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Oddity Manor
The tiny, isolated Louisiana township of Dufour Path lays claim to the singular distinction of being home to what locals refer to as ‘Oddity Manor’, a stately southern mansion located in the boggy backwoods that serves as an isolated safe-haven of sorts for an eccentric gathering of specially-endowed types once referred to as carny or sideshow freaks.
Assigned by a newly created on-line gossip-rag whose brash young editor has somehow finagled a meeting with the manor’s reclusive head-of-household, noted investigative reporter Brett ‘Frosty’ Delaney arrives at the infamous, media-dubbed House of Freaks to question the current inhabitants concerning a mysterious double-disappearance from the estate grounds nearly a decade past, now a legendary cold-case long-since written off as unsolvable.
Beneath a surging storm-cloud pregnant with distrust, disdain and barely-restrained fury, the veteran journalist will slowly unravel a sinister, single-minded agenda revealing not only the dark secret of those earlier vanishings, but a twisted charade of murderous mayhem that threatens both the sanity and survival of all present.
In a mansion overflowing with deformities of the physical kind, the most severe abnormality will often manifest itself in the form of a hopelessly twisted, psychotic mind.
Assigned by a newly created on-line gossip-rag whose brash young editor has somehow finagled a meeting with the manor’s reclusive head-of-household, noted investigative reporter Brett ‘Frosty’ Delaney arrives at the infamous, media-dubbed House of Freaks to question the current inhabitants concerning a mysterious double-disappearance from the estate grounds nearly a decade past, now a legendary cold-case long-since written off as unsolvable.
Beneath a surging storm-cloud pregnant with distrust, disdain and barely-restrained fury, the veteran journalist will slowly unravel a sinister, single-minded agenda revealing not only the dark secret of those earlier vanishings, but a twisted charade of murderous mayhem that threatens both the sanity and survival of all present.
In a mansion overflowing with deformities of the physical kind, the most severe abnormality will often manifest itself in the form of a hopelessly twisted, psychotic mind.
354 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 5, 2017
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About the author
Terry Vinson
21 books2 followersReceived several medals and commendations while serving in the United States Air Force (1983-1991), where I was taught a sense of responsibility and dedication to task I still carry with me today. During my time in the service, I spent two tours overseas in South Korea, hence the novel 'Yellow Fever' was born.
I also toiled as a records clerk and records clerk supervisor at the Abilene, Texas Police Department for several years, and also as a corrections officer for the state of Texas. My latest day job is proudly serving as a Police Records Clerk for the Hendersonville, Tennessee PD.
I also toiled as a records clerk and records clerk supervisor at the Abilene, Texas Police Department for several years, and also as a corrections officer for the state of Texas. My latest day job is proudly serving as a Police Records Clerk for the Hendersonville, Tennessee PD.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
June 28, 2019
A Wild Carnival of the Most Revealing Sort
Terry Lloyd Vinson’s Oddity Manor is a wild, weird, and wonderful novel. Well-known if somewhat fallen investigative reporter, Brett Delaney visits the titular Oddity Manor where those who once starred in “freak shows” (given their particular endowments) have now retired. Even before Delaney’s visit, events at the manor are shrouded in a past of mystery, loss, and murder. Delaney is regaled with disturbing tales, and he encounters a memorable cast of residents with personalities even more distinctive than their physical attributes.
Oddity Manor is filled with so many surprises that I must be careful not to give away the deftly handled revelations. Let’s just say the novel has a hallucinogenic quality and its fair share of theatrics. Vinson has crafted one intense work here and it’s not for the squeamish, but Oddity Manor delivers fine rewards to anyone who likes psychological explorations of identity.
What I particularly appreciated was the absence of sentimentality and of moralizing (even as individuals explored moral quandaries) in dealing with a population that has experienced its fair share of abuse. Vinson just lets the story unfold in its strange and creepy way, right down to an exciting conclusion that too has its share of ironies. With the reader regularly shifting his beliefs and allegiances, Oddity Manor is smart and original. I highly recommend the novel.
Terry Lloyd Vinson’s Oddity Manor is a wild, weird, and wonderful novel. Well-known if somewhat fallen investigative reporter, Brett Delaney visits the titular Oddity Manor where those who once starred in “freak shows” (given their particular endowments) have now retired. Even before Delaney’s visit, events at the manor are shrouded in a past of mystery, loss, and murder. Delaney is regaled with disturbing tales, and he encounters a memorable cast of residents with personalities even more distinctive than their physical attributes.
Oddity Manor is filled with so many surprises that I must be careful not to give away the deftly handled revelations. Let’s just say the novel has a hallucinogenic quality and its fair share of theatrics. Vinson has crafted one intense work here and it’s not for the squeamish, but Oddity Manor delivers fine rewards to anyone who likes psychological explorations of identity.
What I particularly appreciated was the absence of sentimentality and of moralizing (even as individuals explored moral quandaries) in dealing with a population that has experienced its fair share of abuse. Vinson just lets the story unfold in its strange and creepy way, right down to an exciting conclusion that too has its share of ironies. With the reader regularly shifting his beliefs and allegiances, Oddity Manor is smart and original. I highly recommend the novel.
Displaying 1 of 1 review