I
have really enjoyed this collection and note that it is number 2, so I will
definitely be looking up the first in the series, along with the other novels
that CSM has written; I really love the way he writes.
Little Dead Girl:
Jeff has been seeing a
ghost, not the sheet over the head kind or the spooky howling type.
There is a real
sense of tongue in cheek in the writing and I love it, however in amongst that
humour is the sad, lonely life of Jeff and the haunting little ghostie and her
sad tale.
The build up in
this story is amazing and the ending so knocked the socks off me, I was not
expecting THAT.
An utterly
brilliant way to start a group of short stories.
Curiosities:
Is a tiny little antique
shop in Portsmouth, run by the Needham family for generations, always just
getting by on tourists income but shunned by the locals who have wild rumours
and stories of murder and Satanism. However now it is in the hands of the last
Needhams, Neil and he is as quiet and introverted as is possible.
Spread across four
stories the Curiosities shop is a wonderment of a time gone by and in the small
storage area the walls are still painted with the magic rituals used by his
Grandfather.
Again the humour is
snort out loud in this story but tinged with sadness. When an old man
comes in one day looking for a certain book he gets more of a bargain than he
hoped for.
Intruder:
Rosie loves her son Mark
and her nightly routine of counting all his drunken paces from front door, to
kitchen to bedroom come to an abrupt halt one night.
This tiny little
story really gave me the shivers, well played CMS.
The Night Visitor:
Brian won’t hurt you, he
just wants to watch you sleep and maybe move a few things around in your house
– ok freaked out!
This strange little
story just got weirder and freakier. The humour flipping to horror/sadness/gore
is clearly a signature of CMS and what a brilliant talent to have, it catches
you off guard every time.
Hero of the Day:
Nathan gets his 5mins of
fame after diving into a burning house to try and save a baby.
This story gripped
me from the start and I rushed through to the end only to be slapped in the
face by the author. Fantastically written, no humour here only shock and
horror. The last line is the killer blow.
Embracing Solitude:
Rick is finishing up his
latest novel and on a whim decides to brave the long drive home to his doting
wife, having shut himself up in a caravan for 10 weeks he was ready for some
home loving.
The tragic
destination was an unusual turn up in this collection so far, whilst
horrific and heartfelt it was not in keeping with the current feel of the book;
but still immensely well written.
Treat Night:
Stuarts love for his wife
Valerie is almost obsessive, but not just in a young love kind of way, there is
an undertone of something more sinister.
A meal out at their
favourite restaurant soon turns sour when she goes missing, as Stuart is
frantic in trying to find her no-one else apparently is, the ending was sort of
half a surprise for me but not unexpected.
Whilst no humour in
this story the building terror is easily conveyed from Stuart to the reader as
CMS has built such a rounded view of their life.
Handsome Jack:
Rhys and Mark, childhood
buddies, are having a drink in a (supposed) haunted pub. Fired up earlier in
the night by the Landlord, when something does go bump in the night things
start to get a little hairy.
With furniture
flying and scratching noises going on what friend wouldn’t run screaming for
the door! The last line is fabulous!
Tiny Little
Vampires (flash version):
Lewis was having a bad
few days with mosquitoes. CMS does an amazing job of describing the itchy
feeling, the resulting skin trauma and that nauseating buzz sound to the point
where I was feeling like I needed to swat something.
Not sure I would go
as far as Lewis though, yuck. Another totally brilliant short story with a gory
ending.
Roadkill:
Tito and Jimmy are trying
to work out what happened as they look upon a motorcycle accident but also what
they are going to do with the pile of mush that was once a human.
As part of the
“freelance” local Brazilian ambulance service they can decide to where to take
the body for what price, not to mention for what use!
When something/one
starts a tap, tapping in the back of the ambulance poor old Jimmy must have a
peek back there. It seems that “Roadkill” as Tito has christened him
belonged to a gang whose motto was “live forever” and he appears to be trying
to do so.
The gore is so
prolific that it became comedic for me, although I am weird. The exchanges
between Tito and Jimmy in their disbelief and solution to this problem were
also gigglesome.
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