Mr Shivers

Author: Robert Jackson Bennett
Publisher: Orbit Books
Price: £6.99
Availability: Out Now

Marcus Connelly tracks westward in the United States during the Great Depression. He is not looking for work, as are most of the folks he meets along the way. The only job he wants is revenge. A hideously scarred man murdered his only child, and he is determined to find and kill this man. As he makes his way through the country he meets others with the same goal. This murderous monster has taken someone dear to each and every person on this quest. As Connelly closes in, losing group members to fear and death, he must decide how much he is willing to sacrifice to avenge his young daughter’s death.

Author Bennett does a great job slowly weaving a supernatural element into the story. The suspense is built slowly and expertly. The reader watches helplessly as Connelly and those around him slowly deteriorate mentally, morally, and physically. The closer Connelly gets to his intended target, the more frightened and frail the scarred man becomes. Connelly not only appears to have the ability to strike fear into the disfigured monster, his closing proximity seems to actually weaken his opponent physically.

While clues hint at the result of the final conflict, they are well placed and somewhat hidden. If one pays attention while reading the book, one can figure out what is going to happen. The story is so intriguing, however, that the reader will be compelled to finish it and the epilogue ultimately finishes the tale well.

Mr. Shivers is chock full of violence, vengeance, and vehemence, and I wouldn’t have my horror any other way. This is one hell of a debut novel, possibly the best first book by an author that I’ve ever read, and I eagerly await Bennett’s next book, The Company Man, due out in April.

10/10
Jill McDole