Ronald Malfi

A mutilated woman's body is found in the desert on the outskirts of Los Angeles — eyes carved out, ears cut off, tongue removed, nose sliced clean. Detective Bill Renney is specifically requested for the case, and the moment he sees the body he understands why. One year earlier, he worked the murder of Melissa Jean Andressen, wife of a psychiatrist named Alan, who was killed and mutilated in nearly the exact same fashion. Renney and Andressen developed an unexpected bond during that first show more investigation — a kind of soft, grieving friendship between two men processing loss — and now the case has apparently returned, either as a copycat or something stranger. The novel moves across two time periods: the original Andressen murder and its aftermath, and the new killing a year later.
Running in parallel are two other storylines. Maureen Park is an aspiring writer who has published one novel to mediocre results and is now engaged to Greg Dawson, a Hollywood film producer who makes horror films. She's trying to bury a past nobody around her knows about when Greg's son Landon returns from Europe — dark, unsettling, with a way of being in a room that makes Maureen increasingly convinced he may be connected to the recent murder in the high desert. Then there's Toby Kampen, the self-proclaimed Human Fly, a reclusive young man who becomes obsessed with a woman he encounters — beautiful, sharp-humored, with what he describes as rattlesnake teeth and a penchant for biting. He's not entirely sure she's human. All three storylines converge. The novel draws heavily on Los Angeles atmosphere across its full geography — desert, McMansions, seedy clubs, Glendale, the valley — and evokes echoes of the Black Dahlia murder case. Billed as horror noir. Called "Horror's Faulkner" in blurbs.

[May contain spoilers]
The three storylines connect in ways that are deliberately withheld for most of the novel, with the convergence point arriving in the final third in a way that reframes everything. The Toby storyline — which initially feels like the most disconnected thread — turns out to be a critical pillar, but revealing how touches on spoilers too deep to go into. The supernatural element around Toby's woman is kept genuinely ambiguous — Malfi never definitively confirms whether she's human or something else. The violence against women is graphic and the content warnings are significant. The ending is open to interpretation in ways the novel deliberately leaves unresolved.
What I think: This is atmospheric, deeply literary horror noir — slow-burning, structurally inventive, prose that's genuinely gorgeous in places. The multi-timeline, multi-POV structure rewards patience. The content warnings are real and serious — the mutilation descriptions are brutal. You've shown solid tolerance for dark material when it's handled with craft and purpose, but this is considerably darker than your usual reads. Probably a 3.5 to 4 from you if the graphic content doesn't push it lower — it's exceptional craftsmanship but very heavy. show less

Easily one of my favorite reads of 2021! Malfi's writing style, wit, candor and emotionality in the early parts of this book where phenomenal. I felt as though I was also grieving along with him. There was some really gorgeous and poignant phrasing in the beginning of this story. Feelings and insights into grief that seem beyond words but Malfi nailed them to the page.

"The sensation of you simultaneously having fled from me and yet seeping into my pores invaded my brain, blurred my sight." show more Such a stunning way to capture a feeling of loss.

The pacing was done in a very interesting way in my opinion. Lots of parts were a grief filled slow burn, followed almost immediately by a frenetically paced chase for the truth. The elements of paranormal occurances flowed well in and out of his day to day search for facts. I loved all the mentions of the cosmic clock ticking down. The twists and turns throughout will keep you on your toes. I accused every character in this book of being the villain at some point. The ending felt like the climax of a fantastic crime thriller. Highly recommend this one. Adding everything Malfi has ever written to my TBR immediately. show less

My exploration of Ronald Malfi’s works continues with this collection of four short stories that are loosely linked to each other through the mention of an element present in the previous one and also through the common denominator of books, since all four of them revolve around a book in some way.

THE SKIN OF HER TEETH focuses on the frantic attempts of book agent Gloria to bring to completion a movie script adapted from a successful novel. Not having heard any news from the writer, show more McElroy, she decides to visit him in his remote retreat and here she finds the man well beyond the verge of madness because he’s convinced that the original book possesses an evil will of its own and does not want any of its narrative details to be changed. With the deadline looming ever closer, Gloria decides to take the matter into her own hands, only to discover that probably McElroy was not crazy at all….

Cursed books are nothing new in fiction, but The Skin of her Teeth (the fictional book that gives this story its title) is something quite different, and the way it manages to assert its own will is both creepy and intriguing, although I have to admit that I was even more appalled by Gloria’s attitude toward any obstacle on her path and the way she manipulates people with little or no though about their feelings, particularly where her life partner is concerned.
For me the true horror in this story did not come from the “things that go bump in the night”, although there is a good measure of that in here, but rather from the callous way in which Gloria goes about in life practically steamrolling over other people - and here I have to admit that I would not have minded seeing her getting her just deserts….

THE DARK BROTHERS’ LAST RIDE was a weird, almost psychedelic experience: it tells the story of Danny and Tommy Drake, petty criminals who are hired to deliver a rare, precious book to a mysterious client in a remote location, following a precise - if circuitous - itinerary. The warning they receive about not opening the briefcase containing the book, ever, does not agree with Tommy, the more volatile of the two, so that when he finally gives in to the temptation things start going from bad to worse for the two of them, transforming the trip into something of a journey to hell.

Where the strange, freaky places visited and events witnessed by the two brothers are the “meat” of this story, its backbone is represented by the exploration of Danny and Tommy’s personalities and of their shared past, which also includes a drug-crazed, abusive father who still looms like a specter just out of the corner of the eye. The relationship between them is not an easy one, what with Tommy always being on a short fuse and often compromising their “jobs”, and with Danny who does care for his wayward brother but still feels like his weight is dragging him down. There is a poignant quality in this relationship that at times feels more important than the actual task at hand and the oh-so-outlandish discoveries the brothers make on the journey.

THIS BOOK BELONGS TO OLO focuses on the creepiest kid I even encountered on my bookish travels: Bartholomew (“Olo”) Tiptree is a 10-year old child clearly suffering from the neglect of his super-busy parents and left to fend for himself in the vastnes of Helix House. When he approaches other kids at a nearby park inviting them to his birthday party, we understand immediately that something is terribly wrong with Olo and with the strange “book” he put together himself. It’s therefore surprising to see a good number of these children accepting the invitation, and the atmosphere becomes all the more disturbing thanks to the strange mannequins adorning Olo’s lawn and the news about the recent disappearance of his at-home teacher. What happens during the birthday party, however, takes on the shades of a veritable nightmare.

I must confess I struggled with my feelings about Olo’s character because if on one side I could sympathize for his loneliness and the detached way his parents interacted with him, on the other his actions are those of a consummated psychopath who turned his loneliness into a form of self-centered absorption that left me thoroughly chilled - not to mention claustrophobic: read the story and you will understand why…

THE STORY does not focus on an actual book like its predecessors, but rather on the concept of storytelling - although in a unique way. Taking inspiration from the famous “choose your adventure” games it takes main character Grady into a spiral of disorientation and madness as his life seems to unravel before his very eyes. An unexpected call informs Grady that his friend Taryn took her own life: trying to understand what happened to her to bring her to such an extreme act, Grady discovers her involvement into The Story, a sort of real-life game where the players’ choices impact the reality of their existence; determined to understand what happened during Taryn’s last days, Grady enters the game as well (or rather, the Story finds him…) with unpredictable results.

It’s impossible to say more about this story without incurring in spoilers, but it’s one of the mind mind-bending tales I happened to read, one where you end up questioning the fabric of reality and the worth of personal choices - provided that such a thing exists… ;-)

Another demonstration of Ronald Malfi’s creative skills, this collection is an incredible journey through the fantastic and the scary, blended with some intriguing human elements. To be sure, not the last of my forays into this author’s production. show less

This is one twisted, emotional, fast paced, terrifying ride.... but would we expect anything less from Ronald Malfi? I sincerely hope not. Aaron Decker's life is shattered when his wife is murdered. He needs to investigate her murder like he needs air to breathe, so he dives head-first, no holds barred into his wife’s past and encounters twist after twist...some he could have done without knowing. This is not as simple as it would appear. What the author has done is what he absolutely show more excels at...he's written a complex and moving story centered around a husband’s grief, in a small town with numerous secrets, and then throws in a deep, dark mystery to be solved. There's been a mass shooting that provides us with some pretty horrific deaths...all young women. In the "Author’s Note" Ronald Malfi shares with us a true story from his past...the story of his friend who was shot and killed in a mass shooting, this story came from that horrific event...writing this story was how he dealt with it. He handled this very sensitive subject with the utmost respect and care. Be aware that this is not just a horror story but also an emotional read. Just hang on...there is horror aplenty in this story. You can feel the chill as you ride along with Aaron into the foggy, chilly, darkness. There is one particular abandoned refinery guaranteed to give you nightmares. Every time you think you know who the villain is, if you are like me...you'll be wrong. This author has the talent to spin a book so well that will absolutely keep you guessing. The ending is sad, but it was the only way for it to happen. show less