Crashing Through Mirrors

by Anonymous-9

Bern Aldershot, former bass player for the legendary band Aldershot is attacked in a dark parking lot. His 1965 Rickenbacker bass is stolen, and that's not all. Desperate to avoid publicity Bern refuses to tell the police or anyone. Big mistake. Three months later depression has him staring down the barrel of his own gun. When his attacker resurfaces there is no one to help or confide in except one: a 16-year-old fangirl named London. Together they play cat and mouse with Bern's assailant across Los Angeles, piecing together clues from a series of rapes and murders, challenging disbelieving cops and pissed off bikers in a wildly unusual chase.

81 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 2, 2014

About the author

HARD BITE and BITE HARDER are coming home. For years now, the e-books and the paperbacks have been split between publishers in UK and the US. Now, I'm proud that the whole family will be with Down & Out Books, helmed by Eric Campbell.

The name "Anonymous-9" came about because I wasn't sure if my experimental stories would be accepted. But they were. Tragic, comic and hardboiled are words that apply to my work. Uncanny Books released my Lovecraftian tribute of action, adventure and horror called DREAMING DEEP. In 2014 I self-published CRASHING THROUGH MIRRORS, a hardboiled novelette set in the music biz of Los Angeles. It was named a Top Crime Read of 2014 alongside Joe Lansdale, Karin Slaughter and Matthew McBride by Just a Guy Who likes to Read book review blog.

HARD BITEl features a paraplegic serial killer who targets hit and run drivers in Los Angeles with the aid of a helper monkey named Sid. It was named one of the Top 5 Debut Novels of 2013 by MYSTERY PEOPLE. The follow-up was BITE HARDER which won a 2014 Readers' Choice Award for Best Indie Novel (Down & Out Books) from The House of Crime and Mystery, Canada.

I live in Los Angeles, party in Texas and love to hear from Goodreads people who like the same books I do.

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent story. Gritty, but not gross. Scary, but real horror, nothing fantastic. Even better, it was done on several levels. Great setting. The characters were real & likeable, so I could really empathize with them & their situation. Best of all, the writing was very tight & hard hitting. Not a wasted word, yet I was there. Awesome!

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, first off let me say CRASHING THROUGH MIRRORS is one heck of story. For a novella it packs a punch most novels should be jealous of.

Bernd Aldershot, a rock and roll legend whose star is slowly fading is the victim of a heinous crime in the early hours of the morning in an abandoned parking lot. Keeping the attack secret, his life starts to deteriorate to the point he's willing to end it. Which he very nearly does.

This is where we pick up his story.

The shotgun lays idle, the shower curtain dishevelled, girlfriend sent away. All that remains is the quiet solitude of pending suicide.

Anonymous-9 constantly produces quality (check out HARD BITE and BITE HARDER) and CRASHING THROUGH MIRRORS is no exception. The dialogue is sharp, the characters are believable, and the story is dark yet with a touch of trade mark humour to keep things balanced.

I loved the way Aldershot is portrayed. There is something so real about this character that makes him jump off the script and land in reality, likewise his teenage 'accidental friend' London.

Without delving too deep into the events of CRASHING THROUGH MIRRORS, I will say that it's one ride that you wont be able to get off, nor will you want to until the last word is read - one of my top crime fiction reads of the year.

Review first appeared on my blog: http://justaguythatlikes2read.blogspo...

[Mike Hughes · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG this book was soo fun, Anonymous-9 is quickly becoming one of my most anticipated authors!! She can take a very dark and touchy subject matter and turn it into a very engaging and fun read. In this short novella, Bern goes through the emotions im sure takes place for the victims of violent crimes, Anonymous-9 pulls off taking him through the emotions with the same type of dark humor you find in her other novels. Ill try not to spoil anything. This book also introduces London, a 16 year old fangirl who befriends Bern. Hopefully we get more of these characters?!! would love to read a full length novel with one or both of these characters again....here is crossing my fingers!! If you have not read anything from Anonymous-9 yet do it now! you wont regret it, and this one is only .99 cents right now! do yourselves a favor

[Mysticpt · Rating 5 out of 5]

another great fast paced adventure from Ananymous-9. she really knows how to write an action scene that makes you feel like it is real and happening. the circumstances that drive the plot and action have a victim we don't often read about, but she makes this believable. you feel the victims pain and come to understand the opening sequence is unfortunately very believable. great dialogue, as wild as the situations sometimes are, it all rings true, which is not always the case with some writers. my only complaint is this ended too soon! more please!

[Bettyb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this novella and only wish it was longer. The characters were great and the story was compelling. I really felt the horror, pain and depression Bern experienced as well as his embarrassment at his later actions. Anonymous-9 isn't a big name yet, but her writing is fantastic and she deserves a wide audience.

[Jackmeister · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very short but very good, I found myself holding my breath a couple of times and I loved the finish, awesome read!

[Jenna Scribbles · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read two books by this author and really like the writing!! I hope they write more because I will buy more.

[Brandon Nagel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anonymous 9 is quickly becoming synonymous with brilliant crime fiction. Whether it is the short story, the novella, or the full length novel, it is obvious she is quickly becoming a master of her craft. I have read all her stuff and LOVE all of it. At times, I feel as if she is writing for me and me alone. Keep it up Elaine! If you have never read any of her stuff before, this is an excellent introduction. If you have, you know what you are about to get yourself into. I picked this up this morning, and finished it before bed. One of those books, "I just had to finish". Fantastic...

[Ruth Fleak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Could be my new favorite author

Dark, funny, original with great plot and characters I wish I could run into again and again. Best .99 cents I've spent in a long time.