The Wailing Skin: The Skin Room is a chilling story that will make your skin crawl – or peel

 

The Skin Room

Carl Bluesy 

Independently Published, 2026

Ebook, 275 ppg. 

ISBN-10: 1069380814

ISBN-13: 978-1069380814

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You know the expression that if you play with fire you’re going to get burned?

 

That’s exactly what happens to Kenneth in this story, except that he managed to play with fire for a little too long. He enjoyed a comfortable lifestyle of using up women, stealing wives for sexual pleasure just so someone could get a good deal on the luxury cars he sold, and living comfortably in his condo with his wealth. He got away with hurting women for so long, viewing them only as sex objects to conquer, that he lost touch with his own humanity.

 

Well, he gets a good slice of humble pie in this story. The Skin Room by Carl Bluesy is a splatterpunk novel of violence, murder, and tons of gore that will make your very skin crawl. Just be glad you still have it!

 

After Kenneth loses everything and is forced to survive on the streets, he joins the homeless community and, in the process, learns to dispel with his prejudices against the homeless. He keeps thinking “I’m not one of you!” or “I’m not like you!” and carries around this fantasy that if he goes to the police enough times, they will straighten everything out just like that and he’ll be back to sipping cocktails in his condo. It takes some time for Kenneth to adjust to life as a homeless person, and he is fortunate to befriend a couple of people who are kind enough to show him the ropes.

 

Meanwhile, there is a killer on the loose, a killer known as the “Panhandle Peeler,” a serial killer preying on the homeless and skinning his victims. Kenneth tries to remain vigilant to avoid being the Peeler’s next victim, but that lasts only for so long.

 

The title of this book has to do with the type of room that Kenneth is imprisoned in after he is kidnapped by the Panhandle Peeler. What does the Panhandle Peeler do with all that skin? Well, in one case, he creates a whole room covered with it. Literally a room made of skin. There’s quite a bit of blood still on the skins, blood which sometimes pools on the floor of the room, and it is mind-blowing that the skin continues to grow, even over the door to the room.

 

There were many times I stopped reading this book, not because of the graphic scenes of victims being peeled of their skins but because I kept thinking, No way! This is too unreal! The cruelties the Peeler inflicted upon his victims are unthinkable. Only a madman would believe every single thing he does to his victims serves a bigger cause. Make no mistake, a madman is certainly what the Peeler is. And the big reveal near the end of the story is just as shocking and disturbing.

 

But it was my curiosity about Kenneth’s fate that always drove me to pick up this book again to read. Does Kenneth survive? Does he escape? What about the Peeler; will he finally be brought to justice?

 

And actually, what does happen to the Peeler at the end is just as twisted as the rest of this story. Even so, it’s a story I recommend to fans of horror and especially fans of splatterpunk novels. This story is written so well and it’s full of surprises. Where else can you find a novel that describes the removal of a person’s skin in gory detail? Or the best way to remove an eyeball? Plus, there is fruit that isn’t really fruit at all – and filled with a different kind of “juice” to drink. (That pineapple!) Readers will be treated to such passages in this book. Perhaps they will exclaim “Wow!” at the end, as I did.

 

That ending, though. It blew me away.

 

Check out The Skin Room by Carl Bluesy for the most extreme survival story of them all. What would you do to survive? How far would you go? Within the pages of this book, readers will see just what it takes for one man to survive the streets and survive imprisonment by a delusional monster.

 

 

Five stars

 

 

 

 

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

No Spoilers Here: Tell Me How It Ends is a Collection of Horror Stories That Will Surprise, Frighten and Terrify Readers

 

Tell Me How It Ends: A Horror Collection

Desiree Horton

Independently Published, 2025

ISBN-13: 979-8285804628

Ebook, 98 ppg.

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A woman makes a horrifying discovery after her husband’s death. Trick-or-treaters get more than they bargain for after they follow a young girl into the woods. And an unusual convention has an unlucky guest. These are just some of the horror stories that await readers of the book, Tell Me How It Ends: A Horror Collection by Desiree Horton. Within the pages of this book lurk people who delight in committing the most heinous of crimes and monsters eagerly hungry for the humans in their sights. The next story I read was even better than the last one. I read this book in a day, as it was hard to put down! I could not stop reading it once I began, and the cryptic endings made me hold my breath as I got to the very last surprising sentence.

 

This collection of stories starts off strong. The first story, “The Beach House,” had me thinking that it was a story about loss or grief, but then something completely unexpected happens that changed everything I thought I had figured out about this story. This plot twist had me eagerly reading more and what happened next took me by surprise. It’s a great story that lingered in my head long after I finished reading it.

 

“Penny’s Tea” was really horrific! I had no idea what to expect, though I understood what was happening. They say we should trust our instincts when we feel that something isn’t right with our bodies, and the character, Penny, really knew that she was dealing with something not only wrong but also unnatural. Loved the surprise at the end of this story! It’s a great body horror story that sent chills down my spine!

 

“Sweeter than Candy” was another enjoyable read. I have read this Halloween story before, when it was published in Halloween Horrors: A Fundraising Anthology, but of course I read it again and it was just as enjoyable to read again! That’s one good thing about spooky Halloween stories; they can be enjoyed many times over, especially during the month of October!

 

“Family is Forever” was also another awesome story in this book. When I started reading it, I had no idea what to expect. But as I got into this story, I was drawn into the mutual grief the cousins felt over yet another death in the family. They say that grief affects everybody differently, but for Daisy’s cousin, Rosie, she puts her unusual hobby to creative use in coping with the most recent loss.

 

All of the stories in this collection were enjoyable and I loved the last one, the title story, the best.

 

Tell Me How It Ends is a collection of spooky, haunting tales that are sure to frighten, terrify and alarm readers. These stories offer a combination of monstrous characters, horrifying spectacles and spinetingling scares that are unlike any other stories out there. Pick up this book to read if you’re looking for some scary stories to enjoy and you won’t be disappointed.

 

  

Five stars

 

 

 

Disclaimer: I downloaded a free copy of this book through my Kindle Unlimited subscription.

Monstrous Minds: Cannibalistic Loneliness is a collection of poems about the disturbing and the disturbed

 

 

Cannibalistic Loneliness: A Collection of Verse

Carietta Dorsch

Unveiling Nightmares, 2024

ISBN-13: 979-8893795424

Ebook, 71 ppg.

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Dahmer. Gacy. Bundy. Gein. These are the last names of some of history’s most notorious serial killers. If you ever thought it wasn’t possible to write a collection of poems about serial killers, then Carietta Dorsch is here to prove you wrong with her collection of poetry, Cannibalistic Loneliness: A Collection of Verse. These poems are not only about these and other murderers, but they also shed light on the monsters in their minds that drove them to commit evil.

 

I must confess, I had some serious misgivings about writing a review for this book, and only because there is a poem included written from the POV of Jeffrey Dahmer. However, my writing a review of this collection of poetry is not me approving of Dahmer’s crimes, glossing over them, or even glorifying what he did. My review is meant to serve as a shoutout about this book of great poetry.

 

Even so, I understand some people were probably wondering about Dahmer’s last thoughts before he was murdered. Who knows what they were? However, knowing Carrietta, who has been fascinated by serial killers for some time, I knew she felt compelled to write Dahmer poems for this book – a book containing poetry about monsters. And make no mistake, my opinion is that Dahmer was indeed a monster.

 

Aside from the Dahmer poems, I also enjoyed reading the other poems about both victims and monsters. It’s not so much the topics or the “stories” these poems tell, but a lot more about Carietta’s word choice and how she writes her poetry. I have read and loved her fiction, and this is the first time I have read her poetry. I’m so glad I did! The poems are well-written with good word choice and organization. Her poems just carried me away as I read them, drawing me further and further into the world of monsters and loneliness with the safety net of good writing for protection.

 

All the same, some of the things some of the poems say are empowering, especially with the poem “Because of Her.” And there’s also a warning, as she writes on page 21:

 

“So be careful who you trust and who you blame

Because even with monsters among us, we all look the same.”

 

These poems not only capture the horrors of the crimes committed by notorious serial killers but they also remind us all of the monsters these killers transformed into. They also mention some of the killers’ victims, memorializing them in their own way lest we forget.

 

Cannibalistic Loneliness is a collection of poems filled with monsters and the monstrous. From poems that shed light on the crimes of serial killers to verse pulsating with darkness and despair, Dorsch has written a collection that is sure to go down as one of the most unique and harrowing perspectives on crime and what may lurk within the shadows.

 

 

Five stars

 

 

 

 

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.