What do you think?
Please, No Flowers
236 pages, Paperback
Published August 6, 2026
About the author
Aaron Lebold
31 books52 followersAaron Lebold is an author of psychological horror, sometimes dabbling in extreme elements. His love of the genre began at an early age with all the best slasher films. Writing has always been something of interest but he didn’t make any serious attempts at it until 2017. Since that time he has completed several novels and novellas. His short stories can be found in various anthologies by various publishers.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 11, 2026
Please, No Flowers is an extreme horror novel done so right.
Aaron Lebold takes his reader on another macabre and disturbing journey into the psychopathic lives of Doctor Charles Benway and Jason Sax—this time through the eyes of a new main character, AnnaMarie.
AnnaMarie works as a nurse for MAiD, a company that offers medical assistance to those who are ready to die.
Seems innocent enough.
Yet, something lurks deep within AnnaMarie and the small team she works with. Alongside Doctor Matthew Hudson and her coroner friend, Calvin— they're into some shady business that will prove MAiD is more sinister than what meets the eye.
But AnnaMarie has a dark history, and MAiD is not the beginning.
A favor asked at the hands of coroner Calvin to help his friend, turns into a spiraling introduction and the nasty reappearance of a pair of insane doctors— Charles Benway and Jason Sax.
Shit is really about to go all the way up.
From here, the story takes a turn from a 'bit of psychopathy' into utter maniacal chaos as AnnaMarie and her crew realize they are up against a couple of the most disturbed individuals they've ever come across.
Benway and Sax are no easy feat— not when you're just born sick.
I could not put this book down.
Please, No Flowers is everything I expected it to be after reading the first novel, Born Sick. While Lebold pens a story filled with gore and everything that could be deemed deplorable— there's a strong story behind the shock factor. Characters are fleshed out, the pacing is fantastic, the storyline continues on a unique trajectory, and the writing is easily digestible.
As I love to say whenever I find an extreme horror novel with these traits— gory WITH a story.
What a wild ride into the morbid underworld of demented doctors, nurses, and other practitioners.
This was definitely one of the better extreme horror novels that I've read in quite some time— a well deserved and easy ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ star read for me. I can't wait to see what Aaron Lebold has to offer his readers next.
Aaron Lebold takes his reader on another macabre and disturbing journey into the psychopathic lives of Doctor Charles Benway and Jason Sax—this time through the eyes of a new main character, AnnaMarie.
AnnaMarie works as a nurse for MAiD, a company that offers medical assistance to those who are ready to die.
Seems innocent enough.
Yet, something lurks deep within AnnaMarie and the small team she works with. Alongside Doctor Matthew Hudson and her coroner friend, Calvin— they're into some shady business that will prove MAiD is more sinister than what meets the eye.
But AnnaMarie has a dark history, and MAiD is not the beginning.
A favor asked at the hands of coroner Calvin to help his friend, turns into a spiraling introduction and the nasty reappearance of a pair of insane doctors— Charles Benway and Jason Sax.
Shit is really about to go all the way up.
From here, the story takes a turn from a 'bit of psychopathy' into utter maniacal chaos as AnnaMarie and her crew realize they are up against a couple of the most disturbed individuals they've ever come across.
Benway and Sax are no easy feat— not when you're just born sick.
I could not put this book down.
Please, No Flowers is everything I expected it to be after reading the first novel, Born Sick. While Lebold pens a story filled with gore and everything that could be deemed deplorable— there's a strong story behind the shock factor. Characters are fleshed out, the pacing is fantastic, the storyline continues on a unique trajectory, and the writing is easily digestible.
As I love to say whenever I find an extreme horror novel with these traits— gory WITH a story.
What a wild ride into the morbid underworld of demented doctors, nurses, and other practitioners.
This was definitely one of the better extreme horror novels that I've read in quite some time— a well deserved and easy ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ star read for me. I can't wait to see what Aaron Lebold has to offer his readers next.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I loved this book! If "Born Sick" was extreme horror madness, "Please, No Flowers", the sequel to "Born Sick", is a dark, violent, extreme horror thriller, very tightly plotted, with a large cast and many horrifying twists of a highly disturbing nature.
The theme is again medical horrror, this time revolving around voluntary assisted dying, at least initially. The newly added cast includes a nurse with a weak spot for old dying patients, and a coroner who thinks he's in the euthanasia business just for the money, not realizing how little control he has over the whole affair. Once a couple of familiar faces are invited to lend a helping hand sorting out the nurse's problems at work, the devil has been let in, and it's only a matter of time till mayhem ensues. Although the book starts with real concerns about ending the suffering of terminally ill patients - specifically, people who have decided to be cremated, choosing the "Please No Flowers" option - the door to perversion and obsession has been opened, to the detriment of everyone previously involved. Even Achilles, the nurse's poor doggie, is up for grabs. No safe spaces in a Lebold novel!
The story is fast-paced and complications are dealt with as they come, though I think the gore might have been, well, even gorier; apparently the book's meant to keep the reader on the edge of their seat rather than praying to the porcelain god. That it does, with great success! "Please, No Flowers" delivers a wild ride that'll keep you wondering how far things will spiral out of control once Sax and Benway take over the narrative. Do they really control it, though? They certainly don't have the exclusive rights to born sickness! Expect major surprises as the story reaches its end.
Highly recommended for fans of extreme horror crime thrills, intense medical horror yarns, and unapologetically dark and brutal storytelling that does not pander to easy and comfortable resolutions!
The theme is again medical horrror, this time revolving around voluntary assisted dying, at least initially. The newly added cast includes a nurse with a weak spot for old dying patients, and a coroner who thinks he's in the euthanasia business just for the money, not realizing how little control he has over the whole affair. Once a couple of familiar faces are invited to lend a helping hand sorting out the nurse's problems at work, the devil has been let in, and it's only a matter of time till mayhem ensues. Although the book starts with real concerns about ending the suffering of terminally ill patients - specifically, people who have decided to be cremated, choosing the "Please No Flowers" option - the door to perversion and obsession has been opened, to the detriment of everyone previously involved. Even Achilles, the nurse's poor doggie, is up for grabs. No safe spaces in a Lebold novel!
The story is fast-paced and complications are dealt with as they come, though I think the gore might have been, well, even gorier; apparently the book's meant to keep the reader on the edge of their seat rather than praying to the porcelain god. That it does, with great success! "Please, No Flowers" delivers a wild ride that'll keep you wondering how far things will spiral out of control once Sax and Benway take over the narrative. Do they really control it, though? They certainly don't have the exclusive rights to born sickness! Expect major surprises as the story reaches its end.
Highly recommended for fans of extreme horror crime thrills, intense medical horror yarns, and unapologetically dark and brutal storytelling that does not pander to easy and comfortable resolutions!
Review of advance copy received from Author
This was an easy 5-star read, much like Born Sick!
It delivered exactly what I want from a splatterpunk novel - shocking, depraved, graphic. Despite being under 200 pages, the pacing is fantastic and kept me hooked.
The shock factor was excellent throughout. There were scenes involving Sax and his victims that genuinely made me grimace. The violence is brutal with excellent shock factor, the imagery is vivid, and it never shies away from the horrific nature of what’s unfolding.
While there’s definitely an element of watching a complete trainwreck unfold and being unable to look away, I still found myself emotionally attached to the outcome, becoming emotionally invested and desperately hoping for certain characters to make it through. That combination of emotional investment and morbid curiosity made the story all the more compelling.
The ending was tense and very satisfying, which is exactly what I want. It kept me on edge right until the final pages and delivered a conclusion that felt earned after the choas that came before it.
For fans of extreme horror and splatterpunk, this is a sequel I would ABSOLUTELY recommend. Just be prepared - it’s graphic, disturbing, and not for the faint of heart.
And remember… this is your last opportunity to opt out of the ‘Please, No Flowers’ arrangement… ;)
It delivered exactly what I want from a splatterpunk novel - shocking, depraved, graphic. Despite being under 200 pages, the pacing is fantastic and kept me hooked.
The shock factor was excellent throughout. There were scenes involving Sax and his victims that genuinely made me grimace. The violence is brutal with excellent shock factor, the imagery is vivid, and it never shies away from the horrific nature of what’s unfolding.
While there’s definitely an element of watching a complete trainwreck unfold and being unable to look away, I still found myself emotionally attached to the outcome, becoming emotionally invested and desperately hoping for certain characters to make it through. That combination of emotional investment and morbid curiosity made the story all the more compelling.
The ending was tense and very satisfying, which is exactly what I want. It kept me on edge right until the final pages and delivered a conclusion that felt earned after the choas that came before it.
For fans of extreme horror and splatterpunk, this is a sequel I would ABSOLUTELY recommend. Just be prepared - it’s graphic, disturbing, and not for the faint of heart.
And remember… this is your last opportunity to opt out of the ‘Please, No Flowers’ arrangement… ;)
Review of advance copy received from Author
The sequel to Born Sick brought back Sax and Benway and they are more vile than ever.
Some new characters join their team including nurse AnnaMarie who has no idea what she’s getting into when she teams up with her coworker coroner Calvin.
Sax takes things to the extreme as does Benway as their “sickness” reaches ab all time high.
Fans of Born Sick will not be disappointed in this sequel
Some new characters join their team including nurse AnnaMarie who has no idea what she’s getting into when she teams up with her coworker coroner Calvin.
Sax takes things to the extreme as does Benway as their “sickness” reaches ab all time high.
Fans of Born Sick will not be disappointed in this sequel
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews