Creeping Shadows: Three Dark Tales
By Sharon Foss
Pixie Dust Press presents three tales of darkness, each differing in style and story, in Creeping Shadows. All were a good read—just the right length and each story kept me on a fast-paced thrill ride, where what comes next is waiting at each page’s turn.
Alan Draven’s Vengeance is Mine tells a tale of Jack the Ripper in London. The story is a great theory of how the legend began, including how the murders took place and why the murders stopped.
This theory involves a former surgical student named Vincent Fowler who is kicked out of school, and vows to return with a vengeance. By murdering random prostitutes, Vincent feels he’s metaphorically chopping away at his dead mother, a prostitute who provided a less than ideal childhood for him.
The story involves an inspector who is on a wild goose chase, while “Jack the Ripper” continues his murder spree. But did Vincent kill the wrong woman, perhaps someone who returns to show him his wrongdoings?
Draven has written over 400 poems and dozens of short stories. His stories have been published in horror publications and his first novel, Bitternest, was published in 2007. Check out more about Draven at www.alandraven.com.
**
Brandon Ford’s Merciless is inspired by true events. Two high school girls, who couldn’t be further apart in life, find themselves in the hands of a mad man who snatches them right from their cars and decides to do as he pleases with them.
The knowledge that this possibly could, or may have happened, combined with the way Ford tells his tale with such clarity and emotion, will chill you to the bone. He takes you right inside the mind of the crazed man, as well as inside the psyche of these two, vulnerable girls. Any reader can follow this story and actually feel that you are right beside the girls.
This by far was my favorite of the three stories. Ford is the author of numerous horror/suspense novels including Crystal Bay and Splattered Beauty, and has contributed to several horror anthologies. Read more at www.myspace.com/WriterBrandonFord.
**
Jessica Lynne Gardner’s Sugar Skull centers around Annabel, a 20-something immigrant who is struggling to make it through each day as she deals with her father’s death. With a grandmother who is lost to the world of dementia and a cold, unfeeling mother, Annabel tries to come to grips with her immense loss.
However, the trend of Hispanic men winding up dead in the United States and Mexico around Dia de los Muertos, Day of the Dead, has investigator Saul Giordano questioning if this could be the work of a serial killer. Anna knows better, however, and has to convince Saul that this could be the work of an ancient Aztec curse.
Sugar Skull is a good, short detective story that definitely keeps you interested. Gardner’s tales have been published in over a dozen publications and a story recently won first place in Shroud Magazine’s Flash Fiction contest. Definitely check out more of her work at www.jessicalynnegardnerwebs.com.
(Review by Sharon Foss – Original Post at www.terrortube.com)
