Sunday, January 6, 2019

Review: Scapegoat - by Adam Howe and James Newman

5 of 5 Stars     Review copy

James Newman lives in North Carolina, USA, and Adam Howe makes his home across the Atlantic in England.  Thanks to the power of the internet collaborations like this one are possible.  The result is both wondrous and wonderful.

So what's Scapegoat about?  Well, I'm glad you asked...

For metalheads Mike Rawson , Lonnie Deveroux, and Pork Chop, an RV road trip to Wrestlemania III becomes a one-way ticket to hell.  While delivering an illegal shipment of counterfeit wrestling merchandise, an ill-fated shortcut through the Kentucky backwoods leads them to a teenaged girl carved head to toe in arcane symbols.  Soon our unlikely heroes are being hunted through the boonies by a cult of religious crazies who make the Westboro Baptists look like choirboys… a cult that will stop at nothing to get the girl back and complete a ritual that has held an ancient evil at bay for centuries… Until now.

The end result is equal measures of violence and humor.  Junk food horror, if you will.  Or what I like to call, "Brain Candy."

I wasn't able to attend Wrestlemania III, but I was glued to my TV to see that epic matchup with Andre the Giant colliding head-on with Hulk Hogan and with that event as a backdrop for Scapegoat, I was immediately drawn to this story.

Mike Rawson, was the one levelheaded member of the trio headed to the Silverdome...

Mike muttered something about how he'd seen enough horror movies to know nothing good ever came from a shortcut through the woods.

So much carnage, with loads of horrifying images along the way.  And be sure to stick around for the story notes after you finish the book for insight into how Scapegoat came to be, as well as a list of recommended viewing and a playlist.  These guys have thought of it all.

The end result is a great collaboration and a fun read.  Recommended.

Scapegoat is currently available for the Kindle.  If you subscribe to Kindle Unlimited you can read it at no additional charge.  Also, if you are an Amazon Prime member you can read it for FREE using the Kindle Owners Lending Library.

About the authors...

James Newman lives in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in western North Carolina with his wife, Glenda, and their two sons, Jamie and Jacob. He's best known for his novels Midnight Rain, The Wicked, Ugly As Sin and Animosity and the novella Odd Man Out.

Adam Howe - Adam Howe writes the twisted fiction your mother warned you about.  A British writer of fiction and screenplays, he lives in London with his partner, their daughter, and a hellhound named Gino.  He is the author of Tijuana Donkey Showdown, and two novella collections, Die Dog or Eat the Hatchet, and Black Cat Mojo.

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