about every reader will think they have the story figured out when they are about 35% through the book. My question at that point was how could the author keep the rest of the story interesting. The answers are simple. The reader really didn't understand how the title pertained to the story and there is an unexpected twist.

All in all, an intriguing premise for the story that should keep just about any reader interested.

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stephen Paul comes up with a very unusual way of committing murder and builds an engaging thriller around it. The characters are full of surprises (I especially like conspiracy-theorist Liam), and develop during the course of the book. The main plot is twisty, with very little pause in the action. The secondary plot of Kyle's professional problems didn't catch my interest, but did little to slow the pace of the book. All in all, an enjoyable read.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in order to review it.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

* I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

Who'd a think it? A paranormal mystery about an off the wall scientific theory centered around baseball. It's not as strange as it sounds. Well, it's kinda strange, but in a good way. The premise worked well and the story moved along nicely.The characters and dialogue were realistic, and just when I thought I had it figured out- I was wrong. A very engrossing read.

[Karen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Really struggled with this book, didn't like the characters at all and the pacing was too slow to keep my interest. I didn't feel like it was getting anywhere and had to drag myself through it until finally at just over half way, I asked myself why I was wasting time on something I clearly couldn't get into. So I did what I very rarely do with a book - gave up on it and didn't finish, and I won't be losing any sleep over how it ended either.

[Jim Fromm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty far out there.

I liked the vulnerability of Kyle and his relationship with both Eddie and Liam. However, I thought Kyle was much too altruistic to survive in New York City. The energy transfer corresponding to a pitcher's starts could be conceived by an urban baseball fanatic.
Entertaining but not compelling.

[Malin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely incredible! I who just love thrillers devoured this book in one reading. Usually I am a little skeptical of books that says "supernatural" but I was very surprised how much I liked this book. Excitement, mystery and everything that makes a book good

[Laurel Heidtman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed The Perfect Game. The story itself was both imaginative and believable, but more importantly (at least to me), the characters were well-developed. I really judge a book by its characters. These came across as real people and were very different from one another.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mix of medical mystery with murder mystery. Many young people in the city are dying of stroke. One of the women doesn't die and her uncle is convinced that someone is "sucking" the energy out of these people for his own use.

[Jai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well titled "The Perfect Game" moves along at a brisk pace providing a puzzle with a mystic content and characters you want to succeed. I look forward to more by Stephen Paul.

[Darlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting. I enjoyed this book

[Mark Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

pretty good with a few plot twists. an easy read in 5 days. ebook special on kindle for. 99

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting story. I was hooked from the beginning and had a difficult time putting the book down. Well written and and thrilling.

[Catherine Merritt · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Perfect Game

The Perfect Game started off well, dragged in the middle, picked up close to the end, and then flopped at the end.

[MjA · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story took hold of me right from the get go. Can't wait for more from this author.