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Book Review: Things Slip Through by Kevin Lucia

Things Slip Through by Kevin Lucia

2013, Crystal Lake Publishing

ISBN 978-0992170707

Availability: paperback

 

In the small Adirondack town of Clifton Heights, four friends have gathered for their weekly poker night. Chris, the town sheriff, has decided he’d rather have answers than play cards. There have been strange disappearances since Chris came to Clifton Heights a year ago, disappearances that he has been unable to solve. Gavin, a teacher and former writer, is the one who will give Chris the answers he seeks. Gavin hands over a journal with short stories he has written about the strange happenings, from the original shooting that brought the four friends together, to Gavin’s story of alcoholism and redemption, as well as what happened to those who seemingly disappeared into thin air. As Chris reads through the stories, he ends up with even more questions.

Things Slip Through is a short story collection brilliantly disguised as a novel. Kevin Lucia spins an entertaining tale that allows the individual stories to seamlessly coalesce into one story of a very weird and creepy little town and some of its odd residents. The characters are well-developed, and I really empathized with Chris and his unique situation. Lucia’s prose is dark, sharp, and inventive and kept me hooked– I read the book in two sittings. I, for one, hope to see some of these characters again, especially the villainous Dr. Jeffers and his disturbing hospital. I highly recommend Things Slip Through. Highly recommended.

Contains: some blood and gore, adult language

Reviewed by Colleen Wanglund

Posted on April 16, 2015 by , Reply

Book Review: Say Anything But Your Prayers by Alan M. Clark

Say Anything But Your Prayers by Alan M. Clark

Lazy Fascist Press, 2014

ISBN-13: 9781621051572

Availability: paperback

 

Alan M. Clark is best known for his beautiful, award winning covers and illustrations that have graced bestselling works from authors such as Stephen King and Cody Goodfellow. His art is amazing, but many forget that he was also nominated for a Bram Stoker award for co-writing Siren Promised with Jeremy Robert Johnson. Alan, along with his artist’s eye for detail has also written historical horror.

 

This book is the second in a groundbreaking series that explores the Jack the Ripper legend, from an angle never before seen, in over a century of non-fiction and fiction inspired by the serial killer. Each book in the series follows the life of one of the killer’s victims. This second book follows the life and demise of Elizabeth Stride, the fourth victim.

 

While this novel could be considered horror, the historical elements are what make it so interesting. I admit, I knew very little about Elizabeth Stride before reading this book. Anyone looking for a cover-to-cover horror experience needs to look elsewhere. However, you can’t escape the main character’s fate as you go through her life, and tension builds because the reader knows how she will meet her gruesome end.

 

Clark includes a few key illustrations, but the real strength comes from his attention to detail, and the humanizing of Elizabeth Stride, which builds sympathy for a doomed character. This book is a must for people with an interest in the Ripper and I hope that libraries will carry it. Recommended

 

Contains: gore, adult situations.

Reviewed by David Agranoff

Posted on April 11, 2015 by , Reply

Book Review: 100 Bullets: Brother Lono by Brian Azzarello, illustrated by Eduardo Risso

100 Bullets: Brother Lono by Brian Azzarello, illustrated by Eduardo Risso

Publisher: DC/Vertigo, 2014

ISBN: 1401245064

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition

Harsh. Violent. Brutal. Unforgiving. Azzarello returns to 100 Bullets, revisiting Lono, a ruthless killer, whom we discover has found God in a Mexican orphanage. Lono’s still got some bite however, so whenever he feels the old violent urges coming on, he has himself locked up by the local authorities. Trouble comes by way of a drug cartel that sets its eyes on the church’s undeveloped land. Unfortunately, this gives Brother Lono the go-ahead to let his demons out to play.

Azzarello is a master of street-level dialogue and kinetic pacing, while Risso’s art invokes elements of crime noir and a Sergio Leone western. and colorist Patricia Mulvihill’s palette sets the mood wonderfully, a perfect compliment to Risso’s exotic line work. Recommended for adulst

Contains: sexual content, profanity, and extensive visual graphic violence.

Reviewed by Bob Freeman

Posted on November 14, 2014 by , Reply
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