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Hooker Massacre in Trash City: Splatter Crimes
Travis Merker, former homicide detective, now private detective, and full-time drunk. After a career that found him feeling unfulfilled, and taking matters into his own hand, Merker hunts the scum and sets fire to the trash. After a local hooker shows up at his office one evening, complaining of the brutal murders of her peers by the Scarlett House Syndicate, Merker follows her to the location of these grisly deaths. What he finds instead of armed men to confront, is something beyond the boundaries of imagination. From gunfights to slaughter, Merker has stepped into a world he was not prepared to enter, and just might not survive.
163 pages, Paperback
First published January 28, 2023
12 people are currently reading
109 people want to read
About the author
Brian G. Berry
56 books284 followersa.k.a Brian Berry
Brian G Berry is new to the world of writing. He writes everything from 1980s inspired horror, SCIFI/Action-horror, to the strange. His biggest influences are the writers of the weird including Lovecraft, Howard, Clark Ashton Smith, to the pulp horror authors of the golden age 70s/80s- and a splattering of others. Author of The Pail, A Bloody Christmas, Splatter Fiend Series, Slasherback Series, Campfire Tales Beneath a Pallid Moon, Accursed Ground, Blood Lanes, The Night Mutilator, Thanksgiving Day Massacre, and his newest: SNOW SHARK.
Brian G Berry is new to the world of writing. He writes everything from 1980s inspired horror, SCIFI/Action-horror, to the strange. His biggest influences are the writers of the weird including Lovecraft, Howard, Clark Ashton Smith, to the pulp horror authors of the golden age 70s/80s- and a splattering of others. Author of The Pail, A Bloody Christmas, Splatter Fiend Series, Slasherback Series, Campfire Tales Beneath a Pallid Moon, Accursed Ground, Blood Lanes, The Night Mutilator, Thanksgiving Day Massacre, and his newest: SNOW SHARK.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
May 23, 2025
Hooey! Balls…to…the…wall! Merker is a stupendous character. He’s surly, gritty, and did I forget to mention that he has some otherworldly abilities, too? So this private detective is commissioned to investigate a prostitution ring. Little does he know that these unsavory types passing these poor women around feed the unwanted hookers to the creatures living in the sewers. Think of the 80s blob remake, but turned up a few notches. And thank you Brian Berry, for giving me yet another reason to dislike banana pudding. Lots of gore and action, with a very fun premise. Again, I loved Merker and just wish we had gotten more face time with him before the story concluded. And the same with Christina, too. Great characters, but I wanted a lot more time with them. The ending was exactly what I figured it would be. After recently rewatching Split Second and once again rekindling my love affair with 80s horror, I enjoyed the finale quite a bit, too. Brian Berry…keep on rockin,’ brother!
October 5, 2023
Damn Brian Berry can fuckin write.Man what a gritty, violent, brutal grimy dark awesome fuckin read. I have read all three of these and they all are fuckin brutal and have that grind house, dark, fucked up feel, but when I got done with this one the images and characters that Brian Berry was able to create it reminded me of the movies Sin City and A Dame To Kill For and then I was like we need all three books in this series done like those movies. How bad ass would that be.? I highly recommend this and this series they are all packed with brutality vengeance and savage violence. I can only hope there is more of this series in the future.
January 29, 2023
Another solid entry in the “Splatter Crimes” series and another great addition to Brain G Berry’s continuously growing bibliography.
Hooker Massacre in Trash City takes many of Berry’s usual skills in horror and amps it up to the level that feels like a cross between a Troma film and Richard Laymon on meth.
It’s frantic. It’s frenetic. It’s freaking brutal.
Usually when books and authors try to work in the medium of gore and extreme violence, I’m one to turn away, but Berry makes those elements work in a way that kept me interested from beginning to end. Even with its mean spirited nature and bleak setting, Hooker Massacre feels more natural and realistic and not written as a way just to shock audiences.
And unlike some authors in this extreme side of horror, Berry tends to understand the importance of story over splattered guts and disembowelment (though there is plenty to go around in this extremely violent novella).
Hooker Massacre in Trash City takes many of Berry’s usual skills in horror and amps it up to the level that feels like a cross between a Troma film and Richard Laymon on meth.
It’s frantic. It’s frenetic. It’s freaking brutal.
Usually when books and authors try to work in the medium of gore and extreme violence, I’m one to turn away, but Berry makes those elements work in a way that kept me interested from beginning to end. Even with its mean spirited nature and bleak setting, Hooker Massacre feels more natural and realistic and not written as a way just to shock audiences.
And unlike some authors in this extreme side of horror, Berry tends to understand the importance of story over splattered guts and disembowelment (though there is plenty to go around in this extremely violent novella).
April 12, 2023
Fast-paced and tense, HOOKER MASSACRE IN TRASH CITY never lets you go. It's detective/crime through a pulpy, Troma lens and I was engrossed from beginning to end... I actually couldn't believe it was over because I was so invested. Great storytelling, an awesome lead character (who I envision as Keanu Reeves in the film adaptation), and lots of sleaze and gore. Brian Berry crushes it again!
October 6, 2023
A violent extreme noir that maybe had too many ideas, but a decent read with a strong lead character.
February 18, 2023
"...this source was the womb that brought forth the terrors of slime."
Berry's writing is squishy and red all over. A hard-boiled bloodbath in a dark city filled with all sorts of creatures, both human and well... something else. Vigilante Travis Merker kicks some low down, degenerate ass and a new kind of superhero is born.
Berry's writing is squishy and red all over. A hard-boiled bloodbath in a dark city filled with all sorts of creatures, both human and well... something else. Vigilante Travis Merker kicks some low down, degenerate ass and a new kind of superhero is born.
April 25, 2023
Really loved the premise of this. Hard boiled noir meets splatter horror. Though set in the ‘70s, I can’t help but imagine a black and white ‘40s/‘50s noir film starring Humphrey Bogart as the chain smoking, whiskey drinking, colt .45 shooting son-of-a-bitch PI, Travis Merker. He’s as tough as they come, and won’t think twice before blowing your brains through your skull. And my personal favorite quality—he’s got a soft spot for working girls. What a gentleman. Do yourself a favor and read this!
January 30, 2023
Dirty and brutal crime story. I tore through this in one sitting and I really loved the mashup of crime and extreme horror. I felt the beginning was a little rushed but once it settled in and got going, the story hummed. Brian G. Berry is quickly becoming a must read author for me.
February 6, 2023
Brian Berry writes a fantastic crime splatter novella, and the title is perfect. Highly recommend this book, and the other 2 in this series by Judith Sonnet & Otis Bateman.
December 3, 2023
This short splatter spectacle from Brian Berry is like a blend of Joseph Rosenberger's gun-blasting misanthropy paired with David Cronenberg's gooey body horror. It is one heck of a trip and not for the weak of stomach!
The core plot is very much in the vein of a 1970s men's adventure novel, with jaded vigilante P.I. Travis Merker digging into the disappearances of working girls the only way he knows how: With a submachine gun and .45 blazing. But then we have the flipside, Berry's ode to the violent monster movies of the 1980s, as there is something awful lurking in the tunnels beneath Trash City. Something that consumes its victims in a very slimy manner.
The action scenes are a blast...literally! With the highlight being Merker's raid on a brothel operated by the crime syndicate behind all the terrible happenings. He's a one-man army in a ghoulish montage of gore and bodies. I wasn't joking about the Rosenberger comparison. It is a smorgasbord of carnage, only without Rosenberger's repugnant racism! Makes me want to read a straight up slice of vigilante action from Berry.
And the horror scenes? It's a testament to Berry's ability that they never feel out of place. He straddles the line in two genres with ease. Possibly because both action and horror are filled with heaping helpings of gooey, squishy violence.
In fact, my only qualm was the lengths he had to go to explain the "monsters" to us. A fair bit of exposition that I didn't really need. They are monsters. They are horrible. That's all the explanation I need/want!
I mean, I never doubted there were bad things in the depths of Trash City. And if you want to risk a peek, go ahead and give this brutal little splatter gem a try.
The core plot is very much in the vein of a 1970s men's adventure novel, with jaded vigilante P.I. Travis Merker digging into the disappearances of working girls the only way he knows how: With a submachine gun and .45 blazing. But then we have the flipside, Berry's ode to the violent monster movies of the 1980s, as there is something awful lurking in the tunnels beneath Trash City. Something that consumes its victims in a very slimy manner.
The action scenes are a blast...literally! With the highlight being Merker's raid on a brothel operated by the crime syndicate behind all the terrible happenings. He's a one-man army in a ghoulish montage of gore and bodies. I wasn't joking about the Rosenberger comparison. It is a smorgasbord of carnage, only without Rosenberger's repugnant racism! Makes me want to read a straight up slice of vigilante action from Berry.
And the horror scenes? It's a testament to Berry's ability that they never feel out of place. He straddles the line in two genres with ease. Possibly because both action and horror are filled with heaping helpings of gooey, squishy violence.
In fact, my only qualm was the lengths he had to go to explain the "monsters" to us. A fair bit of exposition that I didn't really need. They are monsters. They are horrible. That's all the explanation I need/want!
I mean, I never doubted there were bad things in the depths of Trash City. And if you want to risk a peek, go ahead and give this brutal little splatter gem a try.
February 9, 2023
Slick and gritty, horror meets noir fiction in Berry’s action-packed story about hard-edged private detective Travis Merker.
He hunts down the scum of the city, eager to clean the streets of the human detritus that abounds in Trash City.
Christina is a prostitute, who escapes from the violent clutches of the Scarlet House Syndicate and finds her way to Travis, teaming up to get to the bottom of the brutal murders of her peers.
What follows is a smorgasbord of slaughter as they delve deep into the terrifying secrets and face danger beyond this world.
Brian is a master of his craft, showing once again that he can write any genre and pull the reader along for the ride.
I loved this tale, the action started right away and sucked me into a dark, seedy place full of violence and death.
Making it even more impressive was the fact that this was written and published in a ten day challenge.
He hunts down the scum of the city, eager to clean the streets of the human detritus that abounds in Trash City.
Christina is a prostitute, who escapes from the violent clutches of the Scarlet House Syndicate and finds her way to Travis, teaming up to get to the bottom of the brutal murders of her peers.
What follows is a smorgasbord of slaughter as they delve deep into the terrifying secrets and face danger beyond this world.
Brian is a master of his craft, showing once again that he can write any genre and pull the reader along for the ride.
I loved this tale, the action started right away and sucked me into a dark, seedy place full of violence and death.
Making it even more impressive was the fact that this was written and published in a ten day challenge.
May 21, 2023
Grab your fedora, a fifth of bourbon, and throw on your trench coat, it's going to rain...blood! Follow PI Merker as he hunts down junkie scum and tries to save a brothel full of endangered beauties from those that lurk in the dark tunnels of a riverside murder maze. Can he beat the well armed gang? Will the creatures be stopped? Will any of the girls ever live to see another sunrise? Grab a fresh pack of smokes and head on down to Trash City to find out!
April 26, 2023
Gore ,violence, and hookers. Every man's dream. This book was just as good as the other 2 in the series.
January 13, 2024
Awesome, fast paced little book. The author has a very alluring style and a great vocabulary for gory violence. Hope to read some of his other work soon.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews