Thursday, December 31, 2015

HUNTRESS/FBI Thriller Series By Alexandra Sokoloff

HUNTRESS/FBI THRILLERS by Alexandra Sokoloff

Review: Introducing the HUNTRESS/FBI THRILLERS Series By Alexandra Sokoloff 

 This astounding, exciting, series brings new definition to the term "gripping." I am reading in immediate consecutive order (one right after another), and rarely for me, am not even tempted to interspersed a different book. It's full-on Huntress/FBI for me. This series is jam-packed with high-octane, high-tension, thrills, with plot convolutions, with scary villains and multiple "trips down the rabbit hole" as reality bends and stretches. I can't praise this series highly enough. 



 Review: HUNTRESS MOON by Alexandra Sokoloff (HUNTRESS/FBI THRILLERS #1) Just the kind of mystery I rejoice to find! A mystery with a perfect reader's hook, plus plotting so good that even if it were just superficial, it would still be fascinating! But the author is not content to stop there: we get to unravel layers upon untold layers, more like delving inside a mollusc than an onion. Tons of subordinate characters who each and every one are outliers [outside the statistical norm]. An antagonist who is truly out of this world, balanced by an intuitive (!) FBI ASAC, a former profiler. What we have here, Gentle Readers, is a book that has attached itself to my mind, a novel I absolutely could not stop reading. 





 Review: BLOOD MOON by Alexandra Sokoloff Second in the Huntress/FBI thrillers series which commences with HUNTRESS MOON, BLOOD MOON continues this spookily spectacular saga in which a series of bloody unsolvable massacres a quarter of a century in the past reverberate in the present, presenting more killings, and danger for Assistant Special Agent in Charge Matt Roarke of the San Francisco FBI Office, a former profiler. Now it appears that the mass killer from twenty-five years ago has inexplicably returned, with more expertise, more control--and his still unsatisfied agenda. How many more families will suffer.

[review of COLD MOON, third in the series, will post Jan, 2]

Wednesday, December 30, 2015

January 2016 Bout of Books Readathon

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, January 4th and runs through Sunday, January 10th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 15 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team.

WHEN EVIL CALL YOUR NAME by John Nicholl


Release: Dec. 31 2015

REVIEW: WHEN EVIL CALLS YOUR NAME by John Nicholl

Some time back I was privileged to review John Nicholl' s debut novel, WHITE IS THE COLDEST COLOUR, and found it riveting. His portrayal of a monster in human guise I've still not forgotten. It's sequel, WHEN EVIL CALLS YOUR NAME, is quite different, in that it is a first-person narration--in effect, a memoir, in personal journal form--of Cynthia, widow of the monstrous Dr. David Galbraith, villain of the first novel. This is more a psychological study than the thriller-mystery of WHITE IS THE COLDEST COLOUR. 

I must confess: although I sympathize with Cynthia nee Jones Galbraith, I could not empathize. Granted, her spouse was a champion psychological abuser and "brainwasher" and Cynthia didn't have confidence nor emotional stability going in, but I still couldn't generate any emotion beyond pity. Perhaps that's a failing in me. Her husband, at least, though a monster, was one who acted, not reacted, according to his own immoral lights. Cynthia has always just drifted along.

Sunday, December 27, 2015

2016 WINTER'S Respite Challenge

Hosted by Seasons of Reading. This time I'm linking through a dedicated Goodreads shelf



https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/7302570-mallory-heart-reviews-lovecraftian-christmas-eve-mallory-heart-reviews-lovecraftian-christmas-eve?shelf=2016_winter-s-respite_challenge

Thursday, December 24, 2015

2016 Horror Challenge

Going for "Horror Hound." My lifelong favorite genre! https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/7302570-mallory-heart-reviews-who-s-coming-down-your-chimney-tonight?shelf=2016_horror_challenge Join at http://www.cornerfolds.com/2015/12/2016-horror-reading-challenge.html?m=1

Sunday, December 20, 2015

2016 Reading for Myself Challenge

2016_Reading for Myself

Today I added a new 2016 challenge. In addition to the 10 (to date) external challenges, and the Goodreads Goal for 2016 [900], I've added a couple of my own design. 

2016_reading-for-myself_challenge: I read for review, literally day and night; so I seldom read for my own interest, and there's so many exciting books out there!! This challenge is to encourage me to read what I wish, and also to track (via Goodreads shelf), the quantity I read for myself.

Author and Character Marathons:

From Dec. 1, 2014 through Dec. 31, 2015, I've had a Cthulhu Marathon (H. P. Lovecraft). I'll do that again in 2016.

I'll Endeavour to read ALL the Sarah Roberts Series by Jonas Saul, beginning at #1.

I'll continue my China Mieville author Marathon.


THE HAUNTING OF BLACKWOOD MANOR by Darcy Coates





Review: THE HAUNTING OF BLACKWOOD HOUSE by Darcy Coates

Wow wow and wow. My "go-to author" of horror has delivered again! Commencing with an uproarious (scary!) Reader's hook, we are then allowed to take a breath and relax, for a while.  Ms. Coates then begins to build the horror, subtly at first, so we readers are like a frog in a pot slowly coming to boiling point. It doesn't take long to reach SCARY. Protagonist Mara is a wonderful backdrop to whatever everybody else, past and present, sees as hauntings. Right along, she is the supreme skeptic, and she has her reasons, as the reader will discover. The climactic scenes are some of the most implacably frightening supernatural events in my lifetime of reading experience, and the conclusion is ably and superbly written and plotted.

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Guest Post: WOLF LAND by Jonathan Janz



Going Dark

 

One of my favorite quotes comes from Mr. WilliamFaulkner, a pretty fair writer is in own right. Mr. Faulkneronce gave a series of lectures at my alma mater, Purdue University, and when he was asked whether or not he was attempting to sensationalize his stories (like the often-shocking novel SANCTUARY) in order to draw more readers, Faulkner answered something like this:

 

“A carpenter doesn’t build a house so he can hammer nails; he hammers nails so he can build a house.”


What’s my point? It might surprise you to learn that I have one.

 

I don’t include horrible things in my books to titillate the reader.

 

Nor do I ratchet up the blood, gore, body count, sex acts, profanity, live-alpaca-sacrifice scenes in order to sell books (I’m kidding about the alpaca sacrifices, by the way, though I do mention the animal in my first 2016 release).

 

No, anything that happens in my stories happens because the characters deemed it necessary. Sure, when I first begin writing, there’s some volition involved. You’ve gotta push away from the dock before you sail, after all. But as early as possible, I cede control to the characters and head below deck. When I emerge after a work-in-progress is done, I can hardly believe where the ship has ended up.

 

Which brings me to WOLF LAND.

 

I did know that a major character was going to die very early on. Maybe that was devious of me, but I liked the idea of positing someone as the lead only to unceremoniously slaughter that person in the first act of the tale. I don’t think that was audience manipulation or anything, but I’ll admit it—that was planned. Maybe I’ve watched Hitchcock’sPSYCHO a few too many times.

 

Absent of that, however, I had no idea where this novel would go.

 

I just never thought it would venture into such dark places.

 

If you haven’t read it, I won’t ruin it for you, but good gravy, there were times during the writing of WOLF LAND when I would have to set the laptop aside, open the window, lean back in my chair, and massage my temples as the fresh summer breeze whispered over me. See, Irequired that cleansing. Many days, when I was done writing, I would totter about in a fog, wondering why certain events had to unfold the way they did. Couldn’t my characters just enjoy a little break for once?

 

The answer, of course, was no.

 

This is why I have trouble suppressing a chortle whenreaders occasionally ask me why such terrible things happen in my books. I want to look at them incredulously and ask, “Do you think I have a choice?”

 

When I create a character, with very few exceptions, it pains me to destroy him or herWhen terrible things happen to characters to whom I’ve grown deeply attached, I want to cry for those characters.

 

Back to WOLF LAND. My new novel includes what is probably the darkest subplot I’ve ever written (thoughsubplot might be an inaccurate description—the story strand to which I’m referring, after all, ends up becoming as important as any in the novel).

 

And as necessary as the events in those scenes were, actually recording them required a great deal of effort and endurance. I remember the days when I knew I had to write something awful. I’d lie sleepless in bed the night before, wondering how I was going to journey into such shadowy realms. Early on those days, I would find myself retreating inward, dreading what was going to happen when I wrote in the afternoons. Then, when I’d write one of those monstrous scenes, my whole body would tighten up, myneck would tingle, and the room around me would turn sepia-toned as the events grew worse…and worse…and worse.

 

Looking back, I’m proud of what I wrote. But the composition of some of the scenes in WOLF LAND was not pleasant. I don’t really want those scenes to be pleasant for the reader either, but I do want them to be riveting. Hopefully, I’ve done my job.

 

Sometimes a story goes dark, and when it does, the writer has to go with it. Sometimes the sea turns black and tumultuous and the waters churn with all manner of hideous beasts.

 

Or in this case, the countryside teems with werewolves.


I hope you go dark with me and my characters. And I hope you find it as intense as I do.

 

 



Wolf LandSynopsis

An unholy predator on the prowl!

The small town of Lakeview offers little excitement for Duane, Savannah, and their friends. They’re about to endure their ten-year high school reunion when their lives are shattered by the arrival of an ancient, vengeful evil. 

The werewolf.

The first attack leaves seven dead and four wounded. And though the beast remains on the loose and eager to spill more blood, the sleepy town is about to face an even greater terror. Because the four victims of the werewolf’s fury arechanging. They’re experiencing unholy desires and unimaginable cravings. They’ll prey on the innocent. They’ll act on their basest desires. Soon, they’ll plunge the entire town into a nightmare. Lakeview is about to become Wolf Land. 

 

Biography, Jonathan Janz

Jonathan Janz grew up between a dark forest and a graveyard, and in a way, that explains everything. Brian Keene named his debut novel The Sorrows "the best horror novel of 2012." The Library Journal deemed his follow-up, House of Skin, "reminiscent of Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House and Peter Straub's Ghost Story."

2013 saw the publication of his novel of vampirism and demonic possession The Darkest Lullaby, as well as his serialized horror novel Savage Species. Of Savage Species, Publishers Weekly said, "Fans of old-school splatterpunk horror--Janzcites Richard Laymon as an influence, and it shows--will find much to relish." Jonathan's Kindle Worlds novel Bloodshot: Kingdom of Shadows marked his first foray into the superhero/action genre.

Jack Ketchum called his vampire western Dust Devils a "Rousing-good weird western," and his sequel to The Sorrows (Castle of Sorrows) was selected one of 2014's top three novels by Pod of Horror. 2015 saw the release of The Nightmare Girl, which prompted Pod of Horror to call Jonathan "Horror's Next Big Thing." His newest release is Wolf Land, which Publishers Weekly called “gruesome yet entertaining gorefest” with “an impressive and bloody climax.” He has also written four novellas (Exorcist Road, The Clearing of Travis Coble, Old Order, and Witching Hour Theatre) and several short stories.

His primary interests are his wonderful wife and his three amazing children, and though he realizes that every author's wife and children are wonderful and amazing, in this case the cliché happens to be true. You can learn more about Jonathan at www.jonathanjanz.com. You can also find him on Facebook, via @jonathanjanz on Twitter, or on his Goodreads and Amazon author pages.


Praise for Wolf Land and Janz

"One of the best writers in modern horror to come along in the last decade. Janz is one of my new favorites." –Brian Keene, best-selling author

“It’s the best of its kind I’ve read in years, such that I’d call it “The Quintessential Haunted House Novel.” You’ve taken the old school traditions of the form which readers want and then have injected modern style, characters, and macabre, hard-edged mayhem into the guts of the story. THAT’S the way to do it, my friend!”-Author Edward Lee on HOUSE OF SKIN

“Jonathan Janz is one of the rare horror novelists who can touch your heart while chilling your spine. His work offers incisive characters, sharp dialogue, and more scares than a deserted graveyard after midnight. If you haven’t read his fiction, you’re missing out on one the best new voices in the genre.” –Tim Waggoner Reminiscent of Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House and Peter Straub’s Ghost Story, this should please readers who appreciate a good haunting.” 
—The Library Journal

“Jonathan Janz is one of the rare horror novelists who can touch your heart while chilling your spine. His work offers incisive characters, sharp dialogue, and more scares than a deserted graveyard after midnight. If you haven’t read his fiction, you’re missing out on one the best new voices in the genre.” 
–Tim Waggoner, author

“A 10-year high school reunion is the catalyst for lots of furry, toothy scares in this gruesome yet entertaining gorefest.” –Publishers Weekly

"Probably the best werewolf novel I've read in a decade."- Pete Kahle, author of The Specimen

"If you like werewolves, you will think you have died and gone to heaven.Highly recommended." -Confessions of a Reviewer

"This fast-paced read was a frenzy of carnality in epic proportions. Visceral and surreal, Janz has outdone himself with this newest title."
-Nikki, Horror After Dark

"For years now, the werewolf has been hijacked by the shifter romance genre. Well, Jonathan Janz has claimed a bloody morsel back for the horror genre!" 
-2 Book Lovers Reviews

"Janz is the literary love child of Richard Laymon and Jack Ketchum (with a little Joe Lansdale DNA in the mix), with all the terror that implies. Try him out. You won't be disappointed." -Pod of Horror

“Jonathan Janz has created a realistic world and peopled it with characters that could be people you know then introduces a whole new werewolf legend to rip them to shreds. I highly recommend this relentlessly fast paced story. A hair raising 5 star read.” –Horror Maiden Book Reviews

Purchase Links

Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Wolf-Land-Jonathan-Janz/dp/1619231166

Barnes & Noble

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wolf-land-jonathan-janz/1122266491

Samhain

https://www.samhainpublishing.com/book/5624/wolf-land

Giveaway!!!

Enter to win ONE (1) print copy signed by Jonathan Janz of WOLF LAND! Click the link to enter. There are several things you can do to get multiple entries each day. Forward any questions to Erin Al-Mehairi, publicist, at hookofabook@hotmail.com.


http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/MjMxYWEzMGI1ZDE2MGYyYTgzYjk4NzVhYzhmMTdmOjI2/?

DIG TWO GRAVES by Kim Powers



Review: DIG TWO GRAVES by Kim Powers

Wow! DIG TWO GRAVES is outstanding! I was fully enwrapped from the first page. I wanted to read it in one sitting (but sleep and obligations intervened). I know if I had been alone (and didn't have to walk the dogs LOL) I could have finished in a day. The will was there. 

The characters are so alive, it's like they're
 in the room with me. The author clarifies their personality and motivations so skillfully that even the "bad guys" are understandable. Probably the very best part of this is the father-daughter interaction of Ethan and Skip--no-holds-barred, here are my emotions, here are my thoughts: if I'm not transparent enough, I'll tell you how I feel. Loved it!!

DIG TWO GRAVES is a must-read thriller. Definitely a Best of 2015.

Monday, December 14, 2015

WOLF LAND by Jonathan Janz__Tour



   “A 10-year high school reunion is the catalyst for lots of furry, toothy scares in this gruesome yet entertaining gorefest.” –Publishers Weekly on Wolf Land

Wolf LandSynopsis

An unholy predator on the prowl!

The small town of Lakeview offers little excitement for Duane, Savannah, and their friends. They’re about to endure their ten-year high school reunion when their lives are shattered by the arrival of an ancient, vengeful evil. 

The werewolf.

The first attack leaves seven dead and four wounded. And though the beast remains on the loose and eager to spill more blood, the sleepy town is about to face an even greater terror. Because the four victims of the werewolf’s fury arechanging. They’re experiencing unholy desires and unimaginable cravings. They’ll prey on the innocent. They’ll act on their basest desires. Soon, they’ll plunge the entire town into a nightmare. Lakeview is about to become Wolf Land. 

 

Biography, Jonathan Janz

Jonathan Janz grew up between a dark forest and a graveyard, and in a way, that explains everything. Brian Keene named his debut novel The Sorrows "the best horror novel of 2012." The Library Journal deemed his follow-up, House of Skin, "reminiscent of Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House and Peter Straub's Ghost Story."

2013 saw the publication of his novel of vampirism and demonic possession The Darkest Lullaby, as well as his serialized horror novel Savage Species. Of Savage Species, Publishers Weekly said, "Fans of old-school splatterpunk horror--Janzcites Richard Laymon as an influence, and it shows--will find much to relish." Jonathan's Kindle Worlds novel Bloodshot: Kingdom of Shadows marked his first foray into the superhero/action genre.

Jack Ketchum called his vampire western Dust Devils a "Rousing-good weird western," and his sequel to The Sorrows (Castle of Sorrows) was selected one of 2014's top three novels by Pod of Horror. 2015 saw the release of The Nightmare Girl, which prompted Pod of Horror to call Jonathan "Horror's Next Big Thing." His newest release is Wolf Land, which Publishers Weekly called “gruesome yet entertaining gorefest” with “an impressive and bloody climax.” He has also written four novellas (Exorcist Road, The Clearing of Travis Coble, Old Order, and Witching Hour Theatre) and several short stories.

His primary interests are his wonderful wife and his three amazing children, and though he realizes that every author's wife and children are wonderful and amazing, in this case the cliché happens to be true. You can learn more about Jonathan at www.jonathanjanz.com. You can also find him on Facebook, via @jonathanjanz on Twitter, or on his Goodreads and Amazon author pages.


