A review by ericarobyn
Taboo in Four Colors by Tim McGregor

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

5.0

Taboo in Four Colors by Tim McGregor is a tale of comic books, hidden love, and doing whatever needs to be done to keep secrets safe.

With the threat of losing market share and going out of business looming overhead, this comic book company is under some serious pressure. There’s really only one writer that is making them money; A man, named Salazar, who nobody sees, but his work is dropped off consistently. But when there’s a gap in work sent in, the illustrator, Carson, that has been working with this mysterious writer for two years is sent to Salazar’s home to see what is going on.

When he arrives, he meets Salazar’s wife. She seems kind but nervous. Determined to figure out what is going on, Carson presses until he gets answers. The two are soon tied together and must protect their secrets at all costs. But can they keep this all under wraps?

I’ve said it before, but I’ll keep saying it; the way that Tim’s writing style hooks readers right in is incredible. These characters are some that I (yet again) felt protective of immediately. As the story went on, I kept hoping for the best and for them to both get what they want.

The focus on real-world horror mixed with a bit of spookiness is totally captivating. Each day that passed in the storyline made me so nervous that everything was going to crumble down and that one of the secrets would be found out. I was gearing myself up for the downfall so much, but I still wasn’t prepared for where this tale took me!

That ending is one that is both totally satisfying and one that makes you crave more as you just want to see what happens next, never allowing the book to end!

My Favorite Passages from Taboo in Four Colors

She blows a plume of smoke toward the ceiling and then looks at me. “Can I trust you?”
“I don’t know. Nothing good ever comes after that question.”

This city is becoming a dung heap. Seen through the scratched glass of a subway car window, the trash builds up every day and each morning there’s another building leveled to rubble or burnt to a hollowed-out shell. Kids play among the abandoned cars and the open manholes that wait to snatch them away. It’s an awful thing to witness every morning on my way to work, but I can’t seem to look away from the sordid carnage of the Big worm-eaten Apple.

My Final Thoughts on Taboo in Four Colors

This is such an amazing tale. I would recommend it to fans of horror. I blew right through this one! Tim’s work is just unputdownable.

I need Tim to create spin-offs here of the comics that were discussed within the story so I can read those as well!