“I will not be a victim. I will not think like a victim. I am going to avenge all those little girls. I am going to win.” FictionNovelStrengthHorrorYaThrillerSuspenseRuthlessGirl PowerVictimhoodCarolyn Lee Adams Book:Ruthless Source: Ruthless
“When he unleashes on her everything falls together. Like a crick in the neck snapped into place, the boy's brain pops and is put right. It is a beautiful undoing, a beautiful becoming. He doesn't stop to think about it when the punches follow her down to the ground. He doesn't stop to notice when she goes still or when the pool of blood under her head pillows out into a great, liquid heart. He doesn't stop until he's pulled off her and he doesn't start to think again until that night, when he's back at home. For hours and hours his brain stays beautifully popped into place.” FictionNovelHorrorThrillerSuspenseVillainRuthlessFlashbackCarolyn Lee AdamsWolfman Book:Ruthless Source: Ruthless
“Through the red haze of my blood I see a strange expression on his face. His eyes have come alive, and I don't like it at all. He's getting off on this now in a way he wasn't before. My first thought is that my honesty is feeding him in a bad, bad way and my second thought is not to question my gut. "These are going to be very good days," he says to me.” FictionCrimeHorrorYaSuspenseRuthlessCarolyn Lee AdamsWolfman Book:Ruthless Source: Ruthless
“Wolfman clears everything off the table except his gun. That he keeps close at hand. There is a sense of ceremony about his actions. My stomach tightens up. We are about to begin.” FictionHorrorYaSuspenseRuthlessCarolyn Lee AdamsWolfman Book:Ruthless Source: Ruthless
“I know you, Ruth Ann Carver. I know you better than you know yourself. You think you do things right. You think you're a paragon of right living. This is a self-told lie, one bolstered by your coddling parents and grandparents.” FictionCrimeHorrorYaThrillerSuspenseRuthlessCarolyn Lee AdamsWolfman Book:Ruthless Source: Ruthless
“I don't know how the Wolfman knows all this, but he's not wrong. My warm cheeks turn scalding hot. "Your shame is a good sign. You may break sooner than I thought. The breaking is good. It purifies.” FictionHorrorYaPsychologicalThrillerSuspenseVillainRuthlessCarolyn Lee AdamsWolfman Book:Ruthless Source: Ruthless
“I shut up. I don't fight, I don't scream. Shame rides alongside my terror. But somewhere deep, deep inside, I hear Mom tell me to trust my gut. My gut tells me I am blind and I am lost, and if I fought for freedom now, it would end in my death. I listen to my gut. Because I want to live.” FictionHorrorYaSuspenseRuthlessCarolyn Lee Adams Book:Ruthless Source: Ruthless
“It was like a commercial for laundry detergent or tampons or a prescription medication with death listed as a possible side effect.” FictionCrimeHorrorYaThrillerSuspenseRuthlessForeshadowingCarolyn Lee Adams Book:Ruthless Source: Ruthless
“He looks up and up and up to get to her face. His mama's a tall lady, and he's only seven. He's overwhelmed by red. Red heels, red nails, red lips, red hair, red eyes. So help him, the boy has always thought his mama's copper-colored eyes damn near shined red. He looks into those eyes and knows she's come home funny.” FictionCrimeHorrorYaThrillerSuspenseRuthlessFlashbackCarolyn Lee Adams Book:Ruthless Source: Ruthless