Mother's Boys

by Bernard Taylor

When his estranged wife returns after three years and wants to renew a relationship with their sons, Los Angeles architect Robert Madigan and his new love, Callie Harland, must deal with conflicting feelings. Reprint. Movie tie-in.

Genres: Horror, Thriller, Horror Thriller, Novella, Suspense, Family

263 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1988

About the author

Bernard Taylor was born in Swindon, Wiltshire, and now lives in London. Following active service in Egypt in the Royal Air Force, he studied Fine Arts in Swindon, then at Chelsea School of Art and Birmingham University. On graduation he worked as a teacher, painter and book illustrator before going as a teacher to the United States. While there, he took up acting and writing and continued with both after his return to England. He has published ten novels under his own name, including The Godsend (1976), which was adapted for a major film, and Sweetheart, Sweetheart (1977), which Charles L. Grant has hailed as one of the finest ghost stories ever written. He has also written novels under the pseudonym Jess Foley, as well as several works of nonfiction. He has won awards for his true crime writing and also for his work as a playwright. It was during his year as resident playwright at the Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch that he wrote The Godsend. There Must Be Evil, his latest true crime study, is to be published in England in September.

Reviews

[RedemptionDenied]

DNF. Unable to finish; mainly due to my current reading slump, and because the book was loaned to me. I did manage to read fifty per cent of the book, though. As I can't rate this book, all I can say is that I enjoyed reading it up to the point I reached, before it disappeared from my library.

Many thanks to the lady who loaned me (half) the book. Much appreciated!! :)

And thanks to Amazon for repeatedly reminding me that the loan period had expired - and allowing me to keep the book in my Kindle library for an extra week and a half (past the expiry date) - and only removing it when I reached an interesting part of the story. You can expect a phone call from moi in the near future - with me expressing my gratitude.

I'll probably update this, if/when I buy the book in the near future - as I'll want to know how it ends.

So for now - it's back to season 2 of Lost - and hopefully I'll be able to start reading again, soon.

FUCK!!

[Char · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book beat me up and I loved every second of it!
 
A group of us Goodreads readers have been reading a lot of books from Valancourt Books lately. (If you're interested, feel free to join us in the Horror Aficionados Group.) Sweetheart, Sweetheart by Bernard Taylor having been the most recent. After that KILLER novel, and having read The Godsend a short while before, we decided we needed even MORE Bernard Taylor and we decided to read this one, even though it wasn't from Valancourt. (Forgive us, VB!)
 
This book was a blast! From the title you can probably guess this was a book about boys. Specifically, Mother's but more to the point, EVIL'S. And you know what? I'm not going to say anything more about this story other than it breaks several societal taboos and it does so in a most spectacular, sometimes distasteful, fashion. Even so, I couldn't pull myself away from it. It was like a car wreck you came upon on the highway...you don't want to look, but you can't help yourself. In this case you knew the wreck was coming, you just didn't know how and when it would arrive. And then it hits you, SMACK! Right in the face!
 
I did feel that one certain portion of the ending went a little over the top, which is why I deducted one star. However, it did make me giggle with delight, so there's that. 
 
I felt compelled to finish this story almost as soon as I started it. I love when that happens, don't you? I feel like last year's author obsession, Michael McDowell, has now been surpassed by one I'm having with Bernard Taylor. (I'm still obsessed with McDowell, don't get me wrong, but I don't have any more of his books to read.) With Taylor, I've added a metric shit-ton of his books to my TBR on Goodreads and I plan to track them down as soon as I possibly can!
 
Highly recommended for fans of 80's horror and for fans of stories about evil children!
 
 

[Zoeytron · Rating 3 out of 5]

After abandoning her husband and four children two years earlier, this mother has changed her mind. She wants her family back, especially her boys. Her ex-husband has finally managed to move on from the mess she left behind. He has full custody of the kids, although some weekend visits with their mother are permitted. Her preference for the two older sons, Kester and Michael, is marked. Mother's expectations of a happy family together again are completely unrealistic, but she intends to make it happen.

Kester has a cruel streak in his makeup, and Michael is only too happy to follow his cue. Warning - there is animal cruelty involved here (that business with the frog in the woods is beyond the pale. It made me want to kill that kid.) as well as the mother being too loving to her boys in all the wrong ways.

Some of the dialogue seemed awkward to me, and there were several things that strained credulity, but no one can take that ending away. It was a shocker with an "after tweak".

[Warren Fournier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holy...! What did I just read? Why did I read it? Who the hell thinks of this stuff?

One thing I can say for sure, THIS is one forgotten gem. Why I don't hear more about this book discussed in horror and thriller circles, I'll never know. This was one of the most intense and brutal 80s paperbacks I've ever experienced. Scratch that... This is one of the most intense and brutal books I've EVER read.

No, I don't mean it ranks up there with sick, worthless perversions like "Cows," or other writings marketed purely for the extremity of their content. There is nothing too gory or gross here. But I warn you this is very disturbing. It gets under your skin. Think "We Need to Talk About Kevin" or "The Girl Next Door," not "A Serbian Film."

"Mother's Boys" manages to consistently subvert your expectations. Just when you think they wouldn't possibly go there, they do. As such, it is very difficult to talk details about this book, as you really will get the best experience going in completely blind.

The only detail I will give is to explain why the book loses a star for me. I just couldn't buy into the set-up that leads into the third act. The author had to do some clumsy plot maneuvers to get this whole thing to work. I never could completely believe the whole situation, which involved some beyond-thoughtless family decisions on the part of multiple characters as well as some ridiculous contrived helplessness that was necessary to make the plot move forward. The believability of the characters was not at fault, it was the situation. I must say that the portrayal of the juvenile sociopaths and dysfunctional family dynamics at play felt most chillingly real, far better than most "evil child" thrillers. But because I could not fully suspend my disbelief regarding the actions of certain characters that led to the grueling final third of the book, part of the impact was lost on me. I kept myself too distant emotionally, being too aware that this was fiction. Perhaps not everyone would feel the same way, but that's what happened to me.

This is otherwise a perfect example of the horror genre, as it gives you the true horror experience. Bernard Taylor knows how to craft each page with mounting tension so that you feel tight in the chest and your gut feels like you ate too many nuclear chiles with your Thai food.

Some of you may be wondering, "Well then, Warren, you masochistic consumer of all literary mayhem, who on earth besides you would want to subject themselves to something that sounds that stressful?"

If you are asking yourself anything remotely like that question right now, this is not the book for you. You would be far better served watching the watered-down 1992 Miramax version starring Jamie Lee Curtis. But if I've intrigued you, and if you are the type to test your grit, you will love this 80s paperback classic and can rest assured you are truly among us incurable horror fanatics.

[Janie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy crap! That's all I can say right now. Whew!!!

A day later ... I've gotten over the funky mood that this book left me with. I gave it five stars because it was disturbing and well-written. It's a story about youth gone wrong, with the encouragement of a crazy mother. Just when you think the worst has happened, there's more to come. Recommended to those who are prepared.

[Nina The Wandering Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The manner of a person's death is so significant, don't you think? The way they die, the way they face it, it can so often give their whole past life quite a different meaning. You'll find, right throughout history, that a person can be quite redeemed by the manner of his death."

I've been making my way through Valancourt Books' horror catalog and was drawn to Mother's Boys (1988) for its cover. In this novella, two young boys decide to make the life of their father's new girlfriend a living hell in order to avenge their mother who has manipulated them into believing she's been wronged by divorce.

A few key thoughts:

(1) The mother should be in prison. Readers will discover pretty quickly that she doesn't have custody of her children for several good reasons.

(2) Her boys, without a doubt, need therapy. I'm convinced one of them is a sociopath.

(3) There was an act of animal cruelty in one chapter that was so terrible (for me personally) that I shrieked.

(4) The ending took an interesting turn which had me bump this book up from a 3-star read to a 4-star read!

Overall this book reminded me a little bit of Jack Ketchum's The Girl Next Door or Mendal W. Johnson's Let's Go Play at the Adams' but not NEARLY as dark as those two mentioned. It also reminded me a little bit of the film Better Watch Out (2016) as far as sociopathic adolescent boys are concerned.

Anyways I wouldn't recommend this to the weak of heart but I was definitely eager to see how this twisted story played out and breezed through it quickly! Definitely an engaging read suitable for a macabre Mother's Day. Do with that what you will.

**TRIGGER WARNINGS: graphic animal cruelty, child abuse, incest

[Rob Twinem · Rating 5 out of 5]

This author has the ability to shock! There is an eerie detachment in reading this book that makes it all the more horrific in both its story and its content. Bernard Taylor has the ability to lull the reader into a false sense of security and in Mother’s Boys we are supposedly examining the consequences of family breakdown. For those however versed in the author’s style events are never that simple and the shock content when it arrives is totally unexpected and brilliant in its execution.
 
Kester and Michael are unhappy that their father Robert has split the family home choosing to live with Netta and now all four children Kester, Michael, Ben and Daisy only visit mum Judith at certain times. So the plot is simple, the language and style easy to read which makes the arrival of the shock content all the more abhorrent. To delve more into the story would spoil the delights that await the unexpected reader, and once again I am amazed that Bernard Taylor has never received the recognition he so deserves. Highly Recommended!

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

OMG---Review to come!

[Valancourt Books]

Now available from Valancourt Books.

[Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Taylor serves up a tasty little treat with MB; this later went on to become a movie, but one I have not seen. The story concerns a family, fairly recently divorced-- Robert, the father, Judith, the estranged ex-wife, and their four children, Kester, Michael, Ben and Daisy. Judith, although we never really get to know her much, seems a little flighty if not outright crazy. One day, she just left the family and then sued for divorce; after a nasty court battle, Robert got the kids, but Judith gets to seem them once a month. Kester (the oldest) and Michael (a year younger) are something of a dynamic duo, and both really love Judith; they often spend time with her, much more so then Ben and Daisy. Have to put this behind a spoiler tag-- can you say mommy blowjobs! Really!)

Judith, again, for reasons we are not entirely clear about, decides that she wants her boys back (at least Kester and Michael) and after a visit, tries to talk Robert into giving it another go. He, however, is completely done with her, and in fact, has a new woman-- Netta-- he hopes to marry soon. Before school starts once again (Robert and Netta are both teachers at the same school), they take the kids to an isolated farmhouse by the moors for a few weeks of down time. Things will never be the same!

This really is a little gem of a novel. Taylor builds the suspense page after page such that it is really hard to put down once you get going. Really more of a psychological thriller than a horror novel, Taylor paints a very nasty tableau here, with lots of conflicted emotions among the children along with a sense of dread that builds and builds. What is going to happen at the farmhouse? The ending was savage and really fit the book, although I wanted to take a shower after reading it. 4 motherly stars!

[Vicki Willis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was insane. It was very dark and disturbing and I was not able to put it down. If horrible, disgusting events bother you, this is NOT the book for you. It was a good thing I was in a buddy read because I had to ask WTF throughout the whole thing. The premise of the book was good. I thought it was going to focus on an ex wife trying to get rid of the gf to get her family back. It was so much more than that. The ending was surprising to me and created a whole new level of the meaning of psychopath. For me, the dialogue was lacking (which is why I didn't give 5 stars). I didn't think it was well written, but again I am sure the author's focus was on the characters and actual events. This was a new author for me and I will be checking out his other books for sure. A solid 4 star read!

[Alexa "Naps" Snow · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was such an easy read as it was written very well, good pace, good character building. No spoilers but the end surprised me i have no words

[Angel Gelique · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crazy!!! Review to come.

[Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another good horror story from Taylor! I've read three of his books now, and like them all. This one definitely crosses a few lines you normally wouldn't see crossed, but it doesn't detract from the story in my opinion. A tale of tragedy for sure, it certainly shows the lengths that some boys may go to for the love of their mother!

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was INSANE. Impossible not to fly through the last 100 pages in one go. I had no choice but to throw the book across the room at least 3 times while reading. And then again when I finished. The ending was so, so good. One of the worst best books I've ever read.

[Albert · Rating 5 out of 5]

What the hell... Wow this book was just so damn evil. For some sick reason I wanted to read a horror novel about a mother and her children on Mother's Day. This was one sick book, and of course I loved it.
Well written, fascinating characters that you just want to smack upside the head with a baseball bat, great psychological horror story. So many times while reading this I just had to stop and just say WHAT THE HELL, there were a few truly shocking moments in this one, and I loved the ending. For some reason this novel was more disturbing for me than even Edward Lee. At least with his stuff you can smile and giggle, at least I do. This book though, cripes.
Sad to say that I've never heard of this author, I'm definitely going to check out more of his novels.

[Lisa Pineo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, this was a rather f'd up story. I've had this book for a while and was quite looking forward to it but it fell a little flat for me. Kester in particular was annoying to listen to. His age and his speech just didn't go together for me. Yes he read quite a bit but his manner or talking was like a middle aged librarian, not a 13 year old. His way of thinking that his mom and dad should be together, no matter what, was just like an early teen though, especially with the prodding by his warped mother. I felt bad for Michael who obviously loved Kester and felt loyalty to him above anything else. Same for poor Ben who just wanted to be included and loved by his brothers. Daisy's character wasn't as developed but seemed a sweet little girl who had no idea what was going on in her family. Robert came across as oblivious and not wanting to see that his boys were going down a scary path, even with his girlfriend telling him something was wrong. The ending seemed pretty inevitable and wasn't much of a surprise. The writing style was okay but the dialogue was kind of annoying to read, even if it was more realistic than most with all the pauses and unfinished sentences. I'd still like to try another book by Taylor and see if his style grows on me. 3.5 stars rounded down.

[Kristyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is quite different from The Godsend, although they both have creepy kids. This one is a bit raunchy at one point and that part surprised me a bit. Other than that one part, this is a great vintage horror about two brothers who love their mother very much and just want their parents to get back together after their divorce. There's some suspense and some gore. Fun 80s read.

[Ryan Blanck · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found this book from The Traveler Restaurant of Union, CT on October 4, 2014. Published in 1988, Mother's Boys is an sick-twisting suspense and bone-chilling horror novel but this is like an weird and terrible thing....Read this in 6 days and Hard to put down novel. Good book.

Gripping tale of family love gone horribly wrong---with terrifying results. Robert and Judith both love their children, but their differences are too serve to allow for reconciliation. Judith determines to turn the boys against Robert's new love Netta, succeeding beyond her wildest dreams as her children become twisted murderous vessels of hate. The boys' vengeance on their father and Netta may not bring their parents back together---but it will plunge their family into an inescapable abyss of murder, torture, and twisted love. Chillingly paced and filled with unforgettable characters, Mother's Boys is not a book to be read after dark. Given 3 stars for the book and the story.

[Krysten · Rating 3 out of 5]

I will say this book was suspenseful. I will say this book was shocking. I will say this book had some scenes that made my skin crawl. Those things being said, I thought the dialogue was terrible, fake, forced, and not at all how people actually talk. Dialogue is a tricky thing to write in a book and Bernard Taylor didn't do a very good job. The plot was solid, and like I said, the ending was abrupt, horrifying, and honestly not what I was expecting.

[Randi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't know...I'm thoroughly icked out at the moment. I finished this book but it took some effort. Besides being molesty and the scene about torturing a frog.
It was just a waste of time and very predictable. I have read this author before and loved his work but not this one.

[A.R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bernard Taylor has done it again, shocked me with another cold tale of horror. Things get as bad as they can . . . but no--much worse. All the books I read by him amazed me. Don't miss this author!

[Elusive · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 'Mother's Boys', Kester and Michael are devastated by their parents' divorce as they barely get to see their mother anymore. They are in the custody of their father, along with their two younger siblings. During a trip with their father and his girlfriend Netta, they decide to take matters into their own hands..

There was a sense of unease and impending doom that never let up throughout the story. From the beginning it was clear that Kester and Michael were unlike other kids. They were always in their own world, doing things that would fill any normal person with dread or disgust. Kester was easily the character that stood out as he had a strong presence combined with absolute certainty in whatever he was planning. The author did a great job showing how terrifying he and Michael were.

The story became increasingly dark, sinister and disturbing so much so that the earlier scenes featuring Kester and Michael appeared tame by comparison. Just when it seemed like there may be light at the end of the tunnel, something else would happen. The ending was undoubtedly shocking though not exactly unexpected, considering how desperately Ben wanted to fit in with his two brothers. I would've liked to see what happened next though.

Overall, 'Mother's Boys' was a morbidly memorable book that didn't shy away from the unpleasant details pertaining to depravity.

[bookenjoyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here's my to-the-point review of Mother's Boys by Bernard Taylor, this was jotted down onto a note originally but was made sure that it doesn't include any direct spoilers.

The book feels like a sight-seeing trip throughout London in some parts. Especially viewing some of the landmarks around London. There is some short foreshadowing and building up to what takes place. The story is coherent and makes sense. The English is in British English and may be confusing to American readers with some words. The book is very disturbing in parts, and does well to create a small sense of unease between the moments of family life. The pacing remains great right up to the end. There is something definitely 'wrong' and the dysfunction becomes quite direct as the 'masks' are peeled away and the dysfunction is acted out. The characters have their own motivations and act realistically and also very flawed. They go to extremes in the pursuit of what they're trying to accomplish -- it's disturbing and very shocking at times. The violence is scary and unflinching as well. True crime history is sprinkled throughout the story and is a fascination of one of the disturbed characters. The dangers lurking are constantly being reminded as historical homicides are being explained to you. The dangers come from unexpected places and the twist is remarkable. Small parts of the book might be pitch-black comedy. Overall this is a good horror novel. There isn't too much depth besides the true crime references that are explained to you but it's a nice short read to be scandalized and shocked.

[John Wiltshire]

The other two novels I've recently read by this author both had supernatural themes. This one, I feel, might stay in the realms of the everyday, normal world--where genuine evil exists. The opening chapter is horrific (okay, I admit, I scanned most of it not actually 'reading' once I realised what was happening), but, boy, does it set the scene for what's to follow. Is anything scarier than evil kids?
As usual, I'll update when done.
Yikes, I've had to give up on this one. I've discovered there're two things I won't read: animal abuse and ... paedophile mothers. I could not believe what I was reading. I won't rate this one, because there's nothing wrong with the writing, the story is extremely well done and tense, it's just that this one goes beyond my tolerance levels. Which is weird when I consider the books I read...

[Bluejay · Rating 1 out of 5]

One of the few books in which the movie is much better. The concept is fine, the characters and the narration could be better, but it's not awful. Its a good horror story, and it does leave you with an uncomfortable taste on your mouth, as a good horror story should.
But- chapter 5. I think there are many ways to show that the relationship between Kester and his mom is inappropriate, but the way Taylor goes about it is too far. You want the mom to sexually abuse her child? Okay, sure, whatever, it's for the plot- but the whole scene is so explicitly graphic ... it's incredibly disgusting. Thankfully this book isn't very popular- but if you're thinking about reading this, either skip chapter five or brace yourself for the worst bit of writing you've ever had to witness.

[Cameron Scott · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bernard Taylor's signature writing style is on display. On a technical level, it is very well written. There is something about his writing that I enjoy, even when the plot would not normally grab my attention.
Mother's Boys, however, has been my least favorite experience with Taylor's writing. It's a very disturbing and bleak story. If you have ever read his work before that is nothing new. However the conclusion felt unsatisfying. It didn't justify slogging through all the tragedy. This wicked tale could potentially work better as a short story. Sometimes a bitter experience made short makes it more palatable.

[Sarah B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Boy, what a book this was! I thought this book would be about the mother named Judith but the story is really about the kids. EVIL kids! The stuff they do is truly shocking! It's a real page turner too! I couldn't put it down once I started reading it. It starts out with violence and slowly it gets worse and worse. And the end was truly shocking!

I even feel sorry for their poor unexpecting mother.

I will add there is one scene in the book I really wish the author had left out. The horror I can deal with but not the incest. No reason to put that in there. It's not necessary.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

When his wife returns after three years of deserting her family deciding to renew a relationship with their sons, her husband and his new love must deal with conflicting feelings trying to raise his sons as good persons. The games, tricks and devious things his x wife does to get rid of his new girlfriend and how she basically destroys the children is horrific and terrifying!

[Charles Fischer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bernard Taylor was one of my favorite horror discoveries of the last half-decade (though his peak was in the late 70s/early 80s) and I had seen the (crummy) film version of this w/Jamie Lee Curtis a long time ago. It's not one of his best works, and there is one extremely unpleasant scene, but like all his works it's slow-building and insidious.