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Slasher: the Escape of Richard Heinz
***Visit iainrobwright.com to get the Iain Rob Wright Starter Library (4 best-selling books, hundreds of 5 star reviews.)***
"Iain Rob Wright blows me away." - J A Konrath, author of the Jack Daniels books.
When convicted killer and certified psychopath, Richard Heinz, escapes from a secure mental hospital, his re-capture falls on the shoulders of MCU agents Dr Jessica Bennett and Howard Hopkins. Entering a dark wood on a rainy night, they must try to understand and anticipate the mind of the sick killer before it's too late.
Richard Heinz is out for a reason, and he’s just taken a hostage.
IF YOU GO INTO THE WOODS TONIGHT, YOU’RE SURE OF A BIG SURPRISE…
Iain Rob Wright tackles the sick killer with Slasher, writing a tale that will appeal to fans of Hannibal Lector, The Following, and True Detectives.
"Iain Rob Wright blows me away." - J A Konrath, author of the Jack Daniels books.
When convicted killer and certified psychopath, Richard Heinz, escapes from a secure mental hospital, his re-capture falls on the shoulders of MCU agents Dr Jessica Bennett and Howard Hopkins. Entering a dark wood on a rainy night, they must try to understand and anticipate the mind of the sick killer before it's too late.
Richard Heinz is out for a reason, and he’s just taken a hostage.
IF YOU GO INTO THE WOODS TONIGHT, YOU’RE SURE OF A BIG SURPRISE…
Iain Rob Wright tackles the sick killer with Slasher, writing a tale that will appeal to fans of Hannibal Lector, The Following, and True Detectives.
56 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 1, 2014
5 people are currently reading
137 people want to read
About the author
Iain Rob Wright
172 books1,836 followersOne of Horror's most respected authors, Iain Rob Wright is the writer of more than forty books, many of them bestsellers. A previous Kindle All-Star and a mainstay in the horror charts, he is a prolific producer of unique and original stories. From his apocalyptic saga The Gates to his claustrophobic revenge thriller ASBO, Iain writes across a broad spectrum of sub genres, creating both beloved series and standalone titles.
With work available in several languages and in audio, Iain Rob Wright is one of the fastest rising stars in horror, but when not writing he is a dedicated family man. Father to Jack and Molly, and husband to Sally, he is often seen sharing his family memories with his fans on Facebook.
To get 6 of his books for free (no strings), just visit: www.iainrobwright.com
With work available in several languages and in audio, Iain Rob Wright is one of the fastest rising stars in horror, but when not writing he is a dedicated family man. Father to Jack and Molly, and husband to Sally, he is often seen sharing his family memories with his fans on Facebook.
To get 6 of his books for free (no strings), just visit: www.iainrobwright.com
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
June 7, 2015
Richard Heinz is a psychopath, a convicted killer and he's escaped from a secure mental hospital, or the nut house if you prefer. This guy's highly dangerous so who do we have to recapture him, MCU agents Howard Hopkins and rookie Dr Jessica Bennett and he's hiding in a forest.
So what's the plan, we'll get every Police Officer available within 50 miles of the vicinity, cordon off the area so not even a hedgehog could emerge without being seen and start a systematic search pattern, no problem, he's going nowhere he's in a small forest. Wrong, our two agents decide to go in alone while the Police stand back and watch the exits. Heinz has a hostage and guess what, after their first meeting, he now has the rookie’s gun and he starts killing with it.
If I was a policeman reading this, I might take it for a comedy with the Chuckle brothers in disguise coordinating the search. To me, to you, you have the gun we've only got one, no you have it I trapped my trigger finger in the car door.
Things progress and it gets more ridiculous by the second as the blueprint for how not to conduct a manhunt seems to be the only thing these agents have read in recent times. Finally needing a civilian to get them out of the shit, a predictable novella that is certainly entertaining.
Also posted at http://paulnelson.booklikes.com/post/...
So what's the plan, we'll get every Police Officer available within 50 miles of the vicinity, cordon off the area so not even a hedgehog could emerge without being seen and start a systematic search pattern, no problem, he's going nowhere he's in a small forest. Wrong, our two agents decide to go in alone while the Police stand back and watch the exits. Heinz has a hostage and guess what, after their first meeting, he now has the rookie’s gun and he starts killing with it.
