The Winslow Sisters

by Michael Aronovitz

Serial killer Michael Leonard Robinson murdered thirteen college coeds in early 2018, impaling them on flagpoles and leaving them on highway construction jobsites for the purpose of “haunting the dawn rush hour.” Police called him “The Scarecrow Killer,” until he revealed in an otherwise cryptic note left for police on March 13th, 2018, that he thought of his “dolls” more as “sculptures.”

It was believed that The Sculptor killer perished in a massive explosion at the Mount Airy Forge in North Philadelphia at the stroke of midnight, July 18th, 2018. Authorities recovered a foot in a rubber slush boot and one arm in the blast area. They could not find the rest of the body.

Last night, widower Professor Brad Winslow read a disturbing paper turned in by one of his students who had so far attended the Zoom class with the camera off. Most of the “paper” was smut, yet it did not have a college freshman’s feel to it. There was a cruel joy here, as if the author was a damaged yet seasoned adult expecting the reader to find the dark writing poetic. Then, was the conclusion

Professor Winslow, I have been watching your darling Sage, the artsy tenth grader, Jody the eighth-grade tomboy, and Esther the spoiled seven-year-old, bless her heart. Here is the deal. Go to the police and I will skin the girls to the bone one square inch at a time with an X-Acto blade and a pair of splinter forceps tweezers. It will be live-streamed. You will be duct-taped to a chair with your head in a vice and your eyelids sewn open. Or . . .The Winslow Sisters will be my pawns, while you, Professor, will be my Treasure Hunter, Snake Catcher, Lord of the Worms. My new accomplice.

"Aronovitz (Phantom Effect) cranks the horrors up to 11 in a novel whose macabre machinations are so outrageously over the top that they burlesque the splatter and fright films referenced in each of his book’s 34 chapter titles—as well as the genre in general. This is only for horror fans with the strongest stomachs" - Publisher's Weekly

Michael Aronovitz writes the Bio/Reviews and Press releases for the rock and heavy metal label Eclipse Records. He is a college professor of English and lives in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania with his wife Kim.

Genres: Horror, Thriller

334 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 13, 2024

About the author

Novels:
Alice Walks
The Witch of the Wood

Collections:
Seven Deadly Pleasures
The Voices in Our Heads

Writer of Reviews and Criticism on / in:
Hellnotes
The Weird Fiction Review
Chiaroscuro
The Australian Metro

Anthologies:
Searchers After Horror
The Year's Best Dark Fantasy and Horror

Upcoming:
Novel- "Phantom Effect" Night Shade Books / February 2016
Novel- "Becky's Kiss" Vinspire Press / November 2015 under the pseudonym Nicholas Fisher

Reviews

[Debra Every · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Winslow Sisters is, what I like to call, a triple threat novel. Right from chapter one, the story hits where it hurts. A single father’s three daughters, in danger. There isn’t a parent on the planet that won’t be scared down to their bones. The girls are seven, fourteen, and seventeen, each with her own distinctive personality. And their banter with each other and with their father is spot on. This three-dimensional depiction of the Winslow family roots the horror in reality which makes it all the more terrifying.

Secondly, Aronovitz’s pacing is absolute perfection. We get a taste of fear from the start that manages to whet our appetite without giving anything away. He then leads us down a path with twists and turns, keeping the tension going right to the end. You'll reach the last chapter without even realizing you were close.

Lastly, his prose is masterfully crafted. The reader will barely notice the scaffolding on which this story is built—which is the mark of great writing. Every sentence is balanced. Every paragraph, every chapter, a bull’s eye.

So yes, the horror in this book is visceral, gory, at times disgusting. But there’s more here than meets the eye. Three-dimensional characters that hit you right in the gut. BUY THIS BOOK.

[Milt Theo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Michael Aronovitz's 'The Winslow Sisters,' is the direct sequel to his previous book, 'The Sculptor,' a terrific serial killer novel written with intelligence and wit. In 'The Winslow Sisters,' Aronovitz seems prepared to finish the story with a huge bang, taking the Sculptor's tale into a very different direction. Although the intricate game of cat-and-mouse that made such a deep impression in the previous novel crops up here too, the focus of the novel is not so much the Sculptor himself and his insane shenanigans, as the three girls who end up having to face him head on. Aronovitz has taken great care to make sure that the novel can be read as a standalone, to the point that even though old characters do make an appearance, it's only the new ones that get the spotlight.

I have to confess that it didn't always feel as a sequel to me, since the kind of twists and the sort of demands which the Sculptor forces on the girls are far more extreme and gorier than anything that's transpired before; plus their father is the one who's first involved, and the turn to the daughters came as a surprise (it comes very early in the novel, so no spoiler there!). Information comes in very small doses, yet the book is not a slow-burn. The developments are very well thought through, often surprising and much often even downright bizarre; still, we learn of the sisters on the fly, their whole mental and psychological make up unfolds page by page as we read, the only givens the Sculptor's voice and his menacing presence.

On the surface, this is a slasher story, with lots of horror movie references, and the Winslow Sisters are supposed to be "final girls." I don't think this entirely works, however: there's too much unpredictability, too much weirdness, for this to be a typical slasher tale. It's wordy, and detailed, and full of jaw-dropping moments, the latter not because of the gore or the killings, but because the central characters' decisions and ways of thinking are very hard to fully understand. That said, the book does provide closure to one of the best and smartest serial killer tales around! Highly recommended!

[Aaron McQuiston · Rating 4 out of 5]

In The Winslow Sisters, Michael Aronovitz adds a new chapter to the Michael Leonard Robinson story. Robinson is the serial killer in The Sculptor, and I have not read this novel. Even though it is a sequel, you do not have to have read the first to understand any of The Winslow Sisters. Robinson escapes his death in a true slasher movie fashion, by surviving a fire that has limited his life but not his desire to kill. He has found a way to use technology to continue his “art”, and his target is the three Winslow sisters, Jody, Sage, and Esther, and their widower father. When he infiltrates their lives, weird things start happening and in the end, the three daughters have to find and fight Robinson for their survival.

This is a “suspend all belief” horror novel. So many of the things that Robinson does to the Winslow family and to all of the people who help him are so unbelievable and the holes in the story are so large that the best way to enjoy the novel is to not question anything. Think of it as a slasher movie that has the protagonist doing the wildest things to survive and the antagonist not only having every bit of technology at his disposal but also having unlimited funds and resources to get it done. Like many of our favorite horror movies, they are fun to watch but if you scratch the surface, the story starts to fall apart. 

Some of The Winslow Sisters is really good, and some of it is just conveniently weird to move the story along. I really found myself liking the Winslow sisters as the final girls. They are written different enough to see them as individuals instead of just one girl split into three, which is very easy to do when writing siblings. Esther is only seven, and I have a seven year old as well, so many of the things that she does is unbelievable, but a great deal of the story is unbelievable so why not? Aronovitz does give us glimpses of the teenage ennui they feel toward Robinson that I wish he would have leaned into a little harder, but I like all three of the sisters. They are honestly final girls that we cheer for.

[Amanda S. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Where do I even begin? First, am I the only person that had absolutely no clue this was a sequel? No where in the description are we told that this is a sequel or that this Robinson character is from another book. I felt lost a good bit, as though the author assumed I had knowledge I did not, which led me to do a deeper dive and determine that this book is in fact, as sequel. So let's begin with the disappointment of realizing that I might be lost for a while as I try to figure out what happened in the first book without taking on the task of having to read another book(that didn't have great reviews either).

Why did he choose Winslow? Well, you won't even figure that out until the end when Robinson finally gets the sisters alone and tells them he is looking for a daughter and is choosing one of them. So all the stuff in the beginning of the book was get "Poppy" out of the way.

There are things that make no sense, and the characters have knowledge that clearly only other characters would have. When we are following the thoughts of one sister and she's thinking things that only one of the other sisters has knowledge of, it gets confusing. I found myself re-reading entire pages to make sure I wasn't missing something or mixing up characters.

There are things that are never explained, and maybe it's because it's so improbable that there is no way to explain it. Having our villain simply say "I don't think you want a science lesson" as a way to not have to explain to your readers how something could be possible is a lazy way out. I found myself saying out loud "But I want that science lesson". We end this book with an epilogue where the child of one of the sisters is required to eat parts of Poppy, but that's not really explained well either.

This book most likely will not appeal to the masses, it's clearly designed for a very specific reader, and I don't seem to be it.

[Sammi Dyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 - 3 3/4 Stars

THE WINSLOW SISTERS written by Micheal Aronovitz
This tale gets freakier and freakier as you read. The thought of mind control is a very frightening. I really liked all the twists and turns, which leaves you wondering what’s next. But way too many miner details peppered throughout, that just really do not add anything special to the storyline. For instance, if they stand on the left or the right, where things hang. Like how the curtains hang or their color etc. Such a word salad. It fills about 1/16th of the book. So exasperating and takes away from the excitement & horror that lays ahead. I did loved the creepy ending and over all it was a good story. Just a little too wordy for my liking.

[Josette Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

When a serial killer sends you an email explaining how you are going to commit atrocious acts, I guess you would have to respond. Poppy did not want to follow ‘The Sculptor commands but how can he get out of the acts when all he holds dear is threatened. It is easy for the reader to say, “No way would I do that!”. The reader can have that luxury because, well, it is a story. I cannot imagine the fleeting thoughts that would go through my mind. Just being a participant in the reading of this book made me feel ever so glad this was fiction. The scene at the end of the book had me feeling many emotions; anger, fear, helplessness and sadness. What an excellent horror read!

[Joan Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you, Michael Aronovitz

The story had some awesome gore scenes that I really enjoyed. At first, this story does not flow smoothly, especially in the beginning. The story pays homage to several classic movies. I liked the story and will definitely read this author again.



Dysfunctional Family Dynamics
Supernatural
Cosmic/ Lovecraftian

[Larson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. At times, I felt like the tech aspect of things was a little unrealistic but loved everything else. It was everything I like about Natasha Preston and Tiffany D. Jackson's work turned to 11. I also really liked The Warning reference at the end. There were some parts that were kind of creepy and not like horror novel creepy if that makes any sense. But overall fun read.

[Vista Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.8/5

review coming soon