Crimson

One of the rising stars of Leisure Book’s horror line is Canadian author Gord Rollo. His second book from them, Crimson, has just been released (It was previously published in the small press). It is a kick-ass story that begins in the classic coming-of-age format.

The book starts off with a bang. In the prologue, a farmer in a small Canadian town is just finishing a bloody rampage in grisly fashion. This section is short, but it will grab you, and I predict very few will read it and be able to put the book down.

Twelve years later, the farmhouse where the murders occurred is once again occupied. A young boy named Johnny lives there, with three friends named Tom, Peter, and David. They unknowingly awakened a creature that has been sleeping deep in the well near the house. In their struggle against the creature, one of them dies, and the creature vanishes, not before warning the boys that he is not done with them.

Nine more years pass before the creature returns. This time, he forces the surviving three to participate in a series of gruesome knife-murders, culminating with the death of another, and sending David to prison for life, framed for the murders. David believes he is at last safe from the creature, but it is not done with him…

The novel is amazing in its abilities to shift gears. The first section is a coming of age story as mentioned above, the second is a supernatural serial killer tale, and the third act is a prison story, in which David has his final showdown. Some of the setups are familiar, but the novel is never predictable, and it has a chilling epilogue that hints of things to come.

Gord Rollo is a horror writer who is worth the hype. If you haven’t already, pick up Crimson, an intriguing blend of old school and new wave horror.
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