Blood Sugar

by Daniel Kraus

In a ruined house at the end of Yellow Street, an angry outcast hatches a scheme to take revenge for all the wrongs he has suffered. With the help of three alienated kids, he plans to hide razor blades, poison, and broken glass in Halloween candy, maiming or killing dozens of innocent children. But as the clock ticks closer to sundown, will one of his helpers—an innocent himself, in his own streetwise way—carry out or defeat the plan?

From the dark imagination of bestselling novelist Daniel Kraus, co-author with Guillermo del Toro of The Shape of Water, comes a Halloween crime story that's like nothing you've ever read before.

Told from the child's point of view, in a voice as unforgettable as A clockwork Orange, Kraus' novel is at once frightening and emotional, thought-provoking and laugh-out-loud funny. It'll make you rethink your concepts of family, loyalty, and justice—and will leave you double-checking the wrappers on your Halloween candy for the rest of your days.

Genres: Horror, Halloween, Crime, Fiction, Mystery, Pulp, Suspense

222 pages, Paperback

First published October 8, 2019

About the author

“Kraus brings the rigor of a scientist and the sensibility of a poet.” – The New York Times

DANIEL KRAUS is a New York Times bestselling writer of novels, TV, and film. WHALEFALL received a front-cover rave in the New York Times Book Review, won the Alex Award, was an L.A. Times Book Prize Finalist, and was a Best Book of 2023 from NPR, the New York Times, Amazon, Chicago Tribune, and more.

With Guillermo del Toro, he co-authored THE SHAPE OF WATER, based on the same idea the two created for the Oscar-winning film. Also with del Toro, Kraus co-authored TROLLHUNTERS, which was adapted into the Emmy-winning Netflix series. His also cowrote THE LIVING DEAD and PAY THE PIPER with legendary filmmaker George A. Romero.

Kraus’s THE DEATH AND LIFE OF ZEBULON FINCH was named one of Entertainment Weekly‘s Top 10 Books of the Year. Kraus has won the Bram Stoker Award, Scribe Award, two Odyssey Awards (for both ROTTERS and SCOWLER), and has appeared multiple times as Library Guild selections, YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults, and more.

Kraus’s work has been translated into over 20 languages. Visit him at danielkraus.com.

Reviews

[Sadie Hartmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before you read BLOOD SUGAR by Daniel Kraus, I feel this sense of responsibility to set you up for success. I don’t want this book to fall victim to a litany of reviews that focus on the unusual storytelling. Daniel Kraus has made a bold choice using his protagonist Jody to be the primary narrative. Jody’s voice is audacious, unabashed and full of slang terms, both familiar and unfamiliar. At first, it’s distracting but soon, the reader will grow accustomed to Jody’s unique wordsmithing and the story is well-worth hanging in there. I found myself laughing out loud at Jody’s keen observations and cringing when he launches into descriptions of his ongoing battle with pink-eye.
Tagging along with our protagonist is Dag (short for Dagmar) a girl with a sensitive spirit and a soft spot for a disgusting stray dog that probably nobody else in the world would care about, and Midget, Jody’s mentally handicapped foster sister who talks to bugs.
This band of misfits befriends a lonely, struggling man named Robbie who opens his dilapidated home to these castoff kids.
Kraus expertly does two things at once in this story: He openly and unflinchingly paints a realistic, disturbing picture of neglected kids on the street who are exposed to every foul and harmful thing while at the same time employing humor and childlike innocence to alleviate the depravity of it all.
I appreciated this because this is the way the protagonist sees his life--through the lens of his own context--not the reader’s perspective or the author’s perspective which would be a pretty grim read. It's authentic that Jody gets excited and enthusiastic about "Supermilk"(a milkshake made with drugs that Robbie makes for the kids) even though it's a rough scene to read.
My mom-heart was destroyed from the beginning. These poor kids left alone in the world to raise themselves befriending this guy who clearly has some mental health issues and then have to work together to stop this guy from hurting innocent children? It’s a bleak, heartbreaking story but oddly enough, I loved it. I think it’s an original, weird, little Halloween tale that captures the reader’s imagination, exploits our feelings and offers a memorable new voice to the horror genre--we won’t soon forget our time with Jody in the story BLOOD SUGAR. I hope Daniel Kraus continues to make bold character choices like this-I’m here for it

[Kemper · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you want an idea of how gross this book is, the first person narrator has a case of untreated pink-eye, and that’s just the start. But hey, it’s in addition to being completely disgusting it’s also depressing as hell.

I’m selling the hell out of this one, aren’t I? The crazy thing is that it’s a very good book, one of the best I’ve read this year. But it’s not exactly a joy ride.

Robbie is a complete outcast that is hated by everyone in town. He lives in a decaying house that’s filled with junk, trash, bugs, and mice, and his only friends are three young kids. He decides to finally get revenge on the community by lacing Halloween candy with drugs and razor blades, and he wants the kids to help. However, Robbie isn’t exactly a criminal mastermind, and his minions aren’t much better.

Jody’s mother has mental health issues so he’s pretty much raising himself as well as the young mute foster kid, Midge, that his mom took in for the money. Unfortunately, Jody’s ideas of health and hygiene leave a lot to be desired. Jody’s schoolmate Dag comes from a seemingly solid middle class family, but while she may have nicer clothes and a better diet, she has her own issues.

The thing about this book is that it’s so far off from your usual narrative that it’s hard to even describe. On the surface it’s about a lowlife enlisting three at-risk children to help him poison kids on Halloween so Robbie should be the villain of a story told to us by Jody. However, as the story unfolds and we learn more about the backgrounds of each character you realize that not everything is as it seems. Robbie may be a disgusting dirtbag who is out to kill some innocent trick-or-treaters, but gradually you learn that he’s got a tragic backstory of his own so that you can’t help but feel some sympathy towards him by the end.

There’s also some very clever things going on in regards to the narration and structure of the book. Most of the story come from Jody’s first person account, and since he’s a not-too-bright kid who is a poster boy for neglect his account is mainly made up slang and references to the Lord of the Rings movies he loves so it takes some translation to even understand what Jody is talking about. We also get some interludes that are letters that Robbie writes to various people, and it quickly becomes clear that he has his own problems. There’s also some letters from Dag, and while she’s obviously the smartest of the crew we learn what led her to befriend these people who are so clearly not part of the same social or economic class as her.

It’s great writing that establishes the different voices, and it also pays off as each revelation makes the story become clear. Eventually we understand everyone, even the mute Midge, and their tales are all heartbreaking in one way or another. The book left me feeling sickened, but it wasn’t the gross and filthy details that did it. It was the way these young people were all abandoned or let down so that they ended up in these circumstances while no one around them seemed to notice or care.

OK, so some of it was the gross and filthy details. Seriously, I was glad I had a tetanus shot recently while reading this, but it’s totally worth it.

[Ashley Daviau · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all, can we all take a second to appreciate how utterly AMAZING this cover is?! Okay now that we’ve all feasted our eyes on the awesome cover, let’s get to the goods inside. Somehow, the story is as good as the cover is, if not BETTER. This is some dark subject matter and definitely not for the faint of heart, it had me feeling sick to my stomach at some points, in the best way possible of course! I loved the way it was written, the slang like language made me really feel like I was inside the characters very troubled mind and it made this read all the more chilling. If you’re looking for an utterly terrifying read that happens on the best night of the year, Halloween, look no further. Blood Sugar is IT.

* I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review and this in no way changes or affects my review.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blood Sugar Delivers

Blood Sugar is a kind of a cross between Eminem’s Eight Mile, A Clockwork Orange, and every punked-Out hood rat story you ever heard. Get used to Jody’s inner city rap ‘cause this whole deal is told in a distinct vernacular that once you get used to it feels honest and pointed. Be ready for more Tolkien references than a Led Zeppelin song as well as constant references to sharkweek.

The story has little to do with Halloween except that’s the setting time-wise. It’s not a horror story, ghost story, or goblin-fest. Rather, it’s a commentary on the sad ways people go as their dreams get dashed and they end up frittering away their days watching television, planning a shoplift, hoarding junk, or blending up supermilk drug-drinks.

Maybe the world don’t owe you nothing but, if like fatboy you were going to be a football star and ended up abused behind the locker room, there maybe ain’t no way to end the pain, no rage fest that can end it, nothing you wouldn’t wish on a world that turned its back on you. Maybe some razor infested candy will show them.

Jody hangs out there in fatboy’s junkie crib cause his mom has shut herself in the bedroom watching endless Oprah reruns. Foster sister midget tags along when she’s not too busy eating bugs. And, Dags somehow made her way across the tracks to Hang out too even though at home she’s got the full Ozzie and Harriet routine. A splendid, if problematic, cast of characters.

But, really, the real star here is the narrative that captures the mood so well. This may not be for everyone, but Blood Sugar delivers precisely what it sets out to. And it’s a glimpse of a world that isn’t exactly unicorns and fairies.

[Janie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written in the lingo of a wannabe thug who is simply a child in limbo, this story revolves around the disenfranchised, the abused and the unfortunate whose lives were tugged out from under them. Flypaper costumes, overpriced junk, rage, and the saddest stories you've ever heard meld to form street monsters with beating hearts with nowhere to move but forward. Humor is sprinkled over poisoned treats that may or may not hit their targets. Heartbreaking and tough as nails, this book delivers the goods in all their soiled wrappings.

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the start you know this isn't going to be any ordinary book; seeped in slang, the story set among squalor, Blood Sugar is at once creative and consuming. It absorbs the reader in a heartfelt story hiding behind the curtains of malicious intent and a twisted form of vengeance.

The narrative is insightful innocence spoken through a veil of ignorance that's all too real and scary as hell - more as a result of the plot's initial intent as apposed to the outcome.

While misleading, the cover is true to the book; make no mistake Halloween is the centerpiece but you won't find witches, monsters, or ghosts here. Just four down-on-their-luck characters who bond to form an unconventional family unit.

I loved every page.The unique style and over indulgent use of ebonics provided the characters with a voice that's honest and full complimentary to the story's place-setting; a perfect fit for the tone of the book. I give this a solid 5 stars. Blood Sugar will no doubt be on my 'Best of 2019' list come years end.

[Ga.selle (Semi-hiatus) Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

'It's a calendar Robbies old man had of sexy ladies and Octobers a sexy witch flying a broom and even though its ancient Im glad Robbie keeps it around cuz sexy witches make Halloween even nicer.'



4✨🍬👅

[Brandon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Abandoned by his parents and desperate for revenge against those in his town who have made his life a living hell, twenty-something recluse Robbie has come up with a shameful scheme. On Halloween night, with the assistance of his friends Jody, Dag and Midge, Robbie will give out candy filled with pins and poison. Will he follow through with his despicable plan or will his cohorts stop him before it’s too late?

Blood Sugar is unlike any book I’ve read. Author Daniel Kraus presents Jody, Robbie’s young friend, as the principal narrator. In doing so, Kraus worms his way inside Jody’s brain by writing in Jody’s completely unique voice. In flipping some choice swear words by using phrases like “that’s some serious sharkweek” or “mightyducker” helps to endear him to the reader. Even though I’m not a Lord of the Rings fan, I appreciated his love for the books/movies and the fact that he covers his coat in quotes from the series. Made me laugh out loud on a few occasions.

While Jody is the one who narrates the majority of the book, Kraus allows us to get into the heads of the other main characters through letters they write. I thought this worked really well. We get to see a lot of character development that would otherwise go unnoticed by their brief interactions with Jody. The brightest spotlight shines on Dag who has the biggest evolution from over-achieving, stable teen to something else entirely; something dark and twisted.

Blood Sugar, while ultimately a crime novel, is a very poignant and dark look at life in urban America for those who are struggling both financially and mentally. Robbie’s story is a deeply tragic one and although Jody tries to remain positive for Robbie by putting up a front throughout the novel, it’s clear that he is just a push away from shattering. And he’s not the only one.

Sure, you could probably find scarier books to read this Halloween, but like many of Hardcase Crime’s offerings, Kraus’ Blood Sugar is definitely not to be missed.

[Frank · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

I decided to read this as an October choice because of its Halloween theme. It turned out to not really be a horror story but an unusual tale told from the perspective of Jody, a streetwise young boy living in a poverty-stricken area of an undisclosed town. The worst area of town is on Yellow Street where a young man named Robbie lives in a ramshackle house. He has been abandoned by his parents, abused, and outcast from the rest of the community. Robbie was once an upcoming football star in high school but after suffering multiple concussions and being sexually abused by an assistant coach, he performs an act of violence that leaves him scorned by the school and the community. So Robbie is out for revenge against the town. To do this he comes up with a scheme to put drugs, sharp objects, or poison in Halloween candy to hand out to unsuspecting kids. Jody and his foster sister, Midget, along with a young girl named Dag (short for Dagmar) are there to help Robbie in his plan but will things go as intended?

The novel is narrated mostly in the voice of Jody who has a very unique and unusual way of speaking using a lot of street slang, some familiar and some totally his own. He substitutes words such as 'mightyduck' and 'sharkweek' for cuss words. He is also a big fan of 'The Lord of the Rings' movies and often refers to characters from the stories. This can be a little off-putting at first but as the novel progresses you get used to the language. His foster sister Midget is also a really different character who doesn't talk but has a fondness for bugs. Some of her actions are lol funny such as when she finds pleasure in wrapping strings of used flypaper covered with live and dead flies around her. Then there is Dag who comes from the better part of town but who is probably the most disturbed of the group. She is a star student and excels in extracurricular activities but she can't stand her parents or her teachers. Is she the real motivator behind the plan for revenge?

Overall, I would mildly recommend this but I don't think this novel is for everyone. After reading this, I found that I had read another very disturbing novel by Kraus several years ago called Rotters about a father and son team of grave robbers. Kraus is also the co-author along with Guillermo del Toro of The Shape of Water, a very imaginative movie that I remember enjoying.

[Michael (Horror Gardener) · Rating 5 out of 5]

the filth, slime, abuse, horror, candy, regret, sadness is non-stop.
Great characters told thru a great vehicle.
Each page is an ode to poverty, life changing experiences and rage.

[Milica · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOOOOW! This is up there among the top five read in 2024 for sure. A masterpiece.

[Malum · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fascinating look at the underbelly of the young and extremely poor that does some interesting things with main character and point of view but is marred by some of the worst "adult writing a kid" writing that I have ever read. On one page we read something like "I've gotta get ahold of some crack, yo!", only to read a page later something like "I'm being a poo poo diaper baby" and "I can't make pee". Kraus also tried to make up his own slang like A Clockwork Orange but it is just laughably awful: "You're my Robocop and that's a Mighty Duck but this is straight up shark week, yo!".
Modern ghetto kids making up a slang made up of 80s and 90s movie references and Discovery channel specials? It sounds like something a middle-aged, rich, suburban white dude would come up with (and what do you know, it is!).

[Oliver Clarke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review coming soon on Sci Fi and Scary

[Coral · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best Halloween book out there and you cannot change my mind.

[Ethan · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC review

Markedly different from every other Kraus on its surface level, though there's definitely some familiar themes he's continuing to explore. Most interesting is that despite not really being a horror novel, it's probably Kraus' most disgusting book yet. Yes, the same author who had two whole epic novels about the protagonist slowly decaying. Yes, the same author who wrote a book about grave robbing. Rotters may have been the only book to really effectively evoke smell for me, but Blood Sugar made me lose my appetite and go wash my hands on several occasions. At least there were plenty of Lord of the Rings references, and even one Watership Down reference, to wash it down. This book might ruin candy for you. If it doesn't, it might ruin milk, or McDonald's. Just don't do what I did, and read this during your lunch breaks. Seriously. You might be thinking "whatever man, I read Zebulon during my lunch break". I did too. Trust me.

Blood Sugar is a slim, fast moving novel and this coupled with the narrator's voice makes it in many ways the exact antithesis of Zebulon Finch. It's also never predictable. I was never sure where it was headed until the last few pages. The ending is terrific, the kind of gut punch that few authors can pull off well.

[RL Bailey · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is difficult to nail down this one. With the cover and being part of the Hard Crime series you're not expecting much, but Kraus has a pedigree coming into this so maybe it'll be a fun read. The current trend in the books I keep getting recommended is how dark can we go? The basic premise here is a group of lost kids with absence of parents planning to poison Halloween candy.

So what goes wrong. First off, the way the book is written is tedious to get through. It reads like a grown man trying to write like teenagers via early 90s hip hop culture. For a big chunk of readers this is going to be a deal breaker. I've read quite a few of these stream of concious narratives and I felt it difficult to get through. Second there isn't a whole lot of redemption here, it's a straight up bummer. You can feel bad for these kids only to a certain point. I avoid reviews until after I've posted mine, but I think there may be people who give Kraus too much credit here. Yes, I got these people were chewed up by the system but Kraus doesn't do enough to make us hope these characters get redeemed.

There are interesting narratives here, but even at just over 200 pages I can't think of anyone I would reccomend this book to. I recently read "Opiod, Indiana" by Brian Allen Carr which is in a similar vein but I felt much better in both style and narrative.

[Donald · Rating 1 out of 5]

The cover of this book is awesome!
The stuff inside is not. It is written in a style that is really difficult to read, with nonsense words substituted for swear words. And it moves slowly, with unlike able characters.
I feel cheated of my money. If this were a movie, I’d demand a refund. Ten bucks wasted.

[TraceyL · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book because of the amazing cover, but it wasn't what I was expecting it to be. The cover makes it look like a retro crime story that's maybe a little sexy. This is actually a modern day, super depressing story with extremely dark and damaged characters. I spent the first 2/3 of this book not really knowing what was going on, where it was leading or whether or not I was even enjoying it. The last 1/3 is where all the meat of the story is which I did really enjoy.

The main narrator of the story is one of the children who speaks in his own weird language which is a mishmash of pop culture references and street slang. The audiobook's narrator did a great job of voicing him and made the dialogue less obnoxious than it could have been.

I don't know who to recommend this book to. It's a weird story that doesn't fit into any one particular genre. Read at your own risk.

[Chanel Chapters]

DNF

But that cover is 🤩

[Rob Christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very strong stuff. Unpleasant. But also poignant .... and 100% committed. I had to admire it. He gets inside his protagonist's head so completely it made me squirm--because this is a very sad, bleak tale indeed. Not without some mightducking humor, however.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

I almost didn't finish the book, and that's because the first half of the book was something I found barely readable. Because it was Daniel Kraus, I kept reading, because I thought that something better was on the way. It was, but not enough to fully make up for the first half of the book.
The book's structure was at fault, first because of the ghastly dialect that the main character used, a sort of pseudo-urban illiteracy spiced up with weird punctuation and strange substitutes for profanity. Second, because none of the characters make sense for the first half of the book. We don't initially learn the source of Robbie's rage, or why Dagmar would even possibly go along with it. The main character, in whose voice the story is told, seems totally uncaring about the awful thing he's about to do, and his foster sister is just too far out to care, apparently.
That said, the second half of the book finally kicks in, and after that I found myself caring somewhat about Robbie and the little foster girl Midget, but not so much for Dag or the main character. Robbie seems to have a solid reason for wanting to act out, but the other two, eh, not so much, not for actions that would hurt or perhaps even kill an unknown number of small children.
So, I can give the book three stars for craftsmanship, but it makes me less likely to read his next book.

[Octavia (ReadsWithDogs) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book hurt my heart with it's realness, but also made me laugh out loud.

The storytelling is unique and unusual, but it works so well once you get into it. You feel for the characters and if you're me you know people like these characters and it makes everything hit a bit harder.

Don't take this book too seriously though.

Would recommend for those not weak of heart. Very NSFW with it's imagery and language, but holy mothertrucking sharkweek did I love it.

4.5 stars just because the ending was off for the rest of the book.

[Kristyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blood Sugar takes place all during Halloween day/evening. I loved reading this book in Jody's voice. It was a unique narrative that took a few pages to get used to, but I think it was a great way to tell the story. The story tells about each character and how they ended up hanging out together. It's funny, oddly heartwarming, and a little horrific. This is a quick read that I finished in just a few hours. It's a great book to add to an October reading list!

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blood Sugar by Daniel Krause is one extremely disturbing novel. Krause dumps you in the deep end from the beginning-you start saddled with an underage narrator who speaks his own idiosyncratic lingo. Once you parse that out you may immediately think you know what is going on. Trust me-you don't. This book just gets more and more disturbing the further down the rabbit hole you go. This one packs a wallop.

[Angus McKeogh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I could probably give this five stars honestly. This was a really good read, but I will admit I started it about 2 years ago and couldn’t get into it. So this was my second go. That comes about from the fact it’s written in a street kid’s dialect, and it reminds me of Trainspotting, it takes some time and effort to get into the rhythm of the dialect, but thereafter it was smooth. The narrative was funny, sad, and haunting. Really good stuff.

[Amadeo Torrero · Rating 3 out of 5]

A traumatic past turned would be revenge story, except the revenge isn’t even on those who did the wrongdoing. It had some usual tropes about finding bad things in kids Halloween candy but ultimately the whole story was kind of sad. The only thing I didn’t like was the over the top and poorly done “urban slang” throughout. Guess you could say it was a bunch of sharkweek, yo 😂

[Nate Ewbank · Rating 2 out of 5]

Definitely not what I thought it was going to be. Pretty heavy subject matter. Really just like the book for the cover art now after finishing the book.

[Elric Kane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reads like a Harmony Korine movie.

[Rachaelbookhunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blood Sugar is a perfectly twisted, disturbing, and gross crime novel. It is a really unique story, all taking place on Halloween, told from the point of view of a delinquent child. He has a unique way of talking and his viewpoint and understanding of things can be shocking.

A grown man wants to poison candy meant for trick or treaters. There's a lot more to it than that though. The crimes in the story are past and present ones and are about many different people in different ways.

I felt anxious throughout and also sad. Blood Sugar will play with your emotions. The writing was very good. I could imagine everything. The ending was a little abrupt and it's not entirely clear what happened or will happen. This is a good read, especially perfect if you enjoy dark and twisted tales.

[nethescurial · Rating 4 out of 5]

I cannot fucking write but this was great and a lot more formally inventive than I expected