I’m sharing another instalment of my Mini Review Mondays, the most recent of which was last week. In case you haven’t seen any of my previous posts, I do ‘mini’ reviews of books that I’ve previously read and am now ready to share my full thoughts about.
First up, I’d like to talk about Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle. Thank you to Titan Books for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
From Chuck Tingle, author of the USA Today bestselling Camp Damascus, comes a new heart-pounding story about what it takes to succeed in a world that wants you dead.
Misha is a jaded scriptwriter who has been working in Hollywood for decades, and has just been nominated for his first Oscar. But when he’s pressured by his producers to kill off a gay character in the upcoming season finale-“for the algorithm”-Misha discovers that it’s not that simple.
As he is haunted by his past, and past mistakes, Misha must risk everything to find a way to do what’s right-before it’s too late.
Publication Date: 16th July
TW: death, violence, murder, gore, graphic violence, body horror, homophobia, bullying, child abuse
My Thoughts:
Bury Your Gays is a sharp-tongued and no holds barred horror novel that skewers the titular trope and rainbow capitalism in a bloody hellscape of a book that I throughly enjoyed.
This was a terrifingly good book. It explores the titular trope, queer joy and pinkwashing, while also exploring creative freedom and the exploitation of creativity and representation by huge corporations. There is this excellent balance of satire and comedy with biting social commentary and a plea to focus on the stories above all. Tingle highlights the importance of representation and giving voice to your own story, but as an integrated part of the narrative. It asks for us to put our efforts into uplifting stories of all kinds that show us representation in all the messiness of humanity – rather than having some idyllic and unrealistic standard to live up to.
Essentially, we need more underrepresented voices all around story-telling, but to tell stories that show all facets of that experience and the rest of their lives. It asks us to go beyond a pigeonholed expectation. For me, I found this thought-provoking, especially as that focus is particuarly wielded against the rise of AI influence on the creative industries. It adds a new layer to the corporate draining of creativity within the narrative and another horror that is all too recognisable.
As expected Tingle drenches it in blood and guts and gore. The horror in this book is so well-executed. There were some nightmarish sequences that got creative with the violence and the kills, with one pointedly campy and cartoonish one early on that got a proper chuckle out of me. The different monsters of Misha’s back catlogue are well-imagined and genuinely got under my skin. Without any spoilers, there is a particular being that really made my skin crawl (the plane scene in particular). They were all just such great concepts and underpinned by very human monstrosities, explored in both the past and present.
Bury Your Gays is both a timely and timeless celebration of queer horror, pushing against rainbow capitalism and exploitation of trauma at the same time. It is bombastic and brilliant.
Next up, I’d like to talk about I Was a Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones. Thank you again to Titan Books for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
From the New York Times bestselling horror writer comes a classic slasher story with a twist-perfect for fans of Riley Sager and Grady Hendrix.
1989, Lamesa, Texas. A small west Texas town driven by oil and cotton-and a place where everyone knows everyone else’s business. So it goes for Tolly Driver, a good kid with more potential than application, seventeen, and about to be cursed to kill for revenge.
Here Stephen Graham Jones explores the Texas he grew up in, the unfairness of being on the outside, through the slasher horror he lives but from the perspective of the killer, Tolly, writing his own autobiography. Find yourself rooting for a killer in this summer teen movie of a novel gone full blood-curdling tragic.
Publication Date: 16th July
TW: death, violence, murder, gore, graphic violence, suicide, sexual assault, bullying, animal death
My Thoughts:
I Was a Teenage Slasher rips up the rulebook in this surprisingly tragic slasher horror soaked in sun, sweat and blood.
Stephen Graham Jones is a modern titan of the horror genre. He just has such a unique perspective on the genre that pays homage to classic influences and is steeped in filmic culture, but always has a new spin on these ideas. It allows for that meta meshing of forms and narrative stylings that push at the boundaries – as good horror should. This is no exception, blending his knack for excellent characterisation with that fractured narrative voice that hooks you in and won’t let you escape.
