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Pieces: An Extreme Horror
Billy Smith's relationship with Sherry started behind his wife's back and saw him being charged per hour of Sherry's time. The more he saw the prostitute, the more Sherry's feelings for him grew. She knew he was a married man but he always told her he wasn't happy with his wife and would soon be leaving her. Soon Sherry stopped charging Billy and saw him as a boyfriend, instead of a client. Billy Smith wasn't going to leave his wife, and certainly not for a whore. He had things "good" at home and had things "better" with being able to see Sherry whenever he wanted, and not be billed. Billy had the perfect life. Until, that is, he heads home after spending the evening with Sherry and sees his wife isn't there. There's no communication from her, other than a text asking where HE is, and he can't reach her on the phone. She had simply disappeared. Just as Billy is about to call the police, he receives a mysterious package. Within the packet? There is a letter detailing how they know of Billy's affair. There is also his wife's severed tongue. If Billy wants the rest of his wife back, and to find out who did it and why, he needs to follow the trail of clues to each hidden package.
- GenresHorror
155 pages, Paperback
Published July 22, 2021
About the author
Matt Shaw
552 books2,295 followersBiography
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.
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.
Ratings & Reviews
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
February 21, 2022
Now this was a fun, unpredictable, fast-paced, little thrill ride! Oh, poor Billy. What a selfish, ugly little man he is. Now you pretty much hate Billy from about thirty seconds into the story, and the feelings only intensify as you listen to his internal monologues and see his terrible actions. I honestly didn't care what happened to him, but just wanted to see the completion of the story, which had to be the author's intention. I knew there would be a bit of a shock ending, but I missed the mark, however, I really enjoyed what was done instead. I feel like there were a few tiny things that could have been improved upon, most notable the body part explanations and Sherry's overall character, but none of that hurt the story with their exclusions. I tend to judge shorter stories much harder, but this won me over. Matt Shaw is one great author!
September 1, 2021
Kudos to Shaw for fooling me. I totally thought the killer was someone else entirely. After the set up of the plot, I rolled my eyes, thinking I had it all figured out and how easy that was. But guess what? I was wrong. Which is the makings of a great story. It wasn't as extreme as I would have liked, but it was still a great read
January 21, 2022
who’d have thunk it!!
Well, who would have guessed it would end like this!!! Superb little read, from Matt Shaw who is becoming one of my favourite authors!
Well, who would have guessed it would end like this!!! Superb little read, from Matt Shaw who is becoming one of my favourite authors!
October 31, 2021
Billy Smith had a cozy life at home and he loves his wife, but not as much as he loves receiving free service from Sherry the prostitute who has taken quite a liking to him. This isn't the first time he's gone behind his wife's back, but it's bound to be his last. Blackmailed after being caught in the act, Billy is sent a box containing a severed tongue. If he wants to find forgiveness for his selfishness, he has no choice but to hunt down the rest of the boxes containing all the other parts of the dismembered body. Against his better judgement, he must follow the trail of obscure clues given by the perpetrator, lest he be framed for the murder or be driven mad by guilt.
I would say this is more psychological horror than extreme horror, as the novel spends the majority of its time delving into the screwed-up vision Billy has of the world around him. He's an extremely selfish, nasty and hatable person, his views on the people around him and the way he tries to justify his own actions are despicable. That being said, his willingness to go along with the plot shows there's some remorse and goodness hidden deep within him, and the slew of brutal karma that takes over his life is bittersweet.
The ending has a nice shock twist and I really liked seeing Billy's reactions to his situation gradually begin to shift as more and more pressure kept being pushed on him.
My rating: 3.6/5
I would say this is more psychological horror than extreme horror, as the novel spends the majority of its time delving into the screwed-up vision Billy has of the world around him. He's an extremely selfish, nasty and hatable person, his views on the people around him and the way he tries to justify his own actions are despicable. That being said, his willingness to go along with the plot shows there's some remorse and goodness hidden deep within him, and the slew of brutal karma that takes over his life is bittersweet.
The ending has a nice shock twist and I really liked seeing Billy's reactions to his situation gradually begin to shift as more and more pressure kept being pushed on him.
My rating: 3.6/5
August 10, 2021
This is a brilliant story, well structured and keeps you guessing to the end. Matt Shaw takes you through all the emotions with the main character - at times you despise him, then you feel sorry for him. You really feel the journey that the character takes. Given the title "an extreme horror", in all honesty, I was expecting more gore and ghastly acts of violence than I was presented with, but that is down to my taste and this may be considered "extreme" to some. But, this was the first Matt Shaw story I have read and overall I really enjoyed it. I will certainly look into more work from this author.
August 10, 2021
You can always count on a Matt Shaw novella for a great time! When a new book of his appears on amazon - he releases one pretty much every month and they are listed on amazon several months in advance - I keep a note of the publication date and get it on KindleUnlimited at midnight on the day it comes out (the way people used to queue up for the new Harry Potter books).
I have read over 100 of his books and never been let down yet.
I have read over 100 of his books and never been let down yet.
October 2, 2021
Great read
This is a great read, not an extreme horror as I thought , but still a good story. The characters were good and I thought they all melded together really well. This is one of them stories that once you start you can't seem to stop. And the next time you look up with throat parched or bowels bursting, you look at the clock and a few hours have passed, so much so you right near the end of the book and you continue til it's done. Definitely worth checking out. I'd recommend to any horror or thriller fan.
This is a great read, not an extreme horror as I thought , but still a good story. The characters were good and I thought they all melded together really well. This is one of them stories that once you start you can't seem to stop. And the next time you look up with throat parched or bowels bursting, you look at the clock and a few hours have passed, so much so you right near the end of the book and you continue til it's done. Definitely worth checking out. I'd recommend to any horror or thriller fan.
August 9, 2021
Another winner
Matt Shaw does it again, a cracking story that pulls you in and doesn't let go. I read it in one sitting, and as usual, the ending certainly did not disappoint.
Matt Shaw does it again, a cracking story that pulls you in and doesn't let go. I read it in one sitting, and as usual, the ending certainly did not disappoint.
August 9, 2021
Fantastic!
This wasn't a very long book but even so, I finished it way faster than it normally takes me! Billy was a d*ck bag, Matt Shaw did a great job making me hate Billy lol
This wasn't a very long book but even so, I finished it way faster than it normally takes me! Billy was a d*ck bag, Matt Shaw did a great job making me hate Billy lol
October 5, 2021
Wowza!!! What a twisted story! There wasn't a boring moment in this story and I kept trying to figure out how it was going to end. Well, I was wrong about the ending, which is great. I enjoy being tricked.
September 22, 2021
Can this man write or what? Pieces is about a man who has an affair and then there are shenanigans. I use the word shenanigans a lot to prevent spoilers. Could be good or bad shenanigans, but it’s Shaw so you can kinda figure out which one. I thoroughly enjoyed this one to the point when I finished it, I wanted to immediately reread it. He kept me on my toes the entire time. And this man drops books left and right! I don’t know how he has time to sleep. If you like gore but not too disturbing, this one is for you.
5/5 pieces of my heart
5/5 pieces of my heart
November 15, 2022
Great book!!! I did guess where this could be heading but It was still an excellent read.
March 16, 2023
A tale of a grisly scavenger hunt. There were some brutal and violent scenes, a lot of depravity, and some U-turns in the plot you don’t see coming!
Just crazy!
Just crazy!
October 27, 2021
Great read
Great, short read. I’m really into horror novels lately. Enjoyed it and loved the ending…will read more by this author for sure.
Great, short read. I’m really into horror novels lately. Enjoyed it and loved the ending…will read more by this author for sure.
September 12, 2022
Super fun read, you can’t wait to read what will happen next which makes the book a fast paced ride.
October 8, 2021
Found this one pretty boring and I figured it out within a few pages.
October 4, 2021
Interesting ending! I did not see that coming! As usual, Matt tells an intriguing story that has you reading quickly because you want to know what happens next! Keep up the good work Matt!
August 10, 2021
As always a good read
As always a good read with a twist you’re not expecting at the end.
Main character is a slime ball who gets taken on a journey of suffering just what he deserves!
A couple of typos spotted but doesn’t spoil anything
As always a good read with a twist you’re not expecting at the end.
Main character is a slime ball who gets taken on a journey of suffering just what he deserves!
A couple of typos spotted but doesn’t spoil anything
January 6, 2022
Terrible
The way this is written is terrible, it is full of spelling and grammar mistakes, and the writing style seems so amateurish. I gave up after the first few chapters, it was just annoying me so much!
The way this is written is terrible, it is full of spelling and grammar mistakes, and the writing style seems so amateurish. I gave up after the first few chapters, it was just annoying me so much!
May 28, 2022
Read in one sitting, but was it worth it?
While this could have been a great story, the writing was not and distracting. Very predictable, and overall not well thought out.
I did read it all in one sitting, so thats a plus. Just disappointed after all the hype.
While this could have been a great story, the writing was not and distracting. Very predictable, and overall not well thought out.
I did read it all in one sitting, so thats a plus. Just disappointed after all the hype.
February 8, 2024
I spent a significant portion of this book absolutely hating this man. And not in the fun way where I hate a character but desperately need to know what happens to them. I mean I genuinely reached the point of not caring what happens to him, I was no longer emotionally involved.
August 15, 2021
Very nice
Lovely little story for sure. There are a few grammar mistakes but. They are easily overlooked. That ending tho. Nice.
Lovely little story for sure. There are a few grammar mistakes but. They are easily overlooked. That ending tho. Nice.
August 21, 2021
Christmas present
Everytime a new Matt Shaw book comes out it is like Christmas for me!pieces is a great read.now on the next.
Everytime a new Matt Shaw book comes out it is like Christmas for me!pieces is a great read.now on the next.
September 6, 2021
Decent Read.
I read a lot of Matt Shaw books. This book is not extreme horror but a good quick read. Enjoy!
I read a lot of Matt Shaw books. This book is not extreme horror but a good quick read. Enjoy!
February 9, 2026
I invited this into my life. I killed my wife.
Matt Shaw's "Pieces" reads like an overfilled and far-too-overheated tea kettle getting ready to blow (um, do tea kettles do that? I'm a coffee guy myself). What I mean the tension builds up like it's just going to explode - much as the main character Billy Smith does a few times even though to be fair, he IS the asshole in this fairytale! But this is an gory, sometimes filthy (sex-wise) caper that'll have you ripping your hair out by the time it's over. I mean, it's not a long read - even though it felt longer with the tension (perhaps "fuller" would be a better descriptive) - but it's a fun mystery with all the fixin's! And I only managed to guess a bit of the ending while I was zooming along. So well played indeed!
Fuck her. She knows where I am. She knows where home is.
Now a lot of this doesn't count as a spoiler because if you've read the blurb on goodreads, you know what ol' Billy Bob has been up to in his spare time. Yes, he cheated on "the wife" (I only now realized that I have no clue about her name, if it's even given!!) even though we learn they had at one time been madly, passionately in love with each other. Still, the first time we meet Billy, he's busy running through the Kama Sutra with a prostitute named Sherry, who believes herself to actually be Billy's girlfriend (because, you know, he's leaving his wife any day now). It doesn't take long then for the reader to establish a pretty intense dislike of Billy, even if you later wonder just how much he deserved the extent of the torture that's headed his way.
There was “cruel” but this was taking it to a whole new level.
See, it all begins when he gets home and the wife isn't there. Nor is she there the next day when a package arrives containing… her tongue. That's right, a PIECE of his wife is delivered with a threatening message about knowing all about his indiscretions and so on. And as punishment, if he wants to find out where the other PIECES are and why someone is doing this to him, he has to trace further clues down at various "important moment" locales. Like where they first said "I love you" or where they first held hands, and so on. It really sets things up to see just how far this marriage has been destroyed by Billy being such a selfish a-hole, even though naturally at this point we're only getting one viewpoint. No it doesn't count as more even when one of her eyes is delivered.
She had blue eyes in life but in death, they’re more shrouded in a grey mist.
So as I mentioned, Billy starts to go a bit loco and his temper drives him to do some really terrible things in a matter of hours ("Whoever is responsible for this, I will kill them."). It's not long before he's wondering where this all takes him now because even if he uncovers whatever has befallen his wife, he has some serious crimes to answer for. Another thing that Shaw does really well is flash back and forth in time to either show Billy being a better man at some times and others utterly missing his earlier opportunities for some kind of redemption that would have made all of this moot. Well, hindsight and all that…
If only I had stopped thinking with my fucking dick…
Overall then, this is a terrific horror read even bordering on splatterpunk and/or whatever you call it when you mix horror with erotica. Yeah, we really really feel for the characters involved whether our reactions wind up being totally fair or misplaced owing to … circumstances! In terms of execution, yeah, the editing could have been better (e.g. "I can’t even remember the last time she kissed my cock, let alone took it in her month…") but again the pacing is brisk and worthy of the tension created. And if this story doesn't convince you to be good boys and girls (it could happen!) and stop breaking all those commandments, well, then you're either already too far gone or your genitalia have assumed complete control over your brain! Your call.
Matt Shaw's "Pieces" reads like an overfilled and far-too-overheated tea kettle getting ready to blow (um, do tea kettles do that? I'm a coffee guy myself). What I mean the tension builds up like it's just going to explode - much as the main character Billy Smith does a few times even though to be fair, he IS the asshole in this fairytale! But this is an gory, sometimes filthy (sex-wise) caper that'll have you ripping your hair out by the time it's over. I mean, it's not a long read - even though it felt longer with the tension (perhaps "fuller" would be a better descriptive) - but it's a fun mystery with all the fixin's! And I only managed to guess a bit of the ending while I was zooming along. So well played indeed!
Fuck her. She knows where I am. She knows where home is.
Now a lot of this doesn't count as a spoiler because if you've read the blurb on goodreads, you know what ol' Billy Bob has been up to in his spare time. Yes, he cheated on "the wife" (I only now realized that I have no clue about her name, if it's even given!!) even though we learn they had at one time been madly, passionately in love with each other. Still, the first time we meet Billy, he's busy running through the Kama Sutra with a prostitute named Sherry, who believes herself to actually be Billy's girlfriend (because, you know, he's leaving his wife any day now). It doesn't take long then for the reader to establish a pretty intense dislike of Billy, even if you later wonder just how much he deserved the extent of the torture that's headed his way.
There was “cruel” but this was taking it to a whole new level.
See, it all begins when he gets home and the wife isn't there. Nor is she there the next day when a package arrives containing… her tongue. That's right, a PIECE of his wife is delivered with a threatening message about knowing all about his indiscretions and so on. And as punishment, if he wants to find out where the other PIECES are and why someone is doing this to him, he has to trace further clues down at various "important moment" locales. Like where they first said "I love you" or where they first held hands, and so on. It really sets things up to see just how far this marriage has been destroyed by Billy being such a selfish a-hole, even though naturally at this point we're only getting one viewpoint. No it doesn't count as more even when one of her eyes is delivered.
She had blue eyes in life but in death, they’re more shrouded in a grey mist.
So as I mentioned, Billy starts to go a bit loco and his temper drives him to do some really terrible things in a matter of hours ("Whoever is responsible for this, I will kill them."). It's not long before he's wondering where this all takes him now because even if he uncovers whatever has befallen his wife, he has some serious crimes to answer for. Another thing that Shaw does really well is flash back and forth in time to either show Billy being a better man at some times and others utterly missing his earlier opportunities for some kind of redemption that would have made all of this moot. Well, hindsight and all that…
If only I had stopped thinking with my fucking dick…
Overall then, this is a terrific horror read even bordering on splatterpunk and/or whatever you call it when you mix horror with erotica. Yeah, we really really feel for the characters involved whether our reactions wind up being totally fair or misplaced owing to … circumstances! In terms of execution, yeah, the editing could have been better (e.g. "I can’t even remember the last time she kissed my cock, let alone took it in her month…") but again the pacing is brisk and worthy of the tension created. And if this story doesn't convince you to be good boys and girls (it could happen!) and stop breaking all those commandments, well, then you're either already too far gone or your genitalia have assumed complete control over your brain! Your call.
October 5, 2021
🎃👻 Book #5 for #Halloween2021 🎃👻
"Pieces: An Extreme Horror" by Matt Shaw
💥Please proceed with caution in regards to this read as it is an extreme horror novel and NOT for the faint of heart💥
"A car's lock is clearly nothing more than an illusion of safety."
After a quick romp in the sheets with his favorite whore Sherry, Billy arrives home to discover his wife isn't there. His frustration soon turns to paranoia when the next morning he still hasn't heard from her but his text messages to her are showing they've been read. Now Billy isn't sure where his wife has actually gone but he's certain the letter he just received from the mail has to be a joke. Is his wife actually dead and in pieces, left strung about throughout the city? Will this mysterious letter really frame him for murder if he doesn't do what it says? Surely, this is a sick joke... surely...
This is an excellent story about the cons of cheating and why you're simply better off working through your problems versus creating news ones. I swore I had the ending figured out twice only to realize I wasn't even close. 4 🌟
"Pieces: An Extreme Horror" by Matt Shaw
💥Please proceed with caution in regards to this read as it is an extreme horror novel and NOT for the faint of heart💥
"A car's lock is clearly nothing more than an illusion of safety."
After a quick romp in the sheets with his favorite whore Sherry, Billy arrives home to discover his wife isn't there. His frustration soon turns to paranoia when the next morning he still hasn't heard from her but his text messages to her are showing they've been read. Now Billy isn't sure where his wife has actually gone but he's certain the letter he just received from the mail has to be a joke. Is his wife actually dead and in pieces, left strung about throughout the city? Will this mysterious letter really frame him for murder if he doesn't do what it says? Surely, this is a sick joke... surely...
This is an excellent story about the cons of cheating and why you're simply better off working through your problems versus creating news ones. I swore I had the ending figured out twice only to realize I wasn't even close. 4 🌟
November 2, 2024
Oh my god, what a wild book. First extreme horror and was not disappointed! Short and simple book with a crazy twist at the end.
There were a couple spelling errors and sentences that were written poorly. I was expecting a bit more extreme this did seem sort of lackluster to what I expected.
Our main character Billy is such a horrible misogynist person and deserved everything that happened to him. The beginning started off hard and strong. It became a bit mundane in the middle then sky rocketed at the end. Wasn’t expecting the ending, pretty satisfying too.
Overall, fantastic first extreme horror book, can’t wait to read more.
Poor Sherry and the wife, they deserved better.
There were a couple spelling errors and sentences that were written poorly. I was expecting a bit more extreme this did seem sort of lackluster to what I expected.
Our main character Billy is such a horrible misogynist person and deserved everything that happened to him. The beginning started off hard and strong. It became a bit mundane in the middle then sky rocketed at the end. Wasn’t expecting the ending, pretty satisfying too.
Overall, fantastic first extreme horror book, can’t wait to read more.
Poor Sherry and the wife, they deserved better.
May 15, 2024
Read as part of my progress through the disturbing books iceberg, and honestly, this deep in I just didn't find it disturbing, or particularly well-written.
The premise was amazing, I guess some of the gore was fine, but there is a lot of time spent explaining the relationship dynamic between two characters who just weren't that deep or interesting.
The "twist" was also not that impressive, despite having some potential with the mislead.
I know a lot of people like Shaw's writing, but I personally didn't think this was his best.
The premise was amazing, I guess some of the gore was fine, but there is a lot of time spent explaining the relationship dynamic between two characters who just weren't that deep or interesting.
The "twist" was also not that impressive, despite having some potential with the mislead.
I know a lot of people like Shaw's writing, but I personally didn't think this was his best.
December 1, 2023
not a bad read but by no means extreme horror
On top of the MANY spelling and grammar mistakes, this book was at most a thriller. I don’t even know if I can say that since the ending was insanely predictable from the jump. But even for those who couldn’t predict the ending, nothing about this book was extreme horror or let alone horror. Overall I’m disappointed that the hype around this author did not reach expectations and in fact plummeted them to the ground
On top of the MANY spelling and grammar mistakes, this book was at most a thriller. I don’t even know if I can say that since the ending was insanely predictable from the jump. But even for those who couldn’t predict the ending, nothing about this book was extreme horror or let alone horror. Overall I’m disappointed that the hype around this author did not reach expectations and in fact plummeted them to the ground
January 5, 2022
very predictable
Pretty average. You could see the ending coming a mile away and it was fairly hard to read with the monologue that bored me to tears. Took me weeks to finish as I couldn’t get the excitement to read it.
Pretty average. You could see the ending coming a mile away and it was fairly hard to read with the monologue that bored me to tears. Took me weeks to finish as I couldn’t get the excitement to read it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews