Assessment:

 Prose: Bates writes in detailed and haunting prose; dark humor shines through this story about bumpkin Satanic serial killers.

Plot: The narrative jumps forward at a break-neck speed, following the victims and their pursuers from the detailed  climactic chase to their grisly ends. Chapters are foreshadowed by quote openers taken from classic horror movies which can lead to some predictable--but no less fun--scenes.

Originality: While Bates centers on some lesser-known rural horrors, and characters are memorable, episodes within the storyline are strongly reminiscent of familiar horror narratives.

Character Development: Bates’ doomed characters are reminiscent of their classic horror counterparts, creating a familiar--oddly comforting--narrative. Nevertheless, with the attention to backstory of victims, villains, and heroes, readers are continually lulled into a false sense of security and repeatedly met with suspense, jump scares, and one more gory surprise after the next. 

Blurb: True to the spine-tingling nature of the rest of his World’s Scariest Places series, Jeremy Bates offers a truly chilling tale that reminds readers that humans can be the worst type of monster to fear, after all.

Date Submitted: April 08, 2018