Gifted Trust

Is kicking off this
new venue with the publication of

by John Paul Allen

Humble, Texas - On a Saturday afternoon in 1931, Max Belote kisses his wife goodbye before leaving for his office. As she anticipates his return, Max steps in front of an oncoming train. In the summer of 1977, as he awaits his execution for multiple murder, Jeffrey Roberts describes the unusual activities he has been involved in to 'perfect his soul'. In 2001, Edward Paine is questioned for a manuscript that vividly details the activities of a serial killer. His book is suspiciously filled with too much detail.

How author John Paul Allen concocts a gripping horror saga that weaves these three seemingly unrelated events into one is a mystery in itself. However, the power of Gifted Trust lies in its portrayal of a living, breathing being who thrives on malice. In doing so, Allen presents a dark side that draws his characters into performing horrendous acts.

Gifted Trust is indeed a book not for the faint-hearted. John Paul Allen is so successful in creating images of extreme evil that readers will find it difficult not to think that Allen did the gruesome acts himself. However, the critical reader will appreciate his voracious style and vivid skill.

One of the high points of his book is when Allen's budding serial killer takes revenge against a typical school bully. There we find a shocking twist in the concept of childhood revenge. The images of broken glass mixed with ground meat, a necklace made of teeth and paws, and the bully's beloved dog bleeding to death will shock everyone, but Allen's gruesome tale will also appeal to those who have ever plotted revenge on a schoolyard tyrant.

The acts detailed in Gifted Trust have put Allen himself through a lot of trouble. As testament to the effectiveness of his writing, Allen was officially censored from a Creative Writing class. He had to undergo a four-hour interview at a Texas police department and left with a warning that he would be watched closely. But all the trouble Allen had to go through for one book was well worth it. Check out Gifted Trust and find out why.