Reviews are an author’s bread and butter.

Read on to see what readers are saying about Spiked. Pre-order here (paper) and here (e-Book).

Spiked is a deep dive into the human psyche and what a man will do in desperation. When we first meet Rory, he seems like an innocent, bumbling, and nice guy who just can’t get a break. The reader instantly empathizes with him when his jerk coworker, Arthur, at his new job at a brew pub does nothing short of making sure every day is hell for Rory. A string of carefully crafted events, on Kelly Griffith’s part (not Rory’s), leads one seeming mishap into another. Before long, Rory is spiralling inwardly out of control, and we start to see a darker side of him. Griffiths is a master at twisting the mundane into the macabre. It’s scary how a little below the surface lurks a monster in all of us. Spiked will keep you guessing at every turn and therefore turning the page, wondering just how far down the depravity hole Rory will get, including falling in love and marrying based on a lie, before he must either come clean or, gasp, end his life. For lovers of subtle horror, an exploration of the human condition, and dark humor, grab a copy of Spiked.

– Cynthia Hilston, Amazon Bestselling author

Kelly Griffiths’ novel Spiked is what happens when you mix the careful, detail-oriented plodding of a Vince Gilligan show with Mark David Chapman. The story follows unreliable protagonist and anti-hero Rory Harper, a beer chemist that can ferment any lie into a toxic, unrecognizable broth. When a workplace prank goes wrong, Rory finds himself drowning in a mix of escalating workplace feuds, romantic intrigue, and a backwards new life created entirely by his own hubris. As Rory becomes further entrenched in his deception, a co-worker’s sinister machinations threaten to unravel it all—brewing a high-stakes race to the truth. Thriller and mystery lovers will love following the vibrant plot, clever misdirection, and deeply-flawed characters as they discover that reality from person to person is indeed experienced on a gradient.

– Jeremy Jusek, author of The Details Will Be Gone Soon

This is a great book. Perhaps the best I’ve seen from a debut author. In fact, while I read, I often queried whether it was actually written by a blockbuster author under a pen name like Stephen King did as Richard Bachman. Think King’s or Shirley Jackson’s writing and the internal psychological darkness of their characters, with a mix of Dan Brown murder mystery, and a sprinkle of Scott Turow crime-fic legal thriller. It’s on par with the work of those greats but exceeding them as a unique blend of genres that will serve as catnip for all sorts of readers.

Regardless of comparisons, Griffiths stands on her own as an author. She expertly weaves a sympathetic, relatable character through a series of unfortunate events, and does what all aspiring authors try (and often fail) to do: make you care as a reader, make the character change, and, in the end, deliver important life lessons that help us better understand our human existence. And she does so by deftly weaving dialogue with setting and action, internal thoughts and emotions with external observations, and paces the novel to perfection.

Craft observations aside, in summary, this is a darn fine book from a debut author that doesn’t read like this is her first rodeo. I highly recommend picking up a copy of Spiked, sitting in your favorite recliner by the fire with a winter stout, or on the back porch with a cold IPA, non-alcoholic brew, or lemonade (spiked or unspiked, your choice—different strokes, different folks), and unraveling the twists and turns of Rory’s spiraling experience that, without saying more, could have been avoided had he followed a few Golden Rules of life. Easy five stars from this reader.

– Michael Carter, author of Boneyard Tales

Do you remember the first time you heard Steven King’s name? Or JK Rowling’s? Well, remember this moment. Griffiths is destined to become a household name.

Her debut book, Spiked did not disappoint. It’s filled with thrilling twists and turns that kept me engaged. So engaged I left the laundry unfolded and handed my poor husband a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for supper because I couldn’t stop reading. I read the second half straight through in one sitting. In total I picked up the book four times start to finish, which says something in and of itself.

Griffiths not only entertains but leaves the reader chewing on takeaways about themselves and those around them. I don’t want to say anything else about the book because I want you to experience the same emotions I did with each page turn. Just go out and grab a copy. You won’t be disappointed.

– Nancy Beach, contributor: Chicken Soup for the Soul

We’ve all had our fair share of bullies in life or have been the one doing the bullying, depending on which side of the fence you are on.

The fantasies that a bullied person imagines against the bully is the stuff of movies and books.

In this story we have one such duo who play the game in this novel exercise of a book.

The best part of this story is the way the game translates under the active abetment of the author Kelly. She shows the reader a mirror and leaves us unnerved by what we see there lurking under the surface. the monster that has a house inside everyone of us and which just needs a right prod or a timely release and everyone of us has the ability to become the villain of our own stories.

This is a takeaway for me from this story.

The story for its part has a protagonist, Rory a seemingly nice person who seems to be always the butt of jokes and shaming by his co-worker Arthur. Under this constant shaming we see the gradual transformation of Rory and how he slowly spirals out of control and when the demonic side takes over the book goes into another level.

– Sanjib Dash, BookSirens reviewer

Ultimately, book reviews serve as a menu of sorts. Would I like this dish? Well, let’s see…what’s in it?

Pre-order the paperback here. Pre-order the e-Book here. Thanks for your support!