"While Kilburn’s ‘style’ may be an acquired taste for some, those looking for something a little left of the ‘written-for-book-club’ center need look no further—if Twin Peaks had a literary baby with Sons of Anarchy, its name would be ‘Heaven’s Door.’" - James W., Amazon Reader, 02/28/21
(See the full text of this and other Reader/Customer reviews at Amazon...)
Four stars good and five stars steamy!
“Heaven’s Door” is a heart-stopping tale of good versus evil." - Alison Ellis for InD'tale Magazine
SUSPENSE/THRILLER - HISTORICAL: "Heaven’s Door" is a true crime story based on the “Topdogs” motorcycle club and the events that happened in Canada, New York and Vermont in the 1990’s. As crimes started adding up around the area, a Motorcycle Gang Task Force was born to try and infiltrate the gangs and see what crimes they were leaving in their wake. Trooper Bruce Sutton was an undercover cop on that task force, and his brutal murder at the hands of two gang members is where this story begins. In the aftermath of Trooper Sutton’s death, we follow Erin’s story. Erin is an acquaintance of Sutton’s, and readers will follow her journey of hope turned to fear and her downward spiral into gang life.
“Heaven’s Door” is a heart-stopping tale of good versus evil. Readers should note that this novel begins with grotesque physical violence leading to Trooper Sutton’s murder. It also has sexual and domestic violence, drug use and foul language. It’s not a story for the faint of heart. Erin’s is a classic case of “in the wrong place at the wrong time.” Readers may find the language used to be difficult to decipher as the author goes from English to French and back again. While this was intentional on the author’s and editor’s parts, readers will need to be aware of this. Overall, this was an interesting, albeit violent, tale of the inner workings of the Topdogs gang and the lengths to which they will go to protect one another and the gang.
A brutally raw and riveting look at the inner workings of a fictional Canadian biker gang, Heaven’s Door by J. Kilburn comes in swinging and rarely stops....Wild storytelling is part of this novel’s raucous, dangerous power. - 3.5 stars
A brutally raw and riveting look at the inner workings of a fictional Canadian biker gang, Heaven’s Door by J. Kilburn comes in swinging and rarely stops. This intimate crime thriller is gritty and relentless, as the reader spirals deeper into an unforgiving criminal underworld. Peppered with savage language, unexpected explosions of violence, and a slow burn of suspense, the stream-of-consciousness narrative feels experimental and manic, at times. Reminiscent of Hunter S. Thompson’s gonzo insurrection of the Hells Angels, Kilburn tosses readers into dark and messy fiction torn from real-life tales. A thorough edit would certainly improve the pace and flow, as some sections are redundant, difficult to follow, or tangential without reason. However, such wild storytelling is part of this novel’s raucous, dangerous power.
The scratchy, in-your-face, pulp-themed style original cover of Heaven's Door, a Novel by J. Kilburn has been replaced by a contemporary-style fiction cover that conveys the dark nature of the mischief found inside. The new "Biker Patch" cover features the centerpatch of the feared (and fictional) Topdogs Motorcycle Club of Quebec. The Topdogs play the villian in this gruesome crime tale that brings readers to dark corners and back alleys of an Organized Crime underworld set in Montreal, Quebec.
The original cover - a sketch of an upraised hand in front of an oncoming train - nailed the graphic violence that readers will find in Heaven's Door, and was a nod to the violent Pulp Fiction that Kilburn read in his youth. (Well, he was reading...) That illustration by the talented Ardelia Huntress was a good fit for a book published in the 1960's or 1970's, but was not what today's readers expect when they shop for cutting-edge fiction. The new cover is based on a sketch of an outlaw motorcycle club patch - also penned by Huntress - and is placed on a black background, which is more in line with Crime Fiction expectations and the dark themes in the book.
The new cover can be found on E-Reader editions distributed by Smashwords and Amazon, as well as on the Amazon/KDP Paperback Edition.
