Soozy’s Horror Page (April 3, 2013)

After reading the first book in ‘The Color of Evil’ series, I was anxious to crack on with the second. My main question from the first cliff hanger we were left with from that book was, ‘What happened to Stevie Scranton?’. Stevie played a main part in the book ‘Red is for Rage’ and it was satisfying to discover more about this character. There were many instances where I was reading the novel, and the author simply matter-of-factedly snuffed out a main character. I’m not going to give the story away, but one particular character was developed, and I was thinking that the way his story would pan out would be that he would have a happy ending. Never make assumptions in a Wilson book. I was shocked when this character was ‘offed’! This book deals with many, many issues that are prevalent in society today – paedophile rings, self-harming, teenage pregnancy – and even though they are shocking topics, the author deals with them sensitively. This isn’t a book for readers expecting happy endings. The reader is lulled into a false sense of security, and shot down in a matter of fact, abrupt way. The sharp style of writing suits the story perfectly. The book is beautifully written and it was nice to ‘meet up’ with characters I had become familiar with from ‘The Color of Evil’. Pogo – the serial killer from the first book – didn’t take centre stage in this second novel, and I did miss him slightly, but there were enough ‘evil doers’ brought in to keep me satisfied. I especially liked the author’s notes at the end of the book, explaining about the geography about locations mentioned in the book and facts that were quoted in the book. A fabulous read and I can’t wait to read the third book, as yet again the author has left us wondering, ‘What happens next?’.

Amazon UK link: