Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 by Lisa Unger

Such an intriguing premise—reality vs. online gaming vs. virtual game show! Which is the real world? And what and who can you trust? Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 is another great thriller by Lisa Unger.

Main character, Adele, enters the ultimate challenge contest hoping to win the million dollar prize for being the last person found in this game of Hide and Seek. Encouraged by her teenaged children, she seeks to get herself out of the debt and shame her husband left behind when he disappeared, accused of stealing his clients’ money.

The stakes are also high for game show producer, Mav, whose company has been losing advertisers and money since the disappearance of a young woman in a previous challenge. Added to that are the threats from a mercenary army led by a gypsy-type old woman who warns him and his troop to leave the island where the challenge takes place or else…

The island itself is a living, breathing entity with an abandoned hotel in ruins as the focal point. With a major storm approaching, the location is in danger of being wiped out, along with the few inhabitants remaining. But a human menace increases the terror when someone in the group is found murdered in this locked-room psychological thriller.

Relationships and individual motives are explored as the characters, each with their own agenda and struggles, embark on a journey to discover what is real, what is staged, and what is most important. The past intertwines with the present as the various points of view expose the reasons why the characters find themselves embroiled in what becomes a deadly reality show.

There’s a gothic vibe to the novel, which will appeal to readers who love an eerie atmosphere and an ominous warning that something, both natural and transcendental, jeopardizes the lives of the characters. A suspenseful survival story set in a remote location, Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 will keep you mesmerized until the truth is unravelled.