14 by Peter Clines

Summary:
Padlocked doors. Strange light fixtures. Mutant cockroaches. There are some odd things about Nate’s new apartment. Of course, he has other things on his mind. He hates his job. He has no money in the bank. No girlfriend. No plans for the future. So while his new home isn’t perfect, it’s livable. The rent is low, the property managers are friendly, and the odd little mysteries don’t nag at him too much.

 At least, not until he meets Mandy, his neighbor across the hall, and notices something unusual about her apartment. And Xela’s apartment. And Tim’s. And Veek’s. Because every room in this old Los Angeles brownstone has a mystery or two. Mysteries that stretch back over a hundred years. Some of them are in plain sight. Some are behind locked doors. And all together these mysteries could mean the end of Nate and his friends. Or the end of everything...

My take: 3 looks

What a fun read! In the style of "LOST", indeed! You really don't know whom to trust in this one. You suspect everyone, and yet you like every one of the characters so much that you want them all to be heroes.

The characters are extremely stereotypical: Nate is an everyman, Xela the rebellious artist, Veek the computer geek, Andrew the religious zealot, Clive and Debbie the perfect couple, Tim the mysterious older man. The others are written well, but a bit superfluous as far as the action goes. You can point to any of these and relate to them.

The story is riveting in the way all locked doors are: you can't wait to see why it's locked and what it hides. However, the opening of #14 and the quick aftermath was a bit too far-fetched for me. I loved the references to history and historical figures, but the blending of the supernatural was too forced and too unbelievable to the storyline. I thought the characters were perfectly set up, and the story sucked me in like a black hole, but the climax and finale were too over-the-top to be fluid to the rest of the story.

With that said, it was a fun book to read and I will definitely read more by this author. I have already downloaded his "Ex-Heroes" and "Ex-Patriots" book series.

Recommended.