This was a lot of fun! Extreme haunted house experiences sound like just the thing for horror-loving folk like myself. Though after experiencing this tale, maybe I’d prefer to just read about them instead.

This is the story of Gus McKinley, the owner of one such ‘haunted house’. It is established at the beginning of this tale that Gus has passed on, and this is a collection of accounts from those who knew him and his jolly little business.

I really enjoyed Rant by Chuck Palahniuk, and this reminded me very much of that. We are presented with accounts from those who loved Gus, and those who loathed him. Just which side will the reader take?

The short, sharp snippets allow the story to really flow. There is a tendency when reading these kinds of narratives to forget who everyone is, but this never happened for me. Each voice is unique in its conveying of what exactly went down with Gus.

As I mentioned, we know Gus is dead, but the circumstances are not revealed in any way until the end. The book is straightforward enough, as in it’s a tale of things going too far, but is very much believable. And this is mostly due to the cast of storytellers. The book, purposefully, steers away from supernatural terrors for the most part. I won’t say much more about that.

I had a great time with this book. It is both shocking and hilarious, two things I very much enjoy seeing together. If you are the same then this book will definitely be for you.

Categories: book review

Tags: book review, death, extreme horror, haunted house, horror, max booth III, murder, the last haunt, violence