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House of Skin
William Zero, a.k.a. Dr. Blood-and-Bones. One of the most infamous butchers in U.S. history, a serial killer who skinned and dissected his victims. He killed a dozen people and then vanished without a trace. Now his deranged son, Eddy, is searching for him. He believes his father escaped into an alternate reality and the only way to follow him is by recreating his crimes and opening the doorway to Hell. And as Eddy hunts his father, he is hunted. Dr. Lisa Lochmere, a psychiatrist is hot on his trail, motivated by sexual obsessions she can't even begin to understand. When she was a teenager she had an affair with an older man that turned into brutal abuse. Years later, she discovered her lover was none other than William Zero. And ever since, despite herself, she has had a certain sexual compulsion concerning him. A compulsion that only grew when Eddy was placed under her care at an asylum, only to be released by her superiors prematurely. Now she has tracked Eddy to San Francisco—the scene of his father's crimes. She intends to find him, telling herself it's for his own good and a book she wants to write, but in reality the reasons are much more personal. She has enlisted the help of James Fenn, a homicide detective, who wants to help her, but in reality has fallen in love with her, a woman who can know no love, only obsession. As Eddy kills and kills again and Fenn falls deeper in love with her, Lisa is drawn to the house where Zero dispatched his victims, believing it to be the place where Eddy is most likely to go. But it isn't Eddy she finds there, but something far worse. Nothing—and no one—is what they seem in the House of Skin.
- GenresHorrorSplatterpunkAdult
296 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 13, 2013
8 people are currently reading
246 people want to read
About the author
Tim Curran
149 books600 followersTim Curran lives in Michigan and is the author of the novels Skin Medicine, Hive, Dead Sea, Resurrection, The Devil Next Door, and Biohazard, as well as the novella The Corpse King. His short stories have appeared in such magazines as City Slab, Flesh&Blood, Book of Dark Wisdom, and Inhuman, and anthologies such as Shivers IV, High Seas Cthulhu, and Vile Things.
For DarkFuse and its imprints, he has written the bestselling The Underdwelling, the Readers Choice-Nominated novella Fear Me, Puppet Graveyard as well as Long Black Coffin.
Find him on the web at: www.corpseking.com.
For DarkFuse and its imprints, he has written the bestselling The Underdwelling, the Readers Choice-Nominated novella Fear Me, Puppet Graveyard as well as Long Black Coffin.
Find him on the web at: www.corpseking.com.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
September 14, 2017
Another fantastic read from Tim Curran. A great story!
March 30, 2018
I have to admit that I was getting perpetually confused throughout the first 40% of the book or so, trying to remember who was who, and the different times that Curran kept jumping into. Then there came a point (nearly half way through), that everything just "clicked" and started to make sense. I was able to quickly differentiate between past/present, and understood (most of) the individual characters and their motivations. At that point, you couldn't have pried this book from my hands until I had completely finished it.
Make no mistake, this was a very complex book, with so many layers to delve into that you really do need to put aside other books to give it your undivided attention. That being said, Curran remains, in my mind, an exceptional author with an absolutely brilliant imagination. Although this wasn't my favorite of his stories, it is certainly worth the read. (Personal favorites of mine include, DEAD SEA, GRAVEWORM, LONG, BLACK COFFIN, and the novellas: FEAR ME, PUPPET GRAVEYARD, and THE UNDERDWELLING).
Recommended.
Make no mistake, this was a very complex book, with so many layers to delve into that you really do need to put aside other books to give it your undivided attention. That being said, Curran remains, in my mind, an exceptional author with an absolutely brilliant imagination. Although this wasn't my favorite of his stories, it is certainly worth the read. (Personal favorites of mine include, DEAD SEA, GRAVEWORM, LONG, BLACK COFFIN, and the novellas: FEAR ME, PUPPET GRAVEYARD, and THE UNDERDWELLING).
Recommended.
