Sabina's Adventures In Reading: Release Day Review: Musings of a Hideous Mind Vol 3 by Alex Laybourne

The Bus Driver:

A story of a bus driver, who absolutely DON’T want to be where he is. He is tired of all the snotty, greasy kids, convinced they’re spawn from the devil himself. In reality he doesn’t even want to be driving a bus, but the bills have to be paid, right? But what happens when an ordinary Wednesday turns into a day no one will ever forget?

I was surprised by the very explicit details that Alex put into this story. I could smell everything he described, could feel the heat and the terror running through my veins.

Amazing short story, and if this is a taste of what the rest of the book will be like, I am certainly looking forward to it!!

The Interrogation:

It is a “classic” tale of Good Cop versus Bad Cop, with a great twist. I have to say, I started giggling when I read the last bit, I didn’t quite see that coming. Well played Alex, well played! :-)

Memories:

My first thought when reading this story was; zombies. Oh how I was wrong. This was something much more sinister, and you know what? Yay.. This guy deserved it and then some. As in the previous story, the ending isn’t what you would expect, and it even better because of that.

We All Have Secrets:

Wendy’s been married with Bill for twenty years, and they have two children together. From the outside everything seems perfect, but something is troubling Wendy. Bill’s been behaving strange lately and working odd hours. At the same time, there’s a curfew on the city due to a total of nine murders, all of them unsolved.

Will Wendy be able to uncover the truth, and will she be able to handle it when she does?

I liked this one as well, and I think a great deal of my “special” friends would nod in approval too. Again, nothing is what it seems like in the twisted tales from Alex’s mind, and it is a treat and delight to read.

Dirty:

Someone isn’t being truthful, and Max is about to find out if his partner on the force is dirty or clean. And how much are you really prepared to forgive when it comes down?

Hehe…. Sorry, but this was a great story, besides the seriousness of a dirty cop. I loved the ending. Hands down. Not what I expected (again), but a great end.

The Creature:

This story is a bit different than the previous ones. It is written as a diary of some sort. This person wakes up one night by a scuttling sound, but can’t really place it. Thinking it is nothing, he goes to sleep again, waking up shortly after by a stinging pain and by something crawling towards him under the covers. *shivers*

This creature isn’t leaving, but watching the person writing the entry, and it soon becomes evident that there is more at stake.

Great story. Creatures are always something we fear in one way or another; for some it’s spiders, snakes or mosquitoes, for others it’s the things that goes bump in the dark and hides in the shadows. This story didn’t help on that matter. The creature is more devious than what I original thought, and it shows in this story.

The Good Wife:

Being a hard seasoned cop, you’ve seen pretty much anything, and when you’re looking for someone in one of the roughest and toughest neighborhoods in Town, you get used to be prepared for nothing short of a disaster.

And sometimes, you need to look just a little closer to what is right under your nose. Even if you’re a hard seasoned cop used to this and that. ;-)

Let Me Tell You a Story:

Demons come in all shapes and sizes. Don’t underestimate a demon. It can cause more damage if you ignore it.

This story tugged at me, because even in its supernatural state, there’s so much truth behind it. I salute each and everyone who battles their demons and win.

Long Distance Relationships:

Oh boy. I have no words for this one. So tragic, and yet…

Jen has moved on with her life, it’s been 5 years. Five rough years, but she and the kids finally managed to move on, the kids love Jen’s new husband; Tom.

But not everything is at it seems, and my heart broke a little when I got to the ending. So sad. And yet a bit happy at the same time.

Stop and Smell the Roses:

The title truly says it all. Remember to stop and smell the roses, enjoy your life once in a while – before it’s too late.

This story is a man’s speak to his beloved wife, the day before their fiftieth wedding anniversary. Beautiful, and very touching.

The Pond:

Janelle and Dave just moved into a new house, and in the back there is a pond. Neither of them have ever had a pond before, but how hard can it be, right?

Unfortunately, this pond has some serious baggage, and when strange things begin to happen, Janelle is worried about Dave’s obsession with the pond. But the scary stuff has only just started, and you’ll better get the hell away while you can.

*shivers* I sooo don’t want to get anywhere near that pond – or any other pond in the near future. Scary, scary thing!!! And that’s ALL I’m saying!

Fall of the Menodykes:

Sorry for laughing, but this came so unexpected that I couldn’t help it. It started out so innocent, and you think; sunshine and skies.

BAM!!

Didn’t see that one coming did you? Now you see darkness, disaster and death.

Hehe. TWIST PLOT!!

Tree of Life:

Max and his wife Audrey have just retired and are looking forward to spend some time in their garden. Max promised Audrey that he would build a summer house so they could enjoy the evenings down there with a drink.

But first… Max needs to cut don a huge oak tree standing right in the spot where the summer house is going to be built. It’s an old tree, decrepit, rotting and creepy. But cutting it down proves to be harder than initial thought.

I think this one was my least favorite of the stories in this book. I got the metaphor and it was well written, but wasn’t my favorite.

The Family That Eats Together Stays Together:

You know sometimes appearance can deceive. Very much so. Here we have this quite normal (alright, normal and normal, the husband IS an author after all!!), but never judge a book by its cover, because sometimes the most horrific things can lie underneath. Just saying.

The Thrill of the Chase:

Thrill of the chase indeed. ROFL. It’s another case of don’t be fooled by appearance. I like Abigail though – smart girl ;-)

Are You Game?

You know the stories we heard as children? Don’t watch too much TV, or your eyes will… (insert whatever you used to hear here). I’ve heard them often. And also regarding reading. (if you can believe it). This story do really take it one step further and show us EXACTLY what happens if you cross the wrong kind of game.

Traffic:

Ouch. What some people won’t do for a promotion. This story shows how calculated and cruel some people can be. Makes me shiver, and NOT in a good way!!

The Resurrection and the Light:

Oy. I thought Tree of Life was my least favorite. I was wrong. This one is my least favorite. *shudders* No matter what hurting a child is never acceptable. I will not go into this story, it hurts too much. She gets what she deserves in the end, but still…

Partners:

Hehe. This one is good. Danny and Max been partners for six years, and it’s going great. Maxis quick on his paws, Danny has no hope of following when Max takes off.

Tonight they’re at a dangerous neighborhood after a suspect. Nothing is what is seems though.

Great story with another fun twist at the end.

I Don’t Believe in Ghosts:

Kathy and Chris have known each other for a couple of months, and now Kathy has decided it is time to take their relationship to the next level.

Taking Chris out into the forest (without telling him why), Kathy gives him a surprise – in more than one way.

All in all:

I liked this volume, and especially loved all the different twists that Alex put into each story. You never knew what would happen. Some of these stories are so vivid, I could feel, taste and hear everything, like I was there.

I did have some great difficulty reading one story; The Resurrection and The Light. Not only did that story give me serious goosebumps, but what the mother does to her child…. I have absolutely NO words for that story, and I’m grateful it was the only one that made me feel that way.

So, if I ignore that story, this is certainly a great read, and I will most likely pick more of Alex’s book to read in the future.

Open at your own risk, and step back into the hideous mind if you dare.

In the third collection of spine tingling, soul tormenting tales, we take a trip down the rabbit hole and enter a horror filled universe where there are no rules, no taboos.

You will find no sanctuary here, but if you are up for the challenge, then enter, and pray the devil will have mercy upon your soul!

Born and raised in the coastal English town Lowestoft, it should come as no surprise (to those that have the misfortune of knowing this place) that I became a horror writer.

From an early age I was sent to schools which were at least 30 minutes drive away and so spent the most of my free time alone, as the friends I did have lived too far away for me to be able to hang out with them in the weekends or holidays.

I have been a writer as long as I can remember and have always had a vivid imagination. To this very day I find it all too easy to just drift away into my own mind and explore the world I create, where the conditions always seem to be just perfect for the cultivation of ideas, plots, scenes, characters and lines of dialogue everything basically, and when the time is right, I can simply pluck them from the allotment of my mind serve them up on the pages of whatever work is to be their home.

I am married and have four children and my biggest dream for them is that they grow up and spend their lives doing what makes them happy, whatever that is.