“It Drinks Blood,” an intriguing, well written novella from J. F. Gonzalez, has an original premise. Robert, who serves as the first person narrator throughout, lives in a nursing home. One day, a new patient arrives, Allison, and he recognizes her as a teenager he knew seventy years earlier. The memories she stirs up are of dark days. Robert has a pulp fiction writer in the 1920s and 1930s and he decides to finally reveal these secrets by writing a pulp novella. The bulk of “It Drinks Blood” is Robert’s novella, framed by short before and after scenes in the nursing home.
In the past, Robert lived next door to Allison, her grandmother Linda and her mother Susan who, along with her sadistic boyfriend James, subjects Allison to constant abuse. Robert is frustrated in his efforts to expose their brutality.
Another story woven into the narrative is of the mysterious Cleveland Torso Killer, who preyed on hobos a generation earlier. The killer removed their heads, which are never found. Robert and Allison are obsessed with solving this open case. The primary suspect was murdered and when the murders start again, his son is the prime suspect. Allison breaks into that man’s house frequently looking for clues.
All of these elements weave together into both a satisfying thriller and a poignant study of the affects of abuse against Allison. This is a must read for all readers of horror, mystery and mainstream fiction as well, since the violence and gore are kept to a minimum.
– George Wilhite
- Interview with J.R. Bookwalter - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Andrew J. Rausch - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Rick Popko and Dan West - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Director Stevan Mena (Malevolence) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Screenwriter Jeffery Reddick (Day of the Dead 2007) - January 22, 2015
- Teleconference interview with Mick Garris (Masters of Horror) - January 22, 2015
- A Day at the Morgue with Corri English (Unrest) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Writer/Director Nacho Cerda (The Abandoned, Aftermath) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actress Thora Birch (Dark Corners, The Hole, American Beauty) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actor Jason Behr, Plus Skinwalkers Press Coverage - January 22, 2015
