I read John Everson’s “Siren” a few years back and enjoyed it. When I discovered he has a few novels out in the style of classic Italian giallo (pulpy horror slasher) films I was intrigued. “The Bloodstained Doll” is one such book.
The plot centers around a young women who moves in with her relatives in Germany. Almost as soon as she arrives, people style dying, their corpses decorated with broken ceramic dolls.
There was a lot I liked here—the characters, the general mood, the pacing etc. I did feel all the characters seemed rather nonplused as bodies pile up in their midst, but that might be a tribute to the giallo films. In my review of one such film, Dario Argento’s “The Bird with the Crystal Plumage”, I noted:
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The movie is full of people acting weirdly. When someone tries to decapitate Sam on a foggy walkway, he just laughs it off. That’s life in the big city I guess.
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The German setting was fun and there’s lots of mention of German beer. On a recent night out, I was inspired to try a dunkle, a dark beer oft-mentioned in the book.
Everson is a fan of double adjectives. Phrases like “heavy, rough logs” “dusky red brick” and “two-story green doors” live in close proximity to each other. I prefer more brisk prose, but it’s a minor complaint.
I give this a 4.5 that could be rounded to 5.
