Matt Drabble

Blackwater Heights is a building with a long dark history, some of it is well known but more is shrouded in myth and legend. None more so than that of its founding father Horace Whisker.

Martin Parcell is an ex-journalist with shattered dreams of an author’s career. Sidelined through a car crash’s injuries, he finds himself forced through governmental austerity measures having to take a custodians position at a private mental health hospital. A writer with undoubted talent, but an author show more without a story.

He begins his new job deep in depression and drowning under waves of his lost dreams. On his first night he meets Jimmy, his elderly supervisor who has spent most of his life within the hospital walls. Jimmy is nearing retirement age and desperate to rest his weary bones. Jimmy offers Martin a way out for both of them, access to the background histories and stories of the hospital’s patients. A collection of 13 tales from the darkly disturbed minds of the residents of Blackwater Heights.

As the long night unwinds, Martin finds himself deeply troubled as the tales unfold before him and threaten to drag him down into their insanity
This novel really reminded me of either "Night Gallery" or "Tales from the Crypt" .
This had me flipping the pages, enjoying each story and their "Hitchcockian" twist ending.
A terrific premise and outstanding execution by the Author.
I loved each story and the wrap up at the end.. show less

Twists and Turns!

Backstory:

Location: Denver Mills

Past:

It was supposed to be a fun filled time birthday party for "Tommy" who was turning 12. The party included not only cake, ice cream, and presents, but also a renowned magician - the Great Cosmos X a/k/a Arnold Trotter.

Tommy and his best friends Dixon, McEwen, PJ, and Ally became curious about what kind of fun stuff was inside the van that belonged to the Great Cosmos X so they go check it out. They fiddled around with one of the props show more which made it not work properly causing something horrific to happen to the assistant of the Great Cosmos X landing him in a murder trial and being sentenced to prison - though no knew that the kids were even involved in the prop mishap.

Present:

Now the kids are all grown up and Tommy is coming back home to take care of his fathers estate. Upon his arrival, murders start happening in the small town of Denver Mills, which no one knows who it could possibly be until they find out that Arnold Trotter who was the Great Cosmos X has escaped the mental institution where he was staying.

A ticked off magician is on his way back home to Denver Mills and he has all kinds of tricks up his sleeves! Bodies are piling up and no one knows when it is going to end!

Thoughts:

This book captured me from the first chapter and took me on a thrill ride all the way to the end. Lots of twists and turns with fast pacing from the beginning of the book to the end!

This book reminded me of the 80's horror slasher films and it definitely captures everything from that memory trip into time. The author throws in a big twisted surprise thrown near the end of the book which was unexpected and pulled the rug out from under me! Giving this book four "Maniac Magician" stars. show less

As the name suggests this is a collection of 13 horror short stories. There is also a meta story that ties the different tales together. As with many short story collections the stories are of uneven quality, although all are good, a few really stand out. For me the story about the old actor was simply brilliant. A simple idea that worked very well.

The meta story was a little predicatable, but effective enough as a wrapper for the disparate tales.

The author's writing is good and he manages show more to to tell each individual story with its own style. I enjoyed reading the collection and would recommend it for horror fans. show less

What a great surprise! "The Last Resort" by Matt Drabble will keep readers on the edge of their seats throughout the entire story. It's non-stop action from start to finish. I felt like I was part of the team and followed alongside Mac's boys. Mac is a former military officer and current female mercenary - taking on all the dirty jobs if the price is right. She is contracted by a billionaire's son to check out his father's private island resort as all communication ceased over a week ago. show more She gathers her team and off they go - only to be boarded by pirates along the way.

Once they reach the island, they were not prepared for what they would encounter. It was "a rich person's paradise" that turned their stomachs. They were now stranded on the island because the pirate attack disabled their boat, it was only luck that the currents were going the same way and washed them ashore. Now they have to fight for their lives against resort guests, staff, pirates from the mothership, and other mercenaries without a way of getting off the island. Communications are down and there is no way that a rescue could be organized. They were on their own with more bodies to kill than available bullets. Who will survive this madness? And how many times will they have to put down the same people that continue to attack them?

Great job Matt! I especially like the little girl which gives this genre a new twist...converter...leader...mind reader...strategist all rolled into one. Highly recommended! You won't be sorry!

John Podlaski, author
"Cherries - A Vietnam War Novel" and "When Can I Stop Running?" show less