Mayhem by Estelle Laure  (  Bookshop.org  | Amazon.com )

Wednesday Books, 2020

ISBN-13: 9781250297938

Available: Hardcover, ebook, audiobook

Mayhem Brayburn’s mother fled her home in Santa Maria, California, after her husband Lucas died, cutting all ties and marrying again to another man in a small town in Texas. The tradeoff she’s made is that her new husband beats her, and in avoiding the reality of her situation, she has become an alcoholic and addict. When Mayhem’s stepfather turns against her, her mother finally realizes the situation is untenable, and having nowhere else to go, she flees with Mayhem back to her sister Elle and childhood home in Santa Maria.

As Roxy tries to recover from her destructive relationship and her addiction, Mayhem develops relationships with Elle’s foster children: Neve, Jason, and Kidd. The three of them take her to their “hideaway”, a difficult-to-reach sea cave with a freshwater spring, and tell her that to truly be one of them she must drink from the spring, but once she does, she won’t be able to leave Santa Maria. After drinking the water, Mayhem can see the hidden secrets in other people’s minds. Her aunt explains that generations of the women in Mayhem’s family have drunk and developed an addiction to the water, dating back to the rape of the first woman in their family to come to Santa Maria. The water in the “hideaway” gives the Brayburn women the power to see secrets, but the price is that they must identify predatory men, drain their souls, and kill them. Elle tells her that the Brayburn women are the only ones able to preserve their sanity after drinking the water, so the people of Santa Maria are at risk if Mayhem doesn’t step up. A serial killer, the Sand Snatcher, is on the loose, and Mayhem’s first assignment is to find him, drain him, and kill him. And then there’s the problem of Mayhem’s stepfather, who isn’t ready to let go…

Interleaved with Mayhem’s story (which takes place in 1987) are journal entries and documents Mayhem has discovered by the Brayburn women who have come before her, beginning with the first, Julianna, and going through the generations: Julianna’s daughter Billie, Billie’s daughter Stitcher, and Stitcher’s daughter Roxy (Mayhem’s mother). While short, these express the individual personality of each woman effectively, and lead Mayhem to understand her part in the community of Santa Maria.

It is refreshing to see a new kind of monster show up in the horror genre. Elle’s best guess is that the Brayburn women are similar to the sluagh, but while the author may have taken inspiration from their legend, it’s been transformed into something different. The Brayburn women are monsters who must be fed, but they’re also saviors for the girls and women of Santa Maria, and while it may not be openly discussed, the town knows it. The Brayburn women exact a terrible kind of justice on predatory men that the law cannot, and for many girls and women this may be a cathartic, if disturbing, read.

Contains: Murder, torture, rape, violence, suicide.