Book Review: Mister White – Author John C. Foster

Mister White

By John C. Foster

Grey Matter Press

279 Pages

“Do Not Speak His Name.”

Abel is a special agent in a mysterious central intelligence agency in Austria. Hanging up on an ominous caller one day ignites a most deadly game of cat and mouse that holds the very fate of all his loved ones and perhaps humanity in itself in the balance.

I’ve had the esteemed honor and privilege of reading and reviewing a plethora of anthologies such as Ominous Realities, Dark Visions and Savage Beasts from one Grey Matter Press. Their eclectic, eerie brand has truly come into their own providing a whirlwind of magnetism to readers from all walks of life. When reading Mister White from John C. Foster it takes no time flat to realize we’re onto something incredible. Mister White marks the inaugural full novel release from this press, certifying a most difficult act to follow.

This espionage type thriller packs a wallop of suspense, intrigue and copious quantities of creepy demonic overtones. One cannot deny the reminiscence of one Stieg Larsson of Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Suffice to say the legendary Swedish author would’ve been proud to be nestled into the same genre as this highly talented author John C. Foster.

Foster’s style is indicative of a well-seasoned wordsmith perpetually enhancing the readers’ imagination. The mystique of Mister White inspires a myriad of nightmarish imagery that each is perhaps as unique as the reader himself. This novel prompts us to conjure our own collective fears and ponder them long and hard into the wee hours of the morning. A tremendous amount of suspense is setup for the audience to fill in the blanks and draw their own conclusions. This author has a firm grasp on accentuating the fear factors that lurk beyond rather than engaging in over indulgent hysteria or horror based clichés.

The characters are sculpted with realistic precision. Seemingly with subconscious ease we get behind the protagonists and find ourselves rooting for their ability to overcome all adversity. The relationships observed are heartfelt, humanistic personified. Many will see a little of themselves in each the secondary players.

Many of the climatic death scenes are grisly, gory and provide skin crawling grandiose. Fallen victims are slain in terrifying fashion, cutting edge in execution. After all this is a Grey Matter Press release. How can one expect anything less?

Much of the action is intense. The plot moves at a pulse pounding pace. Not a great deal of time or effort is wasted upon exposition which fixates the reader into the constant, ravenously tearing through each forthcoming page.

I suspect John C. Foster’s endeavor will prompt readers to explore additional works released and keep an anxious eye on up and coming releases. With infectious prose and spell binding delivery it isn’t any mystery as to how Grey Matter Press arrived at unleashing Mister White, a bona fide collector’s piece as its first full length novel.

By Dave Gammon