A remote summer camp becomes a lurid crime scene when the bodies of two teenagers are found in a bloody, real-life rendering of a classic Grimm’s fairy tale. Trapped in the wilderness, the remaining counselors must follow a trail of dark children’s fables in order to outwit a psychopath and save the dwindling survivors before falling prey to their own gruesome endings.
Drawing on the grisly, uncensored details of history’s most famous fairy tales, Grimm Woods is a heart-pounding thriller about a deranged killer who uses traditional children’s stories as tropes in elaborate murders. Set against the backdrop of modern-day Michigan, it’s a journey through the mind of a dangerous zealot and a shocking glimpse into the bedtime stories you thought you knew.
* from Goodreads
Hott Review:
Let me start by saying I may never let my children near a camp again, especially as a counselor!
What I liked: I remember back a million years ago when I was in high school they made loads of movies about monsters, usually the people kind (serial killers), not the created kind (Frankenstein, Dracula, Jason…), wreaking havoc on innocent victims away at summer camp. I was just as on the edge of my seat as I read Grimm Woods as I was back then.
A cross between those terrifying movies and the Grimm tales, Grimm Woods is sure to put you on edge. You remember the real Grimm tales, right? Not the Disney ones. The ones that were too scary for words. Take those and add in a killer bent on revenge and you’ve got serious suspense!
I did find Grimm Woods more compelling with each word I read. Fighting to learn why as each of them desperately fought for another moment of life. The end was satisfying, if heartbreaking.
If you’re looking for a book you’ll be excitedly turning the pages of in trepidation, this is the book for you!
What I didn’t like: Between the foul language, crude conversations, and drug use I had a difficult time getting into Grimm Woods. I get that Grimm Woods was made more real and the antagonist more understandable by showering the flaws of the “innocent”. After a while, there was less and I was able to ignore those aspects and simply be terrified.
More…
Author: | D. Melhoff | ||
Source: | Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours | ||
Publisher & Date: | Bellwoods Publishing, December 2016 | ||
Genre: | Thriller | ||
ISBN: | 0992133130 (ISBN13: 9780992133139) | ||
Pages: | 384 | ||
Grade: | A | ||
Ages: | 18+ | ||
Steam: | Adult — the steam, language, and gruesomeness makes this one a high R-rated novel in my opinion | ||
Setting: | Michigan |
Excerpt:
July 7th, 5:44 a.m.
One hacksaw. One hammer, six boxes of nails. Twelve Mason jars, four hunting knives, two pairs of handcuffs. Fifteen gallons of gasoline divided evenly among three dented jerry cans.
It’s time.
A work glove hovered over the table where the objects were laid out side by side and began ticking the air as though marking off an invisible checklist. The chamber reeked of mildew, and the walls had no windows or electrical sockets—no lamps, no wires, no switch covers. A single red candle provided the only light, its crimson wax dripping down its shaft like blood.
The hand picked up a piece of paper from the table and slipped it into a blank envelope. Below, a beetle scuttled across the floorboards. The insect—its gangly antennae tuned to some foul frequency in the gloom—raced past the sole of a giant boot just as a drop of liquid fell through the air and struck it dead center, engulfing its body in a hot, gelatinous blob that filled its orifices and burned it from the inside out. Another droplet tumbled from the candle, plopping onto the envelope this time, and then a brass stamp came down and pressed the wax into a hardened seal.
Drawing in heavier, raspier breaths, the figure held the envelope up to a corkboard that was bolted to the wall. More than a dozen pictures of young men and women were tacked to the panel by their throats and foreheads, smiling in the shadows.
The figure pinned the envelope to the board and stepped back to take in the room again.
The table and the switchblade.
The book of matches.
The iron rods, the hatchet, the .22 Smith & Wesson.
The smiling faces.
Now, the figure mused, watching the photographs flicker in the bloodred light. Who’s the nicest, Who’s the worst, who wants to hear a story first?
Don’t Miss Your Chance to WIN!
This is a rafflecopter giveaway hosted by Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours for D. Melhoff. There will be 2 winners of one (1) Amazon Giftcard and 5 winners of one (1) eBook copy of Grimm Woods by D. Melhoff. The giveaway begins on April 1st and runs through June 2nd, 2017.
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I agree, this was definitely a thrilling read!