Shrouded

by Carol Anne Davis

Douglas likes women - quiet women; the kind he deals with at the mortuary where he works.
Douglas meets Marjorie, unemployed, gaining weight and losing confidence. She talks and laughs a lot to cover up her shyness, but what Douglas really needs is a lover who'll stay still - deadly still.
Driven by lust and fear, Douglas finds a way to make girls remain excitingly silent and inert. But then he is forced to blank out the details of their unplanned deaths.
Perhaps only Marjorie can fulfil his growing sexual hunger. If he could just get her into a state of limbo. Douglas studies his textbooks to find a way...

Genres: Horror, Fiction

212 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1997

Reviews

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Creepy story about two socially maladjusted people whose lives intersect with nasty consequences. Douglas is a mortician with no interpersonal skills, making lists on his computer, and approaching each task in life analytically. Physically abused as a child, he finally moves out of his mother's house as an adult and slowly unravels mentally, turning into a quiet homicidal maniac. Marjorie is an asthmatic, overmothered wallflower who craves attention. Her timid involvement with a fish owner's club brings her into contact with Douglas. The book is convincing in showing how minor personality problems can either mask a dangerous psyche or get one in a lot of trouble. Could make a very good film.

[Nick Davies · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author appears to have written several books about true crime as well as a handful of novels, and it shows in the crafting of this disturbing and involving story. Some of the content is grim and uncomfortable, dealing with necrophilia, self-esteem, mental issues and sexual inadequacy, but it is so well written and well placed that this - and other unpleasant subjects dealt with other books by the same author - is not a barrier to it being a compelling and involving read.