Thicker Than Blood: The Complete Andrew Z. Thomas Series by Blake Crouch (Book Review)
This review contains mini reviews of two separate Andrew Z. Thomas novels, (Desert Places & Locked Doors) as well as the 20,000 word novella, Break You, that is a prequel to the final novel (Stirred), which is not included in this review.
Andrew Z. Thomas is a successful writer of suspense thrillers, living the dream at his lake house in the piedmont of North Carolina. One afternoon in late spring, he receives a bizarre letter that eventually threatens his career, his sanity, and the lives of everyone he loves.
"Greetings. There is a body buried on your property, covered in your blood. The unfortunate young lady's name is Rita Jones. In her jeans pocket you'll find a slip of paper with a phone number on it. Call that number. If I have not heard from you by 8:00 p.m., the police will receive an anonymous call. I'll tell them where Rita Jones is buried on your property, how you killed her, and where the murder weapon can be found in your house."
Sinister (2012)
After moving to a new town, a true-crime writer discovers a cache of videotapes depicting brutal murders that took place in the very house (among others) he just bought. As he tries to solve the mystery behind the crimes, a sinister force threatens his own family.
Going into this movie I had two expectations. One, that the movie would end up being about a demon. And two, that I wasn’t going to like it because it was going to be about a demon. I was partially right. I actually enjoyed the movie a lot…until about the last 15 minutes... Continue reading
First Date (Fear Street #16) by R.L. Stine (Book Review)
Chelsea is the typical shy girl. Always home on a Saturday night, she would give anything to have her first date. Finally, Chelsea's luck begins to change when two new guys move into town and both ask her out. Too bad that one of Chelsea's new boys has a terrible hobby -- murder. Now Chelsea may be looking for love, but he's looking for a new victim.
As a teenager in Jr. High, I LOVED R.L. Stine and Christopher Pike books. I was a huge horror fan, but I wasn’t into reading at all until I picked up R.L. Stine’s “Hit & Run” book back when I was 12 or 13 years old. From that point on I was hooked... Continue reading
All Hallow’s Eve: The One Day it’s BAD to be Good by Carolyn McCray (Book Review)
People are being martyred but not for their faith. Instead the deaths are part of a serial killer's sick game as he chooses his victim by their name... then kills them in that Saint's grisly manner.
After finally finishing this book, I’m not quite sure what to think of it. In the end it was a mix of an adult book (with the police aspect) and a young adult slasher novel (with most of the character development between... Continue reading
Chained (2012)
When he was 9 years old, Tim and his mother were abducted by serial killer Bob. While Tim's mother fell victim to Bob, Tim was kept as a chained slave, forced to bury the bodies of the young women Bob drags home and keep scrapbooks of the crimes.
Another movie that I had never heard of before until it arrived on my doorstep. Quite frankly when I read the plot description and discovered who played the serial killer I thought I was going to be in for a bad movie. Continue reading
Serial by Jack Kilborn & Blake Crouch (Book Review)
Remember the twin golden rules of hitchhiking? #1: Don’t go hitchhiking, because the driver who picks you up could be certifiably crazy. #2: Don’t pick up hitchhikers, because the traveler you pick up could be certifiably crazy. So what if, on some dark, isolated road, Crazy #1 offered a ride to Crazy #2? This is the first in the terrifying trilogy of novellas including KILLERS and BIRDS OF PREY by Crouch and Kilborn.
The official plot description posted here honestly isn’t the best one. It leads you to believe, or at least it lead me to believe, that this book would be one story involving... Continue reading
Madison County (2011)
A group of college kids travel to a small, mountain town called Madison County to interview the author of a tell-all book on the accounts of several grisly murders that happened there. But when the kids get to Madison County, the author is no where to be found and the towns people act like they haven't seen him in years. They also say that the killer never existed and the murders never happened.
I expected this to be garbage. Redbox users rated this as a horrible filmed in the backyard sort of movie. So, I was happy when it turned out not to be nearly that bad... Continue reading
A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)
A re-imagining of the 1984 slasher classic about Freddy Krueger, a serial-killer who crosses the boundary between dreams and the waking world to gut his victims with his razor-sharp blade-fingered glove. As Nancy and her friends fight for their lives, they also uncover clues to a shocking secret from their past.
First off, let me say, I’m not a huge fan of the original Nightmare on Elm Street series. Yes, I grew up in the 80s with Freddy, Jason and Michael. But for some reason I just never liked the ANOES series very much... Continue reading
Trapped by Jack Kilborn (Book Review)
It was supposed to be a harmless camping trip. Six wayward teenagers who'd run into trouble with the law, and their court-appointed guardians, Sara and Martin Randhurst. Three nights on a small, deserted island off of Michigan's upper peninsula. Then Martin told a campfire story about the island's history. Of the old civil war prison hidden in there, and the starving confederate soldiers who resorted to cannibalism to stay alive. Everyone thought it was funny. The group soon began to realize that this deserted island wasn't so deserted after all. And perhaps Martin's ridiculous story had more truth to it than anyone thought. What's the most horrifying thing you can imagine? This is a hundred times worse... Continue reading
Texas Killing Fields (2011)
While trying to crack a murder in small-town Texas, local homicide detective Souder and his former New York City cop partner Heigh find themselves pulled into a case involving a serial killer who dumps his victims bodies in the "Texas Killing Fields". Based on a true story.
I went into it expecting a straight up serial killer sort of movie with the cops chasing the killer. Sort of like a “Seven” film. This movie is nothing like that. I also expected it to be decent if not good because of known actors being in it. Nope, it wasn’t... Continue reading
Incident On and Off a Mountain Road by Joe R. Lansdale (Book Review)
Chased through the woods at night by the maniacal Moon Face after a car accident, Ellen defends herself by rigging a series of booby traps she learned from her cruel survivalist husband. But her tricks may not be enough to stave off the creepy predator. This is a short story that was later adapted into an episode of Masters of Horror on Showtime in 2006.
I saw the Masters of Horror episode of this story back when it first came out. I watched a few more episodes and didn't like them. From my recollection, this one was the best one I had seen... Continue reading
Ouija Be My Friend? by Tarrin P. Lupo (Book Review)
When twin sisters are stuck trying to entertain themselves while visiting with their grandfather at a nursing home, they find there is far more to an old Ouija board then just a fun time. A free short story from Amazon.com
This was a very quick read. Maybe 10 minutes or so. It was a decent concept, aimed completely at young adults (which I didn‘t realize when I downloaded it). But the main characters attitudes and swearing got on my nerves. There was no need for it... Continue reading