Mystery and conspiracy lovers rejoice! Standout author Tantra Bensko is back with another incredible mystery/adventure featuring Nancy and the nefarious forces of the Nevermind.
In this delightfully offbeat novel, Nancy is the friend of a troubled tenant who wonders if she is being visited by a creepy stalker. Best case scenario, it’s her kinky boyfriend, Stan, because he loves her so much he can’t get enough of her. But asking him directly about that, and about a sound she hears during a phone call with him, might jeopardize the forthcoming marriage proposal. She asks Nancy to investigate, plunging Nancy into dastardly complexities of intrigue.
Meanwhile, the tenant — Nancy’s friend, Becky – bewildered by the seemingly clandestine visits inside her flat, is a little disturbed that her cat can apparently climb to the top shelf on her own and eat a portion of dry food, then close the bag again. And what’s up with the strange lipstick smear on her coffee cup? Not even her color. But never mind.
The main thing is to make sure the Rescuers — the brave men and women who risk their lives on TV each day to pull dying children from the rubble of ruined buildings right on cue in a faraway bombed-out land — the main thing is to make sure she donates regularly to help make it happen. God is smiling on her, she’s sure.
But wait. Isn’t that the same child who was rescued last week? And the week before that? And why do his clothes look so fresh and clean? Could it be a colossal hoax? Another devious deception devised by government handlers keen to keep certain dictators in power?
The Recycler — that guy, wearing disposable gloves and hairnet, who noisily cruises your neighborhood before dawn, sifting through your recyclables, collecting salable stuff – no one pays any attention to what he’s doing. He might as well be invisible. But he knows you. He’s read your receipts. Your love letters. Your dreams. Your future.
In this latest installment of the brilliant Nevermind series, Nancy once again delivers an impeccable performance as a person who is persecuted persistently by people more problematic than she is. But it’s all right. She’s got Phobia Night with Becky to exorcise her conspiracy demons.
In an engaging, free-flowing fictional style, the author takes us deep into Nancy’s mind, where she is trying to pull together the scattered skein that links people close to her, corrupt politicians and illegal schemes. It’s not easy, and every step she takes toward solving the mystery puts her life more at risk.
The book glitters with theatrical disguises. Nancy takes off her usual mask and adopts an outrageous femme fatale disguise to out a crooked official, leading to a surprise of surprises about a wicked secret plot to steal far more than money.
Now Nancy must figure out a way to foil the sadistic scheme — and stave off an imminent third world war into the bargain.
This is a twist-a-minute narrative that switches adeptly between three points-of-view: Nancy, Becky, and, most creepily, the Recycler, Dave, who dresses in wildly varying costumes. He even adopts the persona of a gypsy fortuneteller, relying on information he’s gleaned from the trash to deliver deep insights about the past, present and future – to reveal exactly who is going to die very soon.
How can he prove this startling statement? It’s a complex, intricately woven plotline that culminates in an ending that’s as dark and outre as anything Stephen King ever wrote. Seriously, this book ties itself up with a dénouement so sinister, you’ll be stunned.
Along the way, U.S. foreign policy in faraway Baltic regions is called repeatedly into question and, in fact, figures heavily into how the action unfolds. But we can’t reveal more about that, or we’ll have to kill you, as they say.
To sum up, this five-star sequel to the author’s acclaimed debut novel, Glossolalia, will leave you breathless and wanting more. What’s next for the Agents of the Nevermind? We can’t wait.
Don Sloan 