One simply can’t judge a book by the cover. That is
certainly the case here with a picturesque cover that conceals an intensely brutal
novella that has, among other elements, incest, bondage, rough sex, and plenty
of violence and bloodbaths on nearly every page. Overall, this read is a good
one featuring a large cast of characters, a number of backstories for each one,
and multiple intense storylines. However, readers are warned that The
Scent Of New Death by Mike Monson is very much an adult novel that will
offend and horrify some readers.
It has been a bad June afternoon for Phil Gaines.
After robbing a Wells-Fargo Bank branch in Pleasanton near San Francisco, his partner
Jeff successfully drove them away from the bank and to a planned rendezvous with
Phil’s wife, Paige. Then Phil’s meticulous plan went out the window and things
went wrong in so many ways. Phil may practice “Zazen” (a form of mediation) and
strive to live an ordered life so as to not draw attention to himself, but that
is easier said than done. Zen training does not solve everything.
What follows is a hardboiled multilayered novella that
is very graphic in terms of language, sexual situations and descriptions, and near
constant violence. Shifting between
Phil, Jeff, Paige, and numerous other characters, author Mike Monson weaves
multiple complicated backstories of the various characters into a very
complicated present day situation. An
incredibly violent tale of lust and betrayal in and out of the bedroom, The
Scent Of New Death builds to a dark climax that changes all who survive
the final showdown.
Readers are again cautioned that storylines involving
incest of a child of the age of 18, bondage, rough sex, as well as frequent brutal
and bloody murders are present throughout the book. This is not a cozy style
read in any way possible as everything is fully on the stage for the reader to
see and experience. It simply can’t be stressed strongly enough that this is very much
an adult read and only suitable for adult readers.
The Scent Of New Death
Mike Monson
http://mikemonson.org/
Out Of The Gutter
http://www.gutterbooks.com/
April 21, 2014
ASIN: B00JUCXK4C
E-Book (print also available)
$2.99
Material supplied by the author in exchange for my
objective review.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2014
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2 comments:
From what I gather in this review, the cover is misleading. A cover is very important and should present a clue as to the contents of a book. It would serve the author and also readers well to get a more suitable cover constructed for this book.
Well, it could be taken as misleading though, in that context, nearly all covers I see could be classified as misleading.
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