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mxsallybend's review
4.0
If you've ever watched one of those really twisted episodes of Criminal Minds and wondered what an extended, uncensored, feature film version might look like, then this is the book for you.
If you've ever enjoyed Silence of the Lambs and came away from either the book or the movie wishing it had been less about Hannibal Lector, and more about Buffalo Bill, then this is the book for you.
If you've ever found that you actually prefer the original book over the movie version of Psycho, precisely because it dragged you deeper inside Norman Bates' psychosis, then this is the book for you.
Just don't expect a happy ending.
Hell's Door may very well be the best, the darkest, and the most perverse serial killer tale or police procedural that I have read in a very long time. What Sandy DeLuca has crafted here is a short novella that works exceedingly well in both genres, taking the first to extremes, while nicely subverting the second, and tying them both together with a twist that I honestly never saw coming.
Let's start with the second of the two - the police procedural. On the surface, this is the most straightforward (almost clichéd) element of the story. Detectives Lacy Powers and John Demmings are tired, jaded, overworked, and overwhelmed by their dogged pursuit of one of the worst serial killers in history. There's the obligatory will-they-won't-they sexual tension between them, with John coming off a failed marriage, and Lacy seemingly married to her job. There's also standard narrative isolation that suggests, no matter how big the case, they're really the only cops in town on the job.
Behind all that, however, there's a whole other layer that DeLuca has deftly subverted. She takes the cliché of the maverick cops who know better than everyone else, who don't need to inconvenience themselves with evidence to solve a case, and almost gleefully demonstrates how wrong they are. We know from the start that they're harassing the wrong suspect, and we're increasingly aware of the fact that more innocent women are dying because of their shared obsession. She also strips both characters to the bone, revealing them to be something other than we'd expect, particularly in the way Lacy presented seems to enjoys the inappropriate attention of their suspect, the devil-worshiping dominatrix, Ramsay Wolfe.
Now, as for the second of the two - the serial killer tale - DeLuca pushes that to the limits and rides the razor's edge of almost-too-extreme. She puts us right inside the mind of her killer, exposing us to thoughts, feeling, fears, and fantasies that are clearly the product of a deeply disturbed mind. Whether it's rape with a broken chair leg, removing a victim's skin, or cutting off heads with a knife, she doesn't hesitate to describe the ugliest details, but she's careful not to sadistically glorify the acts. It's very clear what's being done to the women of Providence, but the focus is clearly on the killer's justification for suffering, not on the suffering itself.
As for the serial killer in question, to say too much would be to spoil the slow reveal of the story, as well as the final twist. There is absolutely a little Buffalo Bill and Norman Bates in our killer, but not necessarily in the ways you would expect. We get glimpses of history, of past events, that help to illuminate the killer's motives and methods, but DeLuca wisely steers clear of revealing too much, or of trying to transform her monster into a sympathetic victim. One thing I will say, however, is that no matter how creepy or unsettling you find the killer to be while reading, nothing can compare to what you'll think after the final twist.
It takes a brave - or possibly troubled - reader to step confidently through Hell's Door, but you won't be disappointed by what you find on the other side. This was a stellar tale, entirely suitable to being read in a single sitting, but I suggest breaking it up over a couple of days, just to give your mind time to process what's going on. Trust me, it's worth it.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
If you've ever enjoyed Silence of the Lambs and came away from either the book or the movie wishing it had been less about Hannibal Lector, and more about Buffalo Bill, then this is the book for you.
If you've ever found that you actually prefer the original book over the movie version of Psycho, precisely because it dragged you deeper inside Norman Bates' psychosis, then this is the book for you.
Just don't expect a happy ending.
Hell's Door may very well be the best, the darkest, and the most perverse serial killer tale or police procedural that I have read in a very long time. What Sandy DeLuca has crafted here is a short novella that works exceedingly well in both genres, taking the first to extremes, while nicely subverting the second, and tying them both together with a twist that I honestly never saw coming.
Let's start with the second of the two - the police procedural. On the surface, this is the most straightforward (almost clichéd) element of the story. Detectives Lacy Powers and John Demmings are tired, jaded, overworked, and overwhelmed by their dogged pursuit of one of the worst serial killers in history. There's the obligatory will-they-won't-they sexual tension between them, with John coming off a failed marriage, and Lacy seemingly married to her job. There's also standard narrative isolation that suggests, no matter how big the case, they're really the only cops in town on the job.
Behind all that, however, there's a whole other layer that DeLuca has deftly subverted. She takes the cliché of the maverick cops who know better than everyone else, who don't need to inconvenience themselves with evidence to solve a case, and almost gleefully demonstrates how wrong they are. We know from the start that they're harassing the wrong suspect, and we're increasingly aware of the fact that more innocent women are dying because of their shared obsession. She also strips both characters to the bone, revealing them to be something other than we'd expect, particularly in the way Lacy presented seems to enjoys the inappropriate attention of their suspect, the devil-worshiping dominatrix, Ramsay Wolfe.
Now, as for the second of the two - the serial killer tale - DeLuca pushes that to the limits and rides the razor's edge of almost-too-extreme. She puts us right inside the mind of her killer, exposing us to thoughts, feeling, fears, and fantasies that are clearly the product of a deeply disturbed mind. Whether it's rape with a broken chair leg, removing a victim's skin, or cutting off heads with a knife, she doesn't hesitate to describe the ugliest details, but she's careful not to sadistically glorify the acts. It's very clear what's being done to the women of Providence, but the focus is clearly on the killer's justification for suffering, not on the suffering itself.
As for the serial killer in question, to say too much would be to spoil the slow reveal of the story, as well as the final twist. There is absolutely a little Buffalo Bill and Norman Bates in our killer, but not necessarily in the ways you would expect. We get glimpses of history, of past events, that help to illuminate the killer's motives and methods, but DeLuca wisely steers clear of revealing too much, or of trying to transform her monster into a sympathetic victim. One thing I will say, however, is that no matter how creepy or unsettling you find the killer to be while reading, nothing can compare to what you'll think after the final twist.
It takes a brave - or possibly troubled - reader to step confidently through Hell's Door, but you won't be disappointed by what you find on the other side. This was a stellar tale, entirely suitable to being read in a single sitting, but I suggest breaking it up over a couple of days, just to give your mind time to process what's going on. Trust me, it's worth it.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
charshorrorcorner's review
5.0
I sat down last night to tackle this new novella. When I looked up it was after midnight and my world had been rocked.
Hell's Door is a combination of police procedural and mystery, which is very different from Sandy's previous works. This is the story of Lacey, a police detective that has problems following the rules. As a result, she has moved around the country a lot. Now in Providence, Rhode Island, she is partnered up with John to track down a serial killer working out of a club called Hell's Door.
What goes on in Hell's Door? Pretty much everything. It's a combination strip club, drag queen hangout, and all around home to sexual differences and degenerates. The back rooms are dim and filled with people exploring their dark fantasies, no matter what they are.
The scene is set for you. Will Lacey and John discover the identity of this sick and depraved serial killer? You will have to read it and see. If this sounds even remotely interesting to you, go pay your $2.99 right now and buy this novella for your Kindle. You will not be disappointed. This crime noir/mystery/dark fiction story will knock your socks off. Highly recommended!
Hell's Door is a combination of police procedural and mystery, which is very different from Sandy's previous works. This is the story of Lacey, a police detective that has problems following the rules. As a result, she has moved around the country a lot. Now in Providence, Rhode Island, she is partnered up with John to track down a serial killer working out of a club called Hell's Door.
What goes on in Hell's Door? Pretty much everything. It's a combination strip club, drag queen hangout, and all around home to sexual differences and degenerates. The back rooms are dim and filled with people exploring their dark fantasies, no matter what they are.
The scene is set for you. Will Lacey and John discover the identity of this sick and depraved serial killer? You will have to read it and see. If this sounds even remotely interesting to you, go pay your $2.99 right now and buy this novella for your Kindle. You will not be disappointed. This crime noir/mystery/dark fiction story will knock your socks off. Highly recommended!
mikekaz's review
2.0
This book raised one big question that I always have a hard time answering: when exactly should I give up on a book and just put it down unfinished? I hate giving up on a book but at the same time, if I'm not enjoying the journey, then what's the point? In this case, I did finish the book.
Detective Lacey Powers and John Demmings are partners in Providence. Their current case is to find the sadistic killer roaming the streets and leaving bodies scattered across the city. The top suspect is Ramsay Wolfe, the owner of a nightclub named Hell's Door. The detectives do their best to catch Ramsay in the act but the body count increases until the very end.
One of the problems that I had was that I never connected: with the characters, the story, or the book. It felt very disconnected and disjointed. Nice visuals but not a smooth story. Then the logic made no sense. The detectives had a suspect (Ramsay) but no evidence to make her a suspect. When the detectives found some witnesses who put Ramsay close to the scene of the deaths, they say not enough evidence. No bringing her in for questioning. Just "we have to catch her in the act." To accomplish this, Lacey and John go undercover in the Hell's Door nightclub; a club that has women stripping, hookers turning tricks, blatant and public sex, bikers, drag queens, bored housewives looking for some adventures, and more. I'm not saying I've been all over but no club that I've been has had that much of a mix. Anyway, the detectives personally witness enough sex crimes to consider telling Vice officers but "not until we finish with Ramsay first." Really? Why not arrest Ramsay for the sex crimes and then use the warrants to search for clues to the killings? Those were top-of-head. Other incoherent moments include all the major characters wanted to have sex with Lacey Powers, clues that should be handed over immediately are delayed before passing to Lacey, while other detectives know of the serial killer only Lacey and John are trying to find the killer. At the end of the book, DeLuca has a short bio and mentions that she has written and published some poetry books. This helped explain the book a bit since it did paint pretty images. But as a story that flowed, it failed in my mind.
Detective Lacey Powers and John Demmings are partners in Providence. Their current case is to find the sadistic killer roaming the streets and leaving bodies scattered across the city. The top suspect is Ramsay Wolfe, the owner of a nightclub named Hell's Door. The detectives do their best to catch Ramsay in the act but the body count increases until the very end.
One of the problems that I had was that I never connected: with the characters, the story, or the book. It felt very disconnected and disjointed. Nice visuals but not a smooth story. Then the logic made no sense. The detectives had a suspect (Ramsay) but no evidence to make her a suspect. When the detectives found some witnesses who put Ramsay close to the scene of the deaths, they say not enough evidence. No bringing her in for questioning. Just "we have to catch her in the act." To accomplish this, Lacey and John go undercover in the Hell's Door nightclub; a club that has women stripping, hookers turning tricks, blatant and public sex, bikers, drag queens, bored housewives looking for some adventures, and more. I'm not saying I've been all over but no club that I've been has had that much of a mix. Anyway, the detectives personally witness enough sex crimes to consider telling Vice officers but "not until we finish with Ramsay first." Really? Why not arrest Ramsay for the sex crimes and then use the warrants to search for clues to the killings? Those were top-of-head. Other incoherent moments include all the major characters wanted to have sex with Lacey Powers, clues that should be handed over immediately are delayed before passing to Lacey, while other detectives know of the serial killer only Lacey and John are trying to find the killer. At the end of the book, DeLuca has a short bio and mentions that she has written and published some poetry books. This helped explain the book a bit since it did paint pretty images. But as a story that flowed, it failed in my mind.
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