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Homecoming
American hostage, Simon Farrell is coming home...to a world he thought he'd never see again. To a wife who has found a new lover. To sleepless nights of torment, haunted by the horrors he has witnessed.
An ex-convict is coming home, too... to kill for the pleasure of killing. To turn terrible memories of mental and physical abuse into brutal realities. To terriorize one perfect family...
By probing the tortured mind of Simon Farrell.
An ex-convict is coming home, too... to kill for the pleasure of killing. To turn terrible memories of mental and physical abuse into brutal realities. To terriorize one perfect family...
By probing the tortured mind of Simon Farrell.
298 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 2, 2023
Simon hostage in a foreign country, chained, lying in his own bodily fluids, rotten food, his body melting away. Death had to be better than this. Meatman cutting, stabbing, hacking, plunging, enjoying the feel of the knife across flesh, the blood flowing, making a mother watch as he desecrates her son, he loves the fear in their eyes, their pain and suffering. He looked at killing as power, as he was a God, this was his work and he was devoted and determined. The bodies piling up. Simon will escape his foreign captives, come home to a place he doesn't recognise, a child who is scared of him. Many paths will come together. The meatman squeezing a man balls into mash and then like a lab frog will open the chest cavity, pull open the abdomen. Simon dying for his daughter to survive.
September 10, 2020
3 AND 1/2 STARS
Before Matthew J. Costello wrote the amazingly intense Jack Murphy apocalyptic horror trilogy, Vacation, Home, and Family, he wrote a few stand-alone horror titles, and Homecoming was one of them. Involving very graphic and brutal violence, the story of an American held hostage and tortured for years suddenly escapes and heads back home to try and re-start his old life. This main story runs concurrent with a demented serial killer, carving his victims in a twisted ritual to create his own artwork. While the two stories seemed shoehorned together, both were interesting enough to stay reading. Unfortunately, the danger involving certain characters does not even occur until the final 20 pages, so we essentially invest in characters for a showdown that is abruptly over before it even begins.
The book cover compares this to movie Cape Fear, so I was even more excited to read it. I was expecting an epic stalking of the main family, terrorizing them and turning their life into a living hell. But that was not even close to what happened. I still enjoyed the story, but it was not what was advertised. Regardless, it honestly could have used another 75 to 100 pages to more smoothly connect the two storylines, but instead felt rushed, as if the author just wanted the story to end, and end quickly. Maybe he was distracted and wanted to start a new project.
Although I had a good time reading the book, never once feeling bored, I would rather recommend Matthew J. Costello's horror trilogy, starting with the first book, Vacation. It appears Costello now spends most of his time writing "cozy" mysteries instead of horror, which is a shame, since he was a very promising rising star in the genre. But I guess people have to find a way to pay the bills.
Before Matthew J. Costello wrote the amazingly intense Jack Murphy apocalyptic horror trilogy, Vacation, Home, and Family, he wrote a few stand-alone horror titles, and Homecoming was one of them. Involving very graphic and brutal violence, the story of an American held hostage and tortured for years suddenly escapes and heads back home to try and re-start his old life. This main story runs concurrent with a demented serial killer, carving his victims in a twisted ritual to create his own artwork. While the two stories seemed shoehorned together, both were interesting enough to stay reading. Unfortunately, the danger involving certain characters does not even occur until the final 20 pages, so we essentially invest in characters for a showdown that is abruptly over before it even begins.
The book cover compares this to movie Cape Fear, so I was even more excited to read it. I was expecting an epic stalking of the main family, terrorizing them and turning their life into a living hell. But that was not even close to what happened. I still enjoyed the story, but it was not what was advertised. Regardless, it honestly could have used another 75 to 100 pages to more smoothly connect the two storylines, but instead felt rushed, as if the author just wanted the story to end, and end quickly. Maybe he was distracted and wanted to start a new project.
Although I had a good time reading the book, never once feeling bored, I would rather recommend Matthew J. Costello's horror trilogy, starting with the first book, Vacation. It appears Costello now spends most of his time writing "cozy" mysteries instead of horror, which is a shame, since he was a very promising rising star in the genre. But I guess people have to find a way to pay the bills.
July 13, 2013
I was ready for something like this. The novel begins several different story threads, jumping from one to the next and slowly weaving them together. Commonalities start shaping the events of the characters until the reader sees how it all fits together. This method of storytelling is perfect for the story being told, and it's done well.
The character, Donald Pick, is a brutal killer, made all the more brutal because he likes to take his time. He is casual in his intensity.
Simon Farrell has been through the wringer as a hostage in the Middle-East. He's pretty much seen it all, experienced it all, and is ready for the final confrontation of his life—saving his daughter.
Some of what goes on in this story is pretty gruesome, but it is presented with a sense of modicum—there's enough to get you there, but not so much that it desensitizes; a precious balance. It serves as a character study.
I enjoyed reading this for the story and for the assembly of the story. Well done, Matthew; and thanks for the entertainment.
On an aside: There are a number of places in the middle (I didn't bookmark them if you can believe it) where the letter 'm' replaces the letters 'th' so that 'the' becomes 'me', etc. My eyes blew right over the half-dozen or so occurrences because I didn't want to slow down for them. Telling, that.
The character, Donald Pick, is a brutal killer, made all the more brutal because he likes to take his time. He is casual in his intensity.
Simon Farrell has been through the wringer as a hostage in the Middle-East. He's pretty much seen it all, experienced it all, and is ready for the final confrontation of his life—saving his daughter.
Some of what goes on in this story is pretty gruesome, but it is presented with a sense of modicum—there's enough to get you there, but not so much that it desensitizes; a precious balance. It serves as a character study.
I enjoyed reading this for the story and for the assembly of the story. Well done, Matthew; and thanks for the entertainment.
On an aside: There are a number of places in the middle (I didn't bookmark them if you can believe it) where the letter 'm' replaces the letters 'th' so that 'the' becomes 'me', etc. My eyes blew right over the half-dozen or so occurrences because I didn't want to slow down for them. Telling, that.
November 12, 2019
Poorly written. The author's sentences are virtually all the same length, making for an unbelievably monotonous voice.
October 31, 2013
Homecoming von Matthew Costello ist ein weitere Wiederveröffentlichung von Cemetery Dance Publications eines bereits vor zwanzig Jahren erschienenen Romans. Bei dem Verlagsschwerpunkt hatte ich auf Horror getippt, doch der Roman stellt sich als Thriller ohne jegliche mystische Elemente heraus.
Simon Farrell wurde jahrelang im Libanon als Gefangener festgehalten. Seine Frau Lizbeth versucht ihr Leben mit der gemeinsamen Tochter fortzuführen, hat eine Affäre und Schuldgefühle deswegen. Gleichzeitig versucht ein kurz vor der Pensionierung stehender New Yorker Detective eine alte Mordserie des sogenannten Meatman aufzuklären. Zunächst verlaufen all diese Handlungsstränge parallel und das funktioniert ganz gut.
Doch als Simon endlich die Flucht gelingt und wieder mit seiner Familie vereint ist, fällt die Geschichte, denn die Gefühle, Zweifel und Ängste, mit denen sie zu kämpfen haben, sind nicht gut herausgearbeitet. Als dann noch eine vierte Partei, der gerade entlassene Sträfling Donald Pick, ins Spiel gebracht wird, ist schon klar, wie sich das Ganze entwickeln wird. Mag sein, dass die Serienkillerthematik damals neu waren, doch jetzt gelesen, bietet der Roman wenig Spannungspotential.
Simon Farrell wurde jahrelang im Libanon als Gefangener festgehalten. Seine Frau Lizbeth versucht ihr Leben mit der gemeinsamen Tochter fortzuführen, hat eine Affäre und Schuldgefühle deswegen. Gleichzeitig versucht ein kurz vor der Pensionierung stehender New Yorker Detective eine alte Mordserie des sogenannten Meatman aufzuklären. Zunächst verlaufen all diese Handlungsstränge parallel und das funktioniert ganz gut.
Doch als Simon endlich die Flucht gelingt und wieder mit seiner Familie vereint ist, fällt die Geschichte, denn die Gefühle, Zweifel und Ängste, mit denen sie zu kämpfen haben, sind nicht gut herausgearbeitet. Als dann noch eine vierte Partei, der gerade entlassene Sträfling Donald Pick, ins Spiel gebracht wird, ist schon klar, wie sich das Ganze entwickeln wird. Mag sein, dass die Serienkillerthematik damals neu waren, doch jetzt gelesen, bietet der Roman wenig Spannungspotential.
May 6, 2014
This book was really enjoyable. The suspense was pretty legit and the author was pretty fearless. Quick read, and satisfying.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews