An interesting, but not uncommon, review came in for Blow Up the Roses the other day. This
reader is not the first to acknowledge not wanting to continue the story, but
being so captured they couldn't quit.
Here's that most
recent comment:
"I had put off reading Blow Up The Roses. I wasn't sure I wanted to read it. When I started, I wasn't sure I wanted to
continue. But like all of your books, I
couldn't put it down. The story grabbed
me, even as I didn't want to know what happened next. We all know there is evil in the world, but this kind
of reality is almost too evil for words.
Any parent feels fear at the stories of children being lured into a
car. We can't even begin to contemplate
that something like this could happen to our children.
"You think you know your neighbors. What a frightening prospect! I guess everyone has skeletons in their
closets but this was a truly scary story.
And, of course, I really enjoyed it."
Here are some other similar reactions:
"After reading the first two
paragraphs of this book I wanted to stop because I knew it would be disturbing.
I continued reading because I've looked at my neighbors' homes and thought
about the possibility that they're hiding terrible secrets in their basements
and attics and no one will ever know. Apparently, Randy Attwood has also.
Thought about it, I mean. I hope."
Here's another:
"At the
end of the first paragraph I had to decide whether I was brave enough to
continue. I wasn't sure I wanted to know what happened next. I did read the
whole story and enjoyed Mr. Attwood's characters; a veritable crazy quilt of
unlikely neighbors who maintained a strange sort of formality despite the ugly
reasons for their interactions. I would remind the reader that the most
frightening parts of a story are those we fill in with our own imaginations."
We'll end with
this high praise:
"Read the first four chapters. Very creepy. Kind of
reminded me of Tom Harris from the Hannibal Lector series. I like how you build
suspense with Mr. Brown and whatever he's got cooked up in his duplex. The way
you use Mr. and Mrs. adds a coldness to the writing that prevents the reader
from getting comfortable. I think this is a great book."
So if you like a
dark read and to get "creeped out," here ya go:
