The Skin That Fits

by David Massengill

“...a great read, richly humid with atmosphere, tense, packed with paranoia. The characters are interesting and well-rounded, tackling some difficult social constructs. Subtle but distinct Lovecraftian undertones weave throughout.” – The Horror Fiction Review “A tour of terror through a modern Southern gothic landscape.” — Vic Kerry, author of Thorazine Dreams THE HORROR IS DOWN SOUTH IN DAVID MASSENGILL’S LATEST NOVEL “The Family knows a whole lot about sacrifice. We don’t just give up our comfort or our time. We give our bodies and we give our lives.” Kim Lansing and Todd Regan are about to learn about sacrifice. While on a clandestine date with another woman, Kim discovers that her fiancé, Eustace, has killed himself. Torn with remorse, she fulfillls his one last taking his ashes from Seattle to his family members throughout the deep South. In Miami, struggling male model Todd Regan botches a much-needed photo shoot. Desperate for income, he accepts a persuasive talent scout’s offer of a high-paying role in an “experimental” horror film in Georgia. As Kim and Todd’s separate paths lead them beneath the shadow-casting Spanish moss of Savannah’s Bonaventure Cemetery and into the sweltering, gator-infested Louisiana swampland, they realize the locals may have something in mind other than hospitality. Join a haunting journey through an American South of disturbing rituals and supernatural possession, murderers in fish-head masks and an ancient spirit that stalks old plantation grounds in search of THE SKIN THAT FITS.

Genres: Fiction

252 pages, Paperback

Published June 18, 2018

About the author

David Massengill's latest work of fiction is the horror novella Virulent (Demain Publishing). He is the author of three novels—Grave Regrets, The Skin That Fits, and Red Swarm—all of which are available from Montag Press. He has also written the short story collections Extermination Days (Demain Publishing) and Fragments of a Journal Salvaged from a Charred House in Germany, 1816 (Hammer and Anvil Books). His short works of literary and horror fiction have appeared in numerous literary journals, including Eclectica Magazine, Pulp Metal Magazine, Word Riot, The Literary Hatchet, and The Raven Chronicles, among others. He lives in the Seattle area. Visit his website at www.davidmassengillfiction.com.

Reviews

[Ruuf Wangersen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so good. Haunting, harrowing, in the finest tradition of Southern Gothic horror, but with a disturbing new twist. Massengill shocks you, then keeps you guessing as he leads you further into the swampy darkness. Then snuffs the lamp. Be ready for a sleepless night with this one.

[Joshua Rogin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A horror novel that pulls you in and doesn’t let go.

This is a chilling tale of gothic horror that left me with the covers pulled over my head. The author has developed strong characters that run into much more than they can handle within an imagined Southern landscape that feels creepily authentic.

Bravo!

[Dan Dembiczak · Rating 5 out of 5]

David Massengill's new novel excels on many levels. The prose is precise, creepy and totally enveloping. I found a truly cinematic quality to it (as a filmmaker I'd love to direct it). The characters are equally mysterious and rich. The tension of the story jumps off the page and makes you feel as if you're watching the drama unfold in real time. The settings themselves are like characters: Savannah, New Orleans, Pensacola. There's an authenticity to how the settings were portrayed that could only took an author who really knows his stuff. To describe it as simply a horror genre book wouldn't do justice to the writing; it's that, but also much more literary and deep. I can't recommend it highly enough.

[Mike Sauve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cults, cajun gators, and roly-poly fisheads as rendered by Jack Ketchum will be the least of your worries as author David Massengill evokes the kinographic horror to be found in Marisha Pessl’s Night Film or even David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive. Massengill builds on his previous work (Red Swarm) and is better than ever as our tour guide through this sickly-sweet southern Gothic.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A super creepy page-turner that defies genres. It has creepiness, some gore, some supernatural elements, a cult, shamanism, and alligators! I’d say it’s fun but it also creeped me out.

[Stafford Lombard · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Skin That Fits is a well-paced horror novel that kept me fascinated from page to page. I appreciated the author’s skill at painting mysterious—and dark—Southern settings. Both intriguing and terrifying, this one’s a worthy addition to my horror collection.