Bonnie Winter

by Graham Masterton, Keith Minnion (Illustrator)

Something is happening to Bonnie Winter. She's a working wife and mother, and her job is cleaning up crime scenes. Considering what she sees everyday, it must take a lot to disturb a woman like Bonnie Winter. You can't imagine. In this brilliantly unnerving novella, Graham Masterton speaks the unspeakable with terrifying precision and elegance, and finds menace in the most ordinary turns of an ordinary day. Step into Bonnie Winter's world and just try to forget it.

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Ebooks, Thriller

199 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Graham Masterton was born in Edinburgh in 1946. His grandfather was Thomas Thorne Baker, the eminent scientist who invented DayGlo and was the first man to transmit news photographs by wireless. After training as a newspaper reporter, Graham went on to edit the new British men's magazine Mayfair, where he encouraged William Burroughs to develop a series of scientific and philosophical articles which eventually became Burroughs' novel The Wild Boys.

At the age of 24, Graham was appointed executive editor of both Penthouse and Penthouse Forum magazines. At this time he started to write a bestselling series of sex 'how-to' books including How To Drive Your Man Wild In Bed which has sold over 3 million copies worldwide. His latest, Wild Sex For New Lovers is published by Penguin Putnam in January, 2001. He is a regular contributor to Cosmopolitan, Men's Health, Woman, Woman's Own and other mass-market self-improvement magazines.

Graham Masterton's debut as a horror author began with The Manitou in 1976, a chilling tale of a Native American medicine man reborn in the present day to exact his revenge on the white man. It became an instant bestseller and was filmed with Tony Curtis, Susan Strasberg, Burgess Meredith, Michael Ansara, Stella Stevens and Ann Sothern.

Altogether Graham has written more than a hundred novels ranging from thrillers (The Sweetman Curve, Ikon) to disaster novels (Plague, Famine) to historical sagas (Rich and Maiden Voyage - both appeared in the New York Times bestseller list). He has published four collections of short stories, Fortnight of Fear, Flights of Fear, Faces of Fear and Feelings of Fear.

He has also written horror novels for children (House of Bones, Hair-Raiser) and has just finished the fifth volume in a very popular series for young adults, Rook, based on the adventures of an idiosyncratic remedial English teacher in a Los Angeles community college who has the facility to see ghosts.

Since then Graham has published more than 35 horror novels, including Charnel House, which was awarded a Special Edgar by Mystery Writers of America; Mirror, which was awarded a Silver Medal by West Coast Review of Books; and Family Portrait, an update of Oscar Wilde's tale, The Picture of Dorian Gray, which was the only non-French winner of the prestigious Prix Julia Verlanger in France.

He and his wife Wiescka live in a Gothic Victorian mansion high above the River Lee in Cork, Ireland.

Reviews

[°°°·.°·..·°¯°·._.· ʜᴇʟᴇɴ Ροζουλί Εωσφόρος ·._.·°¯°·.·° .·°°° ★·.·´¯`·.·★ Ⓥⓔⓡⓝⓤⓢ Ⓟⓞⓡⓣⓘⓣⓞⓡ Ⓐⓡⓒⓐⓝⓤⓢ Ταμετούρο Αμ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ε Ξ Α Ι Ρ Ε Τ Ι Κ Ο.

Αυτό το βιβλίο αποτελεί ένα συγκλονιστικό παράδειγμα ως μινιμαλιστική γραφή φρίκης.
Ψυχολογικής φρίκης, υπερέντασης, αγωνίας και κατάπληξης μέχρι την τελευταία στροφή της πλοκής του, λίγο πριν κατεβάσει τις ασφάλειες του εγκεφάλου στο επερχόμενο βραχυκύκλωμα.

