Dead Gorgeous: A dark and creepy supernatural tale.

by Chris Simms

Mandy Cost is a stunning young woman who has come to London for one thing: fame.
To catch the eye of the paparazzi, she pays a salon to fit her with the longest, palest hair extensions they can find.
Men, money and media adoration are soon hers.
Although Mandy knows the very best extensions are fashioned from human hair, she’s blissfully unaware where hers came from. Worse, she has no idea a woman died while trying to stop the thing she held most precious from being taken.
Soon, everyone connected to the woman’s brutal murder finds themselves entangled in a world of terror.

This novel was previously titled Rats' Nest.

221 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 6, 2015

About the author

I was born and brought up in rural Sussex, three miles from the nearest shop. Childhood holidays – which lasted for weeks as my dad was a teacher – were spent in a secluded spot in the heart of Exmoor. Sitting round the campfire at night, the haunting cries of owls floating in from the blackness beyond the flames, he would read me the ghost stories of MR James. The short walk to the safety of my tent was always taken at a sprint.
Books that interested me growing up? Plenty of mysteries – especially the Alfred Hitchcock and The Three Investigators series. I also loved Roahl Dahl’s Tales of the Unexpected and read plenty of Pan Horror Stories, too.
Later, it was novels that gave insights into unusual minds: the twisted desires of Frederick in John Fowles’, The Collector; the tormented thoughts of Scobie in Graham Greene’s, Heart of the Matter; the violent urges of Francie in Patrick McCabe’s, Butcher Boy all had a major influence.
After school and university came a series of abysmal jobs punctuated by travelling. Quite a lot of travelling, actually. Then, just after my 30th birthday, the idea for my first novel came to me. I was broken down on the hard shoulder of a motorway in the early hours of the morning, waiting for a rescue vehicle to arrive. It’s about the driver of a van who roams the roads in the dead of night, looking for stranded motorists to murder…
Ideas for subsequent novels have occurred at all sorts of odd moments: glimpsing a derelict church from the window of a moving train; browsing a newspaper report about a walker who claimed he’d been attacked by a panther; half-reading a doctor’s surgery article on how some tinnitus sufferers don’t hear whistles or buzzes – they’re tormented by birdsong; listening to a radio program about a flotilla of yellow ducks that fell from a cargo ship and floated slowly across the Atlantic.

Reviews

[John Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spooky and very scary!

This book must rank amongst one of the scariest stories I have ever read. The story features a glamorous young woman, famous for being, well famous. Pursued by the paparazzi, idolized by her fans but, worried about her future, she looks around for a new image. How about hair extensions? Big mistake!!! How many women enquire where their new hair extensions have been sourced? They really should if this book is anything to go by. The story lays bare the shallowness of reality stars, a large section of society, tabloid newspapers and the beauty industry in general. Oh, and the hypocrisy of the clergy. This impressionable story will stay with me for a very long time.

[Elle Sie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book through sponsored ads. The premise and cover caught my eye. Loved the notion of a woman becoming pursued by a supernatural foe because the real hair extensions she wore were haunted by the woman who was murdered to provide the hair. Now, that is truly an original idea, and very relevant to today's consumer culture, making the paranormal threat all the more ominous. Maggy Wallace was both sinister, and pitiful in equal measure. Despite how terrifying she was, the fact that she was so badly victimised while wanting to mind her own business and live her reclusive life helped me to maintain sympathy for her. I also felt sorry for poor Mandy, the unknowing and unwitting victim of Maggy. Even though she was a pampered pop star, I'm not sure she would have worn the extensions had she known how they were sourced. A well done and original horror.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, well.

I was not sure how long my attention would be held by a story could be about stolen hair. But Chris did not disappoint with this book. The descriptions I found throughout was beautifully written. The hair, length, colour and importance to the owner came through. The beautiful friendship between the older woman ‘witch’ and the young boy…..my heart broke for him.
The revenge that the woman sought and achieved was just page turning and I was invested. Brilliant writing!

[RaChelle Holmberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

creepy

Found on a free site, creepy as you know what! Written across the pond, terminology is different from what I'm used to.

[Sam Fry · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good but not great. I found it a bit tame.

[Tracy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting

This was an interesting book. The characters were well developed. There were a few misspelled words, but is was able to keep my attention.

[Kally Sheng · Rating 3 out of 5]

Atmospheric!

Thoroughly enjoyed the book!
Perhaps I am too imaginative, a little scary in some parts, if it were made into a movie, I would find myself covering my eyes!


'All freedom comes at a price,' the priest muttered. - Page 56