Horror World Book Reviews
February, 2006

THE LOVELIEST DEAD, by Ray Garton
Reviewed by Steve Vernon

I haven't read any of Ray Garton's novels before. I know, I know, that's kind of like admitting that I haven't ejaculated since 1972. Still, some folks miss some good things and that's how it happened with me and Ray Garton. Maybe he was writing when I was busy going to work. Maybe I was broke and couldn't afford any books. Maybe I was drunk and asleep in the gutter. I can't explain it.

I also can't explain how much I enjoyed this novel. I probably shouldn't even begin to try and write this review of it. At the best all I can do is splutter in admiration. From the first few pages of the prologue I was hooked. Garton wiggled his pen and created a family of characters that I really cared for. Don't ask me how he did it. I'm just the darned reviewer, is all.

That's the key to this book's success, I believe. The people. They act like honest to god people. Even the minor characters are carved in such broad vivid strokes that you feel you know them.

So what's it about? The Kellar family, after suffering grievous personal loss, pack up their belongings and move into the inherited house of Jenna Kellar's father. Yet all is not well with their house. There are mysterious children playing on the rusty vine-covered backyard swing set, a cowboy hatted fat man who talks of puppies, a teddy-bear that's going to terrify you, and Jenna's husband has begun to sleepwalk and yearn for Michelob..

There's a lot of THE SHINING in the opening chapters, yet where King's novel reached for high operatic horror; Garton keeps his terror up close and personal. You never feel like you're in one of those grand Adam's family style haunted houses. This is the kind of house you probably live in, and that makes the terror all that more real. There's a lot of the Amityville Horror, with ghost-busters, psychics, and mediums crawling out of the woodwork to investigate these going ons. There's even a bit of Shirley Jackson thrown in, and yet with all this mixing and matching of style, the work is unmistakably individual. THE LOVELIEST DEAD has the feel of something you'd read in the newspapers, maybe a tabloid, but definitely a plausible sounding tabloid.

So take a walk with Ray Garton through one of the creepiest haunted houses you're ever going to visit. He treats his readers with respect; he treats his characters with respect; in short, Ray Garton is a writer to respect. Forget about your new voices in horror. Ray Garton is back in mass market, and it's about time. Pick up THE LOVELIEST DEAD. I recommend it highly.

Leisure

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HEX IN THE CITY by Simon R. Green
Reviewed By Patricia Snodgrass

The latest installment in the Nightside Saga, Simon R. Green puts his detective, John Taylor to another daunting task. Green introduces us to Lady Luck, who sends Taylor on a quest to find the origins of the Nightside. Lady Luck will give him what he has always wanted if he accomplishes his mission: information about his mysterious and extremely powerful mother.

Of course, nothing in the Nightside is, as it seems. It's always three in the morning and Gods, demons, and various and sundry denizens of the night-some human, some not-search for means to satisfy their darkest fantasies. Or not. It depends on who is there and what you are looking for. Whatever you do while traveling through the Nightside: don't take a cab. Even the cars might not be what they're supposed to be.

Hex in the City is another fun romp through the Nightside. It is not a great literary piece. It's not meant to be. Green's books are pure escapist fun, and I enjoyed the hell out of this one. Green was kind enough to leave this book open for another excursion into the black mysterious heart of London, and I can't wait. And I'll bet, once you get hooked on these books, you won't either.

Ace Books

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IN THE NAME OF THE VAMPIRE by Mary Ann Mitchell
Reviewed by Nate Kenyon

Mitchell's saga of the vampire Marquis de Sade continues in this quiet little novel based in Paris. De Sade's nemesis, the vampire killer Justin, has settled in the city with his not-quite-lover Madeline, but when a series of brutal serial killings begin Madeline disappears without a trace, and Justin sets out on a quest to find her.

Despite some fairly obvious clues, he is unable to track her down, when suddenly another old vampire approaches him to help solve the killings that may or may not be connected in some way to her disappearance. The vampires are worried that humans will blame them for the murders, and the underground network will be exposed. Justin crosses paths once again with the Marquis de Sade, who he is convinced had something to do with Madeline's disappearance, as well as Sade's erotically charged companion Marie, who lives in Justin's mother's body, and their daughter Lilliana. Added to the mix is a sculptor and teacher named Jacques, who is sleeping with nearly all of his students and who has been tutoring Madeline before her disappearance.

The book gives away the identity of the killer fairly early on. In the Name of the Vampire seems to run out of steam after that, and Mitchell's prose is so sparse it is sometimes difficult to understand exactly what is going on. There are other inconsistencies that keep the book from being firmly grounded, among them Justin's odd hold on the vampires in the city. It is never clear exactly how powerful these vampires are; one moment they are ripping bodies limb from limb, while at other points they are running from him in fear. And yet he never does any of the vampire killing that he is apparently so famous for, instead choosing to wander about the city in search of his lost love. When he finally finds some answers, Justin must decide whether their love is strong enough to survive.

In the Name of the Vampire is a fast read, with lots of crisp dialogue and short, punchy chapters. There's some nice tension between Sade and Marie, and some interesting playful exchanges with Jacques and nearly everyone in the book. But the plot doesn't seem to go very far, and Sade himself does not appear frightening, but more like an aging playboy who is now content to reside in the shadows and watch others go about their business. His sadistic streak shows itself for a brief moment at the very end, but by then it seems less passionate and more of a forced performance. Mitchell's many fans can only hope this isn't the end of a long, fine run.

Leisure

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ZERO by Michael Mcbride
Reviewed by Dennis Duncan

Anyone who is a fan of Michael's work knows that he isn't your typical Horror Author. He has a style all is own. He gives that extra little detail to Plot and Characters that has made him one of the premiere new names in the Horror Genre. Zero is his latest effort and it doesn't disappoint. I was hooked on the first page.

Brian Neimand has accepted a position on a research team at a local university. They are working on a device that can convert Electrical Current into Chemical and Biological Energy in hopes of being able to replace damaged nerves in the Human Body. The success of the research would make it so amputees could receive new limbs, and Hemiparalysis could be cured in Stroke patients. Brian's father has Hemiparalysis from a stroke, and his brother lost an arm in Iraq, so he hopes the success of this research will mean his father and brother will one day have their lives back. Something is terribly wrong however. Things are happening to him that he cant explain at the campus house the university has provided him with. He is seeing and hearing Ghosts. He doesn't know if they are real or if his is going crazy. He has to figure out what is going on before he looses his sanity. He will soon find out that The Haunting and his research are connected more ways than he could ever imagine

Michael has written a creepy and stylish Science Fiction story with a Supernatural twist. The story is original, and characters are well developed. I couldn't put it down. I finished it in one sitting.

I recommend Zero to any Sci-Fi or Horror Fan. Michael is showing with each title that he is a force to be reckoned with. He has the talent to become one of the big boys of the Horror Genre.

Shocklines

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THE GREENWICH VILLAGE MURDERS By Pat McGuinn
Reviewed by Patricia Snodgrass

The Greenwich Village Murders starts off with a great deal of promise. A young gay man by the name of Alex awakens to find himself dead. While stumbling around, confused and dazed, he reaches out and telepathically contacts the local psychic, Sheila, who conveniently lives in the same building. Alex wants to find out who killed him, and is particularly angry because he only had a few months left to live and someone cut that short.

What makes The Greenwich Village Murders an uninteresting read is that one wonders why it's important that Alex should know who killed him. He lived a very cavalier lifestyle at the hands of his lover and drug dealer Kyle. He did not listen to his doctor's advice, and quit taking his medicines. He and Kyle weren't getting along. Alex didn't seem to be interested in living, so why should he care if his life is cut short in the first place.

The characters do not come to life. They're all two-dimensional. Some are stereotypes, such as the Irish police detective. The plot bogs down in large blocks of meaningless description. Murder mysteries should move fairly quickly, be lively and interesting.

McGuinn bored me by describing her psychic (an older woman) swirling around in front of a mirror, giggling 'girlishly.' I didn't care about that, nor did I care whether Sheila gorged on donuts and coffee before visiting her friend the detective. I wanted clues pointing toward Alex' killer. I wasn't interested in skirts and donuts.

McGuinn's style is uninteresting. She tells the story instead of moving aside and letting her characters do it for her. The story plods along confusing the reader with run on sentences and badly plotted dialogue. There were times when I couldn't tell if a character was talking or not. The wording itself is stereotyped and stilted. And this is all very tragic, because McGuinn teaches at her local community college.

With a major rewrite and several edits, this story might be salvageable. But as it stands, The Greenwich Village Murders is not a good read.

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