Animosity Paperback – March 15, 2014

I first discovered James Newman briefly in his excellent werewolf short story, The Virgin O' Full Moon Falls and I was looking forward to the much hyped Animosity. Let me tell ya, the hype was warranted. Newman delivered and then some.Andy is a successful horor author. He's a beloved figure on his cul de sac getting along well with his neighbors. His books are featured down at the local convenience store. Although Andy is trying to get over a painful divorce where his wife ran off with the guy that she cheated on him with, life seems to be ok. Then one day, while taking his dog for a walk, Andy discovers the body of little girl who has been raped and murdered. Next thing you know, the neighbors, fueled by the yellow journalism of the local media, begin doubting Andy's integrity. Paranoia ensues to the 10th power and Andy is at the mercy of the media and his crazed neighbors that want to smell blood in the water.Animosity is a wonderful parody of yellow journalism run amok and how many of American's drink the media's Kool Aid without engaging their brains. You will cringe and shudder while reading Animosity. Newman does a wonderful job painting a scenario out of control and you won't be able to put it down. Excellent read.5 neighbors foaming at the mouth out of 5You can also follow my reviews at the following links:https://kenmckinley.wordpress.comhttps://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5919799-ken-mckinleyhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/profile/A2J1JOKW56F2YT

"Animosity" is the tale of Andrew Holland, best selling horror novelist, who is trying to pick up the pieces of a failed marriage. It's the first fray in a life that quickly and completely unravels when Andrew finds the discarded body of a young girl at a new home construction site a few hundred yards away from his home.Andrews neighbors feel the events are more than coincidence, they believe his past troubles and the subject matter of his work have manifested in their quiet community. His silence is all the proof they need.With "Animosity", James Newman has crafted a tight, tense, rusty nail of a story. A suburban nightmare where a man's fictional haunts have bred the real monster. *Spoiler Alert* it's man, man is the real monster. And the point is driven home with blunt force.One of my subconscious fears is getting caught up on the wrong side of the mob mentality, having things spin out of control, watching the fear feed on itself. What starts as one little seed of doubt quickly grows out of control as the voice of reason fades away. So, naturally, this book gave me a little bit of anxiety, and I was more than a little worried about the welfare of team Holland.You only get to know a handful of the numerous characters, but those few are fleshed out rather well, and in really the entire cast of neighbors forms multiple extensions of one solid entity. Couple that with a situation straight out of the evening news and solid dialog and what you get is a good time. Check it out, it's solid."A Feast of Souls" Ben Said. "Classy."

I've been an avid fan of James Newman for years and, although his first novel MIDNIGHT RAIN will always remain my favorite, this one packed a meaner punch... one that will stick with me for a long time.Andrew Holland, the main character in ANIMOSITY, is a successful author of horror novels. As with other authors of "genre fiction", his success comes with a bit of eye-rolling and turned-up noses from a portion of the population who disapproves of such fare. They're the same folks who believed that Dungeons & Dragons was satanic or that playing a KISS album backwards will reveal a demonic ritual.If you enjoy the horror genre, you know that people like that, though they exist, are on the fringe, and that most others see such an interest as something akin to an enthusiasm for roller coasters or a passion for mixed martial arts. It serves as an escape from the everyday doldrums of the modern world.Andrew Holland, however, finds out that one unfortunate incident can trigger a cascade of hatred, vitriol, and ultimately, mass hysteria targeting the local horror author. Each page adds more tension until something must break... and, boy, does it ever.By the end of this book, I actually hated some of the characters.

Andrew Holland is a horror writer. His books are not for the feint hearted. He lives in a well to do, quiet neighbourhood, surrounded by neighbours that don't truly appreciate his writing style in either a entertaining or moral way but they are keen to jump on the back of this "celebrity" whenever a chance arises to big themselves up and claim to be "friends" with a star.One day while out walking his dog he stumbles upon the naked body of a young girl. A young girl roughly the same age as his daughter. The police are called. They take his statement. They reveal something from his past that he thought was buried forever. What comes from this is a story of relentless pain and misery for Andrew. Although not being treated as a suspect by the police, the press get to hear of his past and hound him in the papers, on the television and almost hold a public trial, finding him guilty in a way only the media can do. His once friendly neighbours turn on him in the most horrific way, convinced of his guilt from what they see and read. There is animosity at every turn and Andrew Holland can't escape it.This book is outstanding. It is psychological horror at it's very best. When Andrew's horror began I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. When his secret was revealed I couldn't help but feel utter contempt for him. When the story of his secret was told, I couldn't help but feel guilty.James Newman has hit the proverbial nail on the head over and over with this story. If you fail to question your own feelings towards people and how you may treat them and think of them while reading this story then I really don't think you have a heart.It shows perfectly how cruel and downright nasty human beings can be when they believe something that may not necessarily be true but can't see the truth because of their blinkered thinking and beliefs in what the media may be telling them regardless of the truth staring them in the face.This book is a must read for anyone who likes a good thriller or a good horror. It has certainly rocketed into my top 5 books I have read. It is probably the best book I have read this year both for the writing style, the story and the way it has you permanently thinking about it during those times you have to put it down and do something else.It will probably also get you thinking about the Animosity you show to others. There is a good lesson to be learned from this book.5 stars all the way!!

