Welcome to Kremfort Cove, where the men are hot as hell…literally.
Burly bearded bear Deck Waxer is a private dick with an attraction to cases of the supernatural. He comes to the city as it is transforming from a ghetto into a gay mecca—and power struggles between the various sub-groups in the community are turning violent. Most horrific is the rash of gay men who are bursting into flames in broad daylight! Deck suspects it’s an epidemic of spontaneous combustion. But trying to explain the inexplicable means getting into hot fetishistic encounters with sexy, eccentric locals. Deck is willing to jump into that fire. What he fears is getting scalded…by his burning desire for a troubled go-go boy with daddy issues. As hearts and hard-ons are exposed, blood-pumping organs become vulnerable to the real danger that threatens the gay men of the city they now call Cremation Cove….
This was a fun romp of a book with the added tone of a light horror movie. Deck, a bearish detective with a specialty of investigating the supernatural, is called to the town of Kremfort Cove - which some are starting to refer to as Cremation Cove, given the spontaneous combustions that are plaguing the gay men of the city.
Deck is a loveable lunk, a big guy with a bit of a scarred heart and a frustration with his own belly, and a propensity to fall in lust at the drop of a hat. And boy are there hats dropping in Kremfort Cove. The panoply of fetishes and body types and roles and combinations thereof are quite numerous. It was a pleasant change to have so many of the characters not be slim, toned, white guys falling in love with other slim, toned, white guys. I enjoyed that variety, though in places I had to chuckle at poor Deck's inability to continue investigating for more than a few moments before he's sidetracked by yet another opportunity to probe deeper. Or be probed deeper. Or both.
The story shifts from a light mystery to a run-for-your-lives horror and the ride is lighthearted (and sweaty). It's a fun book, whether quickly devoured or nibbled a bit at a time, and likely to make you grin quite a bit before it takes a turn for the darker near the end. That's not a criticism, mind - I quite liked where the story went (even if I did want to beat Deck over the head once or twice for missing a cue due to his propensity to be distracted by pretty much everything with testosterone). And the very ending effectively surprised me. I didn't see it coming, and I feel as though there is more to be told of Deck's story.
OK, wow this was quite the roller coaster. If you like super kinky encounters with random guys then you'll love this. Includes rimming, felching, snow-balling, fisting, milking, foot-jobs, DP and enemas. Daniel Kelly is a first time author for me and I'm amazed with the originality and very descriptive language used to explain various explicit acts :D
I loved Deck. He was inquisitive, open-minded and a little self-conscience (endearingly-so). The story-line had me guessing quite a bit and the action really picked-up in the last few chapters. There were so many interesting characters I sometimes had trouble keeping them all straight (pun!!). Some of my favorites were Stand the Milkman and Don the hairy chef.
I did, however, have a few issues. I didn't understand the role of the police commissioner. She was Deck's old friend and fag-hag but now she just seems distant and her character arc was totally useless. I was also bothered by Maru's fascination with suicide and I wanted more interaction between him and Deck. I felt a little left in the dark with the whole
But what really did me in was the epilogue....WTF!!!! I couldn't believe what I was reading and I wanted to throw my Kobo across the room. I purchased the second installment so I can hopefully get some closure.
Daniel W. Kelly’s Combustion is an erotic horror novel that explores culture clashes , gay fetish lifestyles and community support all in a vividly detailed, exploration of trash cult literature. I must admit that this is my first time reading horror erotica, I have read the trashy gay novels that you can purchase at the adult bookstores, and horror novels are my sweet spot. I guess I am stating that the blend of erotica and horror is not my normal cup of tea, but Daniel W. Kelly’s Combustion is an entertaining, bit of trash literature that would be the written equivalent of cinema trash like “Midnight Movie” and “Mania”.
Combustion follows a gay community under attack from different elements who either want control or don’t want the gays defining a town’s identity. With bizarre deaths that are almost supernatural, different factions of a community divided in protest and turf, explorations in gay fetish culture and a basic celebration of classic crime noir, this novel offers an in-your-face, complex, somewhat exaggerative look at how challenging it can be for LGBT people to find and build a place to call home. After the recent death of a prominent member of the gay community in Kremfort Cove, private detective Deck Waxer sets out to solve a case that has literally set the community on fire.
The story is a standard whodunit that is stacked with gay erotica situations, creative horror elements and deliciously exploitative stereotypes. The arch is between the start of the story is a cleverly controlled decent into dark satire, and thrilling horror. Combustion isn’t a novel for all horror fans and I am not certain if the story is appealing to all blended erotica fans. I didn’t relate to a lot of what framed this book when it came to the fetish stuff, but I found it fun, amusing reading about a subculture of my community that I never quite understood. I have never really been big on exploring fetishes (I am kind of boring that way-but not judging). It was very informative, I actually learned a lot from these characters, although I do feel that these characters were extreme representations of the subcultures within the gay community.
The juxtaposition between the erotica and the horror was a nice, even-paced ride. Not to mention that the story lead into a dark “last act” that really hits the horror aspect full on. My only critic for the novel was the complete, elaborate attention paid to the erotica portion of the story that seemed to b lacking somewhat with the horror portion. I would have loved more horror and less erotica. That is just me, but with that being said I really enjoyed the experience of learning about horror erotica and will continue reading Daniel W. Kelly’s novels.
In Combustion, the flamers of Kremfort Cove are literally catching fire in apparent cases of spontaneous combustion, prompting characters to call the town Cremation Cove. (Who but gay men would handle tragedy so gracefully with camp wit?) As a reader you immediately know where you stand with this novel. The opening scene involves gratuitous, graphic sex and a sinister twist opening up the mystery. We are introduced to the main character Deck Waxer, who, like all good characters, has a back story. That’s also made apparent with his first run in with the police chief. The town as a dark past, too, and it’s all too familiar with the supernatural. But the new menace -- someone or something that is catching men on fire -- has everyone on their toes and wondering just who the good guys might be. The pace keeps you reading, and wondering, what’s next: a fright or a sexy delight? The book balances the two, and for anyone who likes their horror on the hot side, this book introduces you to characters who (if they survive) will be back in the series. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the good sense of humor this book has. It’s basically a horror+erotica+humor three-way. I don’t laugh out loud often when I read, but I did here.
Dear Author, calling your sexualized black characters "black" and your non-sexualized characters "african american" betrays your fetishization of black bodies. And this black history month, I'll tell you what we're not going to do.
Oh, I searched for the word “black” in the text, and I was mightily surprised to see the words “guys is black sheets terrorizing anyone white” and “like the KKK in reverse”. Just in case that might be a deal-breaker for anyone else.