Bryan Smith writes hard-core, grind-house horror at its bloody best. If you like your horror extreme (and I do), Smith is one of the must-read authors. "The Killing Kind" is about a psycho killer Goth chick named Roxie who kidnaps an all-American guy and forces him to drive her hundreds of miles to Myrtle Beach, where she plans to slaughter a group of college guys and girls for teasing her at a strip mall. Roxie is a stone-cold killer who's not averse to shooting everybody in a random car that pisses her off. Smith's college victims are not exactly sympathetic types either, using sex, drugs and alcohol to fuel their fun or to cheat on their girl/boy friends. Add to the plot an escaped mental patient who hears a voice telling him to kill people plus another girl with Roxie-like tendencies, and you have a riveting grind-house horror ride. The tone is reminiscent of the reckless glee shown by the Firefly family in Rob Zombie's "The Devil's Rejects," but Smith's novel features more twists and turns, particularly with the behavior of the so-called victims. There are no good guys/girls in "The Killing Kind." Just the people who survive and the people who get killed. Bryan Smith is without a doubt one of the most exciting writers I've had the pleasure to discover in quite some time. The Killing Kind is easily one of the most visceral experiences I've ever had reading a horror novel.The sheer Nihilism found within the pages of The Killing Kind is in my opinion where the novel exceeds, heroism is a rarity in this world and when it is shown by one of the few "good" characters, they pay a hefty and painful price for it. In fact when reading TKK, one can't help but notice that is in fact the unjust who go unpunished while they few virtuous characters meet up with gruesome demises.This is hardcore horror at it's finest. It's easy for this genre to heap on the gore and depravity to ungodly levels till it's parodies itself and looses all it's impact. But that's where TKK surpasses the herd. It most definitely reaches levels of depravity that you don't see everyday to be certain, but it never goes "all in" with it.But while it may pump the breaks in the gore department, it certainly goes full force in character development. Smith juggles multiple characters in multiple timelines with such incredible ease. It really shows the magnitude of Smith's writing talents.Another big plus is for the most part you generally care for the main characters especially Chuck, Zoe, Rob, Roxie and Julie. The really crazy part is two of those characters are some of the most cruelest murderes ever created.Rob is a complex charactrer as well as one of my favorites. He went from a nice guy that ends up in a bad situation, to someone who can willingly let multiple characters die in horribly torturous ways. In a way he's worse than Roxie and Julie are, they are addicted to murder, Rob is not.The killing Kind starts with Rob being kidnapped at gunpoint by Roxie, a beautiful suicide girl type that is utterly insane. It seems that while in a coffee shop a group of privileged teens make fun of Roxie. While that may seem like no big deal to some, to Roxie that's enough to kill for.So with Rob as her prisoner they follow the teens to toward a beach house that Chuck's rich father rented for them, which is totally secluded. It's the perfect desolate spot with absolutely no one to hear their screams....If that wasn't bad enough, another brutal killer/ necrophile is on the same path. Zeb is as brutal as they come, led by a murderous voice only he can hear, he crosses paths with Julie Cosgrove. A 17 year old girl that the voice insists is just as depraved as Zeb.The Killing Kind follows all three groups as they heard toward their destiny meeting at the beach house. The great thing about this novel is nothing will go the way you expect. You think the story will go one way then BLAM!!! Smith hits you with an uppercut that you never saw coming.The books ends in the only way it possibly can, very downbeat.This book will stay with you long after you finish it. As I got close to the end I felt sad because the journey was coming to an end. I think that shows how great a writer Smith is, I hungered for so much more. Luckily I've learned through his Facebook, that he's working on part 2 as we speak!Do yourself a favor, pick this incredible novel up and be prepared to be blown away. Roxie is waiting and she's not one to be denied....
What do You think about Todesgeil (2012)?
Twisted, demented and crazy... I loved it, it was a one day read for me, fun ending
—Hailey
