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Book Review: October by Michael Rowe


 
October by Michael Rowe

ChiZine, 2017

ASIN: B076ZMWGPN

Available: Kindle edition, audiobook, MP3 CD

 

Michael Rowe is one of those writers who can swing from the eloquent prose of a Peter Straub to the brutality of a Richard Laymon. His novels Enter, Night, and Wild Fell were excellent examples of pushing the envelope while holding onto what makes the genre so good. October is the best of Rowe’s writing yet: a traditionally-styled tale, with some surprise twists. At only 151 pages, it can, and should, be read in one sitting, for the reader to feel the full impact.

Mikey Childress is a bully’s dream. He’s not exactly the most popular kid in town; he’s undersized, and a bit odd. His one friend, Wroxy, isn’t much different from him, but she is much more comfortable with who she is. Mikey wants more out of life; he wants to be accepted, to be loved for who he is, and to not have the crap kicked out of him on a daily basis.

When Mikey stumbles upon a black mass in the woods of his town, he’s terrified.  When the bullies’ beatings of him intensify, though, becoming more dangerous, Mikey investigates what happened during the summoning he witnessed. October truly takes off then; a new friend shows up at school, someone who Mikey has always wanted and needed in his life, who may be just a little too good to be true. The novel could have become cliched at that point, but instead, Rowe takes a hard left into the unexpected, forcing the characters to examine what they truly want and need in their lives, and has a surprise ending. While a twisty novel like this one can only truly surprise the reader on a first read, October is worth reading a second time. Highly recommended.

Reviewed by Dave Simms

Posted on May 11, 2018 by , Reply

Book Review: Hunger Moon by Alexandra Sokoloff

Hunger Moon (Huntress/FBI Thrillers #5) Series) by Alexandra Sokoloff

Thomas & Mercer, 2017

ISBN-13: 978-1503942721

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition, audiobook, MP3 CD

Alexandra Sokoloff has never strayed away from the controversial in her work, either in her Stoker-nominated horror titles or in her Huntress series. Hunger Moon is the fifth book in the series, and plenty has been written about it already: it will be easy for the reader to figure out why, once the final page is turned.

The concept of a female serial killer was a unique one when the Huntress series began. The first book, Huntress Moon,  is a stellar novel that introduced something new to the field of crime fiction that left an impact close to the one chewed out by Hannibal Lecter.

Cara Lingstrom is the killer readers crave in stories. Nothing about her is simple, nothing is easy, and her motivations dive deeper than the typical sociopath/family issues/revenge stories. Sokoloff draws her in deft strokes, creating a character both brutal and sympathetic, surgical in mission yet human beneath the murders.

In Hunger Moon,  Cara has disappeared from FBI Special Agent Matthew Roarke’s radar. Something evil is happening on college campuses nationwide. Rapes are increasing everywhere, and rapists are being targeted by a mysterious killer who leaves Santa Muerte symbols behind. When the country’s leaders prove to be no different that the rapists targeted by the killer, a fury erupts, dividing the nation. It’s a situation that, unfortunately, too many readers will find familiar. Cara is in hiding, planning something that will shake up the novel, and Roarke, hot on the heels of the men she is chasing, knows she is just a step away.

Hunger Moon is a white-knuckle ride by a talented thriller author, tackling a subject that needs to be addressed more, both in fiction and in real life. Reading the others in the series is not necessary at all but highly recommended. A thriller series this strong doesn’t come around often.

Posted on May 10, 2018 by , Reply

Book Review: You Only Get One Shot by Kevin J. Kennedy and J.C. Michael

You Only Get One Shot by Kevin J. Kennedy and J. C. Michael

Kevin J. Kennedy, 2017

ISBN-13: 978-1548671518

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition

 

One story to save your life: that’s what the email said.  One chance to save your life.  If the author of the email doesn’t like it, you’re dead.  One chance at redemption: one of four will live.  The players are four writers the email’s author blames for causing the suicide of an aspiring writer by being crass, rude.  deprecating, and insensitive.  This is serious, and not a scam: a fifth one has already gone to meet their maker.  The four contestants in this twisted game are Fiona, Diane, Drexl and, Simon, each of them as different as they can be.  None of them remember an aspiring writer they had snubbed so badly as to cause them to commit suicide.  They each send in a story: a story that may save their life.

 

You Only Get One Shot has an excellent premise that grabbed me from the start.  This was a twisted novella that flowed so well that I read it in nearly one sitting.  The suspense and action worked that well for me.  The opening chapter was brilliant.  It set the tone in a manner that pulled me straight in.  The characters each get their own chapter, which includes their submission: they are distinctive with their own individual tones, and it was easy to keep the various players separate.  The descriptions were well done, not going overboard.  I have not read anything like this before.  The main criticism I have is with the editing.  Mostly in the last quarter of the story, there were several instances of spelling errors and missing or duplicated words, and the occasional sentence that didn’t work.  I also did  not like the ending.  It was a twist that just didn’t work for me.  The epilogue was excellent though.  I have not read either of these authors’ work before, but would like to.  This was a fun story and well worth reading. Recommended for adult readers.

 

Contains:  Violence, Swearing, References to Suicide, Sexual references/situations/slavery, Abduction.

 

Reviewed By: Aaron Fletcher

 

 

 

Posted on May 4, 2018 by , Reply
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