Ολοζώντανη ψυχολογική ένταση που σε φρικάρει
όπως η ξαφνική τρέλα.
Χωρίς να προξενεί την κατώτερη αίσθηση της αηδίας με δυστυχισμένες και συγκαταβατικές σκηνές αποτροπιασμού.
Ακόμη και σε περιγραφές όπου ο αναγνώστης μπορεί να μυρίσει την καμμένη σάρκα και τη σαπίλα του θανάτου, η αίσθηση που προκαλεί η πένα του Μάστερτον είναι παροξυσμική φρίκη, και βία ψυχολογική, ολοζώντανη και έντονη.

Το «τραύμα» αξιώνει απόλυτη επιτυχία ως μυθιστόρημα εγκληματικής δράσης, ως υπερφυσική ιστορία τρόμου και ως μελέτη καταγωγής ψυχωσικών καταστάσεων που συνδυάζονται ουσιαστικά και μεταφορικά με κάθε μορφή πνευματικής παραφροσύνης.

Τί να προκαλεί άραγε τον κάθε τραυματικά φυσιολογικό άνθρωπο να διαπράξει ειδεχθή εγκλήματα με θύματα αγαπημένα πρόσωπα αναζητώντας κυρίως την προσωπική λύτρωση που χαρίζει μόνο ο θάνατος.

Ο Μάστερτον είναι ο κυρίαρχος, ο άρχοντας, ο χορηγός του λεπτού, υποδόριου φόβου.
Ενδοφλέβια διαχέει υπερένταση και απόγνωση μαζί με δηλητήρια επιλεκτικής λήθης και εγκεφαλικής καταστολής.
Παίρνει συνηθισμένους, κοινούς χαρακτήρες, καθημερινούς ήχους, γνωστές μυρωδιές, ρουτίνες ζωής και διαπροσωπικές σχέσεις και τα τοποθετεί σε καταστάσεις απόλυτης παράνοιας.
Έτσι καταφέρνει να δώσει ένα σύντομο και αρκετά περίπλοκο μυθιστόρημα γοητευτικής φρίκης, συναρπαστικού συνειρμού και μεταφυσικής έρευνας.

Σε ελάχιστες σελίδες βρίσκει την τέλεια φόρμα για να πει την ιστορία του. Τα κεφάλαια σύντομα και περιεκτικά, γεμάτα με φονικά χάδια που ματώνουν το κρυμμένο τραύμα.
Οι περιγραφές απλές και ουσιαστικές, κατάλληλες να προξενήσουν ανατριχίλες και ρίγη στην σπονδυλική στήλη.
Μέχρι την τελική στιγμή της κορύφωσης τίποτα δεν είναι σίγουρο, οι προβλέψεις σίγουρα άστοχες και η αίσθηση του αληθινού ξεφεύγει απο το πραγματικό.
Το αιματοβαμμένο μακελειό ποτέ δεν ξεπερνάει την ψυχολογική αγωνία, και ο Μάστερτον το γνωρίζει με κάθε φρικιαστική λεπτομέρεια.

☠️👿💀🦋🔪❌⛔️🦋👿💀☠️
Καλή ανάγνωση!!
Πολλούς ασπασμούς

[Nickolas B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

ΕΔΙΤ 1

Όταν ο Μάστερτον γράφει σε μικρή φόρμα και χρησιμοποιεί τον υπαινικτικό τρόμο το αποτέλεσμα είναι εξαίσιο.
Το θύμα γίνεται θύτης μέσα από μια μακάβρια ιστορία με πολλούς συμβολισμούς.

Η Μπόνι είναι μια καθημερινή γυναίκα με μια ιδιαίτερα απαιτητική δουλειά. Καθαρίζει και απολυμαίνει σπίτια και χώρους στα οποία έχουν διαπραχθεί φρικώδη εγκλήματα.
Ο γάμος της βρίσκεται υπο διάλυση, ο γιος της είναι μπλεγμένος σε ρατσιστικές οργανώσεις ενώ τα επαγγελματικά της είναι αρκετά μπερδεμένα...
Δεν έχουν έλθει όμως τα χειρότερα... Μια σειρά περίεργων φόνων ξεκινάει, και η Μπόνι θα βρεθεί αντιμέτωπη με τους προσωπικούς της δαίμονες και όχι μόνο...

