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Dead Lines
Meryl Daly makes the mistake of falling in love with writer Jake Rowan, who is quite dead but very determined to come back
384 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1988
21 people are currently reading
245 people want to read
About the author
John Skipp
103 books294 followersJohn Skipp is a splatterpunk horror and fantasy author and anthology editor, as well as a songwriter, screenwriter, film director, and film producer. He collaborated with Craig Spector on multiple novels, and has also collaborated with Marc Levinthal and Cody Goodfellow.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
July 10, 2016
This was Skipp and Spector's fourth novel (not counting their Fright Night novelization) and first and only short story collection. Huh? Yes, it's a "fix-up novel" made up of various shorts previously published in horror magazines and anthologies back in the late 80s, with a framing story about two newly-met women who find these unpublished manuscripts in the new apartment they're renting, and crazy supernatural stuff starts happening when the spirit of the dead writer decides he doesn't like being dead.
The stories are mostly very good, but the connecting story felt cheesy and tacked-on to me. I believe this book would have been much better served as a straight collection, with a couple more of their short stories included instead. The one story here that's a must-read is "Not With a Whimper," a novelette-length tale of a man who wants to die, so (this "spoiler" is mentioned in the very first line) he decides to kill himself by throwing a lemon meringue pie at the President of the United States. There's a lot more to it than that, but saying anything more about how the man got to that point would give way too much away. It's a ridiculously convoluted story, but totally brilliant. "Gentlemen," S & S's passionate stance against violence toward women, is a particularly brutal story, and well worth reading as well.
When Skipp and Spector were on, they were up there with the best in late 80s horror. But, as evidenced by a couple of the stories here, they were also guilty of seemingly just phoning it in every once in a while. Still, every horror fans owes it to him or herself to at least read The Light at the End, their classic "vampire in the NYC subways" novel (and one of the main progenitors of the late 80s "splatterpunk" movement), as well as the two stories from this collection mentioned above.
3.0 Stars
The stories are mostly very good, but the connecting story felt cheesy and tacked-on to me. I believe this book would have been much better served as a straight collection, with a couple more of their short stories included instead. The one story here that's a must-read is "Not With a Whimper," a novelette-length tale of a man who wants to die, so (this "spoiler" is mentioned in the very first line) he decides to kill himself by throwing a lemon meringue pie at the President of the United States. There's a lot more to it than that, but saying anything more about how the man got to that point would give way too much away. It's a ridiculously convoluted story, but totally brilliant. "Gentlemen," S & S's passionate stance against violence toward women, is a particularly brutal story, and well worth reading as well.
When Skipp and Spector were on, they were up there with the best in late 80s horror. But, as evidenced by a couple of the stories here, they were also guilty of seemingly just phoning it in every once in a while. Still, every horror fans owes it to him or herself to at least read The Light at the End, their classic "vampire in the NYC subways" novel (and one of the main progenitors of the late 80s "splatterpunk" movement), as well as the two stories from this collection mentioned above.
3.0 Stars
January 15, 2021
The 1980s were a singular decade as far as style goes. Every decade has its own inimitable style, usually directly connected to the sociocultural and political goings on, and often times the results are quite strikingly ugly to modern tastes (yes, I’m talking about you, 70s), but the 80s had a distinction of being profoundly convinced they looked good the entire time. I mean, that decades strutted. It was garish, in your face, loud and proud, in clothing, music and yes, fiction. And this book is very much the child of its time, though it was born right at the tail end of the 80s.
Skipp and Spector were the genre darlings of their time, both individually and as collaborators. This one was of the latter variety and the authors’ personal favorite. The least popular kid of their brood, the one that screwed up their bestselling streak, the one that general population didn’t appreciate and bookstores didn’t want. It was too different, and even though the 80s were a golden era for genre fiction, apparently even Dead Lines had to toe the line. And this book certainly didn’t, it kind of sneered at the lines, blew pot smoke at it and proceeded to ignore it. The final result is a mash up of short story collection and a novel, affectionately and cleverly designated by the authors as novelogy. Essentially a book with a proper framework of a novel into which a bunch of short fiction is woven in.
The plot is pretty great…after a chance meeting, two young women decide to cohabitate in a fancy NYC loft, one of them has a very wealthy father who makes this feasible, and then one of them discovers a box with a bunch of short fiction in it. Fiction she can’t put down. Profoundly haunting, disturbing, all encompassing sort of fiction. What she doesn’t know and the readers do is that this fiction was left behind by a (three named but call him Jack) writer who committed suicide in that very loft, in fact the remains of the rope are still present.
Side note…imagine that, renting a 3000 dollar loft (and that’s in 1988) and still have suicide rope remains present. Only in NY.
Anyway, as it turns out his stories are not the only thing Jack left behind. Turns out death wasn’t as final as he was hoping for and now he’s hungry for a comeback. Two spirited young ladies, one angry ghost…yeah, it isn’t going to be pretty. But it’s a doozy of a ride.
So, crazily enough I read it, long ago. It did seem familiar at times, but overall not distractingly so. The interesting thing is that since then I’ve matured enough as a reader to actually appreciate this book more. It isn’t as easy book to love, the authors’ style takes a lot of getting used to, it has that 80s quality, it’s very…how do I explain this…it’s language heavy in a way that can seem at times overdone. It snarls and growls and hisses and preens and wows in a very distinct way that for me is prominently associated with its time. It’s all ripped stockings and ripped jeans and ripped dreams. It wears very heavy make up and the constant dramatics of it all leave permanent tear trails through it.
And yet, for all of that, there is plenty of substance here to balance out the style. It’s a genuinely well written, cleverly constructed and original work of fiction or, more accurately, fictions. It’s different, it does something new with a ghost genre, it has some excellently turned out sentences. In other words, it genuinely has a lot to offer. In a way it’s just like the 80s, you might laugh now at the style of their music videos, but the songs will get still stuck in your mindbox for days.
It isn’t for everyone and I’m not sure it made me want to immediately track down and read more of the authors’ work (for one thing this is their least gory book), it’s definitely the sort of thing you gotta be in the mood for. But it is good. Quintessential genre work, quintessential NY story. In fact, that might be a perfect way to describe this, this book is so very NYC of the 80s. It has the exact sort of visceral quality to it, the texture of near danger at every turn, of glamourous furnishings covering up blood puddles and fancy lofts (barely) hiding past suicides. It’s dark and shabbily lit and there are things hiding in the corners. The authors convey that atmosphere to perfection. So…read if you dare. I’m glad to have had the chance to rediscover this book. Thanks Netgalley.
Skipp and Spector were the genre darlings of their time, both individually and as collaborators. This one was of the latter variety and the authors’ personal favorite. The least popular kid of their brood, the one that screwed up their bestselling streak, the one that general population didn’t appreciate and bookstores didn’t want. It was too different, and even though the 80s were a golden era for genre fiction, apparently even Dead Lines had to toe the line. And this book certainly didn’t, it kind of sneered at the lines, blew pot smoke at it and proceeded to ignore it. The final result is a mash up of short story collection and a novel, affectionately and cleverly designated by the authors as novelogy. Essentially a book with a proper framework of a novel into which a bunch of short fiction is woven in.
The plot is pretty great…after a chance meeting, two young women decide to cohabitate in a fancy NYC loft, one of them has a very wealthy father who makes this feasible, and then one of them discovers a box with a bunch of short fiction in it. Fiction she can’t put down. Profoundly haunting, disturbing, all encompassing sort of fiction. What she doesn’t know and the readers do is that this fiction was left behind by a (three named but call him Jack) writer who committed suicide in that very loft, in fact the remains of the rope are still present.
Side note…imagine that, renting a 3000 dollar loft (and that’s in 1988) and still have suicide rope remains present. Only in NY.
Anyway, as it turns out his stories are not the only thing Jack left behind. Turns out death wasn’t as final as he was hoping for and now he’s hungry for a comeback. Two spirited young ladies, one angry ghost…yeah, it isn’t going to be pretty. But it’s a doozy of a ride.
So, crazily enough I read it, long ago. It did seem familiar at times, but overall not distractingly so. The interesting thing is that since then I’ve matured enough as a reader to actually appreciate this book more. It isn’t as easy book to love, the authors’ style takes a lot of getting used to, it has that 80s quality, it’s very…how do I explain this…it’s language heavy in a way that can seem at times overdone. It snarls and growls and hisses and preens and wows in a very distinct way that for me is prominently associated with its time. It’s all ripped stockings and ripped jeans and ripped dreams. It wears very heavy make up and the constant dramatics of it all leave permanent tear trails through it.
And yet, for all of that, there is plenty of substance here to balance out the style. It’s a genuinely well written, cleverly constructed and original work of fiction or, more accurately, fictions. It’s different, it does something new with a ghost genre, it has some excellently turned out sentences. In other words, it genuinely has a lot to offer. In a way it’s just like the 80s, you might laugh now at the style of their music videos, but the songs will get still stuck in your mindbox for days.
It isn’t for everyone and I’m not sure it made me want to immediately track down and read more of the authors’ work (for one thing this is their least gory book), it’s definitely the sort of thing you gotta be in the mood for. But it is good. Quintessential genre work, quintessential NY story. In fact, that might be a perfect way to describe this, this book is so very NYC of the 80s. It has the exact sort of visceral quality to it, the texture of near danger at every turn, of glamourous furnishings covering up blood puddles and fancy lofts (barely) hiding past suicides. It’s dark and shabbily lit and there are things hiding in the corners. The authors convey that atmosphere to perfection. So…read if you dare. I’m glad to have had the chance to rediscover this book. Thanks Netgalley.
October 10, 2014
As bizarre as this book was, I certainly wasn't expecting a bang out ending! Wow! Great first read of this author. So this book was about a woman who finds this box of unfinished stories. She reads them. In turn, the reader gets to read them and experience how this woman feels about what she read. Weird, but she ends up falling in love with this dead writer. In so many words, she brings him back and all hell breaks loose. The stories were poetic in a way, creepy, and very dark. How she brings him back was scary and I don't want to spoil that. Get reading for an ending that'll make you feel good. Can't wait to read more from this author!
January 12, 2025
This was my first Skipp and Spector book and I found it to be quite bizarre tbh. I gave it 3 stars because the ending saved it. I did later on learn that it's a collection of their short stories thrown into a book with a back story. The stories didn't vibe for me whatsoever and made the one story drag on. It would have been better imo to release a book with a collection of short stories and also another story about Katie and Meryl. All in all I will definitely try another book because I just don't believe this is a fan favorite.
May 22, 2019
Fantastically dated, not as horrific as I'd hoped and more than a bit overwritten... Dead Lines is still mostly fun as hell despite all that. Skipp and Spector are mostly remembered these days as splatterpunk kings, or duelling court jesters, maybe. From what I've read (Light at the End, Fright Night, and now this), their writing rarely hits the true extremes that genre is known for, and when it does it's usually just by twisting the gore dial a tick or two past standard fare. Dead Lines isn't particularly gratuitous, or no more so than '80s Stephen King, and it's a lot less scary. Instead, it's brimming with a certain type of faux world-weary nihilism spun through the lens of young city-dwellers who exist in a state of awe and terror at the sensory overload of their surrounds. Having spent the entirety of my 20s in large cities, it's easy to recognize the condition.
So what we have here is a fix-up novel, combining about half an anthology's worth of short stories with a novella-length frame story that pads this unholy union out to an acceptably publishable length. The short stories best represent the obsession with city living: we have tales about cab drivers, homeless people, bike messengers, a suicide-friendly commuter ferry, casual drug use and a parade of improbably attractive women (ripe for 1980's male gaze ogling, of course). It's essentially a stew of big lights / big city tropes twisted towards slightly darker ends through the application of a young person's imagined vision of hopelessness, if that makes sense. There's a running theme of suicide, of options being exhausted, having your back up against the wall... but it never feels particularly convincing, nor hopeless. That's not to say the stories aren't consistently entertaining. "Gentlemen" was dark, dark, dark, yet somehow silly, and the ostensibly grim twist leaves you chuckling. "Not With a Whimper" embraces that silliness with a Twilight Zone plot squeezed for all it's worth, quickly becoming the best story in the book, though it's not even remotely horrific. Other stories flit by with varying degrees of success, and they read almost like snippets of scripts from high-concept '80s movies, some horror, some dopey post-adolescent existential drama. Like I said, dumb fun all around.
Likewise, the frame story that surrounds the more interesting shorts is clunky and overcooked. It would feel mundane if not for the ridiculous '80s-ness of it all, where no one behaves in believable fashion and the characters are pitched to such unlikable goonishness that it all comes back around to being entertaining. More than the short stories, the frame story feels disposable, which dulls the impact of the better stories and unfortunately diminishes the book as a whole. My tattered paperback copy was signed by John Skipp, who left a short handwritten epigraph on the title page explaining the hybrid collection's origin (along with a charming note to the original owner): "This here DEAD LINES is ostensibly A NOVEL OF HORROR by that nice Mr. JOHN SKIPP and this other guy CRAIG SPECTOR, but it's really a buncha short stories slammed together with a framing device that we made up as we went along." As you read, it's not hard to tell they were making it up as they went along; but hey, good to have confirmation.
If it sounds like I'm complaining, I'm really not. It is what it is. Good fun horror times; pseudo-intellectual dark vibes or no; and some of it's pretty charming. I read this in a week and had a blast. You might too, depending what you're into.
So what we have here is a fix-up novel, combining about half an anthology's worth of short stories with a novella-length frame story that pads this unholy union out to an acceptably publishable length. The short stories best represent the obsession with city living: we have tales about cab drivers, homeless people, bike messengers, a suicide-friendly commuter ferry, casual drug use and a parade of improbably attractive women (ripe for 1980's male gaze ogling, of course). It's essentially a stew of big lights / big city tropes twisted towards slightly darker ends through the application of a young person's imagined vision of hopelessness, if that makes sense. There's a running theme of suicide, of options being exhausted, having your back up against the wall... but it never feels particularly convincing, nor hopeless. That's not to say the stories aren't consistently entertaining. "Gentlemen" was dark, dark, dark, yet somehow silly, and the ostensibly grim twist leaves you chuckling. "Not With a Whimper" embraces that silliness with a Twilight Zone plot squeezed for all it's worth, quickly becoming the best story in the book, though it's not even remotely horrific. Other stories flit by with varying degrees of success, and they read almost like snippets of scripts from high-concept '80s movies, some horror, some dopey post-adolescent existential drama. Like I said, dumb fun all around.
Likewise, the frame story that surrounds the more interesting shorts is clunky and overcooked. It would feel mundane if not for the ridiculous '80s-ness of it all, where no one behaves in believable fashion and the characters are pitched to such unlikable goonishness that it all comes back around to being entertaining. More than the short stories, the frame story feels disposable, which dulls the impact of the better stories and unfortunately diminishes the book as a whole. My tattered paperback copy was signed by John Skipp, who left a short handwritten epigraph on the title page explaining the hybrid collection's origin (along with a charming note to the original owner): "This here DEAD LINES is ostensibly A NOVEL OF HORROR by that nice Mr. JOHN SKIPP and this other guy CRAIG SPECTOR, but it's really a buncha short stories slammed together with a framing device that we made up as we went along." As you read, it's not hard to tell they were making it up as they went along; but hey, good to have confirmation.
If it sounds like I'm complaining, I'm really not. It is what it is. Good fun horror times; pseudo-intellectual dark vibes or no; and some of it's pretty charming. I read this in a week and had a blast. You might too, depending what you're into.
May 24, 2020
I am in the minority of Skipp & Spector readers who like this book of theirs the most. (I might be all alone...) It's a fix-up novel, with a box of horror manuscripts found in an apartment of a dead writer by the new tenants, and their story frames the short works. Many of the individual sections were originally published in horror fiction magazines of the time. The book is by turns gory and funny and erotic and suspenseful, and you never get what you next expect, and each turn goes beyond where you thought they could take you. It's a crazy roller-coaster of splatter-punk tension, occasionally disquieting, definitely not for the squeamish, the very height of '80s horror. See you on the flip side...
October 4, 2009
two fucked up chicks move into a loft haunted by the manuscript and soul of a writer who recently killed himself there. the short stories left behind by the writer are genuinely disturbing but the "real," framing story is just kinda undeveloped.
still, it has a great opening:
Jack wanted only two things out of life, as he watched the sun throw long shadows across the floor leading up to the ladder. He wanted another drink.
And he wanted the rope to be nice and tight.
still, it has a great opening:
Jack wanted only two things out of life, as he watched the sun throw long shadows across the floor leading up to the ladder. He wanted another drink.
And he wanted the rope to be nice and tight.
January 9, 2012
Two girls, Meryl and Katie, move into an apartment haunted by the ghost of an unknown author. In the process of getting settled in the new apartment Meryl discovers a hidden door to a little dark room. Full of curiosity, Meryl decides to explore the little room finding photos and a big heavy box that heeded the warning " Do Not Open 'Til Doomsday". Paying no attention to the warning, Meryl opens the box and discovers it is full of short stories from John Paul Rowan. Little does she know that opening this box and reading these stories not only opens her mind and heart to this unknown author but also becomes the most dangerous thing that she could've done to her and those around her.
The way this book is written is genius. The fact that this is stories within a story is one of the most different concepts i have ever come crossed, but it works. Granted i dont know if many authors could pull this off but the collaboration between Craig Spector and John Skipp pulled this off with flying colors. Not only was the main story fun and twisted, each short story had a twisted beauty of its own. Though the times where a book like this would be accepted, appreciated, and cherished are dead, it would be awesome if just one more time they decided to put their heads together and come up with another twisted kick ass collaboration just like this one. Until then i will just pass on the word of how great and fun this book is as well as emerse myself in the other works that these two authors have to offer.
The way this book is written is genius. The fact that this is stories within a story is one of the most different concepts i have ever come crossed, but it works. Granted i dont know if many authors could pull this off but the collaboration between Craig Spector and John Skipp pulled this off with flying colors. Not only was the main story fun and twisted, each short story had a twisted beauty of its own. Though the times where a book like this would be accepted, appreciated, and cherished are dead, it would be awesome if just one more time they decided to put their heads together and come up with another twisted kick ass collaboration just like this one. Until then i will just pass on the word of how great and fun this book is as well as emerse myself in the other works that these two authors have to offer.
October 2, 2015
WARNING! SPOILERS!
I have absolutely no problem against this book, it had a great idea for a plot and the short stories were amazing, but that's just the problem. The SHORT STORIES were amazing. The other plot about Jack wanting to come back into the world of the living is just so boring and flawed that I just couldn't get into it. My thing is that they did mention a lot in the book itself that Katie and Meryl had a close friendship, but we never got to see any of their friendship since most of the book was spent reading short stories that Jack wrote. And the thing about Jack wanting to get back to living and will do anything to be alive again just never seemed like a plot device that was interesting because it only happened in the last 40 pages of this 300 page book. I honestly feel like if the book focused on Jack slowly taking over Meryl's body and gaining her trust in this lengthy read I would've liked it better, but they squeezed the plot into the last bit of the book and it just felt forced. It's an okay book, but it could've been way better with the potential it had.
I have absolutely no problem against this book, it had a great idea for a plot and the short stories were amazing, but that's just the problem. The SHORT STORIES were amazing. The other plot about Jack wanting to come back into the world of the living is just so boring and flawed that I just couldn't get into it. My thing is that they did mention a lot in the book itself that Katie and Meryl had a close friendship, but we never got to see any of their friendship since most of the book was spent reading short stories that Jack wrote. And the thing about Jack wanting to get back to living and will do anything to be alive again just never seemed like a plot device that was interesting because it only happened in the last 40 pages of this 300 page book. I honestly feel like if the book focused on Jack slowly taking over Meryl's body and gaining her trust in this lengthy read I would've liked it better, but they squeezed the plot into the last bit of the book and it just felt forced. It's an okay book, but it could've been way better with the potential it had.
February 20, 2020
4.1 stars!
I'm watching Vincent Price's "Tales of Terror". So? What is the point? Both are a short story series strung into a longer story. A movie and a novel. Two women move into an apartment haunted by a writer who committed suicide. The suicide scene was incredible. Skipp and Spector display their gruesome gift for description.
Outstanding addition to any serious horror collection.
I'm watching Vincent Price's "Tales of Terror". So? What is the point? Both are a short story series strung into a longer story. A movie and a novel. Two women move into an apartment haunted by a writer who committed suicide. The suicide scene was incredible. Skipp and Spector display their gruesome gift for description.
Outstanding addition to any serious horror collection.
February 28, 2021
I remember reading the collaborative books by John Skipp and Craig Spector in the 80's. I always liked their novels. It always seemed so different from other horror books that were written during that time.
In short, the book is about a woman who finds a box of unpublished manuscripts and ends up falling in love with the dead author. What makes this book unique and brilliant in a way is the format. The chapters are actually a series of relatively unconnected short stories that the authors put together to develop a complete story. I really enjoyed finding out how they decided on the conclusion.
In short, the book is about a woman who finds a box of unpublished manuscripts and ends up falling in love with the dead author. What makes this book unique and brilliant in a way is the format. The chapters are actually a series of relatively unconnected short stories that the authors put together to develop a complete story. I really enjoyed finding out how they decided on the conclusion.
November 12, 2007
Two women move into an apartment inhabited by the not-yet-moved-on ghost of a writer. A pretty good read, but the strength and quality of the short stories scattered throughout the text, ostensibly written by the dead author, actually threatens to detract from the rest of the book, which is a little less cohesive, but still fun.
November 14, 2009
More of a framing device for a short story collection than an actual novel. Some of the stores are absolutely amazing, but the book as a whole gets somewhat scattered and the content around the stories actually takes away from the shorts instead of enhancing them. Still, definitely worth checking out for some of the best short fiction I've read in a while.
May 26, 2009
Probably my least favorite of the Skipp and Spector books, but still pretty good.
August 25, 2017
In 'Dead Lines', a depressed writer (Jack) kills himself and leaves behind his collection of short stories. With no clue about his suicide, two troubled young women Meryl and Katie move into his home. When Meryl starts reading his stories, things begin to take a turn for the worse..
I found most of the short stories to be engaging and well-written while exploring the dark side of humanity. They showed how talented and imaginative Jack was as well as how he was able to write such intricate descriptions that evoked a sense of time and place. Simultaneously they also reflected his state of mind. As his stories were entertaining, Meryl's growing obsession with him was convincing albeit somewhat creepy.
However, the main story outside of Jack's works was underwhelming and underdeveloped. Meryl and Katie were interesting characters but the authors didn't flesh them out simply because they focused heavily on Jack's stories. As a result, Meryl and Katie's friendship was unbelievable. Meryl's gradual descend into madness and how that affected Katie was something that could have been the highlight of the book except that it was never shown, merely implied.
The last few chapters revolving around were actually fun to read even though the pacing was rushed. I got the impression that the authors couldn't wait to wrap up the whole story but not before throwing in some gory moments intended to shock the reader. Jack's stories should have taken the backseat so that the tangled web between Meryl, Katie and Jack could have been further explored.
Overall, 'Dead Lines' was a bittersweet and somewhat unpredictable story with unlikeable yet intriguing characters.
I found most of the short stories to be engaging and well-written while exploring the dark side of humanity. They showed how talented and imaginative Jack was as well as how he was able to write such intricate descriptions that evoked a sense of time and place. Simultaneously they also reflected his state of mind. As his stories were entertaining, Meryl's growing obsession with him was convincing albeit somewhat creepy.
However, the main story outside of Jack's works was underwhelming and underdeveloped. Meryl and Katie were interesting characters but the authors didn't flesh them out simply because they focused heavily on Jack's stories. As a result, Meryl and Katie's friendship was unbelievable. Meryl's gradual descend into madness and how that affected Katie was something that could have been the highlight of the book except that it was never shown, merely implied.
The last few chapters revolving around were actually fun to read even though the pacing was rushed. I got the impression that the authors couldn't wait to wrap up the whole story but not before throwing in some gory moments intended to shock the reader. Jack's stories should have taken the backseat so that the tangled web between Meryl, Katie and Jack could have been further explored.
Overall, 'Dead Lines' was a bittersweet and somewhat unpredictable story with unlikeable yet intriguing characters.
January 30, 2021
Jack Rowan is a young writer in New York City. He loses his girlfriend. Overwhelmed by depression, he takes his book of short stories, puts it in a box and hides it in his friend’s loft with a “Do not open” message on it. Even though it is not his home, he hangs himself in his friend’s loft. When his friend comes home, he is so horrified by the sight that’s ever moves out. Two girls move in the loft. One of them finds the box and starts reading the stories. She feels his spirit. Why?
This book is very well written but is not my favorite that the authors wrote. I liked their other books much more. Still, it was a worthwhile read. Writing the short stories and making it into a novel as good as they did amazes me. I do hope they won’t stop writing their novels.
Disclaimer: I received an arc of this book from the authors/publisher from Netgalley. I wasn’t obligated to write a favorable review or any review at all. The opinions expressed are strictly my own.
This book is very well written but is not my favorite that the authors wrote. I liked their other books much more. Still, it was a worthwhile read. Writing the short stories and making it into a novel as good as they did amazes me. I do hope they won’t stop writing their novels.
Disclaimer: I received an arc of this book from the authors/publisher from Netgalley. I wasn’t obligated to write a favorable review or any review at all. The opinions expressed are strictly my own.
January 12, 2021
The underlying story of a writer who takes his own life but continues to create fear and terror in the lives of Katie and Meryl, who now live in his apartment is a unique and fascinating one. The way the writers describe key scenes in intricate detail also made me cringe and feel every moment of these scenes. Unfortunately, the constant littering of small stories throughout the book made it difficult to follow in places, and for me, didn't add any extra details to the main plot. I found the book tended to ramble and some parts still make no sense. However, I am sure others may well enjoy this unique way of writing.
August 16, 2021
This was my first read from Skipp and Spector, and it certainly won't be my last. It's a unique book in that there are stories within the story, but I don't want to give too much away. It's certainly a memorable piece, with strong characters, dialogue and story setup. I loved the setting of New York City-- I've never been, but have always been fascinated with stories (in books and on film) set in that locale. I definitely want to work my way through all of the author collaborations from these two as well as their individual catalogs after reading Dead Lines.
July 7, 2023
Skip and Spctor never disappoint. Their style of writing is everything that a trashy horror book needs. I was surprised at their ability to take a haunting concept and manifest it into a thick book, keeping you uneasy yet jumping from person to person at the right time, wanting you to turn the page.
October 8, 2023
Overall what you'd expect with Skipp and Specter - dark sarcasm abounds and while it lacks the huge dramatic punch of other works, what makes this stand out is the evolution of the story and it's reflection in the short stories she's reading. But if nothing else, I recommend this for the short story 'Not with a Whimper ' as an absolute must read.
June 21, 2017
Awesome book! i read it all the time. Though a bit dated, I still love it. Skipp and Spector know how to write, unlike most of their colleagues. I'm sure most of them are jealous!
If you're an avid reader or wannabe writer, get this and learn!
If you're an avid reader or wannabe writer, get this and learn!
April 5, 2021
I have now read all of Skipp and Spectors novels. This one is a novel/short story collection. This duo really pumped out some fantastic work in the 80s and early 90s. Sadly I’ve burned through their whole catalogue already. If you’ve never read them I highly recommend checking them out.
September 12, 2021
A strange yet entertaining (almost) novel
For a full review, please go to https://areviewerdarkly.blogspot.com/... and follow me on Twitter @josenher
For a full review, please go to https://areviewerdarkly.blogspot.com/... and follow me on Twitter @josenher
March 21, 2023
it honestly feels like a cop-out. there’s only two parts i like and they only last a few pages, respectively. i liked the writing, they really know how to be descriptive. but the short stories and the actual “plot” are just wasteful and boring.
July 4, 2017
One of the most disturbing works of horror I have ever read. This work proves that Skipp and Spector are very talented writers... this book will stick with me for a while.
November 10, 2017
Furiously entertaining. Passionately written.
May 2, 2012
If this had just been an anthology I would have rated it stronger. The short stories are solid, but the wrap-around story that connects everything and turns it into a novel feels forced and unwelcome.
January 26, 2023
I was glad to read another Skipp & Spector book, as I have always enjoyed them in the past (it has been awhile). This book was also enjoyable, but not my favorite of theirs. There were great characters, and a great story. #DeadLines #NetGalley
October 13, 2016
Disappointing. This book would have been better is S&S had just skipped the "framework story" and just published this as s collection of short stories.
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