Mindworm by David Pollard

Release: September 1st 2020
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Amazon
Source: Rachel’s Random Resources
Find it at: Amazon UK, Amazon

A college librarian leads a placid life. It becomes a desperate fight for survival when he witnesses the death of his only friend. Suddenly, he faces disturbing changes in his nature and appetites and their consequences. An adamant police detective pursues him on murder suspicion. He runs ,but is he running from the law or from himself?

About the Author:

David Pollard retired to glorious Hereford after forty years of service.He then immersed himself in the theatrical activities of the county. He is currently Chair of Hereford County Drama Festival.

David sees himself as a teller of tales – he is a playwright, author of short stories and novels. He has a preference for dark and dystopian material. He is also an actor and theatrical director. For his website David adopted the appellation Tuistala – Samoan for ‘Teller of Tales’ which the Samoan people called Robert Louis Stevenson ,his favorite author.

Lazybee Scripts has published several of David’s plays – one of which ‘Aspects of a Betrayal’ was shortlisted for the Kenneth Branagh prize at the Windsor Fringe Festival.

When not writing, directing or acting David runs a podcast platform for the streaming of radio plays and short story readings – Hand to Mouth Sound Theatre.

For relaxation David reads voraciously with a liking for history and thriller fiction. He also enjoys country walks of the strolling variety.

Website | Twitter | Goodreads

Mindworm Review:

This book is short, yet intense, and I was glued to the pages.

Firstly, the author created a very unique plot with an interesting protagonist that made the story come alive. The protagonist was fascinating! I don’t think the story reveals his name (or if it is then I must have missed it). Initially, the story is a bit bumpy for the first few pages because I didn’t know what is happening. But, as soon as I understood the main character’s powers, the story was on fire. Moreover, I loved how Lieutenant Stride chases the character repeatedly. I really liked Stride and his determination to nail down the fugitive. Similarly, I also enjoyed Claudine as the supporting character and her relation and Greta.

However, while I really enjoyed the story, the pacing felt too fast. The author moves the plot forward with every sentence. As a fast reader, I really had to push myself to slow down to keep up with the pace. Also, there were some details left open-ended like how he got his powers, and if Claudine is related to him or not (since they have a lot in common). Moreover, all the characters are very interesting; yet after reading the book, you feel like you didn’t really know them very well to connect with.

Apart from that, I really liked this! I hope this is the start of a series because there is so much potential in the story-line. I can see the protagonist facing many challenges and surviving a variety of situations with his power/curse. Overall, Mindworm is very entertaining if you are looking for a creepy, supernatural thriller.