With research began several decades ago, Dr. Newman is attempting to perfect a drug that he’s witnessed healing someone inches from death. But with his new tweaks, it seems the drug has created even more strange side effects and, for David, it’s going to take a whole lot of testing to figure out just what happened to him. But he’s not the only one who’s caught in the middle of something they don’t really understand. Sarge is still uncertain what happened to him that day in the jungle, especially when Bradley comes back and needs his help with something else entirely. The mission that he’s on may require some unlikely friends as well, including David himself, but just what are they all getting themselves into? Cryptic by Erik Dean is going to help you start answering some of those questions yourself.

This book is intriguing and it had a lot of action going on. There were several characters, but you felt like you could get to know them well enough. I really liked the way they continued to develop and how each of the characters was introduced to each other as well. This is one of those stories you’re going to be wondering about yourself, because it’s super unique and strange to look at the world in a completely different way. Cryptic by Erik Dean is definitely not one of those books that you forget about quickly. It’s one that will stay with you as you work out what’s really going on.

In Cryptic: Garbageman Book Two, Erik Dean has defined the extent to which a risky medical experiment can affect our whole world. Colonel Slivka has been assigned a task of performing medical experiments at The Clearing Company. When he gets a chance to test a mind-control drug on a nearly dead soldier, Bradley, he goes against other doctors and uses that drug on him. After a few hours pass by, he notices that Bradley's condition is improving; however, his excitement is short-lived because soon Bradley stops breathing. After a while, however, he opens his eyes to witness his guardian angel in front of him. She tells him that he would fight evil in the near future. Thus starts Bradley's transformation! On the other side, David, who was able to make a man out of garbage (aka Garbageman) in the past, is struggling with his power. He is no longer able to control/move things with the power of his mind. Therefore, he is not able to create Garbageman anymore. The timing of the disappearance of his powers could not have been worse because a serial killer, known as the Fisherman, has been murdering women in the most troubling manner. David's wife, Julie, is quite concerned with these killings and has been finding ways to help herself. Just when I thought the Fisherman is the only evil, the author introduces creatures that can horrify any reader.

Cryptic did not start in the most predictable way. By the manner in which the story switched from Bradley's life (rather a rebirth) to David's lost powers, I wondered if it was a collection of many short stories. However, soon the reader in me realized that David is the leading character of Cryptic. As soon as I understood the writing style of the author, I became hooked and could not put it down till the last chapter. Erik Dean has packed this book with action, horror, crime, suspense, and brutal creatures. The conversations among various characters are informative. The action scenes are described to perfection and have the power to leave readers with goosebumps. I am sure that these scenes would satiate action lovers completely. The plot moves from one scene to the next in a very smooth manner. The anticipation of what would happen next remains until the end. There are enough twists and turns to keep a reader engaged, although I failed to make an emotional connection with the characters. I believe, as a reader, this was the only point that I craved. Otherwise, this is an incredible read.

Cryptic by Erik Dean is book two in the Garbageman series, one that will have a good appeal for fans of the paranormal, a story featuring vampires, demons, and hideous creatures of the underworld. Readers are introduced to very compelling and well-sculpted characters, including Slivka, Newman, and the Guardian Spirit Hehewuti. David Turley and his wife, Julie, could have settled for a very normal, ordinary life doing things they love, but David has lost his great telekinetic skills and couldn't understand how; his wife reconnects with her passion to collect handmade dolls of spirits. And when a strange Hopi artifact falls into David's hands, he is thrust into a dangerous world and has to fight through vampires, psychic beings, and werewolves. To make matters worse, a serial killer is out to get him. Can he — the man who has been through hell before — survive it a second time?

Cryptic is a powerful entry into a series that is as gripping as it is entertaining. Erik Dean deftly weaves a story that combines crime, fiction and the supernatural to offer huge entertainment to readers. Apart from the well-thought out characters, the plot is well construed and executed with mastery, stunning readers with surprises they couldn't anticipate. I enjoyed the idea of vampire nightclubs and the juxtaposition the author makes of the real world and that of the spirits. The conflict is powerful and it contributes hugely to the development of plot. Written in very simple and clear English, Cryptic is the kind of entertainment with a great reach of audience. An enjoyable read!

In a highly intriguing and interesting new read by author Erik Dean, Cryptic, the second book in the Garbageman series, readers will encounter a book that they will be glued to from the very start all the way through until the very end. Picking up where the first book ended, Cryptic finds lead characters David Turley and his wife, Julie, recovering from the traumatic events they have been through, and ready to move on with their lives. David's telekinesis seems to have disappeared, and he'd like to discover why, while Julie has become increasingly interested in Southwest Native American culture and art, and has amassed a collection of kachina dolls. But when David gains possession of a strange Hopi artifact, little does he know that it will lead him and Julie into an underworld they didn't realize was there, one including vampires, werewolves, and psychics with abilities one could only imagine. Throw a mysterious serial killer, the Fisherman, into the mix, and you've got yourself a read that will keep you up at night, determined to persevere to the bitter end!

I very much enjoyed Cryptic. Author Erik Dean has done a masterful job in creating characters that his readers will connect with, relate to, and truly come to care about, even in a supernatural environment. If that's not a hallmark of a great author, I'm not sure what is. His scene setting abilities are simply second to none, and readers will feel as if they are truly in the action when they are reading. Any reader who enjoys the horror genre, science fiction, or fantasy should absolutely read this book. I am pleased to be able to highly recommend Cryptic and look forward to reading more from author Erik Dean as soon as I possibly can!