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Tuesday, May 23, 2017

Review: Headhunter

Headhunter by Michael Slade
My rating: 5 of 5 stars



A serial killer is on the loose and he's taking the heads of beautiful, dark-haired women. DeClercq is on the case and he has his own set of psychological problems. Part historical fiction, part psychological thriller, part police procedural and all horror, Michael Slade throws a lot at you and then gives you the reach around without buying you dinner first. He touches on voodoo, sexual perversion and cannibalism to name a few and brings you gut wrenching, graphic scenes that may not be suitable for everyone (done right, I love it!). Getting past that, you have an extremely (if not overly) researched book with tons of knowledge re abnormal psychology and Canadian police procedures. He builds each character in a way that you become involved with them all - whether you like them or not. His writing is lyrical and just when you feel you have an inkling of what is going on, he blind sides you. This is a man who leaves bread crumbs for you to follow but you inevitably turn the wrong way for him to tackle you from behind. While the books jumps around between time frames and various POVs, it all comes together... and when it does, you'll get that chill that runs through your body because it's unexpected and will leave you with a sense of unease. An acquired taste for sure, but highly recommended. I'll need to give this a thorough, one sit, reread to see if I can pick up on more nuances that I may have missed but I am thrilled to have found another horror author to love.

You'll notice that I didn't talk about the plot a whole lot..  and to be honest, it's because that may have been the one thing that lacked a bit.  It's the details of going from *serial killer on the loose* *inspector goes after him* is what is fascinating - we've seen the plot a thousand times.  It's the narrative, the characters, the background and the way the author weaves it all together that makes this a work of art.  I love the macabre, twisted world and when it's done right... well, there's little better ;)

Also, check out the author's bio on his website - it's also quite a fascinating read: https://www.specialx.net/specialxdotn...



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