If I was a policeman reading this, I might take it for a comedy with the Chuckle brothers in disguise coordinating the search. To me, to you, you have the gun we've only got one, no you have it I trapped my trigger finger in the car door.
Things progress and it gets more ridiculous by the second as the blueprint for how not to conduct a manhunt seems to be the only thing these agents have read in recent times. Finally needing a civilian to get them out of the shit, a predictable novella that is certainly entertaining.
Also posted at http://paulnelson.booklikes.com/post/...
March 27, 2025
A total goof. A short story about two FBI agents confronting a serial killer is functionally the last few chapters at the end of a stupid, trashy detective bestseller. Is it a comedy? It's mostly just B-movie dialogue and references to earlier events of serial killer crime and a cop thriller melodrama. Worth a few laughs in a bad movie way, which might be intentional
March 11, 2021
Unfortunately, I was not impressed with this one. It was cliché after cliché, filled with poor decision making and scenarios that just got more unbelievable (and laughable) by the second.
Wright is an excellent writer, so I'd suggest skipping this one and reading his other books instead.
Wright is an excellent writer, so I'd suggest skipping this one and reading his other books instead.
January 6, 2016
Sometimes authors seem to release a book they wrote out of some kind of obligation. That is, it feels phoned in, with little to no heart.Slasher: The Escape of Richard Heinz may be Iain Rob Wright's version of that book.
Now, granted, I confirmed half way through what I had begun to suspect: that this was a sequel to at least one of his previous works. I was partly correct. It was actually a sequel to two of his previous works. I would have appreciated a heads up about that, but okay, this is supposed to be able to be read as a stand alone novella. That means it also has to be reviewed as such.
Basically, Slasher is a straight forward thriller pitting two special agents against an insane killer in a creepy setting. It does nothing new or engaging, and indeed is marred by a number of questionable character decisions that never ring true, and eventually involves a protagonist from one of those two previous novels coming in to (largely) sort things out. Which makes the efforts of the special agents seem laughable. In fact, even their reason for being involved in the hunting down of a serial killer seems at best a stretch, given their usual playground is described as dealing with terrorism.
At least Slasher is competently written without any major stylistic flaws that gives the reader pause. And for that reason alone it scores a ...
2 Incompetent Field Agents for Slasher: The Escape of Richard Heinz.
Now, granted, I confirmed half way through what I had begun to suspect: that this was a sequel to at least one of his previous works. I was partly correct. It was actually a sequel to two of his previous works. I would have appreciated a heads up about that, but okay, this is supposed to be able to be read as a stand alone novella. That means it also has to be reviewed as such.
Basically, Slasher is a straight forward thriller pitting two special agents against an insane killer in a creepy setting. It does nothing new or engaging, and indeed is marred by a number of questionable character decisions that never ring true, and eventually involves a protagonist from one of those two previous novels coming in to (largely) sort things out. Which makes the efforts of the special agents seem laughable. In fact, even their reason for being involved in the hunting down of a serial killer seems at best a stretch, given their usual playground is described as dealing with terrorism.
At least Slasher is competently written without any major stylistic flaws that gives the reader pause. And for that reason alone it scores a ...
2 Incompetent Field Agents for Slasher: The Escape of Richard Heinz.
August 7, 2024
I really enjoyed Slasher: the Escape of Richard Heinz a short horror story by Iain Rob Wright an audio book. This was my very first time listening to an audio book which was narrated by Chris Barnes (2014)
Richard Heinz a convicted serial killer escapes from a mental hospital MCU agents Dr. Jessica Bennett and Howard Hopkins are on a mission to capture Richard who is on the hunt for his next victim and both their lives are in danger.
Richard has an obsession with author Blake Price and has tracked him down to his home town after raping Blake's wife previously. Blake arrives on the scene to try and talk Richard into giving himself up to the authorities but it is a very dangerous idea as he confronts Richard face to face.
Blake Price was introduced in The Picture Frame an occult horror story by Iain Rob Wright which I enjoyed very much too.
Richard Heinz a convicted serial killer escapes from a mental hospital MCU agents Dr. Jessica Bennett and Howard Hopkins are on a mission to capture Richard who is on the hunt for his next victim and both their lives are in danger.
Richard has an obsession with author Blake Price and has tracked him down to his home town after raping Blake's wife previously. Blake arrives on the scene to try and talk Richard into giving himself up to the authorities but it is a very dangerous idea as he confronts Richard face to face.
Blake Price was introduced in The Picture Frame an occult horror story by Iain Rob Wright which I enjoyed very much too.
September 18, 2018
Not bad, but not Wright's best
I read Slasher immediately after Wright's novel, The Picture Frame, only because the name "Richard Heinz" was mentioned in the latter.
While Slasher does contain the town of Redlake and a few characters from The Picture Frame it doesn't really serve as a sequel.
Part of me was a little disappointed with Slasher. With the title I thought Wright was going to do his take on a Slasher type story - Friday the 13th, Halloween etc - with Wright really flexing his muscles and having fun in the subgenre most of us remember fondly, but...
It isn't. The story is all well and good, but it's a chase through the woods culminating in a standoff.
The body count is pretty low and none of them spring to mind in the vein of a "slasher" feel.
It's an okay read, but seems to be more of a reason to tie together The Picture Frame with his Sarah Stone thrillers (which, as of writing this, I haven't read).
It's quite a quick read, certainly not a fair introduction to Wright's work, he does better, a lot better, but this isn't a bad read - it's enjoyable enough, but if I hadn't read it I don't think I would've missed out on much.
I read Slasher immediately after Wright's novel, The Picture Frame, only because the name "Richard Heinz" was mentioned in the latter.
While Slasher does contain the town of Redlake and a few characters from The Picture Frame it doesn't really serve as a sequel.
Part of me was a little disappointed with Slasher. With the title I thought Wright was going to do his take on a Slasher type story - Friday the 13th, Halloween etc - with Wright really flexing his muscles and having fun in the subgenre most of us remember fondly, but...
It isn't. The story is all well and good, but it's a chase through the woods culminating in a standoff.
The body count is pretty low and none of them spring to mind in the vein of a "slasher" feel.
It's an okay read, but seems to be more of a reason to tie together The Picture Frame with his Sarah Stone thrillers (which, as of writing this, I haven't read).
It's quite a quick read, certainly not a fair introduction to Wright's work, he does better, a lot better, but this isn't a bad read - it's enjoyable enough, but if I hadn't read it I don't think I would've missed out on much.
May 21, 2017
Another excellent story by the inimitable Iain Rob Wright! Howard Hopkins and Jessica Bennett, members of the decimated MCU, are called to find an escaped, convicted killer. Heinz doesn't just murder his victims, he destroys them. Not for sissies!
September 9, 2017
Thriller!!
Iain you are an extremely talented writer. I haven't read one book of yours so far that I haven't enjoyed. Expect the unexpected!!
Enough said.
Iain you are an extremely talented writer. I haven't read one book of yours so far that I haven't enjoyed. Expect the unexpected!!
Enough said.
January 15, 2019
Slasher
A cracking story, if rather short. I love Iain Rob Wright's books, so will forgive the brevity of this one.
A cracking story, if rather short. I love Iain Rob Wright's books, so will forgive the brevity of this one.
July 22, 2020
AN AWESOME READ!
A crazy serial killer has escaped! A definite non-stop read!! And epic story, about the chase to capture the crazy Richard Heinz!
A crazy serial killer has escaped! A definite non-stop read!! And epic story, about the chase to capture the crazy Richard Heinz!
July 13, 2022
Subtle as a brick but oddly entertaining
January 1, 2025
This booked seemed to be a follow on from 'the picture frame' although only a short story it had me gripped from the get go. Nice easy read and only took me a day to get through! Fast paced 🙂
January 2, 2015
Richard Heinz is a convicted killer and all round psychopath. He has escaped and is hiding out in a remote wood, possibly with a hostage. MCU agents Dr Jessica Bennett and Howard Hopkins must try and track him down and bring him back in before anyone else suffers at his hands. It’s Jessica’s first field job. She can’t afford to make mistakes but she does and needs to quickly rectify things before anyone else loses their life.
This is the second story from Iain Rob Wright involving the Major Crimes Unit (MCU), the first being Soft Target which is an introduction to the MCU and Sarah Stone. You can find my review for that one here:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/review/R11PEI...
I make no secret of being a huge Iain Rob Wright fan but was probably my most critical of Soft Target out of any of his books (still got 4 stars though). This was maybe a little bit unfair given that it was his first real dabble in the “crime” scene rather than the normal horror/dark fiction he writes. I didn’t even know this was about the MCU. It had his name on it so I bought it. I am pleased to say though that the MCU is on its way to becoming a unit that I can see being involved in some brilliant stories, if Slasher is anything to go by.
This is a novella. You could probably read it in an hour and a half or so. That’s not purely because it’s short. It has the added hold of being very fast paced and gripping from start to finish and you won’t want to put it down. The characters of Bennett, the rookie and Hopkins, the seasoned professional, work very well together and I can see this being a partnership appearing in a lot more stories. With the mix of her psychological profiling and his raw police work they go very well together, especially with chasing this type of villain.
As per normal with Mr Wright he is not scared to add a bit of blood, although not as gory as in his horror novels. The suspense is great and you do feel a certain kind of fear when the agents are roaming through a dark, rain soaked wood, totally cut off from everyone and with a formidable foe hiding somewhere and always seeming to have the upper hand on them. You do find yourself shouting at Bennett to stay put and let Hopkins do the work or they will all end up dying.
This works very well as a stand-alone novella and you wouldn’t need to read Soft Target to follow this as there aren’t too many connections made but I would still recommend getting it and reading it first. You won’t be disappointed.
I feel more inclined to say I look forward to seeing how Iain Rob Wright develops this new crime unit and characters after reading this instalment. I reckon he has the makings of an extremely good series. He certainly has the imagination for it.
4 stars from me.
This is the second story from Iain Rob Wright involving the Major Crimes Unit (MCU), the first being Soft Target which is an introduction to the MCU and Sarah Stone. You can find my review for that one here:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/review/R11PEI...
I make no secret of being a huge Iain Rob Wright fan but was probably my most critical of Soft Target out of any of his books (still got 4 stars though). This was maybe a little bit unfair given that it was his first real dabble in the “crime” scene rather than the normal horror/dark fiction he writes. I didn’t even know this was about the MCU. It had his name on it so I bought it. I am pleased to say though that the MCU is on its way to becoming a unit that I can see being involved in some brilliant stories, if Slasher is anything to go by.
This is a novella. You could probably read it in an hour and a half or so. That’s not purely because it’s short. It has the added hold of being very fast paced and gripping from start to finish and you won’t want to put it down. The characters of Bennett, the rookie and Hopkins, the seasoned professional, work very well together and I can see this being a partnership appearing in a lot more stories. With the mix of her psychological profiling and his raw police work they go very well together, especially with chasing this type of villain.
As per normal with Mr Wright he is not scared to add a bit of blood, although not as gory as in his horror novels. The suspense is great and you do feel a certain kind of fear when the agents are roaming through a dark, rain soaked wood, totally cut off from everyone and with a formidable foe hiding somewhere and always seeming to have the upper hand on them. You do find yourself shouting at Bennett to stay put and let Hopkins do the work or they will all end up dying.
This works very well as a stand-alone novella and you wouldn’t need to read Soft Target to follow this as there aren’t too many connections made but I would still recommend getting it and reading it first. You won’t be disappointed.
I feel more inclined to say I look forward to seeing how Iain Rob Wright develops this new crime unit and characters after reading this instalment. I reckon he has the makings of an extremely good series. He certainly has the imagination for it.
4 stars from me.
January 22, 2015
This book had me groaning from beginning to end. It's cliché after painful cliché and definitely much lower quality than Mr Wright's previous work.
The book is about an escaped serial killer, so obviously he has to have had a problematic childhood and mother issues, this is the problem with books about serial killers. We can't possibly admit that a killer is human. We can't seem to compute the idea of another human being having sadistic inclinations and a blood lust.
The fact is that very few people can honestly say they've never had a violent thought. The difference does not have to be abuse or problems in childhood, it doesn't have be mummy or daddy issues, the difference between us and killers is sometimes simply restraint.
Moving on through the story, a purple back pack is found. This instantly means that the owner is female (obviously, because Men are not allowed to own anything that's purple). The story has these little gems which are just irritating, not creative. It's a bit like saying that a mickey mouse backpack is definitely owned by a boy, whilst a minnie mouse backpack is a girl's. Well I owned an Action Man and several toy cars as a child so make of that what you will.
We have to have the obligatory “oh no the radios broken and we have no mobile signal”. The book feels like it should be a parody but it's not, things are done in this book that would just never happen in a million years. Things like a specialist police unit sending out a rookie to bring in a very dangerous killer. Things like the two officers who are sent to recover said killer being given hand guns – in England. I think the author may have watched one too many X-Files! The best thing being that the rookie who has been sent out has managed to get out on the field in a suit with no body armour. Once again, no!
I don't really see where the author is coming from with this book, I think it's quite simply a marketing ploy for the other books which this set of idiot characters are part of, but in all honesty, I wouldn't buy those other books after reading this one.
The book is about an escaped serial killer, so obviously he has to have had a problematic childhood and mother issues, this is the problem with books about serial killers. We can't possibly admit that a killer is human. We can't seem to compute the idea of another human being having sadistic inclinations and a blood lust.
The fact is that very few people can honestly say they've never had a violent thought. The difference does not have to be abuse or problems in childhood, it doesn't have be mummy or daddy issues, the difference between us and killers is sometimes simply restraint.
Moving on through the story, a purple back pack is found. This instantly means that the owner is female (obviously, because Men are not allowed to own anything that's purple). The story has these little gems which are just irritating, not creative. It's a bit like saying that a mickey mouse backpack is definitely owned by a boy, whilst a minnie mouse backpack is a girl's. Well I owned an Action Man and several toy cars as a child so make of that what you will.
We have to have the obligatory “oh no the radios broken and we have no mobile signal”. The book feels like it should be a parody but it's not, things are done in this book that would just never happen in a million years. Things like a specialist police unit sending out a rookie to bring in a very dangerous killer. Things like the two officers who are sent to recover said killer being given hand guns – in England. I think the author may have watched one too many X-Files! The best thing being that the rookie who has been sent out has managed to get out on the field in a suit with no body armour. Once again, no!
I don't really see where the author is coming from with this book, I think it's quite simply a marketing ploy for the other books which this set of idiot characters are part of, but in all honesty, I wouldn't buy those other books after reading this one.
March 30, 2015
Two days ago, psychopath Richard Heinz killed two guards, and escaped custody while being transported to a local clinic.
Heinz has been obsessed with horror/thriller writer Blake Price for most of his adult life, with Mrs. Price being one of his final victims before capture.
The manhunt for Heinz has led authorities to the writer’s home town, with Officer Hopkins and Dr. Bennett leading the way. They believe that trying to understand the mind of this madman will aid in his capture, but Heinz thinks that there is only one person capable of understanding him – the man whose life he ruined, and whose family he destroyed.
Blake Price may be the only one that can help capture the fugitive alive, can he come face-to-face with the source of his nightmares?
Join the #SLASHER discussion on BBB.
Heinz has been obsessed with horror/thriller writer Blake Price for most of his adult life, with Mrs. Price being one of his final victims before capture.
The manhunt for Heinz has led authorities to the writer’s home town, with Officer Hopkins and Dr. Bennett leading the way. They believe that trying to understand the mind of this madman will aid in his capture, but Heinz thinks that there is only one person capable of understanding him – the man whose life he ruined, and whose family he destroyed.
Blake Price may be the only one that can help capture the fugitive alive, can he come face-to-face with the source of his nightmares?
Join the #SLASHER discussion on BBB.
October 12, 2015
More insight
This short novella gives you the insight on Blake Price, a character from Picture Frame. The insight being the capture of a serial killer that Mr.Price needed to be a part of.
This short novella gives you the insight on Blake Price, a character from Picture Frame. The insight being the capture of a serial killer that Mr.Price needed to be a part of.
December 26, 2014
Fast paced and quick, there are no lack of thrills and violence in this novella by a brilliant writer.
June 7, 2015
totally unputdownable I read it in about an hour, loved every page. just another awesome book from my favourite author!!!
April 30, 2015
Short story about an escaped killer. I wish it would have been a little longer, a little more suspense, and a little more action. Still, one of my favorite writers.
August 3, 2016
Wow, my second book by Iain Rob Wright and what a ride! Downloading another while I write this review! Check him out!
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews