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Book Review: The Bone Cutters by Renee S. DeCamillis

The Bone Cutters by Renee S. DeCamillis

Eraserhead Press, 2019

ISBN-13: 978-1621052937

Available: Paperback

 

This has been a banner year for introducing stellar new horror writers to the world. Renee S. DeCamillis shows she is one of these with  her novella The Bone Cutters, one of the strangest, but coolest, entries of 2019. Fans of Gwendolyn Kiste or Cody Goodfellow will definitely want to seek this out.

The novella is a wonderful form for horror, giving the reader and author just enough time to grow into the story, fall for the characters, and then leave both with a scar on the soul. DeCamillis’ story touches on elements of the familiar, but makes it her own.

Dory, the main character, wakes up in a mental ward with no idea how she got there, but learns she has been “blue-papered”– committed without consent. In other hands than DeCamillis’, this could have turned out to be just another horror tale in a tired setting, but the story takes a hard left when Dory attends her first group meeting. The people in the group have strange scars signaling that they are  addicts of a new kind. These people are “dusters,” the titular “bone cutters”. who carve into their own– or others’ — bodies, to get high off the dust within. They dig and scrape until they procure enough of the material from the bones to give themselves  a high unknown to other addicts. Because Dory is a “freshie”– a newbie who hasn’t been dusted yet– she becomes their prime target. Dory has nobody to help her until she meets the enigmatic custodian, Tommy, whose past may tie into the patients from whom Dory is trying to escape.

To say more about the plot would give away too much. Just dive in and enjoy.

DeCamillis doesn’t mess around with frills here. Her writing is as razor sharp as the cutting tools the patients use. Not a word is wasted in this lean tale that grabs hold from the get go, and drags the reader through a surreal experience that evokes One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, if written by Clive Barker. The ending arrives way too fast, but it will leave readers jonesing for another hit of this new writer.

A recommended novella to be added to a fine 2019.

 

Reviewed by David Simms

 

Posted on September 13, 2019 by , 1 comment

Book Review: Spirits by Sheri Sebastian-Gabriel

Spirits by Sheri Sebastian-Gabriel

Haverhill House Publishing, 2019

ISBN-13: 978-1949140088

Available: Hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition

 

Spirits come in many forms, and some say that those in the liquid form can lead to those of the demonic sort. Debut author Sheri Sebastian-Gabriel  tackles alcoholism, and beats the snot out of it, in a novel that delves into the horrors that can come out of falling prey to this crippling addiction.

Tori Garrett is one of those suffering from her addiction to the bottle, living every day under the specter of drinking or recovering from a rough day or night. She’s particularly haunted by an act that destroyed most of her life: she struck and killed a teenage girl with her car.  She has lost everything: her job, her friends, her former life.

The mother of the victim, Carla Perez, seeks to make Tori’s life a living hell for killing her daughter. What she does to strike back is both horrifying, and utterly affecting to any parent.

Once Tori hits rock bottom, she travels to picturesque Cape May, New Jersey, a favorite place of hers, now in the off-season, to hide and to find herself. She shares the Seaside House Bed and Breakfast with a kind woman who attempts to bond with her while healing from her tragedies. They both encounter another damaged soul, Chris Silver, who is dead set on putting Tori on the path to redemption, in an attempt to fix himself.

Together, this odd group of people fight a seemingly unwinnable battle that is all too real, while spirits of the supernatural sort begin to creep in and curl the edges of reality for all of them. Their battle brings to mind the best in horror history (such as those in IT, Ghost Story, and Strangers). It’s that powerful.

Sheri Sebastian-Gabriel has penned a fine first novel that will hit audiences hard. Her writing is smooth, like an aged Scotch that burns on the way down, scorching the throat while blurring the line between the real world and fiction. This is definitely horror, but could hold up just as well as a personal foray into the relationships that exist between friends and strangers, and how alcoholism can destroy just as much as supernatural demons. While some people may seem similarities to The Shining, it’s strong enough to be different and stand on its own. Haverhill House continues to impress with its publication of outstanding work.  Recommended.

 

 

Reviewed by David Simms

 

Posted on September 4, 2019 by , Reply

Book Review: One Small Sacrifice by Hilary Davidson

One Small Sacrifice by Hilary Davidson

Thomas & Moore, 2019

ISBN-13: 978-1542042116

Available: Hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, audiobook, audio CD

 

I will preface this by saying that although this was sent to us for review, it is not a horror novel, but if you enjoy a suspenseful thrill ride, this is a great choice, so read on to see if it’s for you.

Alex Traynor, a war photographer with a strong case of PTSD and a past of drug addiction, comes home one night to discover a note from his fiancee, Emily Teare, that she is leaving him, and not to look for her. Sheryn Sterling is a cop obsessed with finding evidence to tie Alex to what she believes is the murder of Cori Stanton, who either jumped or fell from the roof of Alex’s apartment building. Alex, in a drug-induced stupor at the time, claims not to remember the events of that night, but Sheryn is certain that Emily, who saw what happened, was lying to protect him. When one of Emily’s coworkers calls to report her as missing, Sheryn is certain that Alex has finally decided to get rid of the only witness to Cori’s murder.

The story is written from multiple points of view: Alex’s, Emily’s, the building superintendent’s, and Sheryn’s. Alex’s memories and perceptions are unreliable, due to his previous history with drugs and his PTSD blackouts (and it also becomes clear that Emily was hiding things from him); the building superintendent is hiding something from the police; Sheryn’s background and investment in taking Alex down color her view of events; and Emily’s disorientation and isolation makes it impossible to figure out where she is or what’s actually happening, and why.  Her scenes, though brief, are chilling.

So much of the story is buried or left to guesswork that there is room for a lot more development here. Sheryn has a family, adding dimension and balance to her character, and there’s a lot there to work with as the reader encounters her interactions with both her past and current partners and her own self-reflection. Alex and Emily are grappling with issues that are currently relevant to today’s world, such as PTSD, war, the refugee crisis in the Middle East, the opiate issue in this country, and the true meaning of family. It does bother me that the ending is so pat. Real life is not a puzzle that can be resolved so easily. This is really a police procedural and thriller, not horror, but it’s definitely an easy read, and a compelling one.  At 350 pages, the plot moves along quickly, but I think it’s at the expense of deeper character development. What the reader values more is, of course, up to individual taste. I do hope this is the first in a series and that we get to see Sheryn’s character developed further, but for readers who enjoy police procedurals, One Small Sacrifice is a great way to spend a lazy summer day.  Recommended.

Contains: violence

 

Posted on June 27, 2019 by , Reply
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