I picked up Rough Draft maybe six months ago and enjoyed it so when it came time to look for a vacation beach read, I settled on The Phone. The author's pacing is great, his descriptions succinct, but vivid, and his prose is polished. The book is technically very clean. I had high expectations going in and was only let down at the end, when a story that so fully had my attention stopped abruptly with a kind of open ending. I still gave this novella a 4-star rating because I loved it, right up to the very end (at 75% on my Kindle) when I was treated to the opening chapter of Rough Draft. NO!!! (LOL). The premise of The Phone was intriguing: a phone that connects the present and past occupants of a house with a history of murder. As usual, pacing and description were spot-on, and though I suspected I knew the killer out of the gate, I wanted to know how and why. That's where the story fell flat. I can't give away anything here so I'll just say that The Phone is worth reading, but I wanted more. In some cases that's a great thing. I'm not sure this is one of them as the story felt unfinished. I'm still a fan, though, and after having enjoyed The Phone, I'm on to Regret. Michael, if you're reading this, I hope you'll someday consider extending this story. It's such a great start! I want to know more about this phone. ( )

A definite page turner - finished this in one night - it kept me wondering what was going to happen next. Mystery and horror slapped together in one book. It will make you think twice before answering the phone! Four star rating here. ( )