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Dead End
Critically acclaimed bestselling author, Matt Shaw. #1 bestseller in Horror Fiction with hundreds of 5 star reviews
The relationship had been over for as long as they both could remember, through no fault of their own. It was just one of those things; a victim of busy lives going in opposite directions. They'd tried to rekindle their love for one another on more than one occasion. They'd tried to put rules in place to stop "the real world" from eating into what should have been their time but - at the end of it all - the damage was done and the spark was gone. Before they both realised this though, they'd booked themselves a "make-or-break" vacation. It was to be a road-trip across the country to see the sights and explore with one another; something they loved to do back in the day. With the RV booked and non-refundable, it seemed a shame to waste the opportunity for one final-final chance to rekindle their love despite the fact he knew their love was dead, just as she was... As the RV's engine started to warm up ahead of their final road-trip, her body continued to cool...
PRAISE FOR THE AUTHOR
“There is a ferocity about Matt Shaw's writing that is both welcome and also necessary when it comes to horror.” - Shaun Hutson, author of "Slugs"
About the author
Matt Shaw is the published author, and film director, of over 200 stories including his infamous black cover range of extreme horrors. In those titles he is known for pushing boundaries and has been nominated for multiple awards within the "splatterpunk" genre but do not be fooled - Shaw isn't only capable of writing the extremes. His dark psychological horrors are known for getting under the skin of the readers, causing both sleepless nights and restless dreams...
Categories for Dead End
- Horror
- Psychological Fiction
- Survival Horror
- Sexual horror
- Serial killers
- kidnap horror
- Suspense horror
The relationship had been over for as long as they both could remember, through no fault of their own. It was just one of those things; a victim of busy lives going in opposite directions. They'd tried to rekindle their love for one another on more than one occasion. They'd tried to put rules in place to stop "the real world" from eating into what should have been their time but - at the end of it all - the damage was done and the spark was gone. Before they both realised this though, they'd booked themselves a "make-or-break" vacation. It was to be a road-trip across the country to see the sights and explore with one another; something they loved to do back in the day. With the RV booked and non-refundable, it seemed a shame to waste the opportunity for one final-final chance to rekindle their love despite the fact he knew their love was dead, just as she was... As the RV's engine started to warm up ahead of their final road-trip, her body continued to cool...
PRAISE FOR THE AUTHOR
“There is a ferocity about Matt Shaw's writing that is both welcome and also necessary when it comes to horror.” - Shaun Hutson, author of "Slugs"
About the author
Matt Shaw is the published author, and film director, of over 200 stories including his infamous black cover range of extreme horrors. In those titles he is known for pushing boundaries and has been nominated for multiple awards within the "splatterpunk" genre but do not be fooled - Shaw isn't only capable of writing the extremes. His dark psychological horrors are known for getting under the skin of the readers, causing both sleepless nights and restless dreams...
Categories for Dead End
- Horror
- Psychological Fiction
- Survival Horror
- Sexual horror
- Serial killers
- kidnap horror
- Suspense horror
78 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 2, 2018
19 people are currently reading
107 people want to read
About the author
Matt Shaw
529 books2,191 followersBiography
MATT SHAW was born, quite by accident (his mother tripped, he shot out) September 30th 1980 in Winchester hospital where he was immediately placed on the baby ward and EBay. Some twelve years later (wandering the corridors of the hospital and playing with road kill when he was on day release), the listing closed and he remained unsold, he was booted out of the hospital to start his life as a writer and hobbit – beginning with writing screenplays and short stories for his own amusement before finally getting published when he was twenty-seven years and forty-five seconds old.
Once Published weekly in a lad's magazine with his photography work, Matt Shaw is also a published author and cartoonist. Has to be said, can be a bit of a flirt and definitely, without a shadow of a doubt, somewhat of a klutz.
Favourite books
"Roald Dahl's Collection of Short Stories"
Tim Burton's Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy
Anything, really, written by himself. Because he is that good.
MATT SHAW was born, quite by accident (his mother tripped, he shot out) September 30th 1980 in Winchester hospital where he was immediately placed on the baby ward and EBay. Some twelve years later (wandering the corridors of the hospital and playing with road kill when he was on day release), the listing closed and he remained unsold, he was booted out of the hospital to start his life as a writer and hobbit – beginning with writing screenplays and short stories for his own amusement before finally getting published when he was twenty-seven years and forty-five seconds old.
Once Published weekly in a lad's magazine with his photography work, Matt Shaw is also a published author and cartoonist. Has to be said, can be a bit of a flirt and definitely, without a shadow of a doubt, somewhat of a klutz.
Favourite books
"Roald Dahl's Collection of Short Stories"
Tim Burton's Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy
Anything, really, written by himself. Because he is that good.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
August 29, 2025
3.5 stars. This was a really enjoyable read from Matt Shaw. More of a slow burn approach, up until the plot twist, which made it all the more interesting. Not much action or copious amounts of sex or gore, but it was just a mixture of flashbacks during an interrogation with police. An interesting approach, to say the least, but it worked. I didn't love how it ended and, as I've seen with the ton of Matt Shaw books that I've read to date, it almost feels like he writes himself into a corner and just ends things without proper context. This fell into the same trap. Still not bad and I really, really enjoyed the interrogation scenes more than anything else.
February 18, 2025
This is a bit different from the Matt Shaw I know.
There’s no gore, no torture fest, no blood. Instead, it’s a blur between desperation and weirdness—and I liked it. While some parts of the book were wildly disgusting, they didn’t churn my stomach, though they were still disturbing.
The twist was clever. I didn’t expect that at all.
Overall, this was good. I wouldn’t expect anything less from Matt.
There’s no gore, no torture fest, no blood. Instead, it’s a blur between desperation and weirdness—and I liked it. While some parts of the book were wildly disgusting, they didn’t churn my stomach, though they were still disturbing.
The twist was clever. I didn’t expect that at all.
Overall, this was good. I wouldn’t expect anything less from Matt.
April 23, 2021
when i say my mouth DROPPED.... WHAT THE HECKIN HECK???
I've never read a Matt Shaw book before, though i have many of his on my to read shelf. And all i have to say is that i have been MISSING OUT.
some of the other reviews i've read have called this little story somewhat "tame" for what Shaw usually goes for. which....very much interests me. if this is "tame"...I WANT THE OTHER STUFF TOO.
while i was shocked and disgusted....i could do with more nastiness. This was a very good, short read and im glad that i found it on hoopla.
I almost didn't read it because i was thinking... "could this really be that good?"
well...YUP.
I do not recommend this book to those of you who are easily offended. I guess i would say there should be a trigger warning...but....ah man..you're just gonna have to read for yourself.
VERY impressed, Matt Shaw. VERY.
I've never read a Matt Shaw book before, though i have many of his on my to read shelf. And all i have to say is that i have been MISSING OUT.
some of the other reviews i've read have called this little story somewhat "tame" for what Shaw usually goes for. which....very much interests me. if this is "tame"...I WANT THE OTHER STUFF TOO.
while i was shocked and disgusted....i could do with more nastiness. This was a very good, short read and im glad that i found it on hoopla.
I almost didn't read it because i was thinking... "could this really be that good?"
well...YUP.
I do not recommend this book to those of you who are easily offended. I guess i would say there should be a trigger warning...but....ah man..you're just gonna have to read for yourself.
VERY impressed, Matt Shaw. VERY.
August 2, 2021
Dead End must be a departure for Matt Shaw. As this is my first Shaw outing I wouldn't know. It isn't extreme horror. There is no torture or even murder in this story; only a little necrophilia. The story is basically the protagonist telling his story to two cops an appointed lawyer and a tape recorder. All about a rented RV, his ex-wife and an abducted girl named Emma.
It's a straight forward little bit of weirdness. Told in first person we get inside the head of the husband as he and 'his wife' go one one last trip. The cops are along for the ride; they exchange more than a few looks of incredulity; as well as the reader.
My first taste of Matt Shaw's writing is off center, strange and a little bizarre.
My big toe is in the pool and I'm not sure what it's covered with...
It's a straight forward little bit of weirdness. Told in first person we get inside the head of the husband as he and 'his wife' go one one last trip. The cops are along for the ride; they exchange more than a few looks of incredulity; as well as the reader.
My first taste of Matt Shaw's writing is off center, strange and a little bizarre.
My big toe is in the pool and I'm not sure what it's covered with...
February 1, 2024
What a wild ride. This book was sickening. Disgusting. And so dang good. I was on the edge of my seat. The twist? My goodness I was NOT expecting that. I seriously did not see that coming. There was some parts in the book that definitely made me feel sick to my stomach but it was so worth the read!
October 13, 2019
Loved it! The ending came as a total surprise. Thanks Matt!
December 24, 2018
Although there were some unexpected twists and unexpected elements, Dead End was a bit more straight forward than previous Matt Shaw works I've read. I still enjoyed it, though, and I will continue to check out books by this author as they come across my path. I enjoyed the way this story was told, as a suspect relates the details of his crime to the authorities. I don't know if this is considered classic Matt Shaw by the die-hards, but I liked it. Check it out if you're looking for a short, dark, morbid read. :)
December 2, 2023
THE ROAD TO HELL IS PAVED WITH GOOD INTENTIONS.
Oh, what a narcissist won't do to maintain their delusional existence when the one they love finally decides they've had enough of their bullshit.
Told in several parts by an unreliable narrator, we get to be a fly on the wall in a room with a broken-hearted husband, two detectives, a state-appointed attorney, and a tape recorder to learn exactly how a well-intentioned road trip took a most unfortunate turn for the worse.
⚠️Possible trigger warnings include:
Kidn@pping
Body horror
Necr💀philia
Orphaning
Oh, what a narcissist won't do to maintain their delusional existence when the one they love finally decides they've had enough of their bullshit.
Told in several parts by an unreliable narrator, we get to be a fly on the wall in a room with a broken-hearted husband, two detectives, a state-appointed attorney, and a tape recorder to learn exactly how a well-intentioned road trip took a most unfortunate turn for the worse.
⚠️Possible trigger warnings include:
Kidn@pping
Body horror
Necr💀philia
Orphaning
October 11, 2018
Another great story
Another great story from Matt Shaw...how easily a marriage , and a mind, can unravel and have tragic consequences for people. If you love simple-this could actually happen horror-don’t miss this book. I’ll never look at another RV without wondering...,
Another great story from Matt Shaw...how easily a marriage , and a mind, can unravel and have tragic consequences for people. If you love simple-this could actually happen horror-don’t miss this book. I’ll never look at another RV without wondering...,
January 7, 2023
First story I have read by Matt Shaw.
I like his way of telling a story. It was pretty capturing from the beginning to the end. It definitely made me want to read more of his books. Especially because I've read that they are creepier than this one.
I like his way of telling a story. It was pretty capturing from the beginning to the end. It definitely made me want to read more of his books. Especially because I've read that they are creepier than this one.
June 28, 2024
This is my 2nd Matt Shaw "experience". And for the 2nd time, I'm left thinking, "WTF did I just read?!" The writing itself is more of a 3 star, but the fact I will never forget this story, I give it a 4.
September 3, 2018
Beautiful love story, definitely gave me the feels 😍
September 6, 2018
Loved it
Loved it as much as every other Matt Shaw book I have read. Finished it in one sitting.
Worth every penny:)
Loved it as much as every other Matt Shaw book I have read. Finished it in one sitting.
Worth every penny:)
October 4, 2018
A roadtrip from Hell!
Many great ideas converge into one pageturning novella. Twists and unique character motivations make for a fun read!
Many great ideas converge into one pageturning novella. Twists and unique character motivations make for a fun read!
January 10, 2019
Despite this booking being a Matt Shaw creation, there wasn't any horror or gore involved. A safe read if those two particular items bother you. The only thing that could be off-putting for some people is a bit of disturbing content.
I thought it was a different concept for a story though. Interesting. However, I'd rate other Matt Shaw books higher on the star scale, as I love horror and gore.
I thought it was a different concept for a story though. Interesting. However, I'd rate other Matt Shaw books higher on the star scale, as I love horror and gore.
May 30, 2020
It's a calmer Shaw read, good for starters or non-torture porn fans. Good Narration!!! And come on then wasn't surprising - we all would have (thought about) doing it!!
June 28, 2020
A fun an enjoyable read. Not amazing but definitely worth your time to read it.
September 5, 2023
Great read from Matt! A non-gore(maybe a dash), intense, and wild ride that kept giving!
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews