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Fetish
Something is in search of human prey in the gang-ridden communities of Los Angeles . . . When the member of a notorious street gang is found decapitated and dismembered at the bottom of the LA River, it quickly becomes apparent something is amiss. Detective Daryl Garcia connects it with the murders of six other gang members killed the same way. It looks like the work of a serial killer, but the gang members don't think so. They believe the murders are the work of rival gang members. Someone has a dark desire of the most depraved fetish . . . Detective Garcia becomes determined to find the killer at any cost. Together with Rachael Pearce, a journalist he falls in love with, he searches for the killer through the gang underground and the world of prostitution and drugs. And as suspect after suspect is released with no solid evidence to connect them to the crimes, the search for the killer becomes more urgent as the gang infested areas of the city reach a boiling point to the brink of rioting. In a community of gang members-who are killers themselves-how does Detective Garcia find the most monstrous killer he has ever encountered? Madness wears many faces . . .
442 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
5 people are currently reading
259 people want to read
About the author
J.F. Gonzalez
80 books366 followersJesus F. Gonzalez was an American author, primarily of horror fiction (writing under the pseudonym J. F. Gonzalez). He has written many notable novels and has done collaborations with Bram Stoker Award winners Mike Oliveri and Brian Keene. His novel Survivor has been optioned for film.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
March 17, 2025
Wowza. My mind is still reeling. To say Fetish is profanely disturbing would be putting it mildly. More to follow once I reorient.
March 22, 2025
FETISH [2021] By J.F. Gonzalez
My Review 5.0 Stars
“Fetish” by J.F. Gonzalez was a particularly intense and enjoyable “Buddy Read” selection this month on the HGW Horror Book Club. I was initially a little intimidated by the page length and read the first 30% of the book on the 9th. I need not have worried since when I eagerly picked it up again on the 15th I had finished the novel by the following day. It would be futile to tell you that Amazon designated genre designations of “Paranormal Suspense”, “Serial Killer Thriller”, and the old standby “Supernatural Thriller”. In fact, this riveting plotline was rejected by the big publishing houses on the grounds that it “straddles too many genres”.
“Fetish” was initially published 20 years ago in 2005 [Trade Paperback by Wildside Press]. The E-Book Edition was not made available by Midnight Library until 4 years ago in 2021. The story of how the book took a considerable amount of time to be finally published is an interesting one. Gonzalez had wanted “Fetish” to be his fifth published novel, and it was originally scheduled to be published a full year before his seminal novel “Survivor”. Gonzalez stated in his Afterword that how “Fetish” finally came to be published in late 2005 after “Survivor” had been published to much acclaim (and derision) was deserving of a story.
Gonzalez was familiar with the crime-ridden areas that he wrote about in the novel because he was born and grew up in LA, spending his formative years there. The book we enjoyed so thoroughly this month was originally conceived as a screenplay which never got any traction. Meanwhile, Gonzalez found that he had fallen in love with thrillers, especially like the ones called “dark mystery” ---like the brilliant David L. Lindsey works. The novels by (let’s just refer to David L. Lindsey because he is a personal favorite of mine) combined elements of “horror, mystery, and thriller”. Gonzalez found that the works of authors like David L. Lindsey were “very intriguing and inspiring”. He found that he was responsive to the “vibrant energy”, “crackling prose”, and their “gritty realism”.
Gonzalez began to focus on what he knew which was the run-down section of LA, the down-trodden and homeless, but also the vicious gang members who owned the streets. He looked at this environment through a serial killer’s eyes and speculated that if the Cleveland’s Butcher had been alive and active in LA, he could well imagine the rich hunting ground he would see surrounding him.
Gonzalez shares with his readers his thinking process and how he analyzed how this plot could really work. I found the incredible detail and his methodology of how the book actually came together to be both impressive and fascinating. The novel was actually written between November 1997 and April 2001. When “Fetish” was able to be “shopped around” his eBook publisher snapped it up for publication in September 2002. This plan fell through and then the other publishing routes turned him down. Remember that Gonzalez was a published author of horror genre novels, and “Fetish” was a radical departure for him. Gonzalez thought of the book as “a more mainstream thriller with horrific overtones” while the big houses thrust it back at him, complaining that (“Fetish”) was a novel that “straddles too many genres”.
In the end, the breathtakingly compulsively readable “Fetish” was not published until a year following the release of the seminal work “Survivor”. It is clearly understandable how that it would be overshadowed but Gonzalez was pleased that over the years that followed, “Fetish” became a fan favorite, and some fans even considered that it was “more twisted and depraved” than his signature work “Survivor”. It was only later that Gonzalez began to view “Fetish” as the first book in a “loose triptych of novels” (the others “Survivor and Bully”).
In the Spring of 2025, it was our pleasure to read the riveting work Gonzalez had put the finishing touches on in April 2001, a California Spring nearly a quarter of a century ago. The legendary Gonzalez set high standards for himself, setting his sights on the high bar established by such greats as David Lindsay and his serial killer masterpiece “Mercy” (1990). In my opinion, Gonzalez would be proud that readers of today are reading his terrific thriller “Fetish” and comparing it favorably to the excellence of Lindsay’s “Mercy”.
“Fetish” is the story of the manhunt for a depraved serial murderer who is preying upon the notorious street gangs of LA, in addition to high-risk victims who are within the boundaries of the gang activity and street crime. The killer is a sexual psychopath who decapitates and dismembers his victims, engages in necrophilia, and far worse. You say that isn’t possible? Oh, yes, it is, but I am not prone to revealing spoilers.
This is a string of slaughters that have taken place over an extended period of time, and the search for the elusive “Butcher” is protracted. The FBI is involved and Detective Daryl Garcia, a young LA homicide detective has been very involved in the investigation and continues to investigate the murders as body parts are discovered and several of the victims are able to be identified. Daryl is a cop with an oppressive amount of emotional baggage and barely suppressed hatred and rage for the LA gang members. He meets Rachel Pearce, an investigative journalist, and they become involved as noted in the description of the novel.
There are a few superlatives that come to mind that are not touched upon in the description. This is a well-written novel that has rich characterization of multiple characters that populate this deftly plotted thriller which excels equally as a puzzling whodunit. The violence is explicit but never gratuitous. The horrific crimes are described in stomach churning detail but then that is what the author pledged to deliver. The story pulls the reader in immediately and the writing is crisp, tight, and as riveting as any thriller I have read. There are some surprising revelations about a few of the pivotal characters, and the author demonstrates his finesse in the execution of the gritty realism he sought to deliver. The story is simply riveting, which is mildly surprising to me since the plotline spans a considerable amount of time. The deeds of the “Butcher” reminded me very much of the abominations perpetrated by the charismatic Ed Kemper. The lauded and highly respected FBI profilers of the time conducted multiple interviews with Kemper and found him to be quite personable. Kemper was dubbed the co-ed killer and deployed a similar M.O. but our killer in the novel was even more depraved than Kemper which was quite an achievement.
Finally, it is my opinion that J.F. Gonzalez hit a very high bar with this sensational and impressive serial killer thriller. David L. Lindsay’s “Mercy” (1990) is a timeless classic and his thriller “A Cold Mind” is perhaps unparalleled as a chilling portrait of evil. But it is imperative to remember that Gonzalez was not privy to talking with the elite FBI Profilers of the day to discuss serial killer pathology. In my humble opinion the late great Gonzalez hit a home run with the baseball flying completely over the stands and out of the park. “Fetish” was a terrific read and a superlative whodunit.
“UNPUTDOWNABLE” DARK SERIAL KILLER THRILLER, POLICE PROCEDURAL, AND HORROR NOVEL
My Review 5.0 Stars
“Fetish” by J.F. Gonzalez was a particularly intense and enjoyable “Buddy Read” selection this month on the HGW Horror Book Club. I was initially a little intimidated by the page length and read the first 30% of the book on the 9th. I need not have worried since when I eagerly picked it up again on the 15th I had finished the novel by the following day. It would be futile to tell you that Amazon designated genre designations of “Paranormal Suspense”, “Serial Killer Thriller”, and the old standby “Supernatural Thriller”. In fact, this riveting plotline was rejected by the big publishing houses on the grounds that it “straddles too many genres”.
“Fetish” was initially published 20 years ago in 2005 [Trade Paperback by Wildside Press]. The E-Book Edition was not made available by Midnight Library until 4 years ago in 2021. The story of how the book took a considerable amount of time to be finally published is an interesting one. Gonzalez had wanted “Fetish” to be his fifth published novel, and it was originally scheduled to be published a full year before his seminal novel “Survivor”. Gonzalez stated in his Afterword that how “Fetish” finally came to be published in late 2005 after “Survivor” had been published to much acclaim (and derision) was deserving of a story.
Gonzalez was familiar with the crime-ridden areas that he wrote about in the novel because he was born and grew up in LA, spending his formative years there. The book we enjoyed so thoroughly this month was originally conceived as a screenplay which never got any traction. Meanwhile, Gonzalez found that he had fallen in love with thrillers, especially like the ones called “dark mystery” ---like the brilliant David L. Lindsey works. The novels by (let’s just refer to David L. Lindsey because he is a personal favorite of mine) combined elements of “horror, mystery, and thriller”. Gonzalez found that the works of authors like David L. Lindsey were “very intriguing and inspiring”. He found that he was responsive to the “vibrant energy”, “crackling prose”, and their “gritty realism”.
Gonzalez began to focus on what he knew which was the run-down section of LA, the down-trodden and homeless, but also the vicious gang members who owned the streets. He looked at this environment through a serial killer’s eyes and speculated that if the Cleveland’s Butcher had been alive and active in LA, he could well imagine the rich hunting ground he would see surrounding him.
Gonzalez shares with his readers his thinking process and how he analyzed how this plot could really work. I found the incredible detail and his methodology of how the book actually came together to be both impressive and fascinating. The novel was actually written between November 1997 and April 2001. When “Fetish” was able to be “shopped around” his eBook publisher snapped it up for publication in September 2002. This plan fell through and then the other publishing routes turned him down. Remember that Gonzalez was a published author of horror genre novels, and “Fetish” was a radical departure for him. Gonzalez thought of the book as “a more mainstream thriller with horrific overtones” while the big houses thrust it back at him, complaining that (“Fetish”) was a novel that “straddles too many genres”.
In the end, the breathtakingly compulsively readable “Fetish” was not published until a year following the release of the seminal work “Survivor”. It is clearly understandable how that it would be overshadowed but Gonzalez was pleased that over the years that followed, “Fetish” became a fan favorite, and some fans even considered that it was “more twisted and depraved” than his signature work “Survivor”. It was only later that Gonzalez began to view “Fetish” as the first book in a “loose triptych of novels” (the others “Survivor and Bully”).
In the Spring of 2025, it was our pleasure to read the riveting work Gonzalez had put the finishing touches on in April 2001, a California Spring nearly a quarter of a century ago. The legendary Gonzalez set high standards for himself, setting his sights on the high bar established by such greats as David Lindsay and his serial killer masterpiece “Mercy” (1990). In my opinion, Gonzalez would be proud that readers of today are reading his terrific thriller “Fetish” and comparing it favorably to the excellence of Lindsay’s “Mercy”.
“Fetish” is the story of the manhunt for a depraved serial murderer who is preying upon the notorious street gangs of LA, in addition to high-risk victims who are within the boundaries of the gang activity and street crime. The killer is a sexual psychopath who decapitates and dismembers his victims, engages in necrophilia, and far worse. You say that isn’t possible? Oh, yes, it is, but I am not prone to revealing spoilers.
This is a string of slaughters that have taken place over an extended period of time, and the search for the elusive “Butcher” is protracted. The FBI is involved and Detective Daryl Garcia, a young LA homicide detective has been very involved in the investigation and continues to investigate the murders as body parts are discovered and several of the victims are able to be identified. Daryl is a cop with an oppressive amount of emotional baggage and barely suppressed hatred and rage for the LA gang members. He meets Rachel Pearce, an investigative journalist, and they become involved as noted in the description of the novel.
There are a few superlatives that come to mind that are not touched upon in the description. This is a well-written novel that has rich characterization of multiple characters that populate this deftly plotted thriller which excels equally as a puzzling whodunit. The violence is explicit but never gratuitous. The horrific crimes are described in stomach churning detail but then that is what the author pledged to deliver. The story pulls the reader in immediately and the writing is crisp, tight, and as riveting as any thriller I have read. There are some surprising revelations about a few of the pivotal characters, and the author demonstrates his finesse in the execution of the gritty realism he sought to deliver. The story is simply riveting, which is mildly surprising to me since the plotline spans a considerable amount of time. The deeds of the “Butcher” reminded me very much of the abominations perpetrated by the charismatic Ed Kemper. The lauded and highly respected FBI profilers of the time conducted multiple interviews with Kemper and found him to be quite personable. Kemper was dubbed the co-ed killer and deployed a similar M.O. but our killer in the novel was even more depraved than Kemper which was quite an achievement.
Finally, it is my opinion that J.F. Gonzalez hit a very high bar with this sensational and impressive serial killer thriller. David L. Lindsay’s “Mercy” (1990) is a timeless classic and his thriller “A Cold Mind” is perhaps unparalleled as a chilling portrait of evil. But it is imperative to remember that Gonzalez was not privy to talking with the elite FBI Profilers of the day to discuss serial killer pathology. In my humble opinion the late great Gonzalez hit a home run with the baseball flying completely over the stands and out of the park. “Fetish” was a terrific read and a superlative whodunit.
“UNPUTDOWNABLE” DARK SERIAL KILLER THRILLER, POLICE PROCEDURAL, AND HORROR NOVEL
February 6, 2020
Where to start?
This really should have been a five star read except for a couple of things. First of all, the editing was bad but, luckily, it did not interfere with the enjoyment of the story. Secondly, there were some slow parts within the story itself. That being said, the introduction completely intrigued you. So much so, that you wondered as you read, what happened to those characters. What sealed this story as awesome though, is the ending. Wow! Twist that is right on the money!
Think of this story as a brilliant thriller with major horror elements.
This really should have been a five star read except for a couple of things. First of all, the editing was bad but, luckily, it did not interfere with the enjoyment of the story. Secondly, there were some slow parts within the story itself. That being said, the introduction completely intrigued you. So much so, that you wondered as you read, what happened to those characters. What sealed this story as awesome though, is the ending. Wow! Twist that is right on the money!
Think of this story as a brilliant thriller with major horror elements.
March 21, 2025
A really good, brilliantly written, dark thriller that will certainly make you sit up and think.
Lots of gory action, great characters and a cleverly disguised plot that keeps the reader guessing from start to finish.
Thoroughly enjoyed it and most definitely planning to read more from this highly talented horror- thriller writer.
Highly recommended.
Rating: 4.7 stars
Lots of gory action, great characters and a cleverly disguised plot that keeps the reader guessing from start to finish.
Thoroughly enjoyed it and most definitely planning to read more from this highly talented horror- thriller writer.
Highly recommended.
Rating: 4.7 stars
June 27, 2011
My first reaction to this novel is, well, wow. I really can’t say too much without spoiling the book. Let’s just say that the last paragraph turns this into one of the most shocking endings I have ever read and I’ve read a lot of ‘em. The novel is yet another murder mystery in which detectives try to discover who is killing people. It involves a lot of very horrifying descriptions of most things vulgar (or so it seems) and it seemed a bit tame for the author of Survivor. Through the entire book, I was intrigued by the story but I was wondering when Gonzalez would show up. I had a very bad feeling about the book, especially near the end. It all seemed a little too easy for the protagonists of a Gonzalez novel. Well, that ending is where one of the most disturbing horror authors really shows up. It is the sort of thing that you want others to read so you can see their shocked faces and hear their comments when they are done. And, this is why it gets five stars. This one might actually make it harder for me to sleep tonight.
I just had a few minor problems with the book. For example, calling a restaurant an eating establishment annoys me. It reminds me of reading Poe and coming across the phrase “organ of sight” to refer to an eyeball. To me, this doesn’t sound intelligent at all. Also, when Detective Garcia meets Rachel and touches her hand, he feels a bolt of extremely clichéd lightning connect their hands. Later though, Gonzalez tones it down a bit and gets back to being realistic. These and a few other minor annoyances did not lessen my enjoyment much, but I still feel like I have to mention them. Other than that, this is a must-read for horror fans.
I just had a few minor problems with the book. For example, calling a restaurant an eating establishment annoys me. It reminds me of reading Poe and coming across the phrase “organ of sight” to refer to an eyeball. To me, this doesn’t sound intelligent at all. Also, when Detective Garcia meets Rachel and touches her hand, he feels a bolt of extremely clichéd lightning connect their hands. Later though, Gonzalez tones it down a bit and gets back to being realistic. These and a few other minor annoyances did not lessen my enjoyment much, but I still feel like I have to mention them. Other than that, this is a must-read for horror fans.
August 25, 2015
Holy fucking shit. A grim, dark, and violent story about the hunt by detective Daryl Garcia for the East Side Butcher who is slicing up gang members in L.A. This was dark. Real dark and gritty. The last paragraph made me feel like I just got kicked in the head. I wasn't sure what happened. I was freaked out and a little confused. I read the last couple pages again. FUCK. Then I went back and reread some earlier chapters. FUCK. It was there the whole time.
November 20, 2010
This book was good and I would have rated it 4 stars if not for the ending. THe ending completely ruined the story for me. It makes little to no sense and thinking over the story seems kind of impossible with how the chapters that had the character the was the killer as the central focus went. By making who is made the actual killer doesn't make sense to me. Even if you say the character had multiple personalities and didn't know it still wouldn't work. Also several characters should have recognized the killer for who they were. If a character can recognize the person after like 18-20 years then why can't characters that knew them more recently recognize the killer?
Great book until the last half of the epilogue put it in the crapper with the reveal of who the killer really was. It was such a bad choice that it ruined the story for me. This is the first time this has happened after i finished reading a book.
Great book until the last half of the epilogue put it in the crapper with the reveal of who the killer really was. It was such a bad choice that it ruined the story for me. This is the first time this has happened after i finished reading a book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 19, 2025
A brilliant novel that straddles a few genres but is one hell of a ride. The characters and world the characters exist in is fully fleshed out. The murders themselves are grisly and the novel manages to cast suspicion across most of its lead or secondary characters. I eyed one character to be the killer, then to think of someone else as being the killer (I was correct in that one) only to then be thrown a curve ball and alter my opinions again. Very surprised this one isn't more popular than it is.
March 15, 2025
Wow what a story!
A serial killer, a priest, a heart broken detective. Each character is brought to life and the stories weaved together expertly. I couldn’t put this down.
A serial killer, a priest, a heart broken detective. Each character is brought to life and the stories weaved together expertly. I couldn’t put this down.
July 17, 2017
Whew. What a ride. A few minor slowdowns (exposition was a little heavy and extraneous in the latter third of the book), but all-in, a riveting character study in several different manifestations of madness and disfunction. I had a vague notion of where the story was going by the end of the first quarter, but was still shocked enough as the pieces fell into place that I had chills down my spine for most of the last 50 pages or so. Serial killers, satanic sex cults, gang warfare, and high drama all set against the gritty urban backdrop of East LA in the mid-90's.
This was my first Gonzalez novel (after reading several short stories and novellas) and it only reaffirms my feelings as a horror reader that his loss to the genre is a profound one. Gone far too early and with far too much work unwritten, I suppose we should all be thankful for what he did manage to get done and also to Paul Goblirsch of TSB for publishing such worthy and luxurious editions of the late author's works.
This was my first Gonzalez novel (after reading several short stories and novellas) and it only reaffirms my feelings as a horror reader that his loss to the genre is a profound one. Gone far too early and with far too much work unwritten, I suppose we should all be thankful for what he did manage to get done and also to Paul Goblirsch of TSB for publishing such worthy and luxurious editions of the late author's works.
Want to read
July 1, 2015This book is the first in Thunderstorm Books "JFG Dark Worlds" series.
The book contains an afterword by Mr. Gonzolez dated July 21,2014
Mr. Gonzalez passed away November 10, 2014.
"Fetish" was scheduled to be Mr. Gonzalez's fifth novel. He states that "Fetish" was the beginning part of a trilogy including the following books "Survivor" and "Bully".
This is copy L of 18 copies printed.
The book contains an afterword by Mr. Gonzolez dated July 21,2014
Mr. Gonzalez passed away November 10, 2014.
"Fetish" was scheduled to be Mr. Gonzalez's fifth novel. He states that "Fetish" was the beginning part of a trilogy including the following books "Survivor" and "Bully".
This is copy L of 18 copies printed.
January 1, 2013
This book is at the top of my favorites list. Typical who-done-it but with a twist. Props to Gonzalez for his writing abilities. I actually had to go back through after reading it to see how everything linked up... A masterpiece
Read
December 18, 2016LOVE!!!
July 13, 2020
All I can say is I really enjoyed this book, but the ending I'm not so sure if I liked it. I will have to give this another read to decide.
April 22, 2024
While I still have mixed feelings on the writing (sometimes it had a nice flow, other times it was a bit heavy on the exposition, and overall it was on the simple side), I very much enjoyed the story, and just when I thought I had figured out the twist (which, quite honestly, I would have found somewhat disappointing), the author completely blew me away with an ending I never saw coming! Well done, and I am certainly looking forward to many more of J.F. Gonzalez' works!
September 5, 2025
damn, was this slow moving or what?!?! nothing in this is worthy of my interest. continuity issues and info dump writing. dialogs between characters feels ... I don't know...stilted? fake? way too expository? I'm grabbing for the right word. Anyway, maybe I'll pick it up again, but spooky season comes once a year. Who am I kidding? it's all year. but time is too short for bad books.
October 18, 2021
Not my favorite from Gonzalez but still a fun read.
I don't know why but it took me longer than usual to finish this book, I enjoyed it but it did seem to drag in parts. Despite the drag it makes up for it in other areas by keeping you guessing on how it will all end.
I don't know why but it took me longer than usual to finish this book, I enjoyed it but it did seem to drag in parts. Despite the drag it makes up for it in other areas by keeping you guessing on how it will all end.
September 17, 2024
WOW I didn't see that coming at all, a total shock, but very good.
February 12, 2017
J.F. Gonzalez is becoming on of my favorite writers. Fetish is an incredible detective/crime novel. And that ending. I had to read it twice, what a twist! 5/5
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews