The Suicide Club

by Matt Shaw

It's a discreet club for those who have had enough of life and want to end it on their own terms but are worried about the loved ones they leave behind.

An expensive club which takes the pain away for the families.

A club which offers its members one final, wild ride before they move on to greener pastures.

But first the members have to sign their life away for one year. They have to walk the streets with the company's logo tattooed onto their skin - and once that tattoo is done there is no turning back, not even if they change their mind. Death is coming for them.

Genres: Horror

160 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 2, 2021

About the author

Biography

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.

Reviews

[Peter Topside · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked this concept, and thought it would be a much simpler execution. It turned out to be a rather bit too complicated for its own good. First off, I had no idea that this was two books in one, so when the first Suicide Club ended abruptly, I was taken aback by the conclusion, which happened right when I was really getting into Greg's evolution. So then the sequel begins, but is very different, it came off like a Final Destination movie a bit, with just a bunch of characters being killed off. You didn't feel invested in any of them, as the story moves very quickly. And, once again, at the end, when we get to something really interesting, in Chris try to right his wrongdoings, it's over. The ending itself was a tad confusing, so much so, that Matt Shaw wrote an explanation of it at the very end. Not really sure how I felt about that. I guess in one way its good that he clarified everything so that the reader understood what he wanted to create, but, on the other hand, if it was written more clearly, would he have needed to do that? All a matter of personal preference, I suppose. But I really don't want to spoil anything here. I just wanted something that was kept smaller and more character-driven, more akin to what Greg was in the first book here, but going deeper. Suicide is such a sensitive subject, and I admire Shaw's ambition of going with this premise. I've suffered from depression many times in my life, and even toyed with the idea of suicide a few times, but luckily never saw the plans through. And how Greg felt in the early parts of the first book where he was conflicted that no one cared for him properly, but then also felt like when anyone did express concern that it was bothersome. And his treatment plans were just ineffective and repetitive really demonstrates what a lot of people experience with mental health difficulties. But there is hope for anyone out there suffering from these feelings. There are resources that can help and you deserve to feel your best! So while this isn't the best set of stories, there is some good material hidden within.

[Gohnar23 · Rating 4 out of 5]

#️⃣2️⃣8️⃣2️⃣ Read & Reviewed in 2025 ⛈️⚡🚨
Date : 📢 Monday, June 9, 2025 🍙⚔️
Word Count📃: 43k Words 🏕️

──★ ˙💥🪨💣🪨💥 ̟ ⋆✮˚.*⋆

ദ്ദി ≽^⎚˕⎚^≼ .ᐟ My 20th read in "Explosive Impactful Reads June"

4️⃣🌟, why would you include the sequel in the same book tho???
——————————————————————
➕➖0️⃣1️⃣2️⃣3️⃣4️⃣5️⃣6️⃣7️⃣8️⃣9️⃣🔟✖️➗

The suicide club is just a club for suicidal people where you can sign up for this organization to kill you off and wipe every single trace of your entire existence in this world. We follow through Greg as he slowly figures out that his friend who were also signed up for the club got wiped out from the face of the earth with no trace and only he can remember her name. The entire book we watch him slowly go through insanity (one of my favorite book genres) and after quick succession well the ending happened, it's not a plot focused book but rather a character analysis and i love that in books.

Its a 5 star overall BUT somehow there's like a sequell?????? Like after the book ended in a beautiful way, i flip the page and there's just.

"Skeletons: A sequel to The Suicide Club"

And like,. While reading that it was just normal splatterpunk 😒😒, people dying in brutal ways, torture scenes emphasized, its too common already,. If you're writing that then at least dont market it as the sequel to "The Suicide Club",. THE SEQUEL IS NOT EVEN REMOTELY RELATED TO SUICIDE CLUB 😭😔😭😔. I love suicide club, but the fact that this so called "sequel" is also in the same book,. I hate that, so its getting 4 stars here, not 5.

[Shadow Girl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This sounds like a good deal... If you can't do the job yourself, do what you do in all other areas of your life - hire someone else. Or, maybe you got the cajones, but you're worried about the ones you're leaving behind. The club takes care of that, too.
There are a few stipulations, but they don't seem that bad. Until you start to really think about it... or see it happening to someone else, but then it's too late! Once you sign, your in the club, baby! This nifty little tattoo is your membership card, and you carry it for one year.
(Enjoy your year - it's can possibly be the best one of your life!) Then, be ready to go. No backsies. No refunds. You wanted once...

[Uptown Horror Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this book we have a company called "The Suicide Club" who help suicidal people take their own lives. For the cheap price of 10,000 dollars, this company will give you one final year to live - and when your death day comes they'll conveniently make your suicide look like it was a tragic accident and they'll help also your family during the grieving process.

Our protagonist Greg hires "The Suicide Club" to assist him in taking his own life, but along the way he discovers that the group has sinister intentions planned for the souls of their patrons and its up to him to discover who 's actually pulling the strings.

The books premise was great and it reminded me alot of one of my favorite books, "The Black Farm", but I feel like much more could've been done with this great concept.

Also, the book is actually split between two short novellas, but the second story just felt like a bunch of filler with alot of random scary scenes that just felt like a cheap way for the author to increase the books word count. I found myself skimming over a vast majority of it and I didnt feel like I missed anything.

As I stated before - the book has a great premise, but once I was done with it I couldn't help but feel a bit dissatisfied.

Im giving this book 3 out of 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐

For in-depth video reviews, please subscribe to my YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/c/UptownHorrorRev...

[DA · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great book. Shaw is mostly known for his extreme horror books, but this one is not very extreme. Even though the subject matter is very dark, the story is about people making the most of the time they have left. I couldn't help but feel for Greg.
It does leave you with an unanswered question, and I really feel like I need the answer to that question. Hopefully there's a sequel sometime in the future.

[Corrina Morse · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was something different from Matt Shaw. I read it in one sitting as I just wanted to know how the story was going to play out, and what was going to happen to each character. I loved the idea of The Suicide Club. This also features the sequel Skeletons which I also enjoyed. Matt puts in a handy explanation of the ending, but I'm happy to say, I understood it anyway because of how well the story was written, it just made sense. 🖤🖤🖤🖤

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting novella divided into two stories. The fist concept involves a depressed man named Greg and, indeed we are introduced to the suicide club, an organization where individuals willingly conspire to clear up any difficulties prior to their lamented deaths. The contract lasts a year and all members are encouraged to treat their final days as one big party-they meet at a pub on a weekly basis to talk and forget about their rendezvous with death. In return, their deaths will go unnoticed and remain forever a clean slate.

The pulp pours thick with Shaw’s writing style, but the premise of the first story has a twilight zone feel that quickly abolishes any controversial ideas surrounding suicide, and I felt like I wasn’t even reading about the sensitive subject. I wish this had been a standalone novella

The second story, “Skeletons,” does not hold up as well as its predecessor, I’m afraid. It starts off ominously well, but quickly dissolves into a gruesome BDSM culture during COVID. I’ve read some similar stories in Shaw’s catalogue where he gravitates toward similar conclusions. The submissive sex subplots usually don’t fashion well with the basic concepts of his stories, and they didn’t hold up here either.

[Dan Gould · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 4 stars are for the first of the two interconnected short stories included in this book, which I thought was based on an interesting premise. The second story on the other hand, I skimmed through and didn't feel as though it added a great deal to the first story. I would have preferred the second story be sacrificed in favour of expanding the initial story a little, perhaps by exploring more of the group and how they chose to live their final year/ whether their perspective on life changed before their “deadline”.

[Kirsty Mills · Rating 5 out of 5]

An enjoyable story on a difficult subject. An interesting concept and well written - the dark thoughts of the characters are very realistic but may invoke some unpleasant feelings for some who have struggled with depression and thoughts of suicide. Worth delving into and slightly different from Shaw's other books I've read but like all of Shaw's books his name is warning itself! Short book with the only downside is apostrophe placement includes a space but it didn't detract for me. On to the sequel...

[Brianna Noelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the most tame thing I've read from the author. The story set up was thoughtful and interesting, it was short and to the point, and I feel the content of the book was handled well.

[Evan X · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was certainly interesting. One of my favourite works from Matt Shaw. I like his writing style and the dark, intense topics. I am not a native English speaker and like to read books in english to learn and get used to english writing and grammar.

This book is (like the title says) about the suicide club. Its a club where suicidal people can gather and talk about their situation. Unlike a self-help club, this one actually promises death. The people are given a year till their passing, a fee and a moth tattoo to confirm their participation in this club. But why would people pay and tattoo themselves to end everything and not do it on their own? Well, the host of this club promises them to make their death less painful for their family and friends. He will erase their entire existence. The first book follows a man, who is part of this exact club. He slowly uncovers the truth after something goes terribly wrong. He finds out the unbelievable truth behind this system and the sinister nature of it all.

I gotta admit, this might be one of the authors best works. The idea behind the plot seems very simple. At first. If you keep reading you discover more and more of the story and the grim reality behind the suicide club. It is a thrilling experience to accompany the protagonists journey.

The first few chapters were great imo. I was pretty excited to read the ending of the first part. After finishing the first book it left me with many questions and thoughts, but I felt a little dissapointed because the ending seemed a little rushed.

The sequel "Skeletons" was already included in the copy I read. I was very excited to read it. Sadly it left me really dissapointed. I liked the writing style and the setting.
Set right after the worldwide pandemic and quarantine, our cast of protagonists decides to take a trip to escape the boredom and despair of isolation or to get away from their personal demons. There is just one problem. The government has a list with different high risk countries for Covid infections. People from those countries are required to stay at a quarantine hotel for ten days to prevent carrying the Virus into different places. Right at this hotel the nightmare begins.

The idea behind this was pretty interesting too. The suicide club wasnt the main plot point which surprised me a little, but also made me wonder which direction this was going to. The start of the sequel introduced all the characters a little. The choice of personalities and backgrounds made very interesting contrasts and motives. However, the one thing that took me out of the story were those random, unrelated topics.
A pretty long rant about the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard process really confused and distracted me from the prior suspense.
Just as I though the mystery was going to beginn, the story spiraled into a pit of confusing exaggeration.

I am no stranger to splatterpunk and extreme horror books. I have read some of Matt Shaws more extreme works already and some from other authors.

The idea and context behind those extreme and disgusting scenes was there. It was just so brief, the scenes felt unprovoked and very "edgy" for no reason. Before you could gather your thoughts and speculate about what might be this wierd phenomenon of the rattling cabinets, you were hit with the unspectacular reveal and unnecessary gore.

What bothered me especially was one pretty revolting SA scene. It didnt make sense to me and came out of nowhere. The whole scene was MUCH more descriptive then other murders, which really unsettled me. The sexual scenes in this book were so graphic and long that it took away the shock factor from all other deaths.

The one aspect, that kept me away from completely disliking “Skeletons“ was the ending. It was everything I anticipated and wished for. It was truly glorious. Sadly, it was waaaay too short. The books could have been much better if they had been longer. I really hope the author uses his talent and writes more books with such topics.

CONCLUSION: The first book has a very interesting plot and concept. The sequel changes things up a bit and introduces new points. It is worth a read if you are already familiar with Matt Shaws works. But please be careful if you cant bear extreme (and sometimes unnecessary) scenes.

[Lisa]

Way too corny

This book reminds me of a horror movie I refuse to watch because it has a cartoon drawing on the cover & looks too corny.

This ie actually two short stories, with the first and a sequel after, then The author gives his explanation just in case you didn't understand the ending, (Matt Shaw is very good at those complicated twists and turns). But, I'm sorry, the first part of this, especially, was way too hokey for me, and for Shaw. I'm used to gore when reading his books, and that's what I expect - not cheesy, stupid lines that 14 year olds think are funny.

I skip horror movies with the word "comedy" in the description bc the two words don't belong together. Give me either horror OR comedy. Don't mix the two. Shaw tries two mix them In this book and it's nothing but a big, nauseating word salad.

Not his best work.

[Jennifer Matchett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first Matt Shaw book, and it won’t be the last.

The Suicide Club is an interesting concept, and the story was presented well. The twist on how loved ones are “helped” after suicide made it so much better bc it made the stakes higher. Whole lives would be changed but you wouldn’t know if it was better or worse. The ideas and thoughts provided in this book were surprisingly profound.

Skeletons...when things escalated, they didn’t stop. It was the perfect continuation of its predecessor, and nicely rounded out the story. LOVED the ending. F*** you, Death.

[MR ALEXANDER DICKINSON · Rating 3 out of 5]

SPOILERS.

A vast improvement on his usual output. Basically death as an entity eats people when they die. For whatever reason those that commit suicide taste better, and those that change their mind about suicide taste better still. It’s strongly hinted that it’s the individual’s level of fear at the end. The latter type of suicide is provided by Chris’ titular club.
Once someone joins the club and agrees a date of death there’s no going back. What they get in exchange is that their friends and relatives are unaware of the death, so they have no feelings of guilt etc.
We get to follow a recent member of the club who gets to see behind the curtain, and tries to prevent the inevitable. For once the level of gore and lunacy is justifiable given the circumstances.
Also included in this book is a sequel: Skeletons. This story is set in current times. With Chris orchestrating the diversion of x number of buses from airports conveying passengers to what they think is their quarantine hotel. Instead it is a slaughterhouse, with the residents meeting their demise shortly after entering their rooms. The inference being death finds murder victims tastiest of all. In this story Chris grows a conscience.

[Kaylyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

It wasn't bad, but I don't think it was what I was expecting.

I just wasn't able to connect with any of the characters and that's something that I enjoy in a book.

This isn't the first book by Matt Shaw that I've read & I don't think it'll be the last. He writes unique books that don't include any tropes that I usually read. I've never read anything like The Suicide Club so it was nice reading a book where I had no clue what's going to happen next

[Janette Baillie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is probably one of my favourite books by Matt Shaw. I liked it from start to finish, and the ending wasn’t what I was expecting!!
It delves into the complex subject of mental health and depression, and there’s points in the main character that I feel we can all relate too, how we can all feel depressed when life isn’t going how we want it, but it gives the lesson that it’s never too late to turn things around. I’d definitely recommend this book if you like Matt’s previous work.

[Sea Caummisar · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am so glad Matt Shaw put the note in the end of this book. It confirmed what I thought I knew but wasn't for sure. His note at the end verified my thoughts. It was somewhat complicated in the sense it left a tad left to the imagination ( in a good way)..I liked the first book better, but the ending of the second one kinda blew me away ( in a good way).

[Genevieve · Rating 3 out of 5]

“When death comes for them, he comes when they don’t want to die.”

This was a weird read for me. Shaw’s work is usually dark. Loved the premise of setting the date, living life to its fullest.

The execution was an odd mix. A little cliched and repetitive. An explanation was thrown in at the end, it wasn’t required. I think I expected the usual horror.

Didn’t enjoy the second short.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Storyline

I enjoyed the storyline and especially the second part being back to back. I think it was an excellent story and a great decision to include Skeletons with Suicide Club. It brought the story full circle. This was an excellent read.

[Carolyne Lain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not what I expected from a Matt Shaw novel. However, it is a very interesting story about a man who doesn't want to live and joins a club of like-minded individuals.

Each member of the club is given exactly one year from the date they join, to live our their last desires. Follow our protagonist as he experiences a gamut of emotions, including becoming interested in another club member.

An interesting story that kept my attention, beginning to end. I read it in one session, which is normal for me when I read Matt Shaw books.

As I said, definitely not what I expected from this author - but I absolutely recommend "The Suicide Club".

[✩ lyssa ✩ · Rating 4 out of 5]

The concept of this book is great! Although at some points it gets just a tad confusing which is fine because the author wrote a little note at the end to clear up any confusion. I wasn't a fan of Chris Hall to begin with but after finishing he is easily a favorite. He outwitted the dang reaper !!

⭐ 4.5

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rtc

[Oblong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story

Really enjoyed this one, great writing and an interesting theme. I also liked that he included the second part as well.

[Yolanda Lamas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed immensely.

No grossouts. Not really. Great job Matt! I can't wait FYI read more of your stories, which I have several on hand. 😁

[Robyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! Both endings to suicide club and skeletons were superb 👌🏻

[Booklover · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars for The Suicide Club and 4 stars for the sequel The Skeletons, included at the end. As he does with his other novels I've read, the author provides great endings to both.

[Sarah A-F]

2.5 ⭐️

[kim wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book , refreshing change of writing from Matt's
other gore fest work ( which I love !)

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

Never explains why Greg can remember someone…when no one else can.
Nice wordplay on Jonny and amber.

[Leann Rae Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kinda want a tattoo of the death head moth now :)