November 30, 2013
To date this was the longest book I've read on Kindle. One of the strangest ones as well. Tim Curran is unquestionably one of the most talented recent horror authors, but this book didn't seem to be in line with his usual work. It sort of read like Curran's version of Books of Blood or, more precisely, Hellraiser, complete with britishisms that seemed out of place for modern day San Francisco. The writing was on and off in quality, jumping around just like the constant switching narratives. There was also an overwhelming lack of likable characters as well as a somewhat unreliable narrator. But all those factors aside, it was definitely a highly entertaining highly disturbing read that packed quite a few genuine scares. Curran's work always seems to be awesomely original, which is so very welcome in a genre easily populated with clichés and whatever creatures are currently in vogue. Originality is definitely House of Skin's greatest strength. There are some creation there, specifically The Territories and Sisters, that are absolutely spectacular and exceptionally well realized. The story does get bogged down over time with just much too much weirdness and plot twists, distractingly so, but it's very readable, despite having so much going on. Basically an excellent idea, several excellent ideas really, with a sort of jumbled up execution. Reader be warned, there are obscene amounts of graphic violence of sexual and otherwise nature. Heavy duty genre fans would be pleased.
June 14, 2014
Another awesome story by Curran.I was on the edge of my seat with this one!!It was creepy suspenseful and gory:)
March 27, 2015
I wanted to like this book more. There was so much to like! It fell short in my opinion though. Oddly enough I still might recommend this because I think not everyone would be bugged so much by the things I was.
1st, There was to much going on. Like in the second season of American horror story where they were dealing with the asylum, possession, rapist doctor, the things outside etc. It was all to much and would have been way more effective it they would have just concentrated on one or two things. Same here.
2nd, I'm pretty sure all the characters were insane, not just the ones that were supposed to be insane. The cop, the psychiatrist, the likable guy who is at the wrong place at the wrong time, everyone. Goes along with my theory of to much going on.
3rd, Curran has a problem with redundancy. I don't like when an author thinks I might not have caught something the first time so maybe I need to hear it two maybe even three more times. He's done this in other books as well, I wish he would stop.
Bottom line, I think Tim Curran is a great horror writer, but he's hit or miss. Blackout was fantastic, sow was terrifying, but with Dead Sea and this one I think the redundancies got to me. It's worth checking out though, not everyone is as nit-picky as I am about this stuff.
1st, There was to much going on. Like in the second season of American horror story where they were dealing with the asylum, possession, rapist doctor, the things outside etc. It was all to much and would have been way more effective it they would have just concentrated on one or two things. Same here.
2nd, I'm pretty sure all the characters were insane, not just the ones that were supposed to be insane. The cop, the psychiatrist, the likable guy who is at the wrong place at the wrong time, everyone. Goes along with my theory of to much going on.
3rd, Curran has a problem with redundancy. I don't like when an author thinks I might not have caught something the first time so maybe I need to hear it two maybe even three more times. He's done this in other books as well, I wish he would stop.
Bottom line, I think Tim Curran is a great horror writer, but he's hit or miss. Blackout was fantastic, sow was terrifying, but with Dead Sea and this one I think the redundancies got to me. It's worth checking out though, not everyone is as nit-picky as I am about this stuff.
January 7, 2024
A serial killer novel with multiple killers, 2 insane doctors and a cop. Who will survive this nonstop bloodbath? Only the corpses can tell. Great book!
March 9, 2014
Tim Curran's ascent to the top of the horror genre continues with his latest offering, House of Skin. Eddy Zero never knew his father, Dr. William Zero, except for what he read in newspaper clippings. Dr. Zero, aka Dr. Blood-and-Bones, disappeared after becoming a legendary serial killer. Eddy believes that the best way to find him is to emulate him - become him. As Eddy seeks his father, there is also someone who seeks Eddy. Pyschiatrist Lisa Lochmere knows the danger that Eddy poses, and so she tracks him. She is eager to make her name in her field by writing a book about this extraordinary case. At least that is what she tries to convince herself is her motive.
The book flashes back to the rise of William Zero and his associates, Grimes and Stadtler. First they share in the more extreme pleasures of the flesh. Then they escalate to using their victims to understand the human mind pushed to its limits. Back in the present day Eddy and his associate, Spider, begin their journey, weaving their murderous way through the seedy streets of San Francisco.
This book has something for everyone, from demons to returning undead, serial killing, and torture. It's a smorgasboard of dark delights. This is brutal and vivid writing, and definitely not for the squeamish. Flesh is cut and splayed, sliced and diced, and plenty of blood is spilled. While the gore is powerful, the characterizations are similarly strong. The main players, Lisa and Eddy, have a complex relationship, but even more minor characters such as the detective, Fenn, and reluctant witness Gulliver, are still well developed. Gulliver was a very entertaining character, as was the deranged lover and sometimes partner of Eddy, Cherry Hill.
The theme of secret gateways to places beyond the known brought to mind Clive Barker's works. While the puzzle box opened the doorway to Barker's hell, the artistry of flesh is Dr. Zero's key to the Territories - a place for sadists beyond our realm, where entrance must be earned. Both places' inhabitants share the delight of sweet suffering. These comparisons are a compliment though, and this book is in no way derivative of Barker. Another strong theme is obsession, played out in Eddy's need to find his father, his and Spider's fanatical pursuit of entrance into the Territories, Lochmere's obsession with Eddy, and Cherry's desire for Eddy. Such obsession rarely brings a positive outcome.
Curran weaves a masterful story, sewing the lives of the different characters together perfectly, like sutures over razored skin. There are plenty of twists that you won't see coming and it is such a joy as a reader when predictability goes out the window. It all comes together for a suitably climatic finale. This is a thoroughly enjoyable book and I highly recommend it.
The book flashes back to the rise of William Zero and his associates, Grimes and Stadtler. First they share in the more extreme pleasures of the flesh. Then they escalate to using their victims to understand the human mind pushed to its limits. Back in the present day Eddy and his associate, Spider, begin their journey, weaving their murderous way through the seedy streets of San Francisco.
This book has something for everyone, from demons to returning undead, serial killing, and torture. It's a smorgasboard of dark delights. This is brutal and vivid writing, and definitely not for the squeamish. Flesh is cut and splayed, sliced and diced, and plenty of blood is spilled. While the gore is powerful, the characterizations are similarly strong. The main players, Lisa and Eddy, have a complex relationship, but even more minor characters such as the detective, Fenn, and reluctant witness Gulliver, are still well developed. Gulliver was a very entertaining character, as was the deranged lover and sometimes partner of Eddy, Cherry Hill.
The theme of secret gateways to places beyond the known brought to mind Clive Barker's works. While the puzzle box opened the doorway to Barker's hell, the artistry of flesh is Dr. Zero's key to the Territories - a place for sadists beyond our realm, where entrance must be earned. Both places' inhabitants share the delight of sweet suffering. These comparisons are a compliment though, and this book is in no way derivative of Barker. Another strong theme is obsession, played out in Eddy's need to find his father, his and Spider's fanatical pursuit of entrance into the Territories, Lochmere's obsession with Eddy, and Cherry's desire for Eddy. Such obsession rarely brings a positive outcome.
Curran weaves a masterful story, sewing the lives of the different characters together perfectly, like sutures over razored skin. There are plenty of twists that you won't see coming and it is such a joy as a reader when predictability goes out the window. It all comes together for a suitably climatic finale. This is a thoroughly enjoyable book and I highly recommend it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 18, 2020
This book surprised me substantially. I've read more than half of what Tim Curran has on the market. Some of his other books are good, but none prepared me for how hooked I was going to get on this story.
Curran's work is raw, and that is still true of this. It is always a rough and wild ride if the book is remotely good by him. His less good books get so wild that they hardly make sense, but this rode that edge better than I knew he was capable of.
What I prize most about books like this is not being entirely sure of where they are going. There were things I was sure of from the beginning, and I wasn't wrong on them. Yet, the turns that this book took were unusual and gripping.
It's easy to compare this to Hellraiser because of similar themes, but this in particular managed to honor that horror tradition without repeating it. What really sets it apart is the obsessive nature of the characters that is so vivid that I felt myself becoming obsessed with unraveling the mysteries of this book.
A good horror novel answers just enough questions to leave you satisfied, while leaving enough to the imagination to terrify you. That is where House of Skin delivers. At the end of reading it straight through the first time in four hours I felt like I had been on the ride of my life. The next day I reread several chapters, piecing together bits I had missed and getting to better understand the twisted world and tale that had just been told to me.
There are only two other works of Curran that compare; Puppet Graveyard and Symbiosis. I really wanted Doll Face to reach the level of mad genius that these did, but unfortunately it went off the rails with how mad it was.
Reading this convinced me that Curran's prior masterpieces were no fluke. He is capable of creating memorable scenes and stories that haunt you for a long time after. His characters are some of the most complex in modern horror. His word use is wonderfully enticing.
What I get out of reading him is that I feel like I've found that rare horror novel that feels like the black tar heroin of fiction. Books like this make me feel like I've gotten a long sought out and rarely found hit of that beautiful feeling that a clever and entrancing story that stays with me that keeps me reading and rereading my favorite novels year after year.
This is going to be in my top ten Horror novels of the decade and I would have to read thousands more to find anything to budge it from my top thriller pick of this century.
On a more pragmatic note this book is an amazing bargain for the quality. I've read $25 kindle books that couldn't even come close, and when I was picking out two or three small books to get myself with my Christmas money this showed up and blew the rest of my options away.
Curran's work is raw, and that is still true of this. It is always a rough and wild ride if the book is remotely good by him. His less good books get so wild that they hardly make sense, but this rode that edge better than I knew he was capable of.
What I prize most about books like this is not being entirely sure of where they are going. There were things I was sure of from the beginning, and I wasn't wrong on them. Yet, the turns that this book took were unusual and gripping.
It's easy to compare this to Hellraiser because of similar themes, but this in particular managed to honor that horror tradition without repeating it. What really sets it apart is the obsessive nature of the characters that is so vivid that I felt myself becoming obsessed with unraveling the mysteries of this book.
A good horror novel answers just enough questions to leave you satisfied, while leaving enough to the imagination to terrify you. That is where House of Skin delivers. At the end of reading it straight through the first time in four hours I felt like I had been on the ride of my life. The next day I reread several chapters, piecing together bits I had missed and getting to better understand the twisted world and tale that had just been told to me.
There are only two other works of Curran that compare; Puppet Graveyard and Symbiosis. I really wanted Doll Face to reach the level of mad genius that these did, but unfortunately it went off the rails with how mad it was.
Reading this convinced me that Curran's prior masterpieces were no fluke. He is capable of creating memorable scenes and stories that haunt you for a long time after. His characters are some of the most complex in modern horror. His word use is wonderfully enticing.
What I get out of reading him is that I feel like I've found that rare horror novel that feels like the black tar heroin of fiction. Books like this make me feel like I've gotten a long sought out and rarely found hit of that beautiful feeling that a clever and entrancing story that stays with me that keeps me reading and rereading my favorite novels year after year.
This is going to be in my top ten Horror novels of the decade and I would have to read thousands more to find anything to budge it from my top thriller pick of this century.
On a more pragmatic note this book is an amazing bargain for the quality. I've read $25 kindle books that couldn't even come close, and when I was picking out two or three small books to get myself with my Christmas money this showed up and blew the rest of my options away.
January 18, 2014
I really loved it. Very Clive Barker Esque. But the ideas drew me me, I love(actually hated?) all the characters, and the mysteries were great.
One thing was a little over the top, but I forgave it.
One thing was a little over the top, but I forgave it.
June 28, 2015
Tim Curran is an awesome writter. Unfortunate this one bored the shit out of me.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews