Authors have hits and misses when it comes to their works (let’s face it, everyone is human) – although to some extent what defines a hit or a miss is often highly correlated with the preferences and tastes of the reader. I am a huge fan of Sandy DeLuca’s horror stories (her recent title Messages from the Dead was a great read). However, I’m sorry to say that her most recent DarkFuse title, Hell’s Door, is a bit of a miss, although sections of the book are creepy as hell.
The plot involves two homicide detectives on the trail of a serial killer who specializes in eating and decapitating his victims – who are all prostitutes. The killer, who goes by Gabriel, makes you squirm. He is a devious creation and his inner dialogue is chilling – both when he is recounting his near and distant past and explaining his current actions. Ms. Deluca does a great job illustrating how the identity of the killer changes with each murder. The creep literally adopts the characteristics and behavioral quirks of the victims. When Gabriel is talking about his “passions”, the story is quite gripping.
I was not enamored with the detectives however. There interactions, emotions, and dialogue rang false. They weren’t believable as characters or even detectives. In fact, the police procedural aspects of the story did not make sense. I am no detective, but after years of watching Law and Order SVU, Criminal Minds, and CSI-NY, I was scratching my head as to why these two were doing what they were doing. I realize that my use of TV police shows as a frame of reference for fictional accuracy is questionable at best. Still, the investigative activities were a little on the lame side.
Finally, while I was commenting positively on the characterization of Gabriel, the descriptions of decapitated heads and vicious murders of women left me a little queasy. Here is where reader preferences come in, I suppose. I like my horror to be more oriented towards the supernatural and less focused on the reliance of gore and violence. For those who love the latter, this could be your cup of tea. All in all, about 3 stars.
The plot involves two homicide detectives on the trail of a serial killer who specializes in eating and decapitating his victims – who are all prostitutes. The killer, who goes by Gabriel, makes you squirm. He is a devious creation and his inner dialogue is chilling – both when he is recounting his near and distant past and explaining his current actions. Ms. Deluca does a great job illustrating how the identity of the killer changes with each murder. The creep literally adopts the characteristics and behavioral quirks of the victims. When Gabriel is talking about his “passions”, the story is quite gripping.
I was not enamored with the detectives however. There interactions, emotions, and dialogue rang false. They weren’t believable as characters or even detectives. In fact, the police procedural aspects of the story did not make sense. I am no detective, but after years of watching Law and Order SVU, Criminal Minds, and CSI-NY, I was scratching my head as to why these two were doing what they were doing. I realize that my use of TV police shows as a frame of reference for fictional accuracy is questionable at best. Still, the investigative activities were a little on the lame side.
Finally, while I was commenting positively on the characterization of Gabriel, the descriptions of decapitated heads and vicious murders of women left me a little queasy. Here is where reader preferences come in, I suppose. I like my horror to be more oriented towards the supernatural and less focused on the reliance of gore and violence. For those who love the latter, this could be your cup of tea. All in all, about 3 stars.
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