Casting Shadows Everywhere

A Dark Psychological Thriller

By: L.T. Vargus, Tim McBain

Narrated by: Christopher Boucher

Killing someone is a lot harder than you'd imagine. Physically harder, I mean. On TV a guy strangles someone for like five seconds and the body slumps to the ground in a heap of dead just like that. In real life, it takes so long you wouldn't believe it.

Jake saw something unspeakable when he was nine. An act of violence. Brutal. He doesn't know it, but this trauma will play a key role in shaping him later in life.

Now, he's 15. A wimp. He flinches. Always.

He's too timid to make a move on Beth, the buxom girl of his dreams, and too busy getting face-slammed into lockers by bullies to do much else.

He seeks the guidance of the biggest bad-ass he knows, his cousin Nick.

Nick is a professional burglar and makes Jake his apprentice. They stalk suburban neighborhoods night after night, ransacking houses for jewelry and sweet valuables.

Nick teaches Jake the finer points of breaking and entering along with his dark philosophy - that there is no right or wrong in the world, just a series of events that happen without meaning.

At first, adopting Nick's callous worldview helps Jake get over his fears and confront his tormentors, but he also unleashes an aggression in himself he never thought possible. And as he learns more about his cousin, he realizes that Nick's crimes go way beyond burglary.

In the end, Jake must face not only the monster in his cousin but also the one in his own heart.

Casting Shadows Everywhere is a dark and twisty psychological thriller perfect for fans of Gillian Flynn, Lucinda Berry, A.J. Finn, and Paula Hawkins. Scroll up and grab it now.

"Casting Shadows Everywhere is beautifully written; a little terrifying, sometimes sad, filled with funny observations on everything from tacos to the workings of the brain, and occasionally profound. In a word, it is 'excellent.'" (Mike Billington)

©2013 Tim McBain & L.T. Vargus (P)2019 Tim McBain & L.T. Vargus

Another enjoyable read from Vargas and McBain

Touching and frightening at the same time. A young man’s journey to becoming a man, with the absolute worst teacher.

Loved it

this narrator was amazing! the story plot was very different from other books by these authors but I thoroughly enjoyed it! More Jake books!! Well maybe not, let him stay good!!

Crazy good!

Let me start out by saying this was a total mind-freak. Part criminal handbook, part psychology textbook, and part coming-of-age story, sprinkled with anti-consumerism. If that sounds negative, it's NOT. This is one of those books that makes you think, possibly for months, or even years, after you read it. If you're a fan of this duo's early works, like Awake in the Dark, you'll LOVE this. If you're  a fan of the movie Donnie Darko, this story will also feed your nerdbrain. I can't decide if I'm angry at the ending, whether I believe the ending, or if I'm just trying to cope with the story. A+++ As far as I'm concerned. Well done, and the narrator was made for this story.

Great story from a one person point of view!

I couldn't wait to see where it was going to lead! I had this clenched fist in my chest at times because I just KNEW things were about to go really south. Good stuff.

Dark & Disturbing

A truly unique thriller that provides and in-depth insight in to a Jake’s teenage life and his coming of age and the influence of his ex-con cousin NIck. Some parts felt intimately familiar and then it became very foreign to my experience. The presentation through Jake’s journaling worked very well in setting the stage for the overall story. When I read this book, I found it to be the most disturbing of all the McBain & Vargus books that I’ve read, however Christopher Boucher’s narration took this to a new level of disturbing.

Captivating

What a deeply lonely character. Jake pleads with his reads for understanding with constantly explaining himself and giving excessive examples to prove his point. His journey to understand control plays out in his writing and how he interacts with the readers. He begs to control your point of view as he does with other characters throughout the book. A path that leads to understand the true meaning of control. It's a captivating novel that has a spark a genius.

Great Story. Great Performance.

If you’ve read or listened to any of the McBain/Vargas books you’ll love this. I wrote the authors in the above order because, after reading and/or listening to their work, I’ve found a leaning in authorship with their works. This story runs along the lines of The Scattered and the Dead and Fade to Black. A first person perspective in a journal format of a young man dealing with the angst of being a teenager as well as struggling to find meaning in his life. As the authors have shown so well in the past we all deal with this existential issue in many different ways. Jake is just a little more out-there than most. The book, although being a character study, has twists and turns that kept this reader unable to stop listening. The narrator, Christopher Boucher, masters the speech of Jake’s character wonderfully. He is also able to pull off several female voices quite well. Between the quality writing and great performance this book offers a creepy escape into the mind of one scary puppy.

boring

really cant believe high reviews or that a fav author of mine wrote this. narrative was great but story was boring. had to finally skip toward the end by chapter 20..still was nothing happening till very very end & not exciting..

Boring.....so slow

I tried to give this book every chance. I listened for seven chapters. It was so boring. The main character is likeable, which makes it even harder to read because it's moving so slowly you have to believe that something really bad and stupid is going to happen with this character. I will never know. This was a waste of my credit.