Pickaxe

by Paul Dale Anderson

Jon Bradley, who calls himself "Sewer Rat," lives in the sewers. No one in the sewer tunnels uses their real name. Fourteen other people live in the sewers. Most are mentally ill. Some are dangerous and protect themselves with pickaxes left behind by careless sanitation workers. But Rat has a pickaxe of his own... When Rat returned home from the Army, he heard the voices of men he had killed and the voices of friends he saw killed in combat. Rat lives in Riverdale’s sewers because the only place he doesn’t hear the voices of the dead is underground. After five years in the sewers, Rat has adapted to the culture and his eyes have adapted to the dark. He now sees better in the dark than during the day... Lieutenant Troy Nolan, head of the Homicide Division of the Riverdale Police Department, and Sergeant Bill Bowers, primary crime scene investigator, investigate a series of mutilation murders. According to forensic pathologist Sally Brightson, all three victims died from trauma inflicted with a pickaxe, their faces ripped to pieces... Is a serial killer lose in the city? One who will keep killing until Nolan stops him?

Genres: Horror

338 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 26, 2015

About the author

Paul Dale Anderson has written more than 27 novels and hundreds of short stories, mostly in the thriller, mystery, horror, fantasy, and science fiction genres. Paul has also written contemporary romances and westerns. Paul is an Active Member of SFWA and HWA, and he was elected Vice President and Trustee of Horror Writers Association in 1987. He is a current member of International Thriller Writers, Author’s Guild, and an Active Member of MWA and MWA Midwest.

Paul has taught creative writing at the University of Illinois at Chicago and for Writers Digest School. He has appeared on panels at ThrillerfestXI, Chicon4 and Chicon7, X-Con, Windy Con, Madcon, Odyssey Con, Minncon, the World Horror Convention, and the World Fantasy Convention. Paul was a guest of honor at Horror Fest in Estes Park, Colorado, in 1989. He is currently the chair of the 2015 HWA Stoker Awards Long Fiction Jury.

Reviews

[Kelly Furniss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked from the Paperbacks from Hell list.
I liked the concept of this story, a collection of people all living in the underground sewers for various reasons, most mentally ill on the run or dangerous and all trying to escape the normal every day life and just surviving by whatever means necessary coming out only at night in to the park for drinking water and scavenging the local restaurants bins for food etc.
The characterisation was really good and the nicknames Rat one of our main characters who is suffering from PTSD gave to them all was humorous and gave us an insight to how they all were, we learn all their stories about what led them to been down there. They protect themselves with pickaxes left by workers but when bodies are found throughout the city and a pickaxe is what has caused the mutilation the cops and Rat all try to work to find the serial killer, could it be one of the underground community?. As they all start pointing the finger at each other Lieutenant Troy head of homicide & Bill Bowers crime scene investigator decide some survailance through the night needs to be done to watch them all and the race is on to find the killer before they strike again.
A chunk of this story followed Troy and his relationship with Sally the forensic pathologist but that part did not interest me much especially the constant referring to breasts and sex but the professional part of their work enhanced the story and we saw how the investigation played out.
I was a little let down with the reveal as the whole book lead up to it, I just expected more and felt the book lacked a good potential twist to give it that wow factor.
However, I enjoyed the underground concept which gave the book a dark eerie feel to it and that made me grade the book at a four overall.