Sandy DeLuca

This was a dark one.
Julia, demeaned by the constant mockery and verbal abuse perpetrated by her parents, chaffing against the restraints of her life at home and a bit lost at the loss of her brother, sets out to find her own life. Unfortunately, it doesn't turn out too well. She chose the wrong traveling partner.
Sammy is the dark, mysterious bad boy to whom Julia is immediately attracted. Almost from the moment of their first meeting, the descent begins. Julia's choices disappear. The show more results of which will haunt her for the rest of her life.
The story is told in a back and forth format alternating between the present and what happened 21 years ago. This forces the reader to look back at Julia's life through her eyes and experience her guilt, pain and fear.
I'm not sure if this story is about good vs. evil- be it supernatural or purely human, if it's about balance in the world or lack thereof, or if it's about a young (then older) woman coming to terms with who she is, where she's from, what she was forced to do and what she willingly participated in.
I am sure that it is partly about what it is to be a woman, and what sometimes happens to women in this world. In that respect, this is a very dark story indeed. I loved it. show less

Another great novella from Darkfuse. I find myself stopping whatever I am reading to read these on the day they are released.

Hells' Door is a dark and horrific painting in a noir frame. DeLuca is a writer and a painter--or a painter who writes? Actually after having read a few of her works, I think there can be no separating the two facets of her talent. She has a painter's eye for detail, color, setting, and composition. Her stories feel complete, organic, and natural. And dark. So very show more dark. You may find yourself turning away from the pages a few times; but there is beauty on the bloody canvas.

A story of a race against time to capture a horrific murderer before they strike again. Tense. Riveting. Set in and around a steamy club that caters to its client's darkest desires, which in many ways reflects the internal conflict of the detectives investigating the case. How deep can you go into the netherworld of vice and depravity and remain unchanged? Hell's Door is a great detective story, a character study in madness, a horror thriller, and a great work of dark fiction.

Highly recommended. show less

This is yet another story by Sandy Deluca that I just loved.

A young woman named Darcy who has an obsession with reading about serial killer couples is the star of this show. Darcy's younger sister, Jane, disappears and Darcy suspects her mother of murdering her. She suspects this because Jane (Jane's ghost?) tells her it is so. What follows is the story of Darcy, rebelling against her mom and everything she knows , by taking off with her boyfriend Bobby.

The rest of the story flies by while show more the reader is making all kinds of assumptions about what is going on with Darcy, Bobby and their victims. Then, all the assumptions are shot to hell by the denouement.

Once again, Sandy draws a fascinating female protagonist-one the reader shouldn't empathize with, but does anyway. Sandy has a knack for drawing complicated, confused, multi-layered women. She draws me in every time and I am in her grip until the bitter end.

In my opinion, Sandy Deluca is one of the best dark fiction authors of our day. I'm not sure why she isn't getting the recognition that she deserves, because her work is outstanding. If you are a fan of dark fiction, I highly recommend this novella. show less

Disclosure: I received this book free as a prize, from a Meet the Author event hosted by Darkfuse.

Something about Sandy Deluca's writing gets to me. I am not sure exactly what it is, but IT exists. This is a story of a young woman that takes place during a huge blizzard in the city of New York.

I like the way Ms. Deluca writes women. They are deeply flawed creatures, riddled with guilt and they carry the burdens of tough lives. Yet they are stronger than they appear. Stronger than they show more think they are. They are fascinating. I've read two books now where these females are the protagonists and I loved them both.

The atmosphere of this book is dark and spooky. Old churches in Harlem; old apartment buildings where whole floors are blocked off. Snow is burying the city outside. Can you picture it?
The scene is set.

Throw in an old spirit, psychedelic drugs, visions and nightmares, ancient books and the distortion between reality and ...not reality. The end result is something that will stick with you for a while.

This story is almost surreal at times. If you don't like that type of style, than this one may not be for you. But this story weaved a web around me and it refused to release me until I was done. Loved it! show less