I had never heard of Dennis E. Taylor prior to reading the first book in his Bobiverse series last year. I enjoyed that book immensely; so much so, in fact, that I think I oversold it in my review. Setting all that aside, though, the series was still a highlight of the year, and I’ll read any future novels he writes in the universe. So, seeing that he’s come out with a new book piqued my interest. I think it’s an Audible-only release, though. The […]
The implacable horror of isolation
There are books that speak to you. Books that reach down into the core of your inner being to play the delicate chords of your heart strings. Books that stay with you, becoming a passenger for life, indelibly connecting you to a particular place and time, like some kind of existential anchor of permanence in a sea of change. Moby Dick is one such book, for me. That book haunts me. It’s the girl I had a crush on in high school but was too afraid […]
The confluence of stupidity and evil incarnate
Between 1968 and 1985, a series of double murders horrified the province of Florence, Italy. These murders have been laid at the feet of Il Mostro di Firenze, The Monster of Florence. Douglas Preston, author of Relic and other novels with his writing partner Lincoln Child, moved to Florence to write a novel, only to find that one of the aforementioned murders happened across the street from his house. Thus began a years long fascination with the serial killer, and the abandonment of his very purpose for […]
A compelling, if largely implausible theory of the Zodiac Killer
In my last review, of Bind, Torture, Kill: The Inside Story of the Serial Killer Next Door, Mrs. Smith recommended that I check this book out. I picked it up the next day. So, thanks Mrs. Smith for the recommendation. First things first, I ended up enjoying this book quite a bit. Setting aside the conclusions he comes to, there’s a pretty good story here. Gary Stewart was abandoned as a baby, but was soon adopted by a great couple who raised him in a […]