Punishment: A Thriller

Written by Scott J. Holliday

Narrated by JD Jackson

Do you want to know what it’s like to die, to kill, to really fear for your life? Then get hooked…

Detroit-based homicide detective John Barnes has seen it all—literally. Thanks to a technologically advanced machine, detectives have access to the memories of the living, the dying, and the recently dead. But extracting victims’ experiences firsthand and personally reliving everything up to the final, brutal moments of their lives—the sights, the sounds, the scents, the pain—is also the punishment reserved for the criminals themselves.

Barnes has had enough. Enough of the memories that aren’t his. Enough of the horror. Enough of the voices inside his head that were never meant to take root…until a masked serial killer known as Calavera strikes a little too close to home.

Now, with Calavera on the loose, Barnes is ready to reconnect, risking his life—and his sanity. Because in the mind of this serial killer, there is one secret even Barnes has yet to see…

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Feb 1, 2018
• ISBN: 9781543640199

Scott J. Holliday

Scott J. Holliday was born and raised in Detroit. In addition to a lifelong love of books and reading, he’s pursued a range of curiosities and interests, including glassblowing, boxing, and much more. His two previous novels are Stonefly and Normal, the latter of which earned him recognition in INKUBATE.com’s Literary Blockbuster Challenge. He loves to cook and create stories for his wife and two daughters.

Reviews for Punishment

[jess_reads_books · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Detroit-based homicide detective John Barnes plays a unique and often painful role in investigating the local murder cases. Technological advances have led to the creation of a machine that can access the memories of the living, the dying, and the recently deceased. Once these memories are extracted, they can be fed to another human being in a manner which allows that person to fully relive those final moments. They experience everything - the sights, the sounds, the smells, the pain. Typically this transfer of memories is reserved for the criminal who caused the pain to be a part of their punishment. Detective Barnes, however, also has these memories transferred to him, so that he can gain clues from these final moments.The type of pain inflicted through victim’s memories can be unbearable for anyone, after all that’s why they’re used as a form of punishment. Barnes is starting to feel the impact of experiencing so many memories. He is haunted by the victims of his cases. He wants to end this torture. Barnes is unable to call it a quits as a serial killer he has been hunting for some time continues to strike. Will Barnes be able to find the man he calls Calavera before the killer or the memories cause him is life?PUNISHMENT is the story of a detective, troubled by his cases in a wholly unique fashion. Barnes is literally being haunted by the victims whose memories he has experienced. They live within him. They are slowly eating away at who he is. The struggle of this mental deterioration and hunting a serial killer create an atmosphere of tension throughout this short, but well-rounded novel. This isn’t a novel for those readers looking for twists and turns at every corner, although there are enough to satisfy, I would categorize this book as more of a slow-burn thriller. PUNISHMENT is perfect for readers who love the world of a police procedural being led by a troubled detective. I’m looking forward to seeing where this series goes in the future!

[mistermelon · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

3.5 stars but I'll round up. **I received a free advance copy of this book in exchange for this unbiased review**This book took the cliché burned out detective vs serial killer trope and put an interesting and engrossing sci-fi touch on it. The world of this novel is just like ours, with one additional technology: people can download memories into their own brains. This is especially useful for homicide detectives, who "plug in" to their victims to get a first person view of their demise. In addition to personal demons and alcoholism, our lead character, the detective, is struggling due to having seen/experienced/been so many murder victims in his relatively short time in homicide. The author does a good job of making you feel as discombobulated as the detective is, with fragmented dreams and memories surfacing during the main narrative. It can be a little confusing until you figure out that that is what he is doing (and still sometimes even then), but as I said, it adds to the atmosphere of the novel and putting you in the detective's head. The female love interest is not handled with any subtlety; she is a fantasy version of a woman who immediately loves our hero and wants to help and please him in every way within minutes of meeting him. That's fine, because the story isn't really about her, but it was jarring and blatant enough to interrupt my suspension of disbelief. In other words, this female character was the most unrealistic part of a world in which people can download each other's memories! Still, I really enjoyed it, and won't say more about the serial killer/plot to avoid spoilers. This is a fun read, and would recommend it to serial killer/noir fans who want a twist.