Slash

by Hunter Shea

“Shea’s latest exemplifies the best of the genre." Booklist Starred Review


Five years after Ashley King survived the infamous Resort Massacre, she’s found hanging in her basement by her fiancé, Todd Matthews. She left behind clues as to what really happened that night, clues that may reveal the identity of the killer the press has called The Wraith. With the help of his friends, Todd goes back to the crumbling Hayden Resort, a death-tinged ruin in the Catskills Mountains. What they find is a haunted history that’s been lying in wait for a fresh set of victims. The Wraith is back, and he’s nothing what they expected.

FLAME TREE PRESS is the new fiction imprint of Flame Tree Publishing. Launched in 2018 the list brings together brilliant new authors and the more established; the award winners, and exciting, original voices.

• ISBN10: 1787581802
• ISBN13: 9781787581807
• Publish Date: 24 October 2019
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Flame Tree Press
• Edition: New edition
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 288
• Language: English

Reviews

[cornerfolds]

Read more of my reviews at Cornerfolds.com!

Slash was my second read by Hunter Shea. I really enjoyed The Montauk Monster when I read it a few years ago and hoped Slash would be another scary Halloween read! I was doubly on board when I saw that this book had an urban exploration setting.

Todd is the main character of this story, seeking answers after his fiance's suicide. Years earlier Ashley was the sole survivor during a brutal attack by the Wraith in an abandoned hotel while exploring with her friends. After her death, Todd discovers that there may be more answers at the massacre site and returns along with his friends.

While I liked Todd as a character, I did not love how long it took to set up his arc. I definitely didn't go into this book expecting quite so much set up involving a man grieving following his partner's suicide. As a result of this setup, the story was extremely slow to get moving. I appreciate what the author was trying to do, but I wish he had gotten there a bit sooner. Once they did get to the hotel though, the action (and gore) was non-stop.

Although the synopsis warned me that the Wraith wouldn't be what the characters (or I) expected, I was truly unprepared for the twists this book took. I had very much hoped for a super creepy story about a killer in an abandoned setting. That's what I got, but it went into a whole new realm of ridiculousness. There were multiple supernatural elements combined that I just couldn't get on board with. I really wish the author had kept the villain a bit more simple.

My other complaint (and the reason I guess I don't read much adult horror) is that 95% of the scares were pure gore. I'm sure some people enjoy that, but there was so much potential in this cat and mouse setup that was wasted. The way the killer made his position so obvious and rushed his victims was much less scary than if they'd been quietly stalked and, you know, every single scene hadn't ended in the same predictable gore.

There were a few scares that I liked, but this book just wasn't for me. The choice of villain required more suspension of disbelief than I could give, even as a frequent reader of fantasy, and I wish there had been a bit less gore and a few more good scares. If gore is your thing, you may love this one! I'll give Hunter Shea another try, but I'll probably wait for reviews from now on.