REVIEW: Adam Howe - Tijuana Donkey Showdown

Genre: Pick One!

Publisher: Comet Press

Publication Date: 9^th December 2016

Pages: 230

REVIEWED BY NEV

A copy of Tijuana Donkey Showdown was sent to Confessions of a Reviewer by the author Adam Howe in exchange for an honest review. This is said review. This book is published by Comet Press.

It is no secret that I absolutely love Adam Howe’s writing. Anything I have read from him before gives me the greatest of pleasure both during the reading, and once I have finished. You cannot help but have a huge smile on your face for days after finishing one of his books. They are that good.

His mixture of genres is superb. His last book, Die Dog or Eat The Hatchet, mixed up horror and comedy and southern noir with splattering’s of crime and mystery and a host of other genres to boot.

One of the stories in it was Damn Dirty Apes where the unlikely hero, Reggie Levine has to battle all sorts of unspeakable things to survive, and keep his reputation intact.

Tijuana Donkey Showdown is the sequel to Damn Dirty Apes. It was a no brainer that I was going to pick this one up.

This is what I thought.

It’s two for one day at Confessions!

REVIEW ONE:

Go buy it. Don’t read anyone’s review, including mine, they will not do it justice!

REVIEW TWO:

Reggie is still on the road to recovery after his escapade with the Skunk Ape.

Trying to get on with life, and make it as quiet as possible, he gets roped into helping dodgy car salesman, Harry, when his crested terrier goes missing.

Reggie thinks the job should be easy enough but as per normal, it all goes terribly wrong, plunging Reggie into another scenario that leaves him battered and bruised and wishing he just didn’t bother.

Enter Enrique. A famous donkey with a secret to share but not one that will benefit Reggie.

It’s time for the showdown!

So, characters wise in this one you have a plethora of absolutely wonderful people that will make you warm to them and hate them in equal measure and equally as quick.

Our main man is once again Reggie. A has been boxer turned bouncer at The Henhouse, he seems to attract trouble like a Kardashian attracts publicity. Some of it is laughable and some of it is deadly serious. Reggie would be the sort of man you would feel sorry for on one hand and just walk away from on the other. Walt is back as the owner of The Henhouse and is as ornery as always.

There are loads of other characters in this that are just too many to mention. Nazi drug dealers, strippers, well hung donkeys and the normal run of the mill losers that Bigelow has to offer.

The plot is not easy to describe because of the complications that arise throughout the story. It is simple enough in that Reggie must get Harry’s dog back. The complicated bit comes when the Nazi drug dealers and Enrique, the well-hung donkey, make an appearance. To tell you any more about it would spoil it and, believe me, you really need to read this to get the true effect of the story as it happens.

So, what is the book like? Genius. Pure genius. I have no other words to describe it. This story is perfect in every single way.

Adam Howe is a writing master. I’m forty-eight years of age. I have had many heroes throughout my life. Homer Simpson, Peter Griffin, Nicolas Cage. None of them come anywhere close to Reggie Levine. The man is just superb. He is a big soft shite that would do anything for anyone while at the same time being tough as nails and prepared to take on anyone or anything. He attracts problems and shakes them off just as easily. Most importantly, when you read the story through his eyes, you discover the dry, sarcastic sense of humour that will have you peeing your pants as you read.

Again, Adam Howe is a genius. This man hails from London yet this story is set in the deep south and you would think Mr Howe was born and bred there. His grasp of the language, the settings of the landscape, the clothes, the cars and anything else that you read about in his books, make you believe you are truly living in the story. It makes you believe he has been sitting in the bar himself watching everything happen. It makes you believe whatever he wants you to believe.

This needs to be on the big screen. It needs to be a series on TV. It would be the most popular thing since Game of Thrones. It has everything to be successful.

Adam Howe writes some of the funniest stuff I have ever read in my life. I nearly got thrown off a bus for belly laughing. I nearly got caught in work when I couldn’t resist reading another little bit to see what happened next. Again, it was a belly laugh that I couldn’t stop.

I could keep going all night but I just feel like I am talking total crap. I simply cannot put into words just how fantastically brilliant this book is. It is everything I would want a book to be and so much more.

To summarise: if this isn’t on your shelf a week after it comes out then you are stupid. End of.

General rating:

★★★★★ could not give it any less.

Rating for everything else:

★★★★★ and again

As an added bonus, you get another short story in the book.

This is what I thought of it.

CLEAN-UP ON AISLE 3

Donnie needs some cash. The Kwik Stop seems to be the easiest target for him. It’s late so it should be easy cash with no trouble.

He didn’t bank on a shopkeeper with a history and a thirst for revenge.

This is a fairly simple tale of a thief looking for easy cash and a shop that should have a till full of it. Donnie didn’t bank on coming up against a shopkeeper who has been there before and doesn’t like to part with his cash without a fight.

This is brutal. Donnie is an obvious criminal but when things start to go against him you can’t help but feel for him. On the other hand, when you find things out later in the story you are totally behind the shopkeeper.

This is a totally different type of story to Tijuana Donkey Showdown. No humour in this one. It gives you a slight taste of what Adam Howe can do when he decides to go straight. To be perfectly honest with you, he does the straight stuff as well as anyone. You will cringe and you will gag at some of the scenes in this one. It’s fight or run, live or die stuff and it becomes so desperate that you can’t see anyone surviving it.

Wonderful writing that is so fast paced and full of energy that you will not get a breath until you are finished.

General Rating:

★★★★★ superb again.

Rating for everything else:

★★★★★ yup, again.

So, there you go. Tijuana Donkey Showdown in a nutshell. I’ve said it before but Adam Howe is a genius. His writing is fantastic. He can write in any style and any genre and make it his own.

You will go through every emotion known to man when you read his books. And every single one of them will be used to its maximum.

I have a complaint. Write faster Mr Howe! The world needs more Reggie!

If you would like to help support Confessions of a Reviewer, then please consider using the links below to buy Tijuana Donkey Showdown or any other books from Adam. This not only supports me but also lets me know how many people actually like to buy books after reading my reviews.

Thanks.

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Book Synopsis:

Reggie Levine, ex-boxer turned bouncer, and hapless hero, has barely recovered from his ordeal in Damn Dirty Apes, when he is called back to action. Recruited to a retrieve a Chinese crested terrier from a fleapit roadside zoo, where the ugly effing showdog has been mistaken for the chupacabra, Reggie finds himself embroiled in a deadly criminal conspiracy involving neo-Nazi drug smugglers, a seedy used-car salesman, a wannabe serial killer, an ornery Vietnam veteran, a badass veterinarian, a freakishly endowed adult entertainment donkey named Enrique, and in an explosive cameo, an Academy Award winning Hollywood icon.

From Adam Howe, writer of Die Dog or Eat the Hatchet, Black Cat Mojo, and the winner of Stephen King’s On Writing contest, comes another slice of pulp Southern crime, 80s action, pop Americana, and pitch-black comedy.

CONFESSIONS REVIEWS ADAM HOWE

Die Dog or Eat the Hatchet

Die Dog or Eat the Hatchet reviewed by Matthew Cash

Adam Howe writes the twisted fiction your mother warned you about. A British writer of fiction and screenplays, he lives in London with his partner, their daughter, and a hellhound named Gino.

Writing as Garrett Addams, his short story Jumper was chosen by Stephen King as the winner of the international On Writing contest, and published in the paperback/Kindle editions of King’s memoir.

His fiction has appeared in places like Nightmare Magazine, Thuglit, Mythic Delirium, and Year’s Best Hardcore Horror Volume 1.  He is the author of Tijuana Donkey Showdown, and two novella collections, Die Dog or Eat the Hatchet, and Black Cat Mojo.

In the pipeline: the occult thriller Scapegoat, co-written with James Newman, a horror/crime collaboration with Adam Cesare, and 80s action throwback, One Tough Bastard.

And for more about Adam, visit his site or find him on social media:

Website – Facebook – Twitter – Goodreads - Amazon Page

REVIEW: Michael Bray - The Island

Genre: Horror

Publisher: Severed Press

Publication Date: 4^th October 2015

Pages: 206

REVIEWED BY CHAD

A copy of The Island was sent to Confessions of a Reviewer by the author, Michael Bray, in exchange for an honest review. This is said review. This book is published by Severed Press.

In The Island, by Michael Bray, we see a society in which reality television has become a performance platform for violence and death. The island itself is a man-made land mass on which a competition has been resurrected to air for the first time as a television series.

Contestants are set loose on the island and only one can survive to the end. Their prize? Whatever it is they desire. All they have to do is make it from one side of the island to the other.

Oh, and they have to make it through an island packed full of dinosaurs.

The main character of the story, Chase Riley, decides to take part in the newly revamped show in order to save his daughter who is suffering from terminal cancer. Against the wishes of his wife, he enters into the show, hoping that a victory will bring in the money they lacked, in order to get their daughter, the treatment she needs.

Putting all my honesty down on the table, I have to admit that I was a little dubious of the concept of this book going into it. My concern was that this was going to just end up feeling like a modern reimagining of The Running Man, but with dinosaurs as an artificial attempt to add an extra element to an already successful story. Still, I was also intrigued by the idea and was willing to give it a go.

I'm glad to say that my reservations were unfounded. I think this book is a good reminder that, regardless of the specific concept, effective writing and characters that can be related to will carry a lot of weight, even if the story has some familiar ring to it.

To start off, I think that the strongest element to this book is that of the characters. It's really easy when you have multiple characters to have trouble keeping track of everyone and they all start to blend together. Despite that challenge, I thought Bray did a really good job making sure everyone was distinct and easy to tell apart from each other. Despite the fact that some of the characters were fairly archetype-ish, I found myself interested in them and engaged in their part of the story.

I also really liked how he explored the dynamic between the characters within the context of the game itself. More specifically, the notion of people who are on one hand contestants but also still feel the urge to help each other. How do you work with and against each other at the same time? How do you deal with the fact that you might care for someone's well-being while at the same time realizing that you may be put in a position where you might have to take that person's life?

I found the pacing of the book to be great. I thought the story moved along at a nice clip and once things really got going, they don’t stop until the book ends. Bray did a great job creating a story that is engaging and that held my interest throughout.

As it is probably to be expected in a story of this type, things are not necessarily as they seem. The twists in the story are well done and are used effectively in order to move things along. There were a few points towards the end of the book where I felt like the twists were starting to stretch the limits of credibility, slightly. However, this did not prevent my ability to enjoy them and I was able to shut that part of my brain up and just watch the book unfold.

If I had one critical comment about the book, it would be that at times I thought the writing style got in the way of the flow of the narrative, somewhat. There seem to be quite a few moments where the writing is a bit dense in terms of the paragraphs being very long. There isn’t anything necessarily wrong with this practice, but I think it can make scenes less effective when there is a lot of action going on. I think it has a tendency to slow down the reader and bring down the immediacy of the narrative. In my opinion, some of the scenes could have been more powerful and effective if some of the longer paragraphs had been broken up. This is just a personal issue of my own and it’s a minor one. It didn’t interfere with my enjoyment, nor did it necessarily make the book any less engaging.

In all, I thought that in a culture that has become rife with dystopian literature, The Islanddoes a pretty good job keeping its head above the water and not feeling like ground that is being re-treaded one too many times. It is a book I enjoyed and would highly recommend.

General rating:

★★★★

Reviewed by Chad.

If you would like to help support Confessions of a Reviewer, then please consider using the links below to buy The Island or any other books from Michael. This not only supports me but also lets me know how many people actually like to buy books after reading my reviews.

Thanks.

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Book Synopsis:

What if the next generation of reality show had your life as the prize?

The island is the largest manmade structure ever constructed. Within its two-hundred-foot high steel walls are savage dinosaurs created for one purpose. To hunt man. In addition, of those who are chosen to enter the island, only one can leave and claim the prize.

As television screens around the world tune in to watch, the six contestants form an uneasy alliance as they battle nightmarish beasts beyond comprehension. When a secret is uncovered which could bring down the entire Lomar Corporation, the contestants find that some men are worse than monsters, and some corporations will stop at nothing to protect that which they tried so desperately to hide.

Michael Bray is a bestselling horror / thriller author of several novels. Influenced from an early age by the suspense horror of authors such as Stephen King, Richard Laymon, Shaun Hutson, James Herbert & Brian Lumley, along with TV shows like Tales from the Crypt & The Twilight Zone, his work touches on the psychological side of horror, teasing the reader’s nerves and willing them to keep turning the pages.

Several of his titles are currently being translated into multiple languages and with options for movie and Television adaptations under negotiation for others, he will look to continue his growth as a full time professional writer long into the future.

And for more about Michael, visit his site or find him on social media:

Website – Facebook – Twitter – Goodreads – Amazon Page

REVIEW: Mark Cassell - The Shadow Fabric

Genre: Horror

Publisher: Herbs House

Publication Date: 18^th October 2014

Pages: 340

REVIEWED BY NEV

The Shadow Fabric is Mark Cassell’s first novel. This book is published by Herbs House.

This book pops a couple of Confessions cherries tonight. Firstly, it is Mark Cassell’s first time being reviewed on Confessions.

Today he becomes a man.

Also this is the first ever book that I bought at a con. I met Mark at Emcon in Nottingham and to be honest I had no intentions of buying any books at that stage, but he impressed me so much with his enthusiasm that I bought them all. And stole a few bookmarks. And sweets.

This is another one that sat on the pile for a while because it wasn’t a direct submission for review. I was struggling to decide which one to read next instead of following the normal strict list. When this one caught my eye, I thought I would give it a go.

This is what I thought.

Leo is confused. He has had a troubling life. The problem is he can’t remember any of it bar the last couple of years. He has just returned from a years traveling around the world and his guardian of sorts, Goodwin, has a job for him. He wants him to go work for his friend Victor as a chauffeur.

Leo soon discovers that chauffeuring will not be the only job he will be doing for Victor. On his second day he witnesses a murder. On his third day he witnesses much, much worse.

What follows, is a race against time. A race against evil. A race against unknown forces. A race against The Shadow Fabric.

This is a race that no one can afford to lose.

In terms of our characters we have a colourful and varied selection. Leo is obviously the main man in this story. He is mysterious and confused. He has no idea of his past and the only person who seems to know about it, Goodwin, isn’t giving anything away. Goodwin himself seems to be the quintessential English gentleman looking out for Leo. A sort of rich guardian who doesn’t need to be doing what he is but does it anyway.

Victor is seemingly a man of wealth as well. He doesn’t seem to want for much but it is clear from the outset that he is searching for something. This is what causes his problems. Stanley is Victor’s brother. The nasty side of the family. We don’t learn too much about him early on but he seems to be one to avoid. Polly is the last one of the group. Polly is blind. She has a helper who looks after her permanently but again seems to stick to the side-lines.

This group, apart from Leo, have known each other for years. They have secrets they are keeping from Leo. They also have secrets they are keeping from each other.

As far as characters go, these ones are all great. You don’t get a lot of back story with them which I love. Especially Leo, because he hasn’t even got a clue about himself. The character’s individual stories all become clearer as the story progresses, but again without overload.

In terms of the plot, this is one of my favourite styles of story. An ancient evil is making a comeback. Some people know a bit about it but not everything. They need to figure things out as they go. There are a lot of secrets and a lot of twists and turns that I, for one, didn’t see coming.

It isn’t a straight horror story. It is very much in the mystery / thriller vain with a lot of horror thrown in. Sort of like Dan Brown but good. And scary. Don’t be fooled by what I’m telling you though. This isn’t done in the Spielberg or Disney styles of those films you could watch on a Saturday afternoon with your two-year-old. This is dark, dark stuff. This is the stuff of nightmares. The sort of thing that a bit of me always wants to believe is happening somewhere in the world but we just never get to hear about it.

So what was the writing like? Well, one thing that struck me throughout this book is intelligence. It’s more literary in the sense that I reckon people who live and breathe extreme horror may not take to this one. It isn’t all blood and guts and gory gratuitous murder and mayhem. It’s extremely well thought out. It’s extremely well put together, to weave a wonderful story that genuinely mesmerised me in parts due to the beautiful descriptive narrative, that gives you a true impression of what particular scenes must look like.

Mark Cassell has a very creative imagination. That is clear from very early in this story. Although the plot theme is something that has been done many times before, I haven’t seen it done like this. I am trying to think of someone or a book to compare it with and I can’t. That must speak for itself.

I have a complaint though. For me, it lacked a bit on the horror side. The true scary bits. The bits that make you read with one eye closed or make you close it for a while because you don’t want to read what happens next. It’s the sort of story that you get the feeling from the beginning that the good guys are all going to ride off into the sunset, smoking big cigars and drinking tequila. They don’t by the way. Or do they? You have to read it to find out.

One thing is for sure. I will definitely be reading more of Mark Cassell. His writing is extremely good. The way his words flow should put many other authors to shame and to be honest, there are a few who should read this book to see exactly how intelligent writing is done. I think they will pick up some valuable tips.

To summarise: a mysterious and thrilling tale of modern day misfits chasing an ancient evil to save themselves, and mankind. A bit light on the horror for me but definitely worth a read to sample some very intelligent writing.

General rating:

★★★★ practically perfect.

Horror rating:

★★★.5 just needed more scares for me.

If you would like to help support Confessions of a Reviewer, then please consider using the links below to buy The Shadow Fabric or any other books from Mark. This not only supports me but also lets me know how many people actually like to buy books after reading my reviews.

Thanks.

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Book Synopsis:

Leo remembers little of his past. Desperate for a new life, he snatches up the first job to come along. On his second day, he witnesses a murder, and the Shadow Fabric – a malevolent force that controls the darkness – takes the body and vanishes with it. Uncovering secrets long hidden from humankind, Leo’s memory unravels. Not only haunted by the past, a sinister presence within the darkness threatens his existence and he soon doubts everything and everyone...including himself.

Now Leo must confront the truth about his past before he can embrace his future. But the future may not exist.

THE SHADOW FABRIC is a story revealing the unknown history of witchcraft and the true cause of the Great Fire of London. A supernatural horror novel of sins, shadows, and the reanimated dead.

Mark Cassell lives in a rural part of the UK with his wife and a number of animals. He often dreams of dystopian futures, peculiar creatures, and flitting shadows. Primarily a horror writer, his steampunk, dark fantasy, and SF stories have featured in numerous anthologies and ezines including Rayne Hall's Ten Tales series and horror zine, Sirens Call.

His best-selling debut novel, The Shadow Fabric, is closely followed by the popular short story collection, Sinister Stitches, and are both only a fraction of an expanding mythos. His most recent release, Chaos Halo 1.0: Alpha Beta Gamma Kill, is in association with Future Chronicles Photography.

And for more about Mark, visit his site or find him on social media:

Website – Facebook – Twitter – Goodreads – Amazon Page - Blog

REVIEW: David Bernstein - The Sludge

Genre: Horror

Publisher: Great Old Ones Publishing

Publication Date: 4^th July 2016

Pages: 131

REVIEWED BY NEV

A copy of The Sludge was sent to Confessions of a Reviewer by the author, David Bernstein, in exchange for an honest review. This is said review. This book is published by Great Old Ones Publishing.

Sometimes this reviewing game throws you surprises. A lot in fact. A lot of welcome surprises. One of them that never fails to amaze me is the fact that, sometimes you read someone’s work and rave about it. Then you pick up something else of theirs and it doesn’t do a lot for you. When you review it, you automatically think that is the last you will hear from that author. Think this reviewing lark is easy? It’s a minefield I tell you.

David Bernstein’s last book, A mixed Bag of Blood was a collection that I didn’t really connect with. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed it, but it didn’t grab me the way some of his other stuff has.

I was delighted when David sent me a copy of The Sludge to review. Firstly, because he hadn’t fallen out with me, and secondly because…..well…..just look at that cover! It screams old skool horror! I couldn’t wait to get my teeth into it.

This is what I thought.

Bull and John are removing some toxic waste. They should dispose of it carefully but they are just going to dump it in Lolo National Forest.

They throw it in a lake and it mixes with some stuff they dumped years ago and starts a chain of events that will create a monster no one thought could ever exist.

Cole and Derrick are brothers. They are about to rob a bank with their friend, Dirk. The plan is to hide out in Lolo after the job is done.

Edgar, June, Kim and Tyler are hiking in Lolo when they stumble across the camp belonging to the brothers. Everyone is in for the shock of their lives.

The Sludge is brewing.

Our characters in this one are bloody brilliant. Bull and John aren’t in it for too long so can’t say much about them other than they are twats for what they did. Cole and Derrick are brilliant. Small time criminals with big time ambitions convinced that robbing a bank is the answer to their prayers. They probably would have been right if they picked somewhere else to hide out.

Edgar and June are a couple. Both outdoor types and totally into their hiking. June is a nurse and seems to be pretty worldly wise but Edgar is a different matter. Kim and Tyler are a couple too. Kim is like Edgar and Tyler like June. Seems to me like they should swap. They also keep a lot of secrets.

Then of course we have The Sludge. I’m not going to tell you what it is or what it looks like. Just look at the cover. How it comes to be is unrealistic and nothing short of fantasy but you know what? It is superb. Think B movie person in a rubber suit type monster. Stupid in one sense but creepy in another.

The plot is simple. Take the three situations mentioned above and mix them all together and throw in some sludge. The thing that I love about the way David Bernstein writes this stuff though is that although the plot is simple and follows a certain path, it is unpredictable. You can guess what way things are going to go. The chances are you will be wrong though. The variables always change when you don’t expect them to. It’s like a rollercoaster you have never been on before. You know you are going to get thrills but you just don’t know when or where.

Mr Bernstein has a knack for writing stories that make you feel at ease very early. You feel like you belong. You can imagine yourself being there watching everything that is happening or even taking part yourself. He makes it believable. This is why I enjoy his stuff so much. There is nothing complicated about it. You can set it down for days on end if you wanted to and when you pick it up again you don’t have to try and remind yourself what the story was doing. It hits you as soon as you start to read again.

I have a negative though. Not enough horror for me. When you start to learn of The Sludge’s transformation – from what, and into what, I am not going to tell you – it is horrific. You will cringe at the description of how it interacts with a human. You will feel sick. You may hold onto parts of your body very tightly.

When it makes an appearance in the story, it is genuinely creepy and tense. It just doesn’t happen enough for me. Doesn’t make the story any worse, it just could have been a bit scarier.

To summarise: a good old fashioned monster story that could be directly out of a comic. Brilliant characters again that are easy to read and make the story flow very well. Just needed some more scares for me.

General rating:

★★★★ nearly there.

Horror rating:

★★★ needed more for me.

If you would like to help support Confessions of a Reviewer, then please consider using the links below to buy The Sludge or any other books from David. This not only supports me but also lets me know how many people actually like to buy books after reading my reviews.

Thanks.

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Book Synopsis:

Deep in Montana's Lolo National Forest, toxic waste is leaking from aged oil drums and mixing with a new batch of biological sludge that has been dumped into a remote lake. It sickens, it mutates, and like cancer, it spreads and devours.

A group of hiker’s stumble upon bank robbers who've been hiding out in the forest. Held at gunpoint, they soon discover they are being hunted by a vicious predator, and it will take their combined efforts to make it out of the forest alive.

CONFESSIONS REVIEWS DAVID BERNSTEIN

Skinner

Goblins

A Mixed Bag of Blood

Jackpot

I am a dark fiction writer, a horror writer. I write the gamut, from atmospheric horror to extreme gory horror to dark fiction and dark thriller, oh, and the occasional bizarro tale.

Gory: The Unhinged, Damaged Souls, Witch Island, Apartment 7C, Amongst the Dead

Extreme horror: The Unhinged (you were warned)

Horror with a twist: The Tree Man, Apartment 7C

Zombie fiction: Machines of the Dead trilogy. Amongst the Dead.

Darkfuse horror: Relic of Death, Surrogate, Skinner (coming July 2015)

Dark thriller/supernatural/ action: Tears of No Return, Toxic Behemoth

Monster horror: Toxic Behemoth (Deep Sea/Kaiju book)

Bizarro/Gross out/funny horror: Fecal Terror

And for more about David, visit his site or find him on social media:

Website – Facebook – Twitter – Goodreads – Amazon Page - Sinister Grin Press

NEXT WEEK: A WEEK OF MARK CASSELL

Next week sees another of Confessions week long features on an author we think you should be reading more of, and certainly one we think you will be seeing a lot more of in the years to come.

If you have been to any cons in the UK recently you will probably have met him, and you will probably agree as well, that he is one of the nicest, most approachable guys in the UK horror scene.

We talk, of course, about the one and only, Mark Cassell.

I met Mark a few months ago and picked up a couple of his books, one of which was The Shadow Fabric. This is a book that you should really pick up to get a feeling of how this man writes. If you go to a con as well, don’t be shy, introduce yourself to him. He is always up for a chat. Then steal all his sweets and run away very fast!

It all kicks off on Sunday with his Past, Present and Future confession. Monday and Tuesday will see parts One and Two of an interview with the man himself. Wednesday night is the review of The Shadow Fabric and Thursday is me showing off my own copy of the book to give you an idea of what to expect when you buy it!

Make sure you all come back next week, and don’t forget to tell your friends!

Thanks again for visiting Confessions of a Reviewer.

Nev.

Mark Cassell lives in a rural part of the UK with his wife and a number of animals. He often dreams of dystopian futures, peculiar creatures, and flitting shadows. Primarily a horror writer, his steampunk, dark fantasy, and SF stories have featured in numerous anthologies and ezines including Rayne Hall's Ten Tales series and horror zine, Sirens Call.

His best-selling debut novel, The Shadow Fabric, is closely followed by the popular short story collection, Sinister Stitches, and are both only a fraction of an expanding mythos. His most recent release, Chaos Halo 1.0: Alpha Beta Gamma Kill, is in association with Future Chronicles Photography.

And for more about Mark, visit his site or find him on social media:

Website – Facebook – Twitter – Goodreads – Amazon Page - Blog

REVIEW: Wayne Lemmons - The Story's Writer

Genre: Horror

Publisher: Self-Published

Publication Date: 1^st April 2016

Pages: 172

REVIEWED BY NEV

A copy of The Story’s Writer was sent to Confessions of a Reviewer by the author, Wayne Lemmons, in exchange for an honest review. This is said review. This book is self-published.

You know how I like a funny story of how I got a book to review? Well, Mr Lemmons doesn’t know this, but there is a funny story for this one. Someone recommended his writing to me and said I should check it out. Well, they didn’t, exactly. They recommended someone else. I got the name wrong. I didn’t find this out until a few months after we had made contact and the books were in the pile for review.

So, obligated as I was, I couldn’t do anything about it and had to go with my promises. Did it turn out to be a fortuitous mistake on my behalf?

This is what I thought.

Amy is a single mom. She works very hard to keep a stable household and a steady life for her son, Bailey. The only thing she keeps for herself is a lifestyle of one night stands that, while leaving Bailey to fend for himself, keeps her sane. Not ideal for anyone, but they survive.

On one of these one night stands, she meets Grant. A horror writer that seems to be very grounded, and very interested in meeting Bailey, when he can. Could this be Mr Right at last?

When things blossom and Amy and Bailey move in with Grant, all seems to be going swimmingly. Until Grant starts to write his new book about ghosts. It really seems to Bailey like Grant has brought some of his research home with him.

Not too many characters to talk about in this one. Amy, Bailey and Grant are the three the story features most. Amy seems to be a bright young woman working hard to keep things as normal as she can for herself and Bailey. He is her life, even if she is selfish in her ways at times. Bailey is eight years old. A very mature and very bright eight years old. He doesn’t have many friends but he doesn’t seem lonely. He is more than capable of looking after himself in whatever way is needed. Even when his mom is off on one of her nights out.

Grant seems to be the ultimate catch for any single woman. Successful enough to live a nice life with his own place. He seems to have morals and manners that would match any gentleman of old. And he seems to like kids.

Another couple of characters to note would be Amy’s sister Deb, pub owner Chuck and Joanna. Deb is another single girl living her life just how she wants to. Fully supportive of Amy, Bailey is a love of her life. Chuck owns a pub with a history. An older man, he has a heart full of compassion, if not the energy to match it.

Joanna……nah……. read the book.

The plot? Amy and Bailey move in with Grant and all seems to be rosy. Grant starts to write his new book and things start to turn not so rosy. Bailey seems to be the only one that notices and must set about finding out what the problem is and trying to fix it. It isn’t going to be that easy.

Sounds simple doesn’t it? Well, it is. And it isn’t. I won’t lie to you. It’s not very hard to figure out what is going on in this story quite early on. I don’t think it was ever written in a way that Mr Lemmons wanted to keep things a secret, or have you guessing right to the end what was going to happen. You won’t be guessing in terms of the actual story. You will be guessing how it is going to pan out.

So what was it like in terms of a book and how was the writing?

I am going to make a very bold statement right now and make my feelings on this story very, very clear:

This is one of the most harrowing, difficult to read (due to emotional highs and lows), dark and frightening stories I have read in years.

It took me a long time to read this book. A lot longer than it normally would for a book of its length. Not because it was bad or I lost interest. Because I had to keep putting it down and walking away from it to try and get my levels of anger and disgust back to a point where I could read on and not want to throw my nice new Kindle out a window.

If you read the synopsis, if will be no surprise to you that Bailey suffers a lot of abuse in this story. Thankfully there is no sexual abuse or I would have just closed the book. It is mostly psychological but does get worse as the story progresses. I must highlight at this point, in the strongest possible terms, the abuse in this story is handled in such a way that, yes, it is not pleasant to read, but no, it is not done in a gratuitous or sensationalistic way. It is just right for the story. Mr Lemmons deserves huge pats on the back for that aspect of the story alone.

If you read this book and do not feel sad at times and angry at times and truly wish that you could dive into the pages and get Bailey out of there then you are one heartless son of a bitch.

So what does all of this tell you? What it should tell you is this; I have read hundreds of books throughout my lifetime. Most times nothing surprises me anymore. Then I pick up a book like this. It makes me realise that there are some people out there who turn into monsters. There may be a reason for it as there is in this story. It makes me realise that the old stories of ghosts and hauntings and demons terrorising simple people, could really exist. It makes me a believer.

All because of how good someone has been at putting the words, on this page that I am reading, together in such a way that they entertain me, scare me, absolutely terrify me, make me want to run and hide, make me want to run and get help, make me put the book down and go and talk to my wife about it because it has affected me so much, make me cry.

Do I have to tell you any more about how Wayne Lemmons writes?

Didn’t think so.

To summarise: a harrowing, brutal at times, creepy as hell story about ghosts that don’t want to be held back. Read it at your peril, but read it you must.

General rating:

★★★★★ superb.

Horror rating:

★★★★★ superb again.

If you would like to help support Confessions of a Reviewer, then please consider using the links below to buy The Story’s Writer or any other books from Wayne. This not only supports me but also lets me know how many people actually like to buy books after reading my reviews.

Thanks.

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Book Synopsis:

Grant is handsome, charismatic, and charming. He’s also a horror novelist who’s had moderate success in his craft. The only thing more attractive than the man is the fact that he actually wants to meet Amy’s son, Bailey.

Bailey is independent for his age, as competent at caring for his own daily needs as most children twice his age, but overweight and ailed by a lack of personal confidence. His reservations about meeting a new man are evident in his resistance of his mother’s demands, but soon he warms to the charming writer. Bailey sees an opportunity to gain not only a father, but a friend.

Months later, after Bailey and his mother have taken up residence with this new man, odd behaviors begin to emerge as Grant researches the basis for his new novel. It’s a nonfiction manuscript, based on ghost stories originating at a local bar with a reputation for appearances from the other side. It’s a good book with a good story behind it, but it’s taking Grant down a path of hatred, violence, and ultimate destruction.

When Amy begins helping Grant with his editing, she too falls victim to the effects of prose, Bailey begins to receive a more brutal version of parenting. Now he’s hungry, in pain, and afraid with little or no help in sight as the story being written in his home stops mirroring the events at a remote bar, and becomes the new terrorizing story of his life.

Remember when you were a kid and told everyone that you wanted to be an astronaut-cowboy-billionaire? I didn't really do any of that, but the principle still remains the same. I'm a wrench-monkey by day, a writer/editor/proof-reader/drunkard by night, and a scuba diver on the weekends. I was born in Kentucky and somehow found myself on Clearwater Beach living in a houseboat with a group of eclectic neighbors that are sure to grace the pages of one of my books in the near future. What a terribly boring life I lead, right?

I've been writing since I pumped out my first short story at the glorious age of nine. For some reason the story was absolutely violent beyond belief and I'm thankful that I've been able to tone down the language since then. I was a vulgar little kid.

I'm continuing the dream of that nine-year-old by writing full-length novels that will take you to emotional places that you may or may not want to go, but the journey will leave you fulfilled and unsettled. Two feelings that I love to invoke.

So read my books! You'll love them, I promise!

And for more about Wayne, visit his site or find him on Social Media:

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