Quite simply, Animosity is one of those books like Robert McCammon’s, Boy’s Life that everyone, no matter your preferred genre, should definitely read. I mention Boy’s life because although not related in any way they are both incredibly powerful reads that leave a lasting impression.James Newman proves he is a master storyteller with a tale that builds the tension in a slow, measured fashion, bordering on torture until an almost surreal explosion of hatred brings an incredulous finale.There’s no fantastical elements, no ghosts or horror as such, just a gritty tale of realism, that you could envisage actually happening, that explores the depths and the evil that seemingly normal people, friends even, can reach when confronted with horrific events and an ideal target.Andrew Holland is a bestselling author of horror novels, that never really sat well in the stomach of his neighbours but he was the streets celebrity and treated as such. While out walking his dog he discovers the body of a child and is shaken to his very core. Not considered a suspect, at least by the Police anyway, his life is put under the proverbial microscope by the press, his every mistake laid bare and as his neighbours turn against him, his comfortable life is about to become anything but.Anger, hatred, fury, outrage, resentment, all these feelings fester in the minds of his friends and neighbours, until things start to happen, little things at first but when it starts, there’s no going back.This is normality gone crazy and its way more frightening and thought provoking than the majority of horror out there at the moment, the animosity hidden behind a wry smile, a barbed comment, something you can easily dismiss until it takes the next step.Highly Recommended – this is a must read.

I finished it this morning, & I'm still feeling on edge about the whole experience. I think my mind believes it experienced the ordeal for real.This is a fast paced suspense horror thriller. It had me feeling slightly uneasy, very paranoid, afraid, panicky, stressed, in tears (the poisoning part, oh no, so sad), angry, & having to read as fast as I possibly could to find out what happens next.This is a very believable & somewhat unnerving reminder of the darkest side of human nature."I have experienced real horror.I have known true evil.Its name is human nature."I liked the little mention of Clive Barker, as he's my favourite author.I recommend this to anyone who enjoys suspense, thrillers, horror or crime novels.My best advice to anyone planning to read this, is read it when you have a few hours to put aside. Unfortunately I started reading this while very busy, so could only read a bit at a time at first. This book is VERY hard to put down. So hard to put down that I read the whole second half this morning, & ended up getting out of bed about 2 hours later than normal, which meant I had to frantically catch up on the work I should have been doing while I was in fact reading, tut, tut.

Ten minutes ago I killed three of my neighbors...Four, if you count the baby. What a start! to a fantastic rollercoaster of a ride the leaves the reader breathless right to the last page. Andy Holland is a horror writer (and we love horror writers!) living single at home from his estranged wife Karen (who he found in an uncompromising position with her boss!) and daughter Samantha. Andy is carrying a lot of heartache there’s just him now, and his good old buddy his faithful dog Norman and one day whilst the faithful pair are out walking they make the horrific discovery of the naked body of a dead child and thereafter things are never the same...”Truth be told, I knew exactly what was bothering Norman. Ever since that fateful morning, I could tell my dog had not been the same. It wasn’t anything I could put a finger on, really, other than a slight tension in the retriever’s haunches, a cautious twitch of his ears every few minutes. Yet I knew he sensed the wrongness that had festered within our neighbourhood these last few days. An ominous feeling lingered on every breeze, like the ozone scent of a storm looming just seconds away. The air around us crackled with a strange, electric quiet. Gone were the low, rattling drone of skateboard wheels atop asphalt and the ticking of playing cards in bicycle spokes and the carefree laughter of children which normally echoed up and down our block......”This is a delicious story that starts of slow with the horror and the reality of Andy’s situation building to a bloody crescendo and in the end Andy discovers that the good life he thought he had was in reality a myth and those he hoped he could trust disappeared and turned against him. There were three great characters of note Ronnie “Round Man” Miller proprietor of the 7th Avenue Stop-N-Shop and two of Andy’s neighbours: Mona Purfield “an obese senior citizen who dyed her hair the brightest orange I have ever seen. When the sun hit it just right, her head looked like it was on fire. She always wore three or four times more make-up than necessary for a woman her age, dressed in flowery muumuus and neon pink flip-flops wherever she went, and spoke in the most nasally, obnoxious voice you can imagine” and Ben Souther who always had a handy quote whenever and wherever he needed it. “Everyone is a moon” Ben Souther said, “and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody.”So will the killer be discovered?, will Andy ever have the good life again? And will he still be loved and revered by the good people of Poinsettia Lane? Dear readers you are in for a wonderful treat James Newman is one of the greatest living exponents of the the horror genre and this novel is truly brilliant...so read..and enjoy and be thankful for the support and love of good neighbours 

This is, without a doubt one of the best books I have read and I have read some great novels. I don't know where to begin to describe this book other than to say it's absolutely brilliant and it has left me speechless. Do not miss out on this corker. It will shock you and terrify you in equal measures! James Newman is a new author to me and he is certainly one to watch. Fantastically well done!