Praise for Wolf Land and Janz

"One of the best writers in modern horror to come along in the last decade. Janz is one of my new favorites." –Brian Keene, best-selling author

“It’s the best of its kind I’ve read in years, such that I’d call it “The Quintessential Haunted House Novel.” You’ve taken the old school traditions of the form which readers want and then have injected modern style, characters, and macabre, hard-edged mayhem into the guts of the story. THAT’S the way to do it, my friend!”-Author Edward Lee on HOUSE OF SKIN

“Jonathan Janz is one of the rare horror novelists who can touch your heart while chilling your spine. His work offers incisive characters, sharp dialogue, and more scares than a deserted graveyard after midnight. If you haven’t read his fiction, you’re missing out on one the best new voices in the genre.” –Tim Waggoner Reminiscent of Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House and Peter Straub’s Ghost Story, this should please readers who appreciate a good haunting.” 
—The Library Journal

“Jonathan Janz is one of the rare horror novelists who can touch your heart while chilling your spine. His work offers incisive characters, sharp dialogue, and more scares than a deserted graveyard after midnight. If you haven’t read his fiction, you’re missing out on one the best new voices in the genre.” 
–Tim Waggoner, author

“A 10-year high school reunion is the catalyst for lots of furry, toothy scares in this gruesome yet entertaining gorefest.” –Publishers Weekly

"Probably the best werewolf novel I've read in a decade."- Pete Kahle, author of The Specimen

"If you like werewolves, you will think you have died and gone to heaven.Highly recommended." -Confessions of a Reviewer

"This fast-paced read was a frenzy of carnality in epic proportions. Visceral and surreal, Janz has outdone himself with this newest title."
-Nikki, Horror After Dark

"For years now, the werewolf has been hijacked by the shifter romance genre. Well, Jonathan Janz has claimed a bloody morsel back for the horror genre!" 
-2 Book Lovers Reviews

"Janz is the literary love child of Richard Laymon and Jack Ketchum (with a little Joe Lansdale DNA in the mix), with all the terror that implies. Try him out. You won't be disappointed." -Pod of Horror

“Jonathan Janz has created a realistic world and peopled it with characters that could be people you know then introduces a whole new werewolf legend to rip them to shreds. I highly recommend this relentlessly fast paced story. A hair raising 5 star read.” –Horror Maiden Book Reviews

Purchase Links

Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Wolf-Land-Jonathan-Janz/dp/1619231166

Barnes & Noble

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wolf-land-jonathan-janz/1122266491

Samhain

https://www.samhainpublishing.com/book/5624/wolf-land

Giveaway!!!

Enter to win ONE (1) print copy signed by Jonathan Janz of WOLF LAND! Click the link to enter. There are several things you can do to get multiple entries each day. Forward any questions to Erin Al-Mehairi, publicist, at hookofabook@hotmail.com.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/MjMxYWEzMGI1ZDE2MGYyYTgzYjk4NzVhYzhmMTdmOjI2/?



Review: WOLF LAND by Jonathan Janz

Whenever I hear of a new Jonathan Janz story, I want to jump and shout. This is an author who brings his best game to every story. He never disappoints, a writer you can count on.

WOLF LAND is heavy-duty horror, but it's also superb delineation of life in a small community, both for the town as a whole, and for individuals--those who remain and those who move away. Mr. Janz  is  not content with surface characterization: he delves deeper than even the characters themselves understand. I think that this comprehension and revelation of character was what made WOLF LAND shine for me.

A note on the horror: this is not a tame "lovely little werewolf--can I pet him?" novel. The horror is in your face--sometimes literally--and the gore meter is Red Zone. So just beware.



Tuesday, December 8, 2015

THE RED HIGHWAY by Robert E. Dunn_Tour and Review





The Red HighwaySynopsis

Necro Publications/Bedlam Press
PAGES: 282
ISBN: 978-1-939065-82-7 Trade Paperback (List: $12.95)
Distribution: Trade Paperback: Amazon, LSI and CreateSpace eBook: Kindle,Smashwords, Baker & Taylor, Nook, LSI, Apple, Kobo, Sony and others

In 1992, as Los Angeles begins to simmer in the heat of racial injustices, one dark man appears everywhere, spreading his message of race war. At the same time, PaulSouther, a homeless drunk, joins a strange group of outsiders. Some black and some white, they all carry the weight of broken lives and lost faith. They are all drawn to LA, for the arrival of a child, impossibly carried by Mary Prince, a sterile porn star.

Through back roads and freeways everyone is pulled into LA and Mary's side just as the baby is born. None of them have any idea that the city is a ticking bomb of anger. As riots explode, the mysterious man reveals himself to be an ancient, dark spirit using the rage of the people to stoke his own, literal, fires. He demands Mary’s child as sacrifice to keep the city, and perhaps the nation from burning. It falls to Paul, a faithless man, and a drunk with blood on his own hands, to make the impossible choice between the child and the city, and to save the people he has come to care about.

Biography, Robert E. Dunn

Robert E. Dunn was born an army brat and grew up in the Missouri Ozarks. He wrote his first book at age eleven, stealing, or novelizing, as he called it at the time, the storyline of a Jack Kirby comic book.

His college course of study, philosophy, religion, theatre, and film/TV communications, left him qualified only to be a televangelist. When that didn’t work out, he turned to them mostly, honest work of video production. Over several years he produced everything from documentaries, to training films and his favorite, travelogues. Still always writing for the joy of it he returned to writing horror and fantasy fiction for publication after the turn of the century. It seemed like a good time for change even if the changes were not always his choice.

He lives in Kansas City with three daughters, a young grandson, and an old dog. He tweets sometimes as @WritingDead but makes no promises how interesting those little posts will be.

Praise for The Red Highway

The Red Highway is not one of the best books that I’ve read so far this year, or that I’ve read in a long time…it’s one of the best books that I’ve ever read!  It was an incredible read, one that has so many layers that I was completely enthralled with the story.” –2 Book Lovers Reviews

"A thoroughly gripping read. Dunn is a writer with guts and the chops to grab his readers by the eyeballs and dare them to look away." –Hunter Shea, Author of Tortures of the Damned 

Purchase Links

Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/The-Red-Highway-Robert-Dunn-ebook/dp/B0158WMEOE

Barnes & Noble

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-red-highway-robert-e-dunn/1122623132

Necro Publications

http://necropublications.myshopify.com/collections/the-red-highway-by-robert-e-dunn/products/the-red-highway-by-robert-e-dunn

Giveaway!!!

Enter for your chance to win either a copy of The Red HighwayBehind the Darkness, or a print of the beautiful cover artwork from The Red Highway done by Erik Wilson! You can do multiple things each day to gain more entries! Just click the rafflecopter link. Forward any questions to Erin Al-Mehairi, publicist, at hookofabook@hotmail.com.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/MjMxYWEzMGI1ZDE2MGYyYTgzYjk4NzVhYzhmMTdmOjI3/?





"The Red Highway is a bold exploration of the dark edges of American culture and the near racial cataclysm we faced in LA in the early 90s. Rife with deeply flawed characters, it's also a story of second chances. A paranormal figure is drawing a band of hearty, wounded souls to Los Angeles, all in search of a former porn star, now in a mental home, who is carrying a baby that could be the key to resolution or destruction. A thoroughly gripping read. Dunn is a writer with guts and the chops to grab his readers by the eyeballs and dare them to look away."



Review: THE RED HIGHWAY by Robert E. Dunn

THE RED HIGHWAY, a literary apocalyptic tale, is a novel one doesn't speed through. Uncountable times I paused to savor, reread, and ponder, the beauty of a phrase, the deeper meaning. Within a story of urban apocalypse, author Robert E. Dunn presents unforgettable characters. Even the backdrop individuals (for example, a "fat lady" liquor store clerk Paul encounters in Kansas City, and an L.A. store owner of strong integrity and will who intervenes to protect Mary from the Big Man) bring human philosophy and hope and idealism in a cynical, jaded, downtrodden, hopeless society.

We are presented with a protagonist-narrator who is one of the most self-analytical I've encountered. Maybe it's his nature; maybe it's the Ph.D. No matter the cause, Paul Souther is a man so self-aware he is conscious of failing even as he fails, and aware of the reasons why.

THE RED HIGHWAY presents a rationale for instantaneous urban rage, the type which kills at random, loots, burns, destroys neighborhoods and cities. Some will not believe this; but the author capably vilifies his premise. And why not? Is sheer human insanity a better explanation for the Rodney King beating [precursor to the events here], the L.A. race riots, Miami's Liberty City and Oldtown, Chicago's violent Summer of '68? 

Unfailingly there will be comparisons to that other apocalyptic novel, the one starring antagonist-villain the Dark Man, Randall Flagg. Let the comparisons be created. THE RED HIGHWAY stands securely on its own, and is not secondary to any.