When law enforcement is finally able to corner deranged serial killer Kale Kane, an ensuing bloodbath occurs. Not until after Kane slaughters most of the police force, he is left comatose while he serves his time lifeless in a mental asylum. His body succumbs to death five years later, but the nightmare has only begun for many in a town outside Minneapolis, Minnesota.
From the shadows, a mysterious Killer watches the Weiss family move into their new home. Divorcee Paul Weiss has moved his children, teenage daughter Mallroy and young son BJ, to this beautiful home for a better life after his recent separation, but has unknowingly placed Mallory in the cross hairs of our unidentified antagonist. His sights are instantly set on slaughtering her as a part of his hidden agenda.
Detective Melissa Humble soon begins to investigate a string of bizarre murders using Kane's modus operandi and recruits retired Frank Atkins to help her solve the mystery based on his familiarity with the source material. Atkins is a survivor of the original police onslaught that subdued Kane, but lost his fiery edge and retired into a life of seclusion after authoring a failed book on theories of the mystery surrounding Kane's reign of terror. He believes that Kane was utilizing ancient supernatural elements during his killing spree and that while he is no longer among the living, the entity that aligned with the deceased killer has returned to finish what they started. Of course, Humble disregards his ideas and concentrates on finding a more realistic and conventional copycat killer.
Meanwhile, the Killer is the only one who knows the location of Kane's grave site and he needs his body to put his evil plan into play. For some reason, he requires the effort of others to unearth the corpse for his use, thus prolonging his agenda. As he continues to kill, he will soon have enough "power" to sacrifice Mallory and make his consequential intentions known to all. Standing in his way is Humble, Atkins, Mallory and Tim Fleming, a local boy with a mega crush on the beautiful Mallory. But will they be enough of a force to stop him once his true identity is revealed? Is he simply a copycat killer or something beyond their comprehension? All will be known to them in time.
Husk is the first book released by author Matt Hults (Books of the Dead Press) and he delivers his own unique breed of horror to his readers. Where else can you find a literary work that effectively mixes the slasher, zombie and paranormal genres all into one nice package? Don't say The Bible either. Just when you think you know the story, he throws a ton of swerves in what is probably the most original horror storyline in print. It's like a large budget motion picture transcended into words, much like that of author Steve Alten (Meg).
For a quick and easy read, the action happens early and often and doesn't let up for a breath, especially in the extended final act. There is a hint of supernatural slasher flicks in the mix, such as Shocker, The Horror Show and Ghost in the Machine with a bit of Paranormal Activity thrown in for good measure. Hults is graphic when describing the heavy gore, leaving nothing to your imagination. Yet he still plays on simple things that creep people out like fear of the dark, home invasion and being stalked. There is never a sense of security or safety for reasons that cannot be disclosed without spoiling the fun. Also, the main protagonists are also portrayed as redeemable and quite likable. These include Tim, who all social outcasts can relate to, and Mallory as the fickle and "wanting what she can't have" teenage girl many have become familiar with growing up.
The only problems with Husk are in its typos and an abrupt ending, all of which are forgivable given the final product. It is simply a book that is very hard to put down once you get going due to the aura of mystery behind the intentions of the book's killer, who simply is labeled "the Killer" for a majority of the book, much like Jay Bennett's classic The Executioner. This is one heck of a debut from Hults, who will hopefully share more of his work to the world very soon.You pick this up for only $3.99 as an eBook, so it is also an inexpensive little treasure.
RATING:
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| 4 out of 5 Creeper Santas |
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1 comments:
whoo-hoo! that sounds great...
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