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October Roses
“Unusual things have a tendency to happen at Limestone College. Especially around Halloween. When Caitlin’s boyfriend gave her the roses, she thought it was a sweet, romantic gesture…until the nightmares started. And the murders. Had Caitlin somehow tapped into the mind of a killer…or had she become a killer herself? With the help of her friends and a campus security guard, Caitlin must figure out what is going on before she loses her mind and anyone else loses their lives…”
88 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 6, 2014
This is how a 57 pages book should be, great read.
October 15, 2016
A well-written and engaging novella about possession and the tenuous link between nightmares and waking reality (one of my favorite themes in horror literature).
June 28, 2013
Mark Allan Gunnells gives us novella about ghosts, obsession, and murder in his tale October Roses. The story centers on a group of college students doing what every student does. They party, date, have sex, and go adventuring for dark places around Halloween. Only this time, two young men stir up far more than just the shivers as they stumble across the unmarked grave of a long-dead killer.
The story opens with the hunt for the grave of a serial killer. I groaned. Not another serial killer. As I read, I realized the serial killer element was simply a plot device to establish our sinister specter. It was designed to make him feel more menacing. The actual story revolves around Kurt and his group of friends in the aftermath of their gruesome discovery. Gunnells builds the suspense well, and we get a very grim surprise in the end (no spoilers, but good intentions and all that come into play here). There are challenging questions about the timelessness of evil set against the possibility of madness and obsession.
While the narrative is wonderfully done, the characters are lackluster. Perhaps because of the length, we never get fully fleshed out personalities. There’s little depth to the primary characters and the secondary characters seem to only serve as plot propulsion. As the murders began, I did not care enough about the characters to give their loss meaning.
The narrative is the real strength of this one. Gunnells gives us an old-fashioned Gothic tale that walks that borderland between supernatural and a disturbed psychology. Kurt’s sanity is always in question, but Gunnells skillfullt gives us enough paranormal horror to believe anything and nothing. A good read.
Originally published at Horror Novel Reviews
The story opens with the hunt for the grave of a serial killer. I groaned. Not another serial killer. As I read, I realized the serial killer element was simply a plot device to establish our sinister specter. It was designed to make him feel more menacing. The actual story revolves around Kurt and his group of friends in the aftermath of their gruesome discovery. Gunnells builds the suspense well, and we get a very grim surprise in the end (no spoilers, but good intentions and all that come into play here). There are challenging questions about the timelessness of evil set against the possibility of madness and obsession.
While the narrative is wonderfully done, the characters are lackluster. Perhaps because of the length, we never get fully fleshed out personalities. There’s little depth to the primary characters and the secondary characters seem to only serve as plot propulsion. As the murders began, I did not care enough about the characters to give their loss meaning.
The narrative is the real strength of this one. Gunnells gives us an old-fashioned Gothic tale that walks that borderland between supernatural and a disturbed psychology. Kurt’s sanity is always in question, but Gunnells skillfullt gives us enough paranormal horror to believe anything and nothing. A good read.
Originally published at Horror Novel Reviews
April 14, 2013
This was another really fun read.I heard about this book on the subordination web site.Thought I would give it a try and now I look forward to reading more from this author
October 27, 2013
What could be better than a gift of roses? Maybe candy would have been a better choice because these roses have been tainted with evil. A solid October time read.
October 17, 2016
A winner of a novella from Mr. Gunnells. Good characterization and pacing, plus a supernatural mystery that draws you in and rewards you with a final act you won't see coming. Well done!
October 20, 2016
A smart little Halloween novella.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews