OnlineBookClub.org

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Slasher" by WD Jackson.]

Slasher: A Joshua Matthews Thriller, by WD Jackson, is a crime thriller mystery about a serial killer who is targeting actresses who played ‘final girls’ (the last girls left alive) in horror films produced by a company called Hitlist. The story follows the case as Sergeant Joshua Matthews faces demons from his past in order to help the girls who have been killed, and help protect Hitlist’s newest star, Kiralee Martinson.

Slasher is very well written, from the clear descriptive language to the technical structure. There are very few mistakes (typically a missing word, such as ‘part me’ instead of ‘part of me’ or an extra word, such as ‘to her to’ instead of ‘her to’), but nothing that is consistently wrong, which shows that these errors are simply typographical. Also, the errors are few and far between, and they certainly do not take anything away from the novel. Jackson’s descriptive language draws the reader into the story, with descriptions such as a place that was, “dripping with shadows,” and “She gave him a smile, which hung awkwardly in the air, unreturned.” These are just two of the many ways Jackson lures readers in and holds them. A few scenes in the novel even got my heart racing, which is always a sign of good writing filled with experience with the genre.

Jackson’s writing keeps the reader guessing; the ending is not given away until it is necessary, and the clues are there but not in an ‘in your face’ sort of way. The structure is a key part in that, with chapters (and subsections within chapters) following different characters, switching from Sergeant Matthews’ point of view of the clues and working to solve the case to Kiralee Martinson trying to do her best filming her first feature film roll while trying to stay alive, knowing that a real-life serial killer has her on his target list.

Of course, Sergeant Matthews has something in his past that makes working this case difficult for him, and of course Kiralee Martinson has a struggle with a love interest. These seem like very typical additions for this genre, but Jackson included them in such a way that they didn’t feel overly cliché and made a lot of sense for the characters and the storyline.

I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. When I had to step away from the book, I couldn’t wait to get back to it, I was kept guessing, and the writing was great. I will certainly be recommending this book to others who enjoy this genre, and I look forward to reading more from WD Jackson.

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Slasher
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Good review. I'd consider reading this if it were available from my public library.

I love to read mysteries. This sounds like a book that I will have to add to my reading list. Your review made this story sound very interesting with just enough twists to make it good reading. I especially liked that you mentioned that the descriptions were very well written. That always makes a book so much more interesting when there is good descriptive writing.

This book sounds really interesting! Thanks for the review!

Great review! I like your description that the clues are there, but not in an "in your face" way. I like to do my own detective work when reading, and not have obvious clues.

Thanks for the great review!! It has definitely made me want to check this book out as I'm glad to hear about an author who isn't making everything seem cliche and who seems to have a unique story I've never really seen. Will definitely be checking this out at some point in the future.

Great review, it really makes me want to read the book.