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Graffiti Tombs
Welcome to the Steinmann Hotel, where checking in means you won’t be checking out.
Vigilante Leo Holland tracks the source of a new street drug to the decrepit tower in the heart of Times Square. There among the graffiti-laden corridors, he discovers a world of sinister phenomena. Malevolent spirits haunt hotel rooms. Hidden floors reveal forgotten tragedies. A strange figure with a straight razor prowls the halls. Now, with the help of a young social worker, Leo must find a way to escape the supernatural engine that powers the city's most haunted building. Or lose his soul trying.
Turn down the comforter. Hang the "Do Not Disturb" sign. Don't forget to check for bedbugs. It’s going to be one hell of a night.
Vigilante Leo Holland tracks the source of a new street drug to the decrepit tower in the heart of Times Square. There among the graffiti-laden corridors, he discovers a world of sinister phenomena. Malevolent spirits haunt hotel rooms. Hidden floors reveal forgotten tragedies. A strange figure with a straight razor prowls the halls. Now, with the help of a young social worker, Leo must find a way to escape the supernatural engine that powers the city's most haunted building. Or lose his soul trying.
Turn down the comforter. Hang the "Do Not Disturb" sign. Don't forget to check for bedbugs. It’s going to be one hell of a night.
212 pages, Paperback
First published February 24, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
September 7, 2025
First and foremost, I absolutely loved the writing style of Matt Serafini. Great pacing and flow, and he laid out such intricate and vivid scenes, that you couldn’t help but be dragged right into our primary setting, The Steinmann. This big, haunted, scary hotel set the standard for psychological terror. It made its unsavory clientele push to exceed their worst traits, all while bringing them closer to hell. The concept was really great and the atmosphere was sublime. Leo and Angela were great leads, both with their own traumas and ambitions, keeping the reader fully engaged. Now, as infrequent as this is, I have to agree with one of the other reviewers. There were several segments that felt overdeveloped and like unnecessary filler. There were so many nightmarish and mind-bending concepts happening that the author really needed to keep everything else so focused as to not overly disorient the reader, which I feel like this didn’t accomplish. Too much of anything can be a bad thing and this was no exception. So a reduction of some of the secondary characters and a higher priority for Leo, namely, but also Angela would’ve fixed most of the critiques for me. Even still, this was my first reading experience with Matt Serafini and I’m eager to see his other works.
November 16, 2023
"So much of life is running to stand still."
Matt Serafini is back at it with a story that exceeded and twisted all my expectations. I had a tiny idea what this book was about before diving in, and it's pretty much just what the back of the book synopsis says. But I never thought the story would go in any of the directions it went - in the best way!
I can't help it but I always make movie comparisons in my head while I'm reading a book. And the mash-up I got here was Sin City and The Shining. It's this phantasmagoric pulpy noir crime thriller mixed with the haunting insanity of an evil hotel constantly reminding you of your past and making you question everything. RIGHT??!? Serafini redefined that haunted hotel trope here and totally made it something of his own. Each floor and room and guest in the hotel brings something more horrific. Some things are right in your face while others might come across like a fever dream. One scene involves some roaches and I about gagged. And another scene involves a junkie's track marks that made me think of body horror if Sam Raimi directed a later-in-the-franchise Nightmare on Elm Street film. SUPERB - but gross!
But at the core of the story are our 3 main characters: Leo the Vigilante, Angela the social worker, and Ruben the bellhop/hotel worker. And once their paths intersect it's hard to put the book down.
I really had a wonderful time with Leo who basically just wants to put down all the lowlifes, criminals, perverts, drug pushers, and more in some testament to avenge the death of his own family. Justice and vengeance are a driving force. He's on his own mission that leads him to the hotel that will forever change everything.
The writing here is some of Serafini's best work. Whether in context or standalone, there are endless quotable passages. The internal monologue and thoughts lead to some wickedly sharp one-liners and quotes.
The book is split up into multiple sections with pretty short chapters. It's so easy to tear through this book, but then savoring each floor and part of the haunted hotel journey like you're on your own slow rising elevator is part of the experience, too.
I know we all say this (and I have before, too), but I would absolutely LOVE to see this adapted! There's so much potential for killer imagery, camera angles, music, and more with this story told in another form of media. I would love to see how others interpret this haunting crime horror thriller and its layers of ghosts and supernatural hallucinations.
This book is SO WELL DONE!
Matt Serafini is back at it with a story that exceeded and twisted all my expectations. I had a tiny idea what this book was about before diving in, and it's pretty much just what the back of the book synopsis says. But I never thought the story would go in any of the directions it went - in the best way!
I can't help it but I always make movie comparisons in my head while I'm reading a book. And the mash-up I got here was Sin City and The Shining. It's this phantasmagoric pulpy noir crime thriller mixed with the haunting insanity of an evil hotel constantly reminding you of your past and making you question everything. RIGHT??!? Serafini redefined that haunted hotel trope here and totally made it something of his own. Each floor and room and guest in the hotel brings something more horrific. Some things are right in your face while others might come across like a fever dream. One scene involves some roaches and I about gagged. And another scene involves a junkie's track marks that made me think of body horror if Sam Raimi directed a later-in-the-franchise Nightmare on Elm Street film. SUPERB - but gross!
But at the core of the story are our 3 main characters: Leo the Vigilante, Angela the social worker, and Ruben the bellhop/hotel worker. And once their paths intersect it's hard to put the book down.
I really had a wonderful time with Leo who basically just wants to put down all the lowlifes, criminals, perverts, drug pushers, and more in some testament to avenge the death of his own family. Justice and vengeance are a driving force. He's on his own mission that leads him to the hotel that will forever change everything.
The writing here is some of Serafini's best work. Whether in context or standalone, there are endless quotable passages. The internal monologue and thoughts lead to some wickedly sharp one-liners and quotes.
The book is split up into multiple sections with pretty short chapters. It's so easy to tear through this book, but then savoring each floor and part of the haunted hotel journey like you're on your own slow rising elevator is part of the experience, too.
I know we all say this (and I have before, too), but I would absolutely LOVE to see this adapted! There's so much potential for killer imagery, camera angles, music, and more with this story told in another form of media. I would love to see how others interpret this haunting crime horror thriller and its layers of ghosts and supernatural hallucinations.
This book is SO WELL DONE!
March 25, 2023
One vigilante on a quest to hunt down every drug dealer, mugger and pervert he can find. What happens when he steps into a hotel that has the ability to absorb evil and twist the very confines of the world we live in?
This was a wild ride and not what I expected. I went in blind and was extremely surprised with the outcome! The writing wasn’t perfect, there were several times it dragged on with unnecessary descriptions but nothing that would have you throwing the book to the side. The chapters do flip between characters very often, but it’s made clear when this is happening so it’s not easy to get confused. I loved how this novel showed the cycle that everything continues into and that there isn’t one side to every story. There were tons of great quotable passages and lines that really made you think. I enjoyed the 360 view from our main characters to the hotel back to the victims. It gave a broader sense of understanding to the story.
Thank you Matt Serafini for the review copy!
This was a wild ride and not what I expected. I went in blind and was extremely surprised with the outcome! The writing wasn’t perfect, there were several times it dragged on with unnecessary descriptions but nothing that would have you throwing the book to the side. The chapters do flip between characters very often, but it’s made clear when this is happening so it’s not easy to get confused. I loved how this novel showed the cycle that everything continues into and that there isn’t one side to every story. There were tons of great quotable passages and lines that really made you think. I enjoyed the 360 view from our main characters to the hotel back to the victims. It gave a broader sense of understanding to the story.
Thank you Matt Serafini for the review copy!
February 20, 2023
Amazingly written and conceptualized! A book both horrible and wonderful! I was not expecting to be so engrossed in this story. A messed up noir fever dream that offers up something special to the haunted hotel genre with a side of insight to the soul. Do not let this author pass you by!
March 16, 2023
I responded to the author’s offer of an ARC of his new novel, ‘Graffiti Tombs,’ on the Facebook group 'Books of Horror Freview.' Heads up: this is like nothing you’ve ever read before! It combines the bleak atmosphere of ‘The Watchmen’ (the comic, mind) with the sinister appetites of the Overlook Hotel in ‘The Shining’ – and takes you into entirely new territory you didn’t know you HAD to visit! That said, the hotel in ‘Graffiti Tombs’ (what a wonderful title, btw!), the Steinmann Hotel, with its 24 floors and its own definition of insanity, is a nasty, sinful place, straight out of a horror fan’s nightmares. Drawing on those 42nd Street buildings seen in 1980s movies, Serafini produces very unsettling images of corruption, addiction, abuse, and the craving for justice. Justice is what fuels the protagonist, the eponymous ‘Vigilante,’ who’s dropping junkies and pushers left and right, in revenge for the murder of his family. Going after the mastermind behind the new drug, Blood Thunder, he arrives at the Steinmann Hotel. A hotel that’s built bad, is now set against a man, a former teacher, incidentally, who’s become as bad as his victims. The hotel has a lot to teach him! The dread and mystery build with each chapter, as more characters are drawn into the mayhem (Angela, a social worker, and Ruben, a bellhop.) Those asking for a respite from the non-stop action, may be lured into the chapter ‘Guests,’ which gives a glimpse of the gruesome way the hotel usually treats whoever books a room in this hellhole. (My favorite part of the story, btw.) Serafini's brilliant writing brings the story to life, playing on both tropes -crime noir and sinister hauntings- providing great visuals, plus an ingenious twist, till the plot starts spiraling toward a rather abrupt, but entirely satisfying conclusion. Highly recommended!
October 4, 2025
3.5⭐️/5 You can check-in, but you won't be checking out...
At $12 a stay, the Steinmann is a grungy hotel with derelict hallways and deceptive clientele, by day. However, at night, don't you dare leave your room, that's when the creatures of the Steinmann come out to play.
Graffiti Tombs gave me wonderful nostalgia of Stephen King's Overlook Hotel, and even included a nod to one of the most terrifying moments in the The Shining. While I enjoyed the chaos and havoc the haunted hotel caused, and the depths of Serafini's dark imagination, I would have loved to have been given more on the history/lore behind the Steinmann (prequel potential??).
The two main characters, Leo, the retired 60 year old teacher turned vigilante, and Angela, the young social worker with a dark past, were exceptionally well-developed and deeply complex, compelling you to consider the weight and consequences of every action took and what justice truly means.
At $12 a stay, the Steinmann is a grungy hotel with derelict hallways and deceptive clientele, by day. However, at night, don't you dare leave your room, that's when the creatures of the Steinmann come out to play.
Graffiti Tombs gave me wonderful nostalgia of Stephen King's Overlook Hotel, and even included a nod to one of the most terrifying moments in the The Shining. While I enjoyed the chaos and havoc the haunted hotel caused, and the depths of Serafini's dark imagination, I would have loved to have been given more on the history/lore behind the Steinmann (prequel potential??).
The two main characters, Leo, the retired 60 year old teacher turned vigilante, and Angela, the young social worker with a dark past, were exceptionally well-developed and deeply complex, compelling you to consider the weight and consequences of every action took and what justice truly means.
September 15, 2023
Boh indie brawl runner up list. There's fiction. Like fake stories and fake characters disguised in a realistic fictional world. Then there's FICTION. Still fake stories and fake characters, but fighting for their lives in an unrealistic fictional world. Just a reminder as to why I adore fiction. So many different types. If a reader is looking for an escape from reality, this book will do that.
A new drug on the streets, a man with a quest to stomp it out. A hotel with its own intentions. Throw in a villain or two, a damsel in distress (aka good Samaritan social worker with a jaded past).
I'm not sure if I should use the word bizarre, but that's probably the closest I could come to describing the events in this unrealistic hotel. Not quite dream sequences, yet rather vivid occurrences to test the readers ability to suspend their beliefs. Fun read
A new drug on the streets, a man with a quest to stomp it out. A hotel with its own intentions. Throw in a villain or two, a damsel in distress (aka good Samaritan social worker with a jaded past).
I'm not sure if I should use the word bizarre, but that's probably the closest I could come to describing the events in this unrealistic hotel. Not quite dream sequences, yet rather vivid occurrences to test the readers ability to suspend their beliefs. Fun read
December 5, 2023
GRAFFITI TOMBS by Matt Serafini
Is the story of lost souls with no hope. Where drugs pull them further down a one way road to hell, that is paved in Addiction, Abuse, Revenge, and Murder. Where the pain of the victims spreads more pain and even more victims along the way. The saying in the book “Most Good People Are Only One or Two Unlucky Breaks Away From Becoming Bad”
No one is safe from the scourge of drugs that are being given freely. And how do you find away out of a hotel, that’s beyond menacing? Where halls, doors, stairs are constantly changing. Is there a way out?
Is the story of lost souls with no hope. Where drugs pull them further down a one way road to hell, that is paved in Addiction, Abuse, Revenge, and Murder. Where the pain of the victims spreads more pain and even more victims along the way. The saying in the book “Most Good People Are Only One or Two Unlucky Breaks Away From Becoming Bad”
No one is safe from the scourge of drugs that are being given freely. And how do you find away out of a hotel, that’s beyond menacing? Where halls, doors, stairs are constantly changing. Is there a way out?
March 16, 2023
Thank you to the author for providing a review copy.
3.5 stars, rounded up. Part noir revenge tale, part haunted hotel, part nightmarish fever dream, Graffiti Tombs is a wild ride. I love Matt Serafini's writing, and appreciated a fairly unique take on the haunted hotel trope.
3.5 stars, rounded up. Part noir revenge tale, part haunted hotel, part nightmarish fever dream, Graffiti Tombs is a wild ride. I love Matt Serafini's writing, and appreciated a fairly unique take on the haunted hotel trope.
February 3, 2025
Interesting
This was a four star read before it started rambling a bit too much. I loved the psychological/ philosophical aspects to the writing, but it simply went on too long and lessened the impact. I still flew through this bizarre, gory story and very much enjoyed the ride!
This was a four star read before it started rambling a bit too much. I loved the psychological/ philosophical aspects to the writing, but it simply went on too long and lessened the impact. I still flew through this bizarre, gory story and very much enjoyed the ride!
March 7, 2023
Had a little trouble getting into it because the flow felt a little choppy. A lot of the time I thought to myself what the heck am I reading?! Overall, I did enjoy this book. The creepy hotel reminded me of AHS and it didn't disappoint!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews