SPECTRAL REWIND: The Class of '81

Terry Lloyd Vinson’s suspenseful murder-mystery aims to evoke both feelings of warm nostalgia and icy, stark dread while guiding readers down a slippery slope directly into the pulsating heart of small-town malevolence.

A Brief Synopsis:

As the atypical small southern town, Baymont, Alabama holds but one unique, albeit tragic distinction; that being the mysterious, grisly murders of two former high school standouts the night of the Class of '81's twenty-fifth reunion. Hoping to shed new light on the bizarre, quasi-supernatural circumstances surrounding the twin slayings, a documentary filmmaker and his crew descend upon the town amid general indifference from the locals, the majority of which regard all media-related types as little more than predatory blood-mongers and publicity seekers.
However, as filming progresses and interviews with former classmates of the victims reveal a dark, sinister flipside to Baymont's tranquil surroundings, the identity of a possible killer begins to take shape, unlocking not only the shocking secret to the reunion night murders, but also the horrid truth behind a similarly gruesome cold-case from twenty-five years earlier.

An Author's Tale:

October 2008: Terry Vinson, author of ‘SPECTRAL REWIND: The Class of ‘81’, speaks to Dindy Robinson, Swimming Kangaroo’s publisher, on his inspiration for the project:

I must say that a large majority of my inspiration for penning this particular novel is indeed from an autobiographical standpoint. I originally began the outline mere weeks after realizing my own twenty-five year anniversary from high school graduation had passed without fanfare (as far as I know, no 'reunion' was held or even planned). I had just come off the publication of several horror-themed novels in the five years previous and felt a change in genre was needed simply in order to recharge my literary batteries, so to speak.

This desire, coupled with a sudden influx of high school memories birthed what became the mystery-thriller SPECTRAL REWIND, though the original title was altered several times from such earlier possibilities as MISDIRECTION GAME and simply THE CLASS OF ‘81.

As for the cast of characters involved, I must confess that at least one of the notables is indeed based on the author himself, though which one in particular I will not openly divulge except to say that in my own high school days I was voted 'Class Clown' by my peers. I will leave the rest for the good readers to figure out. I also based several of the other former classmates at the fictional 'Baymont High' to those I grew up with in Northern Alabama, while also basing the city of Baymont on my own hometown of Red Bay. Each represent what it was to be raised in a small southern town in the mid-seventies to early eighties. I hope the story appeals to all lovers of mystery and suspense, but especially those readers who can readily identify with the time-period represented. As I stated in the novel, though we are not so easily labeled as 'Generation X' or 'Baby Boomers', we as a generation did witness some amazing history take place.