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<span style="text-decoration:underline;"><span style="vertical-align:middle;"><strong>True Life Drama to Keep You Up at Night!</strong>, August 12, 2008</span> <br /></span><br />Many many years ago while living at home and in grade school, going with my parents to buy groceries on a Friday evening was a regular ritual. The last thing added to the shopping cart before we checked out was a copy of The National Enquirer. Amongst the celebrity gossip and tabloids, there were always one page stories with black and white sketches about "real life" survival: people being attacked by sharks or bears, being held captive by robbers or murderers, and stories of people being stranded in the harsh desert or cold frigid arctic. <br /><br />The headlines weren't like those Bigfoot sightings or alien abductions on the cover of the Weekly World News. These stories, true or not, could really happen and they sent my heart racing. Reading Darren G. Burton's book, Real Life Dramas, brought back memories of those days when I would lie in the floor and read those horrific stories over and over. I couldn't get enough! As I got older, true crime stories and psychological thrillers continued to capture my attention. <br /><br />In Real Life Dramas, Burton has written nine captivating stories that will definitely make you hold your breath, and turn your knuckles white as you grip the pages tight in your hands. The foreword of the book claims these are indeed real life events that did take place with real people, which only makes the suspense in reading this book that more intense. <br /><br />We begin with a story called "Mauled" about a surfer who escapes the clutches of death during a mad shark attack. Even Peter Benchley would be afraid of the water after reading this story! Next is "Captive," and it will definitely have you checking over your shoulder to see if anyone is watching. A teenage girl is taken hostage while walking home from work late at night. The agonizing terror and thoughts of what will happen to her overcome her mind, and the reader goes on a step by step journey with the poor girl as she tries to escape her captor. <br /><br />Next is a very short story called "Shallow Grave." It begins with a woman out for a stroll with her beloved dog. I immediately had thoughts of some sort of avalanche or mud slide happening and the lady being buried alive. I was wrong. Instead, the woman is thrown into a very traumatic situation when her dog discovers the decomposing bodies of two dead boys. <br /><br />I have to admit that Burton definitely knows what strings to pull. His stories are not written in typical reporter style. They are totally unpredictable, and each will take you on a horrifying journey that will probably keep you up at night or haunt your dreams when sleep does finally come. You'll be thinking about each of these tales long after you've turned the last page. <br /><br />Next is the story of a couple and how they and their home survive a forest fire, followed by a man who gets attacked by thugs after leaving a club one night. These two stories may not seem as horrific as the ones mentioned earlier, but what makes them just as extreme is how the author builds up to the climactic moment. On each page, the author puts the reader right there in the real life scenario. We are with the central character as they enjoy surfing, or as they are walking home at night, or leaving a club after a game of pool. The sudden and unpredictable events that are waiting for them just a few minutes ahead are as much as a surprise to the reader as they are to the person in the story. <br /><br />For those who enjoy a good true-life thrill or can appreciate or relate to an amazing tale of survival, you will definitely want to read Darren Burton's first volume of Real Life Dramas. I certainly look forward to the next! <br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/A3II7VQOJ0Q1XD/ref=cm_cr_dp_pdp"><span style="font-weight:bold;"><font color="#003399">Shannon L. Yarbrough</font></span></a>