Review: Home builders beware!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 2, 2013
Anyone who has suffered through the experience of building (or remodeling) a home understands the frustration of dealing with contracts, builders, and architects.  Nothing goes smoothly.  You threaten, cajole, and shout, but you should always be prepared to pay the bills or risk reprisal!When R.J. and Penny White "stiff" their builder they light the fuse to a ticking time bomb, and receive retaliation they never expected.  They find themselves trapped in a high-tech house and must win a bizarre game to escape with their lives.  During the night they suffer the vengeance of an unhappy builder and hopefully learn a valuable lesson.  Contractors would love to provide this kind of lesson to their most insufferable clients.The author, Reb McRath breathes life into vivid characters, crafting unique stories with the skill of a talented wordsmith.  In this short novel one of the best characters is the "White House."  No, it's not the famous house in Washington D.C.  This house was commissioned by R.J. and Penny White and it's the beautiful multi-storied house of their dreams.  On Christmas Eve it becomes a gigantic house of nightmares.  When they step through the door ready for a special Christmas Eve party, they have no idea they'd be the only guests, trapped inside with a ticking bomb in the basement and a demonic voice taunting them to play a game of survival. They have three hours to win the game or die.  All the clues are spread throughout the house but they must destroy everything they love to find them.During the ordeal the Whites learn about themselves and what's really important in their life.  Will they emerge from the house as better people?  Can they survive the experience or will they die trying?  This is a macabre Christmas story worthy of Alfred Hitchcock, Rod Serling, or Edgar Allan Poe.  I pondered over the title "April Yule," tried to understand the meaning, and decided it was a Christmas "April Fools Day" yarn.  The end of the story is surprising, but is the surprise on the Whites or on us?  Buy this book and discover the answer for yourselves.