When a night out at a pub ends with a mindless, drunken murder, Terry Walker discovers that the horror at his actions also brings with it a deep feeling of satisfaction. Trying to recreate the feeling, Terry plots and picks up prostitutes, people he believes no one will ever miss, and murders each using a different method of torture. This story is presented in the form of a personal letter by Terry as he sits in his cell after being caught, tried, and sentenced to 120 years in prison: a confession-journal of his crimes, known and those that, until now, have gone undetected. Terry is writing the missive in an effort to increase his notoriety and is in no way seeking forgiveness.
This horror story starts out strong but does not sustain becoming a short recitation of different torture methods and vaguely how they work each occurring on Christmas of each succeeding year. The presence of a companion – a female tourist he kidnapped early in his years of crime – is mentioned infrequently during the years and I kept wondering (until the conclusion of his narrative) if she were still about or if he’d disposed of her at some point. The reader is privy to Terry’s thoughts and his motivations but there’s really not much to consider or dissect – I guess, though, that fits in with what we’re supposed to be reading: a quick and final confession of these additional crimes.Horror is not my reading forte and I’ve not encountered the opportunity to book-talk the genre much. Having said that, when I say I cannot recommend this book, I really mean I am not able to suggest a group of readers that would find it a must-read. It is just too short and too shallow in its current form. It is often hard to understand because of uncertainties due to grammar. I do think the author is on to an interesting idea and it has the potential to become really horrific with care and expansion.
No comments:
Post a Comment