Once upon a time, in the not so distant past, Halo Scot wowed me with the most excellent Rift Cycle series. If you haven’t checked these books out then you should stop immediately and involve yourself.

Blood, gore, tension, humour, even some romance – albeit kind of psychotic – this series of four books had it all. So imagine my delight when I heard about this new novel, I Will Kill You.

Brutal title. Brutal book.

Alex is a murderous but charismatic dude grieving over the death of his wife, the absolute love of his life. Not only did she leave him, she also left their twin girls. These girls are too young to really understand everything their dad is going through, but they certainly know something’s up.

Alex is the head of a large organisation that, well, does murdery-type stuff. Employees are paid handsomely, though if any of them choose to leave the company, they probably won’t be living for too much longer.

Booze, drugs, sex, and everything else consume Alex, who knows he should be more of a father to his daughters, but he can’t help himself. He’s a mess. But he soon meets a woman who is to change his life forever. They seem the perfect match, or are they anything but?

I found this tale similar to the Rift Cycle, with the main character paralleling Julian from those stories. Although I have to say I had little time for Alex, I certainly didn’t warm to him like I did Julian. And it’s not because he partakes in sickening acts of torture, murder, and sex (those were the best bits), I just didn’t feel he was this loving father he portrayed himself to be. But hey, who’s not here for the gory bits?

Prepare to have your stomach churned with your mouth agape as you consume the horrific and tragic journey of Alex.

Categories: book review

Tags: book review, gore, halo scot, i will kill you, murder, psychopath, torture, trigger warnings, violence