This was a horrifying look at fate and being unable to break a continuous cycle of violence. It was raw and heart-breaking in its tragedy as much as it was mired in blood and guts. Tolly bursts on to the page, unashamedly letting you just how dirty his hands are and yet you feel yourself being caught up in his story. You root for it all to work out, despite knowing it’s doomed from the start. It is such an interesting take on the genre to have the perspective from the killer themselves – which has explored on both page and screen but always just captivates me. He is fighting the inevitable – the slasher curse. This creates break-neck tension and we get some gory scenes with inventive kills. As with his previous work, I also enjoyed how almost self-referential the book was in terms of referencing popular horror films and tropes for the time period. In short, this is wonderful work from a master of the genre. If we were ever to get a crossover, I would be interested to see a Jade/Tolly face off with a cameo from Stacey Graves herself. Give me the SJG verse.
I cannot get over how good this was and also how well it sits with Paul Tremblay’s latest offering, Horror Movie. Now that is a horror double feature that I would not want to miss this year.
I Was a Teenage Slasher offers a peek behind the mask and into the tormented psyche of our titular slasher – an unexpectedly poignant take on fate and maybe even first love.
Finally, I’d like to delve into Seven Lively Suspects by Katy Watson. Thank you to Ed PR and Little Brown Book Group for sending me an early finished copy in exchange for an honest review.
The murder of aspiring crime writer Victoria Denby created a sensation at the time. The public’s imagination was hooked by the detail of a paper dahlia placed beside the body, just like in one of Dahlia Lively’s fictional cases. Was there a copycat killer at large in the peaceful town of Market Foxleigh?
Despite the tabloids’ fearmongering, the police quickly arrested Victoria’s friend and fellow writer, Scott Baker, and when it emerged that he had also been accused of stalking Dahlia actress Caro Hooper, it seemed like an open and shut case.
Five years on most people have forgotten the case. But this baking hot summer, a crime writing festival is being staged in Market Foxleigh – and the guests of honour are the Three Dahlias themselves – Rosalind, Caro and Posy. At the same time, a true crime podcast wants to reopen the cold case, convinced that the police got the wrong man… and they’re determined to enlist the help of the Three Dahlias to help prove them right – and find the real killer.
Publication Date: 18th July
TW: death, murder, infidelity, violence, mentions of suicide
My Thoughts:
Seven Lively Suspects returns to three of my favourite modern mystery detectives – the Three Dahlias themselves. This is a meta and magnificent mystery that has plenty of surprises in store.
I have such a soft spot for the Three Dahlias and I just adore their mysteries every time – they hit that cosy crime and Golden Age style that I love with a modern sensibility. We turn to a book festival here for their latest outing, where long-held secrets are finally brought into the light. It gets even more meta as the Three Dahlia books themselves come into the narrative. I loved how Watson did this, bringing a smile to my face. It just felt appropriate and allowed for a bit of a satirical take on the claustrophobic, petty politics that can crop up in writers’ groups and these sorts of events. I also liked Watson’s interrogation of the true crime industry, highlighting both its positive effects in uncovering new aspects of cases gone cold or overlooked by authority but also the exploitative element of it. These narratives can be manipulative and ignorant of the ramifications of their implications on the real people around the case.
Watson’s characterisation, as ever, is amazing. These three women just leap off the page and into your heart. Rosalind, Caro and Posy all embody different aspects of their sleuth, in the way they play the role but also in the way they approach these cases and their general outlook on life. Watching these characters grow and have their relationships develop across the book is heart-warming to see. They’ve come so far from the original book, both in themselves and in the dynamic between the three of them. It’s also a nice cherry on the top to get a bit more into their romantic relationships, though this is very much a sidenote to the stellar mysteries Watson has in store. Speaking of which, I really enjoyed our suspect pool this time around. It all centers around a writing group, where competitive natures are hidden behind winning smiles. It gives a new aspect to that small town atmosphere, all about appearances. As story tellers, they are some of the best placed people to be liars. Watson has plenty of excellent twists and turns in store here, bringing you to a fiery conclusion that is also devastating on a human level. It combines that false allure of celebrity and the tragedy of people that characterises the series for me.
Watson delivers the goods again with a slick and stylish story following The Three Dahlias in another high stakes mystery that is simply splendid.
A Short Book Lover 
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