Romance & Horror Author
Kelli A. Wilkins
Silent Sentinel
This 4,100 word mini-thriller blends a crime story with the unusual.
Silent Sentinel
A Mini-Thriller
One afternoon, Valerie visits a flea market and meets a peculiar man who tries to sell her an ancient statue of Anubis—the Egyptian god of the dead.
Despite her protests, the man insists that she must have the statue. Valerie gives in and brings her new “guardian” home.
Later that night, Valerie awakens to discover an intruder has broken into her house. She’s forced to fight for her life and relies on Anubis to save her.
When the police investigate, they make a shocking discovery about her attacker and his motive. Only then does Valerie realize how lucky she was— the statue was the last thing she wanted, but exactly what she needed.
Praise for Silent Sentinel...
“5 Stars! A thriller with a bit of the Twilight Zone feeling... Valerie expects to meet her friend at a flea market for lunch and a little shopping. Her friend cancels and she ends up browsing the items on her own. What she doesn't expect is to meet the proprietor of Albert's Artifacts. An interesting person who recommends a special item for her to buy - a status of the Egyptian god, Anubis.
Reluctantly, she buys it and takes it home. Little does Valerie know that this purchase will end up being much more valuable to her than she imagines. Unfortunately she has some drama in her personal life that needs resolving and the statue - resembling a dog, will happen to be her very best friend. If you're in the mood for a short thriller with a mystery and a bit of a Twilight Zone feeling, then this is for you. And you may think twice before making your next flea market purchase!” - Amazon Review
"5 Stars! After running into a strange man at a flea market, the main character brings home a statue of Anubis - even though she didn't really want it, the guy told her she needed it.... I can't give away the ending or too much of the plot, but Kelli A. Wilkins has written another short thriller that delivers a powerful punch and a great twist ending. If you love mystery/thrillers with a sprinkling of horror mixed in, don't miss this one." - M. Nemcick, Amazon Reader
“3 Stars! Sometimes the right home décor can make all the difference in the world in an emergency... Valerie was an interesting main character. She had strong opinions about certain topics, especially when it came to home décor. I liked the fact that the audience was mostly left to our own devices when it came to figuring out why she was so invested in this topic and a few similar ones. There were enough hints in the storyline to confirm my guess, but they also left room for other interpretations as well.
Some of the best scenes were the ones that played around with the various ways in which the Anubis statue could protect Valerie during the most dangerous moments of her entire life. The author did an excellent job of acknowledging the assumptions readers might have made about how this would all work out while also gently pushing the plot forwards. I chuckled as I read these scenes. They were as clever as they were beautifully logical. Silent Sentinel – a Mini Thriller was an exciting read.” - Long and Short Reviews