Scattershot

by Jon Athan

The streets of Redwood, California are being stalked by a brutal serial killer known as The Scattershot Slayer—a tall, lanky man who kidnaps and tortures his victims before creating grotesque pieces of public art with their mutilated bodies. Viola Santoro, a freelance journalist, is tracking Scattershot for her independent investigation in hopes of writing an exposé. After she unwittingly captures the serial killer's attention, she receives the scoop of a lifetime. Scattershot kidnaps Viola, straps her to an iron chair in his dungeon, and forces her to watch his acts of torture—over and over. He doesn't harm her, though. Instead, he gives her what she his motives, his dreams, his life story. Jon Athan, the provocative author of The Good, the Bad, and the Sadistic, invites you into the broken mind of a disturbed serial killer. This book contains scenes of graphic violence. This book is not intended for those easily offended or appalled.

Genres: Horror, Splatterpunk, Audiobook, Fiction, Dark, American

198 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 30, 2018

Reviews

[Peter Topside · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite Jon Athan books to date. It is bloody and gory, but with a ton of story and character depth involved. The whole thing was like an amped up version of Clarice Starling and Buffalo Bill from Silence of the Lambs. I loved the progression of how Scattershot tormented Viola through the story, getting more vulgar and violent with each interaction. I don’t want to spoil anything, but the reason he felt so attached to her was another bombshell that I didn’t expect. The final scene was a nightmare to visualize, but left the story off with a hulluva finale. I did want to know a little more about Liz and Norman, as they felt like afterthoughts, but those exclusions didn’t hurt the book at all. Although some more development would have rounded things out better. But this was a great showing and is exactly why I have been binging Athan’s book selection for awhile now.

[MadameD · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished Scattershot and I like it very much.
I’m becoming fond of horror novels . This book is my first from this author , and I’m already a fan .
To review this book , I’ll answer Jon Athan questions .

Did I like the story ?

Yes , I like it a lot . For me it was unexpected, and I like surprises in a book . I read a lot , and unfortunately it’s difficult to found an original story. Jon Athan surprised me.


What did I think of the characters ?

All the characters were interesting and well developed.
Norman is the good pragmatic cop .
Viola is an ambitious journalist, too invested in her career. She forgot to be careful ,not to invest her too much in her article topic. Especially when he is a dangerous criminal .
The Scattershot slayer is the perfect villain. He is a Monster , unpredictable and totally crazy.


Was this book too violent for me ?

I am surprising myself by saying no , it wasn’t.
This wasn’t too violent for me. But It was definitely violent . It’s not for sensitive readers.
I wanted to close my eyes while reading some torture scenes .
I’m not a veteran reader of extreme horror novels, so for me it was a Big Deal . But the violence isn’t gratuitous, it’s justified by the story, and the complexity of the killer.


Did I enjoy entering the depraved mind of this serial killer ?

I didn’t enjoy it, but I found his mind fascinating. How someone could be that crazy ? The author describes his damage psyche pretty good.


Would I like to read another book like this in the future ?

YES , I would like that.
But not now . I am going to read a kinky, steamy erotic book.


I highly recommend Scattershot to horror fans . The story is well written and totally unexpected.

[Cheryl P. (review hiatus) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love stories about serial killers and this one definitely did not disappoint! The killer known as Scattershot abducts journalist Viola Santoro and forces her to watch him torture and kill victims. The first woman with the rat really freaked me out!

[Sea Caummisar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Talk about an ending! I know many horror books are downed for their endings, but this one was incredible! The story was smooth. A serial killer keeps kidnapping a reporter, kills people in front of her, and then strings her out on drugs. Think classic Jon Athan torture stuff. The ending was insane

[Mellisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Viola finds herself drawing into the terrifying world of the serial killer the police are trying to track down, named the 'Scattershot Slayer'. Each night she is abducted and made to witness horrors beyond the wildest imagination. He has chose Viola. He has a plan, and he wants her to know his story...

Another fantastic extreme horror from Jon Athan! Brutal, chilling and enough to make your stomach flip. There are parts that are not easy to read - please remember this author / this book is extreme horror.

This book has made me have soooo many emotions.

I loved Viola and Norman's 'relationship', and I was weirdly invested in them in such a short book. I could imagine a series based on those two actually!

[Mikepottz · Rating 4 out of 5]

A golden glow from a light bulbs, concrete floor, walls, no windows, an iron chair the only furniture. A dungeon. A man clad in a black hoodie. A girl feed a filthy sewer rat down her throat as she is still alive. Within minutes, her insides gnawed, mashed, mangled, consumed, blood frothing from her mouth. Horrific pain until the suffering ceases. Across from the girl, an independent reporter, handcuffed to an iron chair. Made to watch. The killer scattershot wants to tell her all his dark secrets. She will be drugged, let loose and captured every night to watch more suffering. A man has his scrotum cut off and his dick. The reporter will awake outside in the fetal position inside the man's limbless headless torso. Another girl scalped, the killer wearing it over his head. The reporter slowly going insane, the cops trying to find the killer, the killer wanting to mesomorph into somebody close to him, taking things from her, becoming the perfect her.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has got to be one of the best or even"THE BEST"extreme horror books I have had the pleasure in being able to read....I wanted and tried to read this book slowly to savor every word,page and chapter...but I found myself turning the pages faster and faster to get to the end to find out one gruesome ending!! This book took me into its darkest abyss and I couldn't get out...it was disturbing,gory and f**king awesome!! Brilliantly written and the characters were easy to bond with. Jon Athan has the most fantastic mind and imagination...I wish I had 1% of the gift he has!! From the first page until the last it was gripping. If you are not familiar with JA's style of writing then beware about the contents between the pages...it will shock you,disgust you and offend you...So be WARNED! I loved it...I truly didn't want it to end. 10/10 for me! Once again...Thank You Mr Athan for writing such an awesome read.

[Mary Grissom · Rating 5 out of 5]

😵

This was probably the most disturbing book so far that I have read from this author. Spine chilling! I can’t get the rat out of my head. It is very intense, and will keep your mind spinning. And also make you check the closets before you go to bed!

[June Frost · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love reading Jon Athan's books because I get some kind of perverse pleasure from his writing. Scattershot did not disappoint me. It is full of hideous gore. Plus, the story line is interesting. Maybe one more edit just for typos and continuity. That is easy to overlook though because once I start reading one of his books, I cannot stop until I've read the last page. I've read lots of horror novels, and Jon Athan really knows how to pull a reader into his world of unimaginable grisly, disturbing, yet exciting dark world where sometimes the hero of the book falls prey to the dark forces. At times, I feel empathy for the baddie as a result of Athan giving the reader a good back-story to fully flesh his characters. I look forward to reading many more of Jon Athan marvels.

[Carrie Shields · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably my least favorite of this author's books so far. The plot was just improbable, and the characters didn't have much depth to them. I do enjoy how skillfully he writes torture scenes and will faithfully continue my way through his impressive backlist.

[Mike Prewitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very Disturbing Red

Jon Athan strikes again. This was yet another brutal novel with an aspect of Silence of the Lambs. Especially near the end. It's definitely messed up as always.

[❤ArtfullySinful❤ · Rating 5 out of 5]

“... She was better than us… better than me. She just dug too deep and ended up getting buried with the devil’s sins.”

A city was haunted by the gruesome and horrific murders of victims ranging from adolescent to the elderly, from man to woman and nobody could quite place who was responsible. Nicknamed the Scattershot Slayer by the media, the killer found his satisfaction in brutally tormenting and murdering the victims, posing their mutilated bodies sporadically in parks and shopping centers. Fearing another sleepless night in a city traumatized by violence and death, Sergeant Norman Anderson of the Redwood Police Department Was running think on patience as the murderer continued to slip through everyone’s grasp. With one set of prying eyes continuing to haunt him, he found himself lost as Viola Santoro continued to bewilder him with tales that could haunt anyone sane to their cores. A once a time flame, the two shared a lengthy history of love and turmoil, as she persue the rewarding career as a freestanding journalist. Doing anything she could she find the biggest scoop to be sold to the highest bidder, it was often the two would cross paths in their desires to uncover the truth.

I told you about my sister, Fiona. She was born when I was four. And she died when she was four. You see, the poor girl 'accidentally' drowned in the bathtub.

Age... it's just a number and I happen to like the single-digit ones.”

“Allie, you've been a naughty boy! A very naughty boy! I told you to stop watching mommy, didn't I? I warned you, boy, I warned you!”

She began feeling herself become more and more paranoid, as she witnessed the nightmares live day after day. As she struggled to maintain normality, she woke to horrors as Scattershot snuck inside and took her to his dungeon, using her as a vice to his suffering. Using Viola as a make shift therapist, she hears the nightmares he indulged in, and the events that finally sent him over the edge. From the mother who used him sexually for pleasure, to his own fascination with molesting children, she felt disgust time after time with him. His admittedly off behavior, as he struggled through gender dysmorphia, he became easily triggered into violence. As every session with Viola ends, he puts her under with an injection of heroin. After alerting Norman to her vivid sessions with the nontorius killer, did little but put her far heavier into his sights. The final time he got ahold of her, would be her last living time. Knocked unconscious and heavily drugged with ether and heroin, she felt the agony as he removed her finger and toe nails, and watched in horror as she was scalped. High in his own sadistic state, he dressed his face in makeup and sawed through her breasts, stalking them to his chest. As her clues allowed the police to discover his identity, they came far too late as he removed his genitalia with a knife before taking multiple rounds to the chest. As he died in the hospital, Norman had to live with the failures that cost Viola her life, as she died in the dungeon of horrors that night.

“He–He–He fed her... He fed her a... a rat. No... No, the rat ate her. He... Oh, God, it can't be real.”

[Allison | crazypageturner · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Scattershot Slayer. A serial killer who began his rampage using a shotgun and randomly killing people. Now, he’s progressed and the bodies are showing up mutilated, disfigured beyond recognition and posed when dumped. Viola is an investigative journalist who is determined to catch him, but she soon becomes part of his game.

I really enjoyed the cat and mouse game that Scattershot played with Viola. He kept toying with her, terrorizing her, kidnapping her and making her watch him in his dungeon.

While I enjoyed Viola getting captured, I didn’t like her much as a character. She just kept making poor decisions, kept way too much information to herself and wouldn’t seek help or change her routines (even with a connection to the police force).

The kidnapping aspect of the book was a little rocky in regards to the why for Scattershot. But I liked him as the villain since he was unhinged and literally a psycho with mommy issues.

Overall not my favorite Athan but I was still hooked trying to figure out how this was going to end for Viola and what Scattershots purpose was. There was some quick brutal torture, some psychological torture and body mutilation. Glad to have read another Athan!

My first buddy read with @cocos.kindle and we had such a good time! The first of many!

[E The Creepy Girl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a solid effort from Jon Athan. I didn’t enjoy it as much as his other books, but it has a layer of charm that was very intriguing. The story was gripping and left me on the edge of my seat. You wonder about the motives and why he does this. You think about Viola and Norman’s past relationship, and how they currently interact with each other. You think about how childhood trauma contributes to what you become as an adult, and the morality of journalism. This story raises a lot of important and thought provoking questions. Scattershot is an interesting killer, but we have seen that same childhood trauma killer in real life and in many adaptations of other killer stories. I just wished there was a touch of variety there. This story also has some very good quotes. You can feel the pressure and anxiety that Viola feels and her desperation to be believed. Would she have been believed had she not had a previous relationship with Norman? It really makes you think how the police treat people, especially those they may be prejudiced against.

The ending was a gut punch. Not how I wanted it to end at all but that doesn’t contribute to my rating. Just wished things were different.

[Jolene · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't get enough of Jon Athan. His books always deliver, and this one? Easily one of my top favorites.

In this story, the streets of Redwood, California, are stalked by the notorious Scattershot Slayer—an eerie figure who kidnaps, tortures, and arranges his victims into grotesque public art. Freelance journalist Viola Santoro is investigating him, but when she catches his attention, she becomes his next target. Locked in his dungeon, she’s forced to watch his horrific acts and listen to his twisted life story— But here’s the catch: after each kill, he releases her. What kind of s3ri@l
kil🔪er kidnaps you, and then sets you free—only to repeat the cycle? This game he’s playing... it’s intense. All while he is giving her the scoop of a lifetime.

This story will take you to some of the darkest, most disturbing places—and then push even further. It’s relentless, twisted, and utterly gripping. The plot doesn’t just go deep; it goes places you never expect. And just when you think it can’t get any more intense? It absolutely does!

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just love Jon Athan's books. So well written. So well told.
This is about a serial killer dubbed the Scattershot Killer, because his victims have nothing in common. He kidnapps, tortures and kills them. Then displays them for all to see.
Viola is an independent investigative reporter who is chasing him for his story. He finds her and brings her to his crime scenes to watch and learn!
So vile. So evil. So bloody. So painful. So heartwrenching. So entertaining!
Rebekah Nemethy did such a wonderful job narrating this bloody, gorey horror. Her character voices were all so spot on and original. She plowed thru the stench and goo without any trouble at all. Wonderful job. 5 stars all around!

[BookwormUnicorn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first read of Jon Athan's books and I enjoyed it very much.

A journalist is stalked and abducted by Scattershot - a deranged serial killer. I'm not gonna say more with the plot to avoid spoilers. The plot is pretty straightforward the story progression was well executed. While I do not find any characters loveable, they are interesting and sufficiently developed. I personally do not find it too violent but to each their own. The ending; it was like a mind blown moment.

I definitely recommend this to readers who loves horror but it does contain graphic details of violence which may be offensive to others.

Pace: fast
Moods: dark, mysterious, sad

[aida · Rating 1 out of 5]

"he believed parts of her story - she was found in a man's hollowed torso after all - but he couldn't believe everything. why would a killer kidnap a journalist, kill people in front of her, then inject her with drugs and release her? - he thought." hmmmm maybe for the same reasons the killer left her alive, stuffed her into a hollowed torso and filled a fountain with blood and guts next to where she was found, after killing many people and exhibiting them in weird, artistic ways? this book felt incredibly stupid, with even stupider characters. there was absolutely no nuance or subtlety on the complex topics it touched, like gender dysphoria or child abuse.

[Rain · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gory, tight thriller with gruesome scenes that will never leave you, especially that climax.

The plot is straightforward and well executed (pardon the pun)- a journalist is stalked and serially abducted by a serial killer who is the talk of the town. She must figure out who he is while keeping alive and sane.

Complete spoiler ahead, don’t read if you haven’t read the book! I’m so glad she wasn’t the killer Tyler Durdening it the whole time, as I worried!

If audiobooks are your thing, the narration by Rebekah Nemethy is outstanding.

[Chris Horrocks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great story unique to my reading history as the Serial Killer includes the Press let’s say, to witness his macabre practises. If you like the film Silence of the Lambs then this will enlighten you the process Bill went through to achieve his goal. Chapter 16 I think was a little hard to read due to the subject matter of the victim but not to graphic, apart from how Mr Athan writes so descriptive I almost felt like a voyeur in his mind.

[Adam Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unflinching in violent descriptions, this short novel is memorable for the plot and shock ending. My main criticism would be the sometimes awkward sentences and the vocabulary is a bit lacking. Still, I wanted a fun horror read that I could finish in a few hours and I got exactly that. I am really glad I gave Athan another shot after the Abuse of Ashley Collins because this read was far more enjoyable.

[Monica Milton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it !

One of Jon Athans best books yet. At the end Jon Athan writes that he thinks this book is too violent in places but I though it was superbly written. If you're reading Jon Athan books you must be used to a bit of violence but I never thought the story went too far. The characters were well written and believable and the ending was not what I could have imagined. Excellent book and a Jon Athan classic !

[Jeanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I kinda enjoyed this!

This storyline definitely brings Hannibal to mind, with all the vile, explicit details laid bare. It’s disturbingly easy to picture just how excruciating Viola’s final moments were before she was killed. Midway through the story, I had a gut feeling that Scattershot had some kind of secret hideout or hidden passage that made it possible for him to “kidnap” Viola unnoticed.. And sure enough, I was right.

[CARLEEN · Rating 4 out of 5]

SCATTERSHOT

The serial killer dubbed The Scattershot Slayer is one demented SOB. I LOVED this story and felt for the innocent victims. As I stated during previous Jon Athan book reviews, I absolutely love how any and every character can end up as a victim, I was rooting for investigative journalist Viola, clearly The Scattershot Slayer aka Allen had other metamorphosis plans.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intense!

I was looking for something different, boy I found it. The author, warns readers that this story is intense and graphic, all that is true.
The story is well written, but tough for me to read.
Jon Athan appears to be a talented writer, if these types of stories appeal to you, you won’t be disappointed.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Your warned that this is a very disturbing book...and it is. Graphic scenes of violence that I still can't get out of my head. Plus an ending that I never saw coming. If your not easily offended you'll enjoy this story. Characters were believable and I look forward to reading more from Jon Athan.

[Terry · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jon Athan is a new to me author.

This book was a twisted read, which I normally am okay with. Unfortunately, when it came out that the serial killer was a pedofile who killed a nine year old child on page, I was turned off of the entire story. Wish I would have had a trigger warning going into this.

[Frankie Yates · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved the story and the character development, but I had to knock a star off because it frustrated me SO much. I don’t think I’ve ever been so wound up reading a book, Viola and Norman made so many infuriating decisions. What an ending though!
Jon Athan never lets me down though, I’ve loved all of his work so far!

[Thomas Hobbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book like all his books are very graphic and violent in nature. Author does put up warnings all over the book. Even though I have read a lot of his books some still gets under my skin. For example there is a brutal death of a 9 year old. Kids being tortured and rape always gets to me. Other than that I thought the book was great.

[mallory · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would recommend if you like the cringeworthy

Definitely an entertaining read. Certainly deranged and twisted, with lots of graphic scenes. I don't thunk it did a great job of getting into the killers psyche, but still worth the read.