REVIEW: Matt Hickman - Jeremy: Evil Has One Name

Genre: Horror

Publisher: Self Published

Publication Date: 12^th Dec 2015

Pages: 103

REVIEWED BY NEV

This is one of those rare occasions when this book was not directly submitted for review. I picked up a copy of Jeremy: Evil Has One Name direct from the author, Matt Hickman at a convention earlier in the year. I have spoken with Matt for about a year now but never met the fella before. I had heard good things about his writing.

The only story I have read of his prior to this was the short story, Anna in the Dark Chapter Press anthology, Kids. I was quite impressed with that one but really wanted to read something a bit longer to see how he coped with that. Again, even though I sort of know the fella (he has weird taste in T-shirts), this does not gain any favours when I review.

This is what I thought.

Jeremy is a troubled eleven-year-old boy. He is an only child and may as well not even exist as far as his parents are concerned. He wants for nothing material, but never gets the emotional love a child deserves.

Along with his friends, Sam and Cole, he suffers at the hands of two school bullies when he moves to secondary school. They just will not let up with the name calling and general nastiness.

When the bullies cause Jeremy and his friends to make a mess of a science experiment and get suspended from school, things take an even nastier turn when a chance meeting outside school leads to a disaster.

Our main character as you would guess is Jeremy. I felt so sorry for this lad. He has everything and yet he has nothing. Everything material a kid could wish for but nothing meaningful from his parents. He is a gentle lad but amidst all his woes, he keeps working in school and grades are good. The bullies make his hellish life just that little bit worse. Sam and Cole are much the same sort of characters. Intelligent, and just looking for a quiet life, away from the terrors.

The bullies themselves are just typical. Mr Hickman does a good job of describing the yobs you would see standing intimidating the local gangs of grannies on any street corner in the world

There are a host of others involved that all fit very neatly into their respective roles as the story progresses. Jeremy’s parents are despicable but you will see that for yourself.

The plot is an interesting one. Jeremy is dealing with the daily bullying and when things come to a head, disaster strikes for one of the bullies and Jeremy. I’m not giving anything away here but when Jeremy wakes up from a coma, he has changed. His whole psyche has changed. He has gone from the quiet conscientious boy to the……..well read it and find out.

I liked this one. It is quite a quick read coming in at just over one hundred pages but is jammed full of a very powerful story. The change that comes from Jeremy is immense. It’s a bit shocking and hard to get used to at first. I said before, he is a likeable young lad and when he turns, he is the complete reverse. On the other hand, though you can’t help but root for him. You have got so far inside his head that you feel like you have been through all his troubles with him and now that he wants revenge if you like, you want it too.

Then you start to feel bad because you shouldn’t really be cheering on someone who does some of the things he does. But then he doesn’t. Not really. Am I confusing you? The book itself is not confusing. These are just some of the conversations I have been having in my head since I finished reading. This to me is one sign of a powerful story when it has you thrashing things out long after you have finished it. To achieve that powerful story, you have to be a powerful writer. Impressive Mr Hickman.

I have a complaint though. To me, the build-up was too long. I wanted to see Jeremy and all his nastiness come out much sooner in the story. You know from the synopsis what is going to happen and you are waiting for it for quite a long way through the story. When it does happen, it all hits the fan at one hundred miles an hour but I wanted it sooner. Then the focus of the story changes a bit and confused me for a while as to what it had to do with Jeremy. It all becomes clear in the end but that little disjointed bit in the middle interrupted the smooth flow for me. I just felt that after moving to the edge of my seat with the new stuff happening, I had to sit back for a while again before it all kicked off again.

Having said that, this wasn’t enough to really take away from my enjoyment of the book. There was an immense amount of tension in this one and the build-up in the nasty scenes was excellent. Mr Hickman certainly pulls no punches when it comes to the bloody stuff. However, it wasn’t over the top which pleased me. Horrific and harrowing at times but perfectly believable.

Matt Hickman certainly seems to have a talent for this writing lark. It’s not just all about the horror stuff either. He builds good characters and gets you inside their heads from the outset. He clearly defines between the good and the evil and can write both equally well. I reckon I might pick more up from this fella.

To summarise: a horror novella with a bit of feeling. Well, at the beginning anyway. Nicely paced with all the blood and guts you could ask for, this is one that will certainly keep you entertained. It will have you thinking about it afterwards and maybe, like me, hoping for a continuation of it.

General rating:

★★★★ nearly there.

Horror rating:

★★★★ creepy as owt.

If you would like to help support Confessions of a Reviewer, then please consider using the links below to buy Jeremy or any other books from Matt. 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:

An eleven-year-old schoolboy shouldn't find his life complicated. Jeremy does.

Jeremy is a normal young boy. His father is a successful business man, and often spoils the boy with lavish, expensive rewards to compensate for their lack of quality time together. His mother is a socialite who feeds off her husband's healthy income; she spends more time at the salon than with her son, and considers Jeremy to be nothing but a hindrance.

He has two best friends; Cole and Samuel. The boys have been close since primary school. The boys rarely get in trouble and perform well academically. They are generally respected by their superiors and their peers.

When the boys start secondary school, a run in with one of the bullies results in a freak accident, one that puts Jeremy in a coma and leaves him fighting for his life.

When he awakes and finds himself in rehabilitation, he soon begins to learn that something much more sinister has been awoken within.

Matt is an avid fan of horror fiction. He spends a majority of his free time reading books from both established and independent authors. With a diverse knowledge of the genre, he has now tried his hand at writing horror. With the support of his peers, some of which are established writers themselves, he now approaches a new career, one that will see him take horror by storm. His influences lead right back to traditional horror writers such as Edgar Allen Poe, Bram Stoker and William Hope Hodgson through to the more traditional horror writers such as Stephen King, Richard Laymon, Dean Koontz, James Herbert and Clive Barker to newer names such as Alex Kava, JA Konrath, Bryan Smith, Matt Shaw, Michael Bray, Iain Rob Wright, Graeme Reynolds, Tim Miller and Ian Woodhead right the way through to emerging writers who are currently starting out such as Stuart Keane, Jack Rollins, Kyle M Scott, Andrew Lennon and Shaun Hupp.

He currently resides in Tipton, a small town in the West Midlands with his partner and two children. He travels the width breadth of the UK on a regular basis as a Sales Manager for a construction company.

His writing debut, a collaboration with Andrew Lennon; Hexad, is available now as a digital download or paperback from Amazon.

He has since been featured in an anthology by Matt Shaw - Behind Closed Doors, which is available for digital download now from Amazon, to be followed by inclusion into an anthology from Dark Chapter Press - Kids, and The Dichotomy of Christmas, featuring such established names as Graham Masterson and Kealan Patrick Burke.

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

Website - Facebook – Twitter – Goodreads – Amazon Page

Book Review: Modern Motorcycle Technology: How Every Part of Your Motorcycle Works

Modern Motorcycle Technology: How Every Part of Your Motorcycle Works

by Massimo Clarke, 2010

All Rights Reserved © 2012 Thomas W. Day
 
    Massimo Clarke is an Italian version of Cycle World's Kevin Cameron. Clarke has several motorcycle books to his name, was the technical editor of Motosprint, and is currently a Director for Assomotoracing. (If you can figure out what this organization does, please explain.) Clarke's grasp of technology is excellent and his ability to quickly describe the function, advantages and disadvantages, and evolution of machines and their parts is why this book is worth reading. The photographs and illustrations, on the other hand, are what make Modern Motorcycle Technology fun to look at and browse through.
    For me, this was not a cover-to-cover read. Instead, I skipped around to read about subjects that interested me at the moment; starting with "Intake and Exhaust." I followed that with going back to the beginning for "Engine Design" and "Structure and Function." While I have a decent basic understanding of internal combustion engine operation, there is no subtlety to what I know. When I'm troubleshooting, "suck, squeeze, bang, and blow" is about all the theory I use to stumble my way through solving engine problems. Clarke's detailed explanation of how the myriad of engine systems work and how the various one, two, three, and four cylinder configurations provide power, reduce vibration and instability, control heat, convert fuel to energy, and how design engineers compensate for the weaknesses of the basic design they have chosen was worth the price of the book. There are useful descriptions of the reliability sacrifices several engine designs make in the hunt for superior performance.
    If you ever wanted to know what manufacturing processes were used for the various parts of your motorcycle, this book is for you. If you're interested in more than surface-level motorcycle metallurgy, fuel system chemistry, and frame and suspension geometry and physics, this book is for you. If you want to know the real effect of exhaust and intake modifications on the design intention of your motorcycle, Clark has a whole chapter just for you. Transmission? Exhaust emissions? Frame geometry? Suspension parts? Wheels and tires? Electronic components? It's all there and with enough detail to provide a decent background on how each of these bike bits works.
    I can't decide if I'm going to keep my copy of Modern Motorcycle Technology in the bathroom/library or in the garage. It's good recreational reading, but it's also detailed enough to be useful as reinforcement to my service and owner's manuals, when I'm stuck troubleshooting some unusual problem. I might need two copies.

This Is Awesome

The “lead” motorcyclist has no more business on a vehicle with a motor than does a squirrel. Neither of these two squids are half the rider the bicyclist is. None of that is surprising, though. Spend a Saturday in Red Wing and you’ll see why motorcycle fatalities are grossly out of porportion to the number of motorcycles on the road. It’s an embarrassment.

Crash Data via NHTSA and DOT

The data is always a good bit of behind current trends, mostly because getting information from many of the states is like pulling teeth. This is 2014 data, but it’s still interesting to pick apart.

I can’t imagine how they generate this over-optimistic estimate, “In 2013, motorcyclists were about 26 times more likely than passenger car occupants to die in a crash per vehicle mile traveled and five times more likely to be injured.” I just don’t buy the idea that motorcycles are that large a contributor to miles-traveled in the US. I still believe we are barely 0.001% of total miles traveled (well under bicycle miles) and, therefore, closer to 1,000 times-or-greater more likely to die per mile traveled, annually.

“There were about 8.4 million motorcycles on the road in 2014.” Yeah, no. I call bullshit.

“In 2014, 39 percent of those motorcyclists killed were not wearing helmets, down from 41 percent in 2013.” Seriously interesting.

“Over the nine years from 2004 to 2013, fatalities among the 40-and-older age group increased by 39 percent, according to NHTSA, compared to 16 percent for all ages.” Expected, since the average age of motorcyclists is climbing at about that rate.

TOP FIVE STATES IN MOTORCYCLE THEFTS, 2015

1. California 7,221
   
2. Florida 4,758
   
3. Texas 3,403
   
4. South Carolina 2,160
   
5. New York 1,902

Huh? What’s with South Carolina?

“Older riders appear to sustain more serious injuries than younger riders.” No surprise there.

This is an interesting stat, “riders of ‘super sports’ motorcycles have driver death rates per 10,000 registered vehicles nearly four times higher than those for drivers of other types of motorcycles.” Sort of fits my one hazardous moment in Colorado last week.

This will be the death of public road access for motorcycles, “The Government Accounting Office (GAO) estimated that in 2010 motorcycle crashes cost $16 billion in direct costs such as emergency services, medical costs including rehabilitation, property damage, loss of market productivity including lost wages, loss in household productivity and insurance costs, including claims and the cost of defense attorneys. ” This number will contine to climb and the percentage of costs will skyrocket as cars become smarter and motorcyclists continue to get dumber.

COME SAY HELLO AT HORROR CON!!

There will be no more posts from Confessions until next Monday, 11^th July. The main reason for this is that I am going away for the weekend and quite frankly I don’t trust anyone else to publish any reviews or posts without bringing the whole blog to a standstill by deleting everything!

The dog has offered to help out but I worry about the typos due to the fact he has no fingers.

Which brings me to my next point! I will not be here because I am off to Horror Con in Rotherham / Sheffield this weekend!

This is a weekend I have been looking forward to for a long long time. This is my first opportunity to actually meet, face to face, some of the wonderful (and not so) people I have virtually met this past couple of years in the wonderful world of horror writing.

It turns out now that there are quite a few of us staying in the same hotel so many predictions have been made about the level of carnage about to bestow itself on the region.

If you are going and I don’t know about it, then let me know. I am sure there are quite a few people going along, like me, just to browse and meet some people and enjoy the atmosphere.

If this is the case, then please come and say hello if you see me. I am not hard to miss (bald Irish guy with Specs wearing a metal T-Shirt with either a beer or coffee in my hand depending on the time of day) and contrary to popular belief, I don’t bite and am always up for a chat whether it be something you might want to do with Confessions, or just chew the fat.

To those going, hope to see you there.

To those not going, na na na naaaa naaaaaaa!

Thanks again for supporting Confessions.

Nev.

2004 vs. 2015 650 V-Strom

One of the cool things about riding with Scott is that he often has something new to play with. In this case, a 2014 Suzuki V-Strom of the 650 persuasion. He had about 7,000 miles on the bike and he bought it last fall. Scott is the rider I used to be. My poor V-Strom has barely been ridden, hardly been maintained, and every time I look at it I think about selling it and looking for a cheap convertible. It's a perfectly good motorcycle, but I'm old and looking down the barrel of "my last bike" and a 4-wheel future. Scott, on the other hand, appears to have a couple more decades of mountain adventure riding in front of him. So, about 9/10 of the way through our hot springs Colorado trip, we swapped bikes for a perspective on 10 years of Suzuki's iconic adventure machine.

 

Right off, I noticed that the transmission has dramatically less lash. One of the original complaints about the 650 V-Strom was the play between the engine, transmission, and driveline. That is not a "thing" in the 2014. My tired old 2004 V-Strom has even more lash than it did 60k or so ago, but his bike is tight as a new chain. That increases rider confidence, especially during low speed maneuvers and on tricky terrain.

 

The engine is both smoother feeling and quieter. Throttle response is slightly smoother and the feel of the throttle is much lighter. Again, that helps with low speed maneuvers and getting off at stop lights, especially on a hill is improved. The 2014's power and torque is insignificantly greater, number-wise, but it feels significant. I think he's depending on the on-board computer mileage estimate, but he seemed to think he was getting 4-8mpg better mileage than me on the same routes. Having experienced those computers in rental cars, I prefer to do my own math. Like motorcycle speedometers, they are consistently optimistic.

 

The fairing looks easier to work around and appears to be lighter. There is a lot more "air" between the inside of the fairing and the chassis, forks, and tank. I like the look of the new fairing, too. However, since Scott didn't want me disassembling his bike in the motel parking lot I'll have to assume Suzuki made some service-ability improvements here.

 

The seat is comfortable for a stock seat, but a poor second to my Sargent. Scott made a few positive comments about my bike's suspension, but he tempered all of them by admitting everything he liked could have been due to the Sargent seat. I agree. The new stock seating position seems more narrow, possibly due to the 0.4 gallon smaller tank? I felt like I was a little more "in" the 2014 than my bike; less perched on top of the ride or something like that. It's an almost insignificant difference, but it inspired a little more corning confidence.

 

The stock windshield works as well as my often fooled with Madstad system. In fact, we both felt that the air pocket behind either windshield was exactly the same.

 

The new stock luggage is cool and VERY large. I honestly like my GIVI stuff better, but that's just opinion BS. The Suzuki stuff packs from the top and you can cram a buttload of stuff into those three huge bags. Not enough, apparently, for Scott, but enough to take me to Alaska or Nova Scotia without any extra luggage or bags.

 

The Suzuki ABS system is terrific. Hauling Scott’s bike down from 65 with full pressure applied was smooth as possible. Like my experience on the Yamaha Super Tenere, I don't know how you can fault this braking system. Scott seemed to think he needed a way to shut it off, but I wouldn't. It was firm, yet had good feel and stopped solidly without no chatter or indication (other than a little bit of a soft feel to the lever) of interference. I loved it. Back on my 2004, I applied the same kind of pressure and nearly skipped the front tire in a 50mph to nothing stop. I could get used to ABS like this.

 

Overall, I was a little sorry to have to give the 2014 back. If I were a decade younger, I'd be thinking about trading up. I liked his Honda NC700X because of the incredible fuel efficiency, but I like the V-Strom more because it was really fun to ride.

A Series of Dumb Decisions

The nitwits at Fox 9 managed to cobble together this information and interview with the rider, “Jankowski [the rider] was wearing a helmet and motorcycle jacket when the object fell of the back of the boat. He says he just bought the jacket within an hour of the crash, and was saving up for the pants and gloves.

“’I didn’t want to just swerve and possibly hit a car and get run over so I tried to get to the furthest part of the right of my lane . . .I just bought the jacket that day thinking I’d come back next week and get the gear and have the full set’ Brendan Jankowski said. ‘I happened to use the jacket I just bought to help save me quite a bit of pain.’” Apparently, he didn’t own a pair of jeans?

I really wish I could buy his evasive maneuver claims, but it looks to me like he was tailgating, panicked when he saw the pad fall out of the truck, and focused on hitting the damn thing until he did. Total rookie from the moment he appeared in the camera until he stopped rolling on the ground.

REVIEW: Patrick Lacey - Sleep Paralysis

Genre: Horror / Collection

Publisher: Great Old Ones Publishing

Publication Date: 5^th July 2016

Pages: 240

REVIEWED BY NEV

I received an advance copy of Sleep Paralysis from the author, Patrick Lacey in exchange for an honest review. This is said review. This book is published by Great Old Ones Publishing.

I have read a couple of things by Patrick Lacey. The first was his short story The Lynnwood Vampires, which appeared in the anthology, Widowmakers and is also included in this collection. The second was his novella released last year, A Debt to be Paid. You can find links for both reviews at the bottom of this review.

You may not have heard of Patrick Lacey before. He is one of those authors that I would love to have a hand in changing that fact. I love his writing. Don’t ask me why. There isn’t a stand out difference in his style that grabs me. It just makes sense, and it’s scary, and tense, and for the most part, beautifully written.

Anyway, I had a chance of reviewing his debut collection Sleep Paralysis. This is what I thought.

WORM GARDEN

Worm Garden is a cemetery, famous the world over for being one of the most paranormally active areas. Josh and Charlie are going there to investigate it. Josh has a secret he would like to tell Charlie. Maybe now isn’t the time.

Wow. This is so much head feck in an opener. A creepy cemetery, people with secrets, giant worms. Psychedelia in a nutshell.

It slowly builds the tension until all hell breaks loose and you think what the actual flip!

This one may have you going back to it to figure it out. Very intriguing.

★★★★ for general.

★★★★ for horror.

OPERATION PARASITE

Manny has some information for his reporter friend, Nolan. It concerns a secret corporation working in conjunction with the government to infect the nation. He must get the information out there. Everyone must know before it is too late.

Perfect. Perfect idea with perfect tension and perfect horror and perfect writing.

This is perfectly executed. It even has the ending that will have you calling Mr Lacey a bad name.

Does it show I loved this one?

★★★★★ for general.

★★★★★ for horror.

PEN PALS

James has been assigned a pen pal in school. He has to write to Simon. He doesn't hear back from him for ages, but when he does, he is intrigued to learn more about Simons fascination with making things disappear.

Until he learns the truth of this talent.

This is so so creepy. This is the sort of thing that would be the ultimate nightmare if it happened to you.

Again written in a style that will have the hairs on your entire body standing on end the whole time you are reading this.

Loved it.

★★★★★ for general.

★★★★★ for horror.

DROWNING IN FILTH

Danielle is the host of a reality television show that visits and tries to help hoarders. People living up to their necks in dirt and filth.

On their latest assignment, they meet Amanda. She claims she has no power to stop what she's doing. The thing she found in the forest won't let her.

Oh man this is another creepy one. Don't try and read this one while you eat. No point. I'm really starting to realise what that special thing is I like about Patrick Lacey's stuff. Creepiness. It makes your skin crawl.

★★★★★ for general.

★★★★★ for horror.

LOST AND FOUND

Henry’s Grandma is dying. He has to say his goodbyes, but his stutter won’t let him. When his father gets angry with him, he runs away, and sees something that he isn’t sure is real.

He soon discovers that it’s more believable than he first thought.

This is another of those psychedelic, dream like stories that you aren’t quite sure whether it was real or not, or all in the character’s head. Or maybe your head.

Super creepy again.

★★★★ for general.

★★★★ for horror.

FIRST BELL

Eddie always gets up an hour early. He needs to. It's part of his ritual. He needs to get to school a while before the first bell so he can meet Chrissy and the unlucky, like he does every day.

This is more of an emotional tale than horror. Yes, it does contain ghosts and the sentiment behind the story is horrific in itself but the emotional side is the bit that grabs you by the throat.

Mr Lacey deals with one of the most topical, but sensitive subjects in American culture these days in a perfect way.

★★★★★ for general.

★★★★★ for horror / emotion.

SEND YOUR END

Marissa is in turmoil. She watched a video on a new website and now she is hooked. She doesn't know what to do. She speaks to her favourite teacher about it but no one seems to know what to do.

Strange one this one but again, creepy as hell.  This one examines the power of suggestion over our feeble minds and tests just how far we can be pushed before we crack.

Great stuff again.

★★★★ for general.

★★★★ for horror.

THE LYNNWOOD VAMPIRES

Frank is a teacher at his local school. They have had an urgent meeting about the alarming rise in the members of the Lynnwood Vampires, a goth group in the town that seem to be growing in numbers and ferocity.

When his daughter Alyssa gets a new boyfriend and seems to have joined the group, Frank must act before it’s too late.

Second time of reading this and it's even better than the first.

An urban horror story of goths and Vampires trying to take over an all American town. Great stuff.

★★★★★ for general.

★★★★ for horror.

NORTON

Richie is falling apart. His wife has left him and all he has is his daughter, Veronica. He wants to make things right, but times are tough. When Veronica sees a fluffy toy lying by the roadside she instantly wants it. Richie gives in for a quiet life.

Veronica names him Norton. Norton changes everything.

Nothing creepier than dolls or fluffy toys that seem to be possessed in some way. Norton is no different. For someone like me with a deep rooted fear of cuddly toys, this one was extra creepy.

★★★★ for general.

★★★★★ for horror.

COLD CALL

Beth is struggling with her new daughter, Suzi. She gets a persistent cold call that just won’t let her be. She tries to get rid of them but it soon becomes clear that this won’t happen. Beth has made a deal that she can’t remember. It may just cost her everything.

This is brutal. By that I mean the sentiment of the story is brutal. It asks a human to give up the one thing they have, and they seem to have no choice in the matter.

This is really scary stuff.

★★★★★ for general.

★★★★★ for horror.

BAD EGG

Laura has only ever wanted one thing in her life. A baby. Problem is she is not getting any younger and her doctor has just told her she will never conceive.

After a vicious attack by some sort of beast leaves her injured, it looks like the unthinkable is happening.

This is surreal and scary and in some parts ridiculously funny as well. This Mr Lacey has some imagination inside that head of his.

★★★★★ for general.

★★★★ for horror.

CRITTER MARROW

Gary has been asked to stay behind to clear the company’s junk email folder.

One email in particular catches his eye and when he opens it, he wishes he hadn’t. Strange images on the email make him think he is going mad. He needs to delete it for good before he truly does go insane.

My least favourite so far. A bit weird and out there for me. I think this maybe needed to be a bit longer with more background to explain what the evil in the email was for it to make more sense to me.

★★★ for general.

★★★ for horror.

LAST WORDS

Peters father is dying. He tries to tell him something before he passes, but Peter doesn't understand.

He thinks he understands OK when he sets about clearing up his father's house. Especially after his discovery.

You think you know people eh? Sometimes the biggest discoveries about people come after they are gone.

This tale is full of that emotion again. It's weird in a way because Peters discovery is horrific beyond any words, but at the same time more sad than anything.

This is just wonderful writing.

★★★★★ for general.

★★★★★ for horror / emotion.

LOST THINGS

Henry lives on the streets, beside a big dumpster. It never gets emptied but never seems to get full either.

When a man throws something he shouldn't into it, Henry discovers the dumpsters true potential.

Another one that shows the depth of the imagination of Patrick Lacey. This story is just superb. It has horror. It has emotion. It has everything it needs.

Every town needs a dumpster like this one!

★★★★★ for general.

★★★★★ for horror.

THE BOSS

Perkins wants to be a writer. For inspiration he goes to sit in Big Ted's burger joint. Something interesting always happens there.

Tonight is no exception when a customer asks to speak to The Boss.

Another one that I suspect is a bit more tongue in cheek than anything else. At the same time, the intent in the story is scary as hell again.

Horror and dark humour all in one tidy short.

★★★★ for general.

★★★★ for horror.

MRS. ALTO’S GARDEN

Kristen and Michael move into their new home beside the mysterious Mrs Alto. She seems to be the stereotypical widow that just loves to be in her garden.

That is, until Kristen spots her making a late night trip in to the woods. Mrs Alto may not be as innocent as she lets on.

This is like the quintessential 80’s horror film. Small town, with small minded people, with a huge big secret just waiting to be revealed. You can’t be quite sure whether it’s alien or manmade but you know it holds horrors.

With a twist at the end that will leave a smile on your face, this one will give you the creeps big style.

★★★★★ for general.

★★★★★ for horror.

BIG BERTHA

Christopher hates working the late shift in the arcade. It’s not so much the cleaning up he has to do but more that the Big Bertha machine gives him the creeps. He is right to be creeped out.

I think we all had an arcade game that scared us when we were kids. Imagine being left alone with it? Just you and it, and it starts to talk to  you? I think I just pee’d.

Another one where you can feel the fear that the character is going through. You have no choice the way this is written.

★★★★★ for general.

★★★★★ for horror.

FULL DISCLOSURE

A man who’s name you never learn has stayed in his apartment after he died.

He haunts it daily, making it his job to keep tenants out so he can be alone. At least, until Adrianna moves in. He soon falls for her but there is a dark force in the apartment that is after her too. How can he stop her coming to harm?

A haunted apartment. A ghost falling in love with the new tenant. An evil force wanting to do her harm. What a way to finish this collection. Again it has everything.

★★★★★ for general.

★★★★★ for horror.

So there it is. My thoughts on the individual stories between the covers of Sleep Paralysis. I will start this summary off with a bold statement: this is one of my favourite collections, ever!!

This is the embodiment of everything that a collection of short horror stories should be. Each and every story in this collection is scary. Each and every story in this collection is creepy as hell. Each and every story in this collection is full of all sorts of emotion. Each and every story in this collection is written so beautifully perfectly that you will believe every tale is possible. You will believe every character is real, every situation is actually happening and above all, anything is possible.

Patrick Lacey has nailed it in every way possible with this collection. This, ladies and gentlemen, should be used as a reference book for an aspiring author that wants to gather together a few of their short stories and release it in one book.

Nothing more to say.

Bravo, Mr Lacey, Bravo.

Normally when I review a collection it gets a very clinical and precise score from the average scores of the stories therein. The Clinical score for Sleep Paralysis is:

★★★★.6 for general and ★★★★.5 for horror / emotion.

In a break from tradition, I have no choice other than to do this.

General rating:

★★★★★ superb.

Horror / emotion rating:

★★★★★ and again.

If you would like to help support Confessions of a Reviewer, then please consider using the links below to buy Sleep Paralysis or any other books from Patrick. 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:

Sleep paralysis: A transitional state between wakefulness and sleep, accompanied by powerful hallucinations and muscle weakness, preventing one from moving.

A website that specializes in suffering. A basement filled with secrets and bones. An apartment housing much more than just ghosts. These are the places between reality and the unknown. These are the stories that stay with you long after you've read them. These are the things that visit your dreams. And nightmares.

CONFESSIONS REVIEWS PATRICK LACEY

A Debt to be Paid

Patrick Lacey was born and raised in a haunted house. He currently spends his nights and weekends writing about things that make the general public uncomfortable.

He lives in Massachusetts with his wife, his Pomeranian, his cat, and his muse, who is likely trying to kill him.

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

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Does Anyone See A Trend Here?

* A Mankato, Minn., man was injured at 12:19 p.m. when his 2014 Victory motorcycle hit a deer on Minnesota Highway 16 west of Peterson in Fillmore County. Police say Mark Fromm, 59, was flown to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

* On Saturday, a 55-year-old Oakdale, Minn., woman who was a passenger on a 2006 Harley-Davidson was killed about 3:25 p.m. on U.S. Highway 61 in Goodhue County when the motorcycle ran off the road and hit a sign. The State Patrol identified the woman as Janean Thielman. The driver, Joseph Frisch, 55, of Madelia, Minn., was seriously injured.

* The driver of a 2006 Harley-Davidson and his passenger died about 3 p.m. Saturday when their motorcycle crossed over the center line on eastbound Minnesota Highway 95 in Chisago County and struck another vehicle, triggering a three-car crash. Collin Orth, 35, of Milaca, Minn., and his passenger, Sara Orth, 34, of Milaca, died in the crash.

* An Appleton, Wis., man and a female passenger on his 2014 Harley-Davidson were injured when the motorcycle struck a deer at 8:30 a.m. Saturday on southbound U.S. Highway 53 in International Falls. Mark Natzke, 53, and his passenger, Tammy Natzke, 53, were transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

* A fourth motorcyclist was killed earlier in the week after his 2013 Victory hit a deer about 3:15 p.m. Wednesday on Minnesota Highway 223 in Clearwater. The man was identified by the State Patrol as 61-year-old Richard Engen of Clearbrook.

After reading this list of crash descriptions, my wife said, “They ought to sell those machines with a theme song, ‘All My Trials, Lord.’” She gets it. Deer or no deer, it doesn’t appear that anyone can ride those hippobikes competently.

Back in My Day, It Ain’t Over

In last month's MMM column, "Back in My Day,' I wrote, “Not only can you not go back, you can’t even go where we went.” Turns out, I was wrong. On the way to Valentine, Nebraska I discovered that some of those old unmaintained roads still exist in my old home state. I even took a picture of one. I even hiked up that road a ways to discover that it quickly turned into deep, soft sand that would have put me and my V-Strom down as quickly as Raylan Givens takes out a Chicago mobster (look it up). On the other hand, if I'd have been there with my WR? I'd be on it fast and hard. It was a beautiful road, just not for a road bike.

The good news is that any kid with a dirt bike and a Nebraska home address can still have the kind of fun and make the discoveries I did 40 years ago. I love that. It has been years since I’ve seen a “Minimum Maintenance Road” sign and it makes me feel good (and a little younger) to know there are still some left.