Shady Palms (Book Review)

Book: Shady Palms Year: 2012 Publisher: Carnal Morgue Press Author: Allen Dusk Language: English Chapters: 72 Pages: Paperback = 324, E-Book = 326 Type: Novel

Author’s Summary: A sleazy motel, burrowed on the edge of town, is haunted by rumors of dead hookers found between mattresses and peep holes drilled through walls. When Special Agent Daniels targets the motel during an investigation, the nefarious owner, Sanjay, must scramble to conceal evidence of his own dark deeds. Just when he believes things can’t get any worse, motel guests begin to vanish without a trace. Can Sanjay discover the truth behind the phenomena threatening his motel before the Feds get suspicious, or does he risk exposing his own sordid enterprises to seek help from the outside? Why don’t you book a room for the night and find out? At these bargain rates you’ll be lucky if you only find dirty sheets and a few skeletons in the closet. Welcome to the Shady Palms Motel. Check out is at 11, if you live that long…

Review: The overall thematic element of Shady Palms is a simple one, people end up going missing without a trace in the Shady Palms Motel. The owners name is Sanjay and he runs a rotten motel which he has no clue what is happening around him. One day his mind changes when he witnesses mutant bedbugs sucking the life out of a little kid whom he tries to rescue.

There is an FBI Agent named Daniel who is investigating this run-down motel because a terrorist is staying at this abode. In addition, all of his crew has died from mysterious circumstances. What everyone dares to find out is that these crawling bedbugs bite their victims or inject their antennae, and then it’s all over for the victim. Paralysis and the human carcass starts to melt turning it into a pink, slimy ooze.

There are a slew of positive points on Shady Palms. Mostly, I like that it is a science fiction story mixed with the macabre details of terrifying insects. The story captivates, draws you in, and doesn’t let go until you conclude your sensory overload with all of the vivid, gritty, grimy details of the unsuspecting – succumbing to the prey of the creepy crawlies. Shady Palms is a non-stop read you will want to finish in one sitting, kudos to the author.

I struggled to even be critical with Shady Palms. I was fascinated from the overview on the back of the book. I got sucked into the story and I didn’t want the novel to end. The only nitpick that I have is that it is not straight-up horror. SciFi is a close cousin to the horror genre so I deducted 2 points overall. Still, this doesn’t affect how good this book is, anyone who likes horror will indeed be tickled pink (tickled red for you seekers of dread) with Shady Palms.

The book is available to buy at Amazon on Paperback for $14.99 or you can get the E-Book or Kindle Edition for $2.99, and if you have an Amazon Prime Subscription the book is 100% free. Shady Palms is a no-brainer recommendation, I endorse it completely. My ratings, suggestions and links are below.

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Reviewer: Dark Goddess Date: 11/03/2012 Rating: 8/10 Suggestion: Paperback: Buy Suggestion: E-Book: Buy