The Taste

After his mother dies, Jake Wheeler returns to his birthplace of Dark Springs, West Virginia, seeking solace among his kin. But his family’s unique comfort food includes some ingredients Jake's not sure he can stomach. They eat dead people. Discovering that skeleton in the pantry and adjusting to a new diet turn out to be the least of Jake’s worries. Storm clouds have gathered over Dark Springs, threatening the family’s peaceful existence. Ax-wielding clan patriarch Dallas Pike and his band of renegade followers have decided upon a violent plan to increase the dwindling food supply. Why wait for your next meal to die naturally if you can hunt it down instead? With the survival of the entire clan at stake, Jake wages war against madman Pike. He also battles an even more terrifying opponent. Himself. After all, Jake has THE TASTE.

About the Author

Alan Orloff's debut mystery, DIAMONDS FOR THE DEAD (Midnight Ink), was a 2010 Agatha Award Finalist for Best First Novel. He's written two books in the Last Laff mystery series, featuring a stand-up comic with a tragic past (KILLER ROUTINE and DEADLY CAMPAIGN, also with Midnight Ink). Writing as his darker half Zak Allen, he's published three ebook originals: THE TASTE (horror/thriller), FIRST TIME KILLER (thriller), and RIDE-ALONG (suspense). His story, House Call, appeared in the Summer 2013 issue of NEEDLE: A Magazine of Noir. At The Writer's Center in Bethesda, MD, Alan teaches a number of writing workshops, including Fiction I, Writing the Mystery Novel, and Writing the Dreaded Query Letter. He's presented, appeared, and "paneled" at many venues: Library of Congress, Book Expo America, American Library Association Annual Conference, Gaithersburg Book Festival, Library of Virginia, and Fall for the Book, among others. Before Alan stepped off the corporate merry-go-round to concentrate on his writing, he held a variety of positions at a number of prominent companies, including General Electric, The Washington Post, and Arbitron Ratings. In the nineties, he founded Environmental Newsletters, Inc. to help organizations reduce their negative impact on the environment. Alan earned a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Maryland and an M.B.A. from MIT/Sloan. He's treasurer of the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of Mystery Writers of America and a member of International Thriller Writers and SinC. For more info, visit www.alanorloff.com

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