"Judas Coyne is a collector of the macabre: a cookbook for cannibals . . . a used hangman's noose . . . a snuff film. An aging death-metal rock god, his taste for the unnatural is as widely known to his legions of fans as the notorious excesses of his youth. But nothing he possesses is as unlikely or as dreadful as his latest discovery, an item for sale on the Internet, a thing so terribly strange, Jude can't help but reach for his wallet.
I will "sell" my stepfather's ghost to the highest bidder. . . .
For a thousand dollars, Jude will become the proud owner of a dead man's suit, said to be haunted by a restless spirit. He isn't afraid. He has spent a lifetime coping with ghosts—of an abusive father, of the lovers he callously abandoned, of the bandmates he betrayed. What's one more?
But what UPS delivers to his door in a black heart-shaped box is no imaginary or metaphorical ghost, no benign conversation piece. It's the real thing.
And suddenly the suit's previous owner is everywhere: behind the bedroom door . . . seated in Jude's restored vintage Mustang . . . standing outside his window . . . staring out from his widescreen TV. Waiting—with a gleaming razor blade on a chain dangling from one bony hand. . . . "
This is one of my favorite books. I have read it 3 times, and could read it again in a heartbeat. The imagery used is haunting. Theres even a scene about midway through the book that, to this day, gives me chills every time I read it. It has all the shock value of his father's books, but with his own voice. With this being his debut novel (he has a short story book out now called 20th Century Ghosts), I cannot wait to see what else Mr. Hill has in store for us readers. If theres one novel out there to spend your money on, this is it.
Sending Deadly Kisses,
Rhonny Reaper
