eight cases of Jane

by Ryan J. Powell

Warning to the reader: this document contains acts that some may deem offensive, including cannibalism, torture, gore, Satanism, biblical references, outdated medical terminology, inflammatory LGBTQIA+ subject matter, and more.

Jane Murphy killed eight men between the dates of October 1995 and January 1996. This is Jane's psychiatric interview.

Genres: Horror, Dark, Novella, Horror Thriller, Fiction, Queer, Crime

112 pages, Paperback

Published April 28, 2024

Reviews

[Peter Topside · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this one. Not sure of the lower ratings. The ending maybe felt a little short and quick, but I really enjoyed everything else. Jane and all of her personalities were fun to dive into. And even the interviewer, Dr. Lippens, wasn't used as a main character, but more so as an intermedium between Jane and the reader. However, Ryan Powell dribbled tidbits about him that made the dynamics of the interview much deeper and intense. Nothing to necessarily take the attention off Jane, but enough to keep the reader totally engaged, wanting to know more. And, despite the story taking place in a single office with an extremely select few characters, everything hit all the right notes, from the pacing to the length and the extent of the gore factor. A very good outing that makes the most out of a possession/serial killer type premises, horror nuts should give this one their attention.

[Jan Agaton · Rating 5 out of 5]

that was fucking disgusting, 5 stars. I'm so glad I picked this up on a whim

[nineinchnovels · Rating 1 out of 5]

Eight cases of trying too hard.

[Maritza · Rating 2 out of 5]

These were my thoughts as I read it:

-So many lines from popular movies/shows

-Why are people barging into the therapy/interrogation every chapter 🥴

-dang they take a lot of breaks and go out for snacks lol

[Kat · Rating 1 out of 5]

Started out really good but lost me at the end. Felt like it was rushed and not well thought out.

[Tiannah J♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good & quick little horror story!

I wish it was slightly longer to take a bit more time with some of the details. It felt a little like whiplash there at the end with things coming to a head so quickly.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

This girl’s girl really likes stew.

[The Pastel Bookshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well Jane is a bit unhinged isn’t she!

[julia · Rating 2 out of 5]

such a good concept but the writing got campy and repetitive towards the end. had me like “didn’t i just read this sentence?”.

[♡ retrovvitches ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

i devoured this in pretty much one sitting. this was creepy and unique. really enjoyed the themes behind everything, i wouldn’t say it was predictable but it was everything i thought it would be

[♡Rissa♡ (sparklylibros) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick little scary novella
Liked it but soooo many questions left lol

[Georgia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 rounded down. I just wanted so much more from this that it actually hurts. Love love love the plot, but I just wasn’t satisfied with this. Will definitely be reading more from the author though!

[C.J. Daley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grabbed another one by the author after finishing Dollface the other day!

Jane has been has been arrested for killing eight men during eight different snow storms, earning her the name The Snowfall Slasher. This is her psychiatric interview. From denial to gleeful pride, Jane takes the reading through various stages of discontent and discomfort. From claiming it’s not satanic worship to screaming names from the Bible, it’s quite obvious early on that nothing Jane says can be taken at face value.

The office, as well as the decision by the author to make the entire perspective an interview, brought to mind scenes from the Hannibal show, scenes from Evil when Kristen visits her therapist, little tidbits of Long Legs with the creepy antagonist, as well as plenty of its own personal flair. I can definitely see the author’s penchant from the extreme coming out in this novel as we see some seriously heinous acts described. Like The Exorcist but as a cannibal revenge story.

Well written and concise, I really enjoyed this one as it had more of a styled writing than just the extreme. All I really want to know is, how did her family not taste it all?!

https://fanfiaddict.com/review-eight-...

[steph elizabeth ✨ stephloveshorror · Rating 3 out of 5]

i can’t tell if this was purposely overdramatic or the writing is just … not vibing with me.

[Paige Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this one! I binge read it in one-sitting. This story follows a woman named Jane, who killed 8 men and is being interviewed in a psych evaluation by her doctor. This was such a compelling and extremely dark read.

Jane claims that she has other women living inside her who were the ones who ultimately committed the crimes. The entire interview had me feeling highly unsettled and it was super eerie. She’s so calm and collected throughout the entire process.

Powell did an amazing job with this one and I highly recommend checking this one out!

[Joey Frick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stew is now on my list of foods I will not eat... 🥴

I really really enjoyed this. My biggest complaint was that it was too short! I wanted more of the story... it was such a cool concept, but I felt it ended so quickly after building up the anticipation.

If you want a cool horror story that’s short and to the point - this is the book for you!

[Gabrielle Branch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great horror novella!! With gore. Very well done.

[Charlotte Newsham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Never eating stew again

[Hot Mess Sommelière ~ Caro · Rating 1 out of 5]

garbage writing

[lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

“I called him that day and told him to meet me there because I had a gift for him.” “What was the gift?” “Death.”

das war disgusting aber so wollte ich es haben! würde gerne 3,5 sterne geben....!

[Seana Lamha · Rating 4 out of 5]

i liked this. the way its basically all one continuous scene with like 3 characters but still kept me engaged was fire. i feel like the end was a little rushed but i really liked the concept and had just enough gore.

[ariel · Rating 3 out of 5]

story flowed well, twist was definitely weird, but not completely out of pocket with how the story was advancing. me and jane aren’t so different fr. fun!!

[Ali]

Some really good body horror here, but I was distracted by the constant shifting from present to past tense within the same chapter: “…Father Jack croaks…” immediately followed by “…he whispered.”

Also there was 2020s dialogue for conversations that were supposed to take place in the 90s, which admittedly might only be something those of us who remember the 90s would notice.

But I still enjoyed this read for the most part; the horror elements were very creative, and I wouldn’t mind checking out more by this author.

[cleo · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars.
NOW THIS IS WHAT I CALL FEMININE RAGE 👏🩸🔪
Despite a few minor editing flaws and the author’s tendency to overuse the same descriptive language and juxtaposition of the climate and everything else (why were so many emotions hanging in the air? I didn’t need to hear how the room felt every third sentence 😭) I’m willing to look past it all simply for the sake of how entertaining and satisfying this was. The goriness of Jane’s murderous accounts made my stomach flip, and I’m not easily affected by in depth grisly details! Huge gold star for that. I loved the ambiguity of the meaning of the remaining namesake; the Jane Doe-ness of it all! Gah!
The author did an amazing job at sprinkling evidence of all the biblical women through the host of Jane (e.g. Eve was hinted at through Jane’s love for apples).
This has made me excited to read more of Powell’s work.
Respectfully, Jane ate. I respect women’s rights and wrongs 🙏🏽

[Nicki Thoirs · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book. Jane appears to be a young, innocent woman. She confessed to killing several men and is being interviewed by Dr Lippens. It seems straightforward enough. Jane is presenting with possible multiple personality disorder. As the doctor gets into more cases, he seems unsure.
I enjoyed the biblical element associated with Jane's crimes. It added a unique element to the book.
The ending, however, I did not enjoy. I didn't expect it to veer so much away from mental health toward the occult.
It felt a bit rushed, and it did not match the original pace set by the author.

[Dustin Ekman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second novella from RJ Powell is a tantalizing tale of a woman who murders men and is interviewed by a psychiatrist. On the surface, Eight Cases of Jane is not anywhere near as disgusting as RJ’s first novella, Madness in Tandem (also a five-star read), but after you let it sit an marinate in your memory for awhile you realize it might be even more disturbing.
Jane Murphy is a fantastic character. She is written so vibrantly and you almost can’t help but love her. She’s a smart and classy Southern gal. She just happened to have killed a few people, in very violent and terrifying ways, and we get to find out just how she did it. And why.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intense!

This had the same vibes as Devil (2010)—the one with people trapped in an elevator with the devil. I always love a good "one location/one room" horror story.

There were quite a lot of tense changes happening between the doctor interacting with Jane which threw me off, as I couldn't tell if the story was taking place in the present or if the doctor was reminiscing on what transpired between them.

Other than that, the story and dialogue flew by in a horrific and gruesome manner. Maybe don't eat while reading this one 😉

[Ieva Valentinavičiūtė · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this short book, where Jane is interviewed about why and how she killed several men. The tension built steadily throughout, keeping me on edge. At the start, I didn’t expect the ending to turn out the way it did, but I found it intriguing. However, I felt the ending was a bit rushed and I wish it had been explored in more depth.

[Samyra Alexander · Rating 4 out of 5]

Are you ok Jane???

This quick read left me eagerly anticipating what would come next. The doctor and the priest were brave to meet with Jane. *I’m being nice calling them brave* Jane had her reasons for doing what she did. Like it or not. A good read for anyone who enjoys revenge stories.

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

some elements of the book were troublesome, such as the repeated interruptions during therapy sessions, which detracted from the narrative's authenticity. Additionally, the lack of police intervention during the violent incident at the doctor's office was puzzling. Despite these issues, the book was enjoyable.