Living Things

by John A. Russo

Detective Vince Dawson and the Miami police department form an unlikely alliance with the city's Mafia in a fight against a Haitian voodoo sorcerer who can not be killed and whose lust for power and revenge knows no bounds

Genres: Horror

Paperback

First published September 1, 1988

About the author

John A. Russo, sometimes credited as Jack Russo or John Russo, is an American screenwriter and film director most commonly associated with the 1968 horror classic film Night of the Living Dead. As a screenwriter, his credits include Night of the Living Dead, The Majorettes, Midnight, and Santa Claws. The latter two, he also directed. He has performed small roles as an actor, most notably the first ghoul who is stabbed in the head in Night of the Living Dead.

Reviews

[Wayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Russo sticks with dead people this time around, but not the ones he's more famous for. He goes the voodoo living dead route instead of the military toxin reanimation. Mostly done with great success. Sometimes he wonders off the path he's on and loses his way for a bit. He brings you back soon enough though and keeps you wanting more.

When seven people are found washed up dead off the coast of Florida, they are thought of as just more refugees trying to escape Haiti. But when a man and his grandson, also from the island of Haiti, recognize the voodoo priest as one of the strongest, they try to mutilate their bodies, so they won't come back. They are stopped by police and are found dead soon after and the bodies of the refugees are missing from their graves.

Soon after an archeologist and some Florida detectives find themselves at war with the voodoo priest and his legion of undead, as well as the local mafia.

One of Russo's better novels. He sticks with his go to undead theme again but does it with more gusto than some of the living dead books he wrote back then and to this day. Worth a look for fans.