5/5!

***Ελπίζω τώρα που το ΟΞΥ επανεκδίδει βιβλία, να επανεκδώσει και το συγκεκριμένο...

[Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tight novella of horror/suspense by Masterton that showcases his writing style well as he takes us on a dark journey. Our main protagonist, Bonnie, works two jobs; one selling wholesale cosmetics and the other cleaning up sites where people died. When the police and so forth take the bodies away after they are done with the scene, someone has to clean up the mess! It may be a rather macabre job, but it does pay well, and as her lazy, drunken husband is still out of work, someone has to bring home the bacon.

I want to avoid spoilers so no more on the plot. Masterton does give this tale some tasty turns and a rather surprise ending that I did not see coming. Excellent pacing moves the story along and Masterton's prose has you emphasizing with Bonnie and her daily trials and tribulations. Masterton always had a deft way with characters and Trauma is no exception. Step into Bonnie Winter's world; you will be glad you did! 4.5 glowing stars!!

[Γιώργος Δάμτσιος · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ένα ακόμα βιβλίο που έκανα refresh μετά από αρκετά χρόνια. Λίγο πολύ η γνώμη μου παραμένει η ίδια. Είναι ωραίο, καλογραμμένο και γρήγορο. Τείνει κυρίως προς το ψυχολογικό θρίλερ, αν και μπορεί να χαρακτηριστεί και ''ψυχολογικό δράμα'' άνετα. Νομίζω ότι οι φαν του είδους δε θα απογοητευτούν.

[Ken Saunders · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cleaning, selling cosmetics, and following checklists are all means we rely on to manage, or at least push back against, chaos. In this lively portrait, the author has drawn a character who does all three - while fending off advances from every man she meets. Meanwhile a demon caterpillar is making parents murder their children in horrible, disturbing ways.

The author clearly enjoys writing for Bonnie, and the crime scenes are all claustrophobically vivid. Unfortunately the parts don't converge in any satisfying way, partly because the other characters are all caricatures. Bonnie's husband and son are violent anti-Mexican racists, and the old boy's club rules are in full force with the rest of the swine she encounters. The cosmetics job is unconvincing, since her responsibilities ridiculously outweigh a part-time job and the boss never heard of 'mascara'. The author seems to become uninterested in the plot and the book turns into an uneffective psychological thriller. Bonnie's sudden disorientation seems like an excuse to wrap things up.

I enjoyed the short book's unusual story, and, to the writer's credit, I thought Bonnie seemed too self-aware and self-reliant to so passively accept escape, much less transformation.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a short (for Masterton), slickly written novel of suspense; whether or not there's a supernatural aspect is left a bit ambiguous, and the reader has to decide for themself. There's an interesting aspect of Aztec mythology that... well... It's about a young woman named Bonnie who's struggling to support her undeserving family by selling cosmetics and cleaning very grisly crime scenes. The fuzzy cover doesn't fit or do it justice and should have been saved for a Laurell K. Hamilton novella. It's a good, quick read.

[Παρασκευή Σ. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Πολύ παράξενο βιβλίο.
Στην αρχή μου φαινόταν βαρετό, με πάρα πολλές λεπτομέρειες, με χιούμορ όμως, ομολογώ.
Από τη δεύτερη σκηνή τραυματικών εμπειριών κι έπειτα, που σε βάζει στη διαδικασία να σκεφτείς πως κάτι συμβαίνει, αρχίζεις να το βλέπεις με άλλο μάτι.
Σιγά σιγά οι λεπτομέρειες, ακόμα και το τι θα φάνε για μεσημεριανό ας πούμε, αρχίζουν να αποκτούν ενδιαφέρον.
Ξεκινώντας το, ούτε που πάει το μυαλό σου τι πρόκειται να συμβεί.
Ενδιαφέρουσα ιστορία, ειδικά για τους φαν αρχαίων μύθων, δαιμόνων κλπ κλπ
Η αλήθεια βέβαια είναι πως, όσο θυμάμαι την υπόθεση, δεν νομίζω να το ξανά διαβάσω.

[Βασω Γενιτσαριδου · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5/5

[Sandie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book as much the second time around as I did the first. I think this is considered a horror story, but its not like a hack em horror book. I don't think you ever suspect the true intent of this book until the very end and then you sit back and are like whoa, never saw that coming.

The book is about Bonnie Winter and her business of cleaning up after death. Of course you meet her family and all their problems. There is also Dan Munoz on the police force and Ralph, the cheating husband and of course Itzpapalotl an Aztec legend, a demon.

I think this book is so well written and so captivating. The chapters are short and easy, which moves the reading right along. As I said this is a horror story, but not in a bloody hacker way, more like the horror of what the mind can create. Very like Edgar Allan Poe and some of his stories, like The Black Cat.

If you like horror give Masterton a try. If you like a book with charming characters that is a bit dangerous and frightening, give this book a try. I love it, I highly reccomend it and I look forward to reading other work by this author.

[Juxian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wouldn't even say it was horror, more likely something like social/psychological drama with a mystical touch that you can accept or ignore (I love it when it is possible). But I'm happy it was marked as 'horror' because otherwise I would've hardly read it, and I enjoyed it very much. Concise, fast-paced and interstingly written. Bonnie was such a likeable character, more than I could expect; until she wasn't... or still was? There is a lot to think about after this book.

[Mikepottz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cleaning up murder scenes Bonnie will wear industrial protective suits, rubber boots, carry spray cans, garbage bags, ready to enter houses of horrific crime scenes. Flies were always everywhere, loving to live in filth. A respirator spared the shocking human vomiting retching stench. A guy dies of natural causes, found 7 weeks later in a hot tub, his body fat blocking the drainage. Bonnie's husband is a loser, masochistic, complete piece of shit, racist who never supports his wife. Bonnie will start to find caterpillars at her clean up houses which come from Mexico. An old legend of Aztec killings of demons turning into butterflies and whispering to people to kill their loved ones. Bonnie will start to lose her memory of a day where her job becomes an evil incident. Signed 518/750.

[Janie Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was nothing like I thought it would be and that was a little disappointing. I was expecting a good, chilling, paranormal horror story as he usually writes, but it was more a mystery with a small paranormal element. The book was still pretty good and still engaging. I also found that it was very fluid and easy to read.

In this story we have Bonnie Winter who cleans up the crime scenes once they have been searched and evidence has been collected. She has all the best cleaning agents to make a scene seem almost normal again. Bonnie starts to find things becoming a bit odd among some of these horrific, chilling scenes, something is amiss when she starts to discover black caterpillars on the scene and she tries to figure things out.

When I read the synopsis of the story it seemed like a really good premise but I felt it was a some what predictable. I thought though that it would still be ok as long as it was a good solid paranormal horror. It wasn't exactly what I had expected it to be and I think it could have been so much more than it was. It was not boring by any means but it lacked depth and excitement.

I did not like the characters very much in this story at all, including Bonnie. I found that they could have been developed so much better than they were. It was hard to connect to any of them. Bonnie went through a lot with her job, and then also on the home front with her husband Duke and son, Ray. It seemed like nobody really cared about that and it was about what Bonnie could do for them, and then Bonnie would just go along and say everything was just fine. She was weak natured lot of the time and then other times she wasn't. I got mixed vibes where she was concerned, she just did not seem to be very solid.

I am still going to give this book a 3 star because it as actually a quick fun read that anyone who likes paranormal, mysteries or even urban legends could still probably enjoy.

[Jade · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a gigantic Masterton fan of only about a year--I have only read one or two of his novels that I did not absolutely love so I am a bit biased. I have managed to run through 17 of his books in the last year or so. I thought this was a great read. Disturbing and melancholy and peppered with the mythological background that makes me love his novels and short stories so much. He researches his ideas so well, that you find yourself thinking about the mythological context much later after the book is over. I have picked up several interests in different mythologies I was unfamiliar with before and fallen more in love with mythologies that I was already fond of--Native American, Aztec/Mexican, Japanese--he runs the gamut. This book follows the disordered life of Bonnie Winters, a "cleaner" who cleans up after violent crime scenes. She has a pig of a husband, a son she loves but who may be heading in a bad direction and 2 jobs--a cleaner and rep for a make-up company "Glamorex". Throw in an angry Aztec goddess, some butterflies and boom! You have a great read!

[Red · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25/5

Niby okej i fajny motyw, bo się z czymś takim w książce jeszcze nie spotkałam, ale to chyba w dużej mierze nie dla mnie.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this story disturbing. Whether you choose to believe Bonnie Winter has been the victim of supernatural mind alteration by an ancient Aztec demon-goddess or simply that her family has a history of mental illness and she is pushed to her psychological breaking point by a worthless, unappreciative husband and the sudden defection of her teenage son to "Dad's" side, the idea that one can be pushed to such violence against their loved ones, should be disturbing, despite the fact that it happens far too often in this life. I really felt the injection of the suicide of Bonnie's father was interesting. It seemed that the suicide and Bonnie's struggle to "free herself" or find herself or just her confusion about what her life had become a realistic and compelling enough reason for a very real psychotic break. Therefore, I found it an interesting juxtaposition to other Masterton novels in which the supernatural explanation is SO clearly THE explanation. It's not so clear in this novella. It could go either way. I really liked the psychological aspects of the novella. I had a flashback to reading Kate Chopin's "The Awakening" with a modern, supernatural horror twist. But though I felt for Bonnie just as I did for Edna Pontellier, I was unsettled in the end in much the same way. I suppose because I feel a modern woman should have other "outs" available to them. As a result, I disliked Bonnie's character in the end. I felt she was such a strong female in the beginning of the story and I found I was disappointed in her in the end.

[Daniel C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bonnie cleans up crime scenes. Bonnie cleans up some really nasty crime scenes. Bonnie Winters is the heroine of this novella by Graham Masteron, and Bonnie Winters is not doing so well.

This isn't what I would call a horror book, or even a thriller. It is more of a psychological drama. Masterton has expertly, in the space of 200 pages (if you buy paperback), woven a tight, brilliantly paced story about Bonnie, her life's work, and her life's ruin. Although what details Masterton chooses to include are sometimes confusing, they all create a flawless and suspenseful tableaux of one woman's normal, albeit desperately tragic life.

There is gore here, but pretty much only in the spare descriptions of the crime scenes which Bonnie cleans every day. The true horror and the true trauma are hidden, quite cleverly, in Bonnie's day-to-day interactions. I couldn't say enough how the startlingly realistic dialogue, how the vivid characters, and how the brilliant display of episodic discrimination lends this novella an enrapturing and consuming quality.

Although Bonnie's tale eventually succumbs to some melodrama and a few out-there hijinks, the reader is prepared for these. And, in this case, it is more Graham's finely-tuned storytelling that is the draw, rather than the exact story which he is telling. The creation of an atmosphere of tension and the release it is eventually given is as concise and powerful as Masterton's short and aptly titled chapters. Pick this book up, and you will not put it down.

[George K. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Αυτό είναι μόλις το δεύτερο βιβλίο του Μάστερτον που διαβάζω, πρώτο ήταν το Αθώο αίμα, που μου είχε φανεί λίγο καλύτερο. Πως έχει η ιστορία: Η Μπόνι Γουίντερ, 34 ετών, είναι μια σκληρά εργαζόμενη γυναίκα, που δουλεύει παράλληλα σε δυο δουλειές. Από την μια καθαρίζει και απολυμαίνει σπίτια στα οποία έχουν διαπραχθεί φόνοι και αυτοκτονίες, οπότε έχει δει μπόλικο αίμα και σκληρές σκηνές. Από την άλλη, δουλεύει σε μια εταιρεία καλλυντικών, στον τομέα της προώθησης αυτών. Ο άντρας της δεν δουλεύει και τα ξύνει όλη μέρα, και ο γιος της, που έχει τα μισά της χρόνια, πάει στο σχολείο και μάλλον μοιάζει περισσότερο στον πατέρα του. Το λοιπόν, σε κάποια από τα σπίτια που καθάρισε τελευταία, διεπράχθησαν φόνοι, με θύτες και θύματα μέλη της ίδιας οικογένειας. Και κοινό στοιχείο, μια σπάνια πεταλούδα. Αλλά τι σχέση μπορεί να έχει μια πεταλούδα, έστω και σπάνια, με τους φόνους αυτούς...;

Δεν είναι βιβλίο τρόμου, περισσότερο ψυχολογικό δράμα είναι, και λίγο θρίλερ μυστηρίου, με κάποια μεταφυσικά μέσα. Γενικά σαν σενάριο έχει το ενδιαφέρον του, αλλά η εκτέλεση δεν είναι η καλύτερη δυνατή, η εξέλιξη θα μπορούσε να ήταν διαφορετική, και γιατί όχι, με περισσότερο τρόμο. Η γραφή απλή και σχετικά καλή, οι διάλογοι εντάξει και με λίγο χιούμορ, αλλά οι χαρακτήρες λίγο-πολύ επίπεδοι και δεν ενδιαφέρθηκα ιδιαίτερα γι'αυτούς. Το τέλος, αν και όχι τόσο άσχημο, μου φάνηκε απότομο. Γενικά, ενδιαφέρουσα ιστορία, δίχως όμως κάτι το ιδιαίτερο ή το πρωτότυπο.

[Matt Daly · Rating 1 out of 5]

Really disappointing. I read The House that Jack Built previously, and was interested enough to give another one of his books a try. Each and every character is disappointing in their own way. Bonnie, our passive-aggressive protagonist is a matter-of-fact crime scene cleaner who also doubles as a cosmetic saleswoman to support her teenage son and deadbeat husband. The husband, of which, blames the Mexicans for everything and somehow the son looks up to him.

From the get-go, everything is so bland. We are expecting some action, or at least anything. But day-in and day-out the same tedious monotony happens in the book. Throughout the story, which is over 200 pages, the father and son remain stagnant, however, our main character finally gives in to her carnal needs outside of her marriage. And to think, are we suppose to feel good about adultery? Shaking my head. And the ending is so predictable that he had to bring in a ridiculous paranormal entity (cue Itzapopalotl, a Demonic Aztec God) to try to give the ending a twist. Yuck.

[Becky Ippolito · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a unique story about a hard-working married woman who starts her own business cleaning up crime scenes. Her husband and son are not so great shakes and she had a bunch of other men she works with lusting after her, but she goes on with her day to day taking care of her home and working two jobs(sounds like my life- very tedious!). The story was short and sweet (or maybe not so sweet- this being a horror story after all). The characters were ok, some character development and all, just their lives kind of suck, so you couldn't get too excited about them. I liked the story, although the end was a little predictable and kind of sad. I think Graham Masterton does a good job at taking people in real life situations and adding some atypical horror to their situation.

[Plum-crazy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a different style to Masterton's usual horror tales but as ever he did not disappoint (I knew he wouldn't!)..creepy, funny & with connections to ancient mythology - all my favourite ingredients!
As usual I had to google Itzpapalotl to see if she's a creation of Masterton's or not as I always find these beings so believable (!) & yes, she does "exist" :o)


Halloween 2019: Treated myself to a re-read of this & if I'm honest, I think I enjoyed it even more this time around.

[Bandit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story. Gotta love the ending.

[Ευθυμία Δεσποτάκη · Rating 4 out of 5]

Πολύ μαυρίλα βρε παιδί μου.

[Natalia Lekki · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐
To nie było to czego oczekiwałam.
Po tytule i opisie spodziewałam się thrilleru psychologicznego pokazującego jaki wpływ na psychikę głównej bohaterki będzie miało wykonywanie niecodziennej pracy. Już sam fakt że to nie będzie rozgrywka typowo między rodzajem pracy a typem osobowości Bonnie mnie rozczarował. Bo do tej relacji dołączyły jeszcze problemu bohaterki z mężem, synem, przyjaciółką i wszechobecnymi adoratorami. A mnie interesowało stricte jak poradzilaby sobie ona z "traumą" gdy wszystko oprócz niej jest w porządku.

Niestety finalnie okazało się że nie dostałam nawet tej drugiej "gorszej" wersji historii tylko horror oparty na meksykanśkim demonie. Ten wątek rozwijał się ciekawie ale zanim na dobrze się rozwinął już się skończył i w efekcie jestem rozczarowana pozycją na wszystkich możliwych polach.
Może komuś się spodoba ale to napewno nie moja literatura.

Bazgroły - 1/5 ⭐
Intrygujący początek i nic poza tym.
Szamański kompas - 3/5 ⭐
Koncept świetny ale dość płytko ograny.

[Pauline B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book.. a great unexpected surprise.
I believe this is my first Masterton; will definitely not be my last.

I didn't think following Bonnie, the main character, would be so addictive, but it was; the simplicity and matter-of-fact way the story is told, creates a weird, almost awkward atmosphere. But I was here for it.
Everything felt depressing, at first without real meaning, but then the story evolves, and it just gets worse and worse, as the fateful end comes near..

I'm actullay in a real rubbish mood for a good review, but it was just one of those books for me; just a perfect fit.

[olivia · Rating 2 out of 5]

cala historia naprawde ciekawa, zycie bonnie jej mysli byly czesto bardzo prawdziwe. jesli chodzi o fakt horroru totalna klapa, akcja sie rozwinela na przelomie 5 steon? tak gwaltowanie i nagle. po co budowac cala ksiazke tylko po to zeby nie napisac tak naprawde zakonczenia. o wiele bardziej mi sie juz podobala nowelka z tylu „bazgroly” mega swietna koncepcja

[Michele Vance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! At first I thought-“Where is this story going? “ then the last 40 pages or so all hell broke loose! What a wild ride ! I really never saw that ending coming! I bought this book at a thrift store for a whole .25 and it was WELL worth it!

[Maria-Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Και εκεί που νομίζεις ότι ο Μάστερτον αποφάσισε να γράψει κοινωνικό μυθιστόρημα και σε έχει υπνωτίσει η αργή εξιστόρηση της ζωής της Μπόνι που είναι μία τεράστια απογοήτευση, ΞΑΦΝΙΚΑ ΣΟΥ ΔΙΝΕΙ ΜΙΑ ΚΑΤΡΑΠΑΚΙΑ ΤΡΌΜΟΥ και καταλαβαίνεις ότι ο άνθρωπος είναι μάστορας!

[Calixthe · Rating 3 out of 5]

On n'est clairement pas sur un coup de cœur. Le livre se lit d'une traite, il n'est pas particulièrement mal écrit mais j'ai trouvé que l'intrigue était un peu légère. Disons que ça se lit bien pour se détendre !

[Verleen Freeman · Rating 1 out of 5]

Horrible! What was the author thinking? It’d be great to get more details related to the actual story, and less about her deadbeat husband, the man she has an affair with, and all the others that want to have one with her….

[Ieva Valentinavičiūtė · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn’t as gory or terrifying as some of Masterton’s other works, but the paranormal element involving a Mexican demon was definitely intriguing. It’s a short, easy read, though it didn’t really draw me in until the final 50 pages.Still, the payoff was worth sticking around for.