It’s no secret that I have over the past few years I have become a fan of Charlie Huston’s Joe Pitt casebooks. I think of them as the best vampire novels I have ever read, and have recommend the series of novels not only to readers of the site, but to friends and family as well. I have never read any of Huston’s other books other than the Joe Pitt casebooks. That is until the very lengthy titled “The Mystic Art of Erasing All Signs of Death” was delivered to my door step. At first I was not sure it was going to be a book I would like, mainly because I was judging it by it’s cover. Well I’ll be the one to say I was the fool for doing so and despite the fact that I have to look at the cover to simply make sure I’m saying the title right. This is by far one of the best books I’ve read outside of the horror genre.
“The Mystic Art of Erasing All Signs of Death” follows the life of a guy named Webster Fillmore Goodhue or as he simply likes be called; Web. Web was once a school teacher until an unfortunate event in his life happened and he decided to take a leave of absence from teaching. He’s pretty much jobless now and living with his best friend Chev who owns a local tattoo parlor. Chev is sick and tired of Web hanging out in the parlor talking smack to the customers and slacking off in every which way. Web’s share of the bills are adding up at their apartment and Chev is sick of Web freeloading off him. In walks Po-Sin, a guy with a cleaning company who takes away the biohazard bags from the tattoo parlor for a small price. Po-Sin is also sick of Web’s wise crack comments and tough guy attitude so he offers Web some work. Web at first does not except, until Chev puts his foot down about how much he owes him for the bills and a new cell phone. Web agrees, under the circumstances that Po-Sin pick him up rather than make him take public transportation which Web refuses to take. (We find out why later in the book, but telling you here would spoil the plot). Web new job is helping Po-Sin and his partner Gabe, a former gang member; clean up after the dead. Not just clean up their belongings and home, but scrape their blood, guts and brains off the floor, ceiling and walls to make it look like no one died there. However, Web will learn that there is more to this business than just showing up for work everyday. There are other companies that do the same job and they will do anything to take business from one another, even if it means destroying each others equipment or beating the crap out of one another. But that’s only part of the story, it’s also the people who’s home you clean up and the baggage that comes with them that can also become a problem. As Web will find out when he agrees to help one of the females clients he happens to befriend.
I wish I can come out and really go crazy talking about this book. I honestly deserve a nice big kick in the ass from the publishers who sent me this book for not reading it right away. I don’t want to ruin the story for anyone, but this is a book that you need to trust me on and go out and buy it. It’s one of those books that is very hard to put down, and the story just gets more crazy, wilder and twisty as the plot moves along. It’s a book that’s not for the faint at heart either. Sure it’s no horror novel, but if this were a movie it would be one that Quentin Tarantino or Eli Roth would be directing. Despite it’s crime like story it’s a novel that involves a gang like fight, a screwed up wannabe movie producer who drinks Malibu rum, ziplock bags full of shit and of all things; almond smuggling. So anyone that can take things like this and put them all together deserves the full attention of any fan of the written word.
Overall like I mentioned above, this is the first non-horror related novel I’ve read in a very long time. Sure it has some elements with all the death going on in the book, but it’s more like a pulp fiction kind of novel. There is a lot of screwed up things going on, and here is this wise ass guy named Web caught up in the mix. This is by far one of the best books I’ve read in a very long time. So much so, that I’m going to go out and pick up Huston’s Hank Thompson Trilogy and The Shot Gun Rules. They might not be as good as this book was, but Huston’s seems to surprise me with each of his books that I read. If you like vampire horror that are like no other pick up his Joe Pitt casebooks. If you want a story that will kick you in the balls ten times over and have you glued to it’s pages. Then don’t be a fool like me and sit on this one. Go get yourself a copy of The Mystic Art of Erasing All Signs of Death. It’s sure to be a book that you won’t put down.
– Horror Bob
- 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
