GOTHIC by Philip Fracassi

It's been amazing to witness the rise of Fracassi's career as he has steadily planted his flag among the crowd in the literary horror genre. I've been reading his work since I discovered his short stories and novellas early on and he has quickly become a priority author for me. He's recently been on a roll with his novel releases and this one does not disappoint!

The setup is simple, introducing Tyson Park, a washed-up horror novelist with writer's block, who is gifted a new desk that ends up being a bit more than just new furniture. Turns out that the desk is made of material from an ancient occult altar and Tyson begins to succumb to its influence. It's pretty unnerving to witness Tyson's gradual corruption, rotating between seeing it from his POV and the view of others around him. I felt dirty being in his head with his thoughts as they became more and more disturbing until I realized that the person that I was reading about is not the same person I was introduced to earlier. 

There are effective horror sequences in this book as well, right up there with the best of the best. So if you're looking for engaging classic King-style horror storytelling, by an author flexing his powers, check out this great novel.

GRADE: B+

CITY OF DREAMS by Don Winslow

*Book 2 of the City Trilogy*

...because the wounded find the wounded, washed up on the same sad shore.

Picking up immediately after Danny Ryan hightailed it outta Providence after losing his wife and the war with the Italian mob, this second novel in Winslow’s final trilogy finds Danny on the run, and struggling to carve out a safe space for his friends and young son. 

The novel takes on a very different atmosphere than the first, trading New England for the the sunny West Coast, bouncing around San Diego, Las Vegas, and the city of dreams itself, Los Angeles. I love that the book takes a bigger look at and expands on what were minor characters from the first novel as Danny makes this journey with the ragtag crew that he ran from Providence with. It was cool seeing more of Bernie Hughes, Jimmy Mac, Ned Egan, and especially the constantly entertaining Altar Boys: Sean and Kevin. The love story is potent but watching these New England hoods try to navigate the Hollywood world is pure gold!

GRADE: B+

JUDAS GOAT by Greg Gifune

I really need to stop waiting so long between Gifune books! His work scratches a horror itch for me that most writers fail to hit. The books dive to emotional depths that others never dare to, while still providing the terror and thrills. 

This novella feels like an eerie dream from the very first paragraph and it never once lets up on the atmosphere, especially as our main character Lenny gets to the small town where his ex-girlfriend has died and mysteriously left him her house. As he struggles to understand what happened to Sheena, we the reader discover a tragic story of love squandered and two people filled with pain and regret. I almost always leave a Gifune book satisfied and impressed and this is another great one. 

GRADE: A-

FIND HIM by Jake Hinkson

While not the hard-hitting gut-punch noirs that I’ve come to enjoy from the author (like The Posthumous Man, No Tomorrow, or his recent Dry County) this new Hinkson novel is still a solid thriller in the vein of The Big Ugly, and it also might be his most accessible book with arguably his most likable characters. 

The strength here is in how enjoyable it is to follow our protagonist Lily Stevens, a devout and pregnant "one-ness" Pentecostal teenager who bravely steps outside of her sheltered life to go full amateur dick and  track down her missing baby daddy. Even if you can’t relate to her background and religion, it’s hard not to get swept up by her determination and zeal. Allan is also another great character, a kind man with a  fondness for Reba McEntire, and a sense of morality that he can’t shake, no matter how much it might get him in trouble. These two together make for satisfying companions in this read and it's another great entry into Jake Hinkson’s bibliography! 

GRADE: B+