Review of Tales From the P.I.T. Crew

[Christabel Uzoamaka]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Tales From the P.I.T. Crew" by J.M. Tilbury.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Do you believe in the bogeyman? In Tales from the P.I.T. Crew, he is real, angry, and on the loose. He and a host of other demonic creatures spread terror throughout the city of San Francisco. Dr. Darrell Diamondback, as a result of unhealed trauma, decides to join the Paranormal Investigation and Education Department (PIED). After studying at UC Berkeley, he becomes a professional ghost hunter. Darrell often works alone. So when Stravinsky, his aide, advises him to get partners, he outrightly refuses. But Stravinsky’s ultimatum forces him to recruit Charlie, Jaiden, and Ed. In his search for demons, gremlins, and ghouls, the humorous doctor finds an unbelievable story and forms unlikely friendships. He soon finds that not all is as it seems.

It was easy to like Dr. Diamondback’s character. For all his tough talk of not wanting partners and being able to face challenges alone, he had a soft heart that was truly caring. I loved finding out about his background and the things that made him tick. It was also a pleasure that the author, J. M. Tilbury, did not leave out other characters. Jaiden, Charlie, Ed, and Stravinsky all had their different charms. Feisty ladies will appreciate Jaiden’s character. Even the bogeyman got a backstory that made me care about him. Tilbury put considerable effort into his characterization.

With its vivid descriptions and well-done dialogues, this book read like a comedy-horror movie. If you enjoyed Ghostbusters, you'd like the witty comments in this book. Dr. Diamondback’s sharp mouth made for comedic relief at almost every point. The author also included some references to pop culture. The characters making mention of Van Helsing, Grindelwald, and other popular fictional characters made the book more relatable and interesting. The author also interchanged narrative styles: Dr. Diamondback narrated most parts, but other parts had an omniscient narrator. I thought the narrative switch might confuse me, but Tilbury executed it perfectly.

While this is a truly entertaining book, with comical conversations and exciting scenes, I found some of the dialogue cringeworthy. Sometimes, the characters overdid things, making their conversations seem unoriginal. Also, the scenes depicting the bogeyman’s killings were too gory. I initially thought that the plot of ghost hunting and the author’s simple writing style suited children. But the scenes became too gory. Readers without the stomach for reading about bones getting crushed and blood spurting shouldn’t read this book. The bogeyman relished killing, and Tilbury included every detail.

This book is perfect for adult readers who enjoy ghost-hunting stories and do not mind some gore. The story, however, is not hardcore horror. The conversations are mostly light, and there are meaningful backstories behind some characters that uplift the book from being just a baseless comedy-horror story. Readers will learn one crucial lesson from the bogeyman’s story: you must treat people with kindness. How the author passes on that lesson is beautiful and a bit heartbreaking. I applaud his storytelling skill and the exceptional editing this book received. My rating, however, is 3 out of 4 because, while the story is engaging and interesting, some parts made me cringe, and the excessive goriness was unnecessary.

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Tales From the P.I.T. Crew
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[nwankwo chibuchi]

Interesting storyline. This should be a good read. Bravo on a good review

[Patty Allread]

This book sounds pretty entertaining, but I would not like the gory parts. I enjoyed reading your review.

[Elijah0007]

A horror novel that teaches kindness? Now there's something you don't see every so often. I'll keep this in mind. I enjoyed your review.

[Aisha Yakub]

Should be interesting to see how the author teaches the lesson with this book. Great review.

[Mmaduabuchi Eze]

Your in-depth review, together with the theme of kindness, make this book appealing to me. However, I am cautious about the excessive gory scenes.

[wmeki510]

This book sounds pretty entertaining, but I would not like the gory parts. I enjoyed reading your review.

Same with me. I'm interested in the exciting thematic contents and not any gory scene.

[wmeki510]

A horror novel that teaches kindness? Now there's something you don't see every so often. I'll keep this in mind. I enjoyed your review.

It is actually striking; but then, thrilling.

[Ceeco2002]

Dr. Diamondback's character seems like a really interesting one. It'd be fun to get to know his soft and witty side better. Nice review.

[NetMassimo]

Mixing gore and humor is not easy and it seems that the author occasionally missed the mark. Otherwise, this seems like a funny horror book with humor. Thank you for your great review!

[Stevenmusk]

This book seems interesting and captivating with a unique plot. I look forward to reading it. Thanks for the review.