Taste

by Matthew Pinch

THE DINNER BELL HAS RUNG and if Amity Marin isn't fast enough, he will consume everything she loves. In the summer of 1997, Debbie Briggs frees herself from the sadness of losing her husband while her son plays with his stray kitties in the vacant lot next door. Six weeks later, the police pull the boy from her decomposing remains. Decades later, Jimmy Briggs is a man obsessed with reviving his lost maternal connection. This pursuit feeds a dark, escalating compulsion, casting fear that a predator is hunting in Portland, Oregon. When Detective Amity Marin’s sister vanishes, an obsessive search leads to a methodical but unraveling suspect. Amity must piece together shards of a broken mind before the vile plans of a homicidal maniac advance to control and devour everything important to her.

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Dark, Ebooks

320 pages, Paperback

Published September 3, 2023

About the author

As a child of the eighties, I grew up in the golden age of creepy news segments, focussed on serial killers and psychos. To me, those years were also the holiest of horror and psychological movie eras (even if a lot of them were remakes). Both reasons are likely a contributing factor to why I write the way I do, but the truth is I like a simple story of good against evil. I love creativity and spend most of my limited free time reading, writing, and playing music. Taste is my first novel and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it.

You can learn more about my upcoming projects at Matthew Pinch

Reviews

[RAVEN · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are looking for a creepy killer insight read with Hannibal vibes,this is the perfect read for you in the spooky season. I really enjoyed it, but I'll be honest it grossed me out. The author did a delightful job of keeping me entertained and engrossed in the story. Thank you to the author and the publisher for the free arc copy of this book. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Kristin Scearce · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm really on the fence about this book. On the one hand, it's an interesting storyline, albeit quite descriptive and a little over the top at times. On the other, it jumps around a lot between characters, is repetitive in several spots, and the timeline is kind of all over the place to where it's difficult to keep track of who's where at what point, how long it's been since the last time we were with that character, etc. The ending felt a bit rushed, IMO, compared to the lengthy description of everything leading up to it, but it was still somewhat satisfying. I would be interested in reading more by this author, as his writing style pulls you in, even when the actual words create quite a distressing image (which is the point, of course).

3 stars

**I received an ARC copy from BookSirens and am leaving this review voluntarily. All thoughts and comments contained within are my own.**

[Eclectic Review · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holy Bloody Buckets!  This incredibly creepy horror story will surely send shivers down your spine. In this chilling tale, people are disappearing without a trace and we are introduced to a vicious serial killer and a desperate detective engaged in a cat and mouse game. The suspense is palpable, leaving you on the edge of your seat, wondering how it will all end.

Mr. Pinch does a remarkable job of enticing the reader down a macabre rabbit hole, making it incredibly challenging to return to normalcy. This nightmare-inducing story had me cringing and despairing over the horrifying outcomes faced by the victims. The suspense is unfathomable, as just when you believe escape is inevitable, evil strikes again, leaving you breathless with anticipation.

While the multitude of characters initially caused some confusion, Mr. Pinch skillfully unravels their significance to the plot, gradually revealing their secrets and fears. However, I must admit that I occasionally felt lost as the story abruptly shifted from one character to another without any warning.

If you consider yourself a true horror aficionado, then brace yourself for Mr. Pinch's gruesome debut novel. I am anxiously awaiting his next terrifying tale.

Thank you to Mr. Pinch for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review.

[Cherise Isabella · Rating 3 out of 5]

This books premise has lots of potential, I absolutely love when as a reader, we get a POV from the antagonist so we can truly experience their twisted and demented mind. This book delivered on that. It also delivered on the gore and man oh man was it gory. It wasn't the worst thing I've read, but it's definitely up there.
They were wayyyy to many POVs though. Now usually I don't mind it, but in this case it distracted from the main attraction and I got confused quite a bit. Over time I became very uninterested in the story and just wanted it to be over. Even the plot twist didn't garner much of a reaction from me, I was that over it.
The ending was also rushed, and didn't wrap up as nicely as I would've liked.
The dialogue was also a little strange and at times repetitive. The entire in investigation did not come off as realistic, not to mention the many coincidences that again were not that realistic to me.
Now I know the author is working on a sequel, and I'd love to read it just to see how everything ties together and hopefully that one is better.
Thank you to Booksirens, the author and publisher for my eARC of this read. All opinions are 100% my own.

[Anissa Yanira · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 ⭐️

This book is not for the faint of heart. I feel like the book may be more classified as horror but it didn’t bother me.

It was creepy, gory, and violent so if that is your thing, I’d recommend reading this book. (I will say if you are a sensitive reader, you might want to skip.)

I had never really read anything like this in the level of detail that was written but
the mystery kept me going and for that I say it was a really good book. I was captivated since page 1.

However, I will say that although Matthew has a way to continue pulling you back into the story, I sometimes found it a little confusing with the addition of the characters. It was kind of hard to follow at times but I’d definitely love to read more from this author as I truly enjoyed the writing style.

*received this copy from booksirens*

[janine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now if you love a creepy, sinister tale with vibes of 'Hannibal this is the book for you!

From the very start it gives a dark ominous feeling which just keeps growing the deeper you get into the book.

At times the story dips and lulls but its fleeting before the author throws in something shocking to grab hold of you again.

The characters are well padded and the storyline is well executed. I'll admit at times it felt quite heavy handed, hence the 4⭐ but it was a grossly enjoyable read, not for the faint hearted!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you to Booksirens for the ARC.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved the plot and characters. I loved the violence and the gore (with a capital G.) Lots of explicit Gore. The mystery was very puzzling and intriguing.
My issues: There was psycho babble that I couldn't follow. The author would write issues or situations with metaphores that I couldn't follow or get. I would have to read on to learn what really happened. Then there were parts that were just unbelievable.
All in all, I really enjoyed this book.

[Tabatha Slagle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really don't have the words to describe this book. It will definitely stick with me. I can't really even give a synopsis without giving away things. There are lulls in the book but he pulls you right back in with one shocking line. The end, I never expected. This book has triggers and is psychologically intense. I can't say I loved it because I feel that would make me no better than the bad characters of the book. It is not for the faint of heart but it is worth a read if you can stomach it.

[Caitlyn Strubinger-Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you’re a fan of Hannibal Lecter you will like this book. It’s a bit to similar and heavy handed for me to give it 5 stars, but it was still an enjoyable read. The characters are fully fleshed out and the details are well written. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Kimberly · Rating 2 out of 5]

too complicated

It might just be me, but I found this book hard to follow. Lots of unmemorable characters besides Jimmy and Amnity so I completely lost the plot. Jimmy’s story had a lot of promise but the others didn’t really fit in for me. 2.5 stars

[Fayma Shedelbower · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finding a killer or killer's

This writing Ill me to places that only someone mentally ill could do all of the killings. I was turning pages and reading because I did not want to put it down.

[Aneta · Rating 1 out of 5]

I could not get into this book - it's written in chunks that lacked enough context for me to hold onto until more is revealed. I lost patience about 20% in where nothing made sense except the fact that many people were pissed.

[Emily Lowry · Rating 5 out of 5]

It has been nearly a year since I read this book, but I still think about it often. I loved it so much. It was horror and psychological thriller and mystery and everything that I love in a book. I cannot wait for the sequel.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free ARC of this book, and I am leaving an honest and voluntary review. This is a dark, twisted tale that will have you gripped. I like the switch between characer voices within the book, but it's (deliberately) hard to tell who is a reliable narrator. This deals with taboo topics, so isn't for the faint-hearted