Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Review: Spungunion - by John Boden

4 of 5 Stars     Review copy

Spungunion: (pronounced: Spun-Gun-Yun) noun; 1.) a dish made from rotting road kill, usually a skunk or a opossum. The more fragrant or maggoty, the better. 2.) Something that's been on the road for a long and unfortunate time...

It's also the story of a long-haul trucker, the love of his life taken in a fit of violence, and his personal road to redemption.

Deke Larch is a road dog.  John Boden tells his story with panache and gusto.  Set in a world of rednecks.  When Deke returns from an overnight run to find his wife, Lucille, dead in the bed of their trailer, he begins a strange quest to learn the truth.  Even questioning his own guilt or innocence in the process.

I loved the story of how Deke and Lucille met in the diner and it was truly love at first sight.  Yes, it does actually happen sometimes.

Their love was powerful and you can feel the weight of Deke's grief in the way Boden describes the character's loss. 

At times the prose in this book is downright poetic...

"Deke sat in the truck and gazed out at the cemetery.  His pap had always called them 'bone gardens.'  The morning mist rose in finger curls from the crisp grass.  The leaves were starting to change on the trees and a few early suicides littered the ground."

Then there are the clever head-nods to other popular horror writers. A joy for constant readers, like myself and you, if you read these reviews.

"Yardley, Lutzke and Janz were like department store mannequins."  Then there's Sheriff MacLeod, another author reference, for sure.

Spungunion is currently available here and is well worth your time... http://dynatox.storenvy.com/products/20076764-spungunion-by-john-boden

From the author's bio.  John Boden lives a stone's throw from Three Mile Island with his wonderful wife and sons.  A baker by day, he spends his off time writing or watching M*A*S*H re-runs.  He likes Diet Pepsi, cheeseburgers, heavy metal and sports ferocious sideburns.  While his output as a writer is fairly sporadic, it has a bit of a reputation for being unique.

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