The horror crime fiction of the year!
Dates Read: 09/03/2022 to 25/03/2022
Star rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Word to describe: Gory
Genre: Thriller Fiction
TW: Sexual assault, violence, kidnapping, murder, graphic details.
I am still quite new to the genre of horror and crime fiction. Despite the replacing photo of my candlelit bath, this story was far from serene! K J Sargeant (@keith.sargeant.319) has been a fantastic introduction to this genre, similar to his first novel, Hungry Hill, his newest release Nails takes no prisoners and fully delves into the blood and gore with gruesome villains and a touch of paranormal activity. I can wholeheartedly say his knack for storytelling rivals that of the greats like Stephen King and YA author Anthony Horowitz.
Starting the story with a young woman, Jessie, who has been unwillingly abducted by a horrific creature, a man obsessed with the human body, K J Sargeant gives his readers an enticing and gripping plot - bitter enough to turn a lemon even sourer. Readers also see recurring characters initially introduced in his first novel, detectives Grace and Maddox, who are a brilliant pair set on solving all missing person cases. I love how this story introduced new characters alongside well-loved ones from the previous novel. The relationships between these characters flowed naturally and were written as if each character had known each other for years. One thing I would've hoped for with the characters was more romantic development between Grace and Maddox. It was hinted at in the first book and was seemingly forgotten about in this one!
The plotline shows readers a sickening serial killer. Similar to Hungry Hill, Nails relentlessly describes the atrocities of its villain's actions. K J Sargeant certainly has a way with words when detailing the scenes. From severed limbs to filthy rooms and rotten corpses, each scene is described in excruciating detail you can almost smell the scent of death! I really enjoyed how the author fully gives into the metaphors that he uses. His writing style is unique and almost poetic - a true gift for an exceptionally imaginative author.
The addition of the paranormal in this novel with psychic Amanda Kaidy was a brilliant touch. It added more depth to the world created in this series and the touch of ghosts and fortune-telling will likely pave the way to a surplus of books! The one thing I found annoying about this though was that the character of Amanda was so often preyed upon by other characters it was hard to distinguish whether it was solely a result of her abilities or if she truly was that irresistible. If I were her I'd never leave the house!
As always the ending gave readers a taste of a future story with a new crime starting. No spoilers here! But I am hoping that K J Sargeant will be adding to this series very soon.
Commentaires