Review: "American Nightmare"... graphic but generally well written... 4 1/2 Stars.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 07 1, 2012
"American Nightmare" is short tale of urban murder by author T. K. Murphy. This Kindle e-book was a 258 Kb download (approx. 56 printed pages) and was free (normally $0.99) at the time of writing this reviwe.spoilersBob is a quiet, mild mannered guy who through hard work as built, over the past 22 years, a solidly successful career at his company. A divorce 4 years previous and all the unpleasantness that goes with it had shattered him, but he endured. Now he and his co-worker have been suddenly let go in favor of cheaper foreign help. And to really rub it in, he has to train his replacement. Trusting and meek Bob is about to change into his paranoid and vicious alter ego.end spoilersSome thoughts on "American Nightmare"...1.) graphic violence of truly grisly proportions.2.) deftly written, with a fine sense of pace and timing.3.) the fleshing out of Bob's gradual change from an uncomplaining co-worker to serial killer was particularly well done. So many factors are revealed and discussed in Bob's slowly degrading mental faculties... the gradual shift from sound reasoning and sanity to one of revenge filled indulgence was skillfully done.4.) some really gruesome murders... there is stuff in here that would be revolting to most readers. Actions that reflect Bob's continual increasing psychotic and delusional state. And as his guilt for what he's done begins to hold less and less sway in his conscience, his methods of dispatching his victims become more ingenious.5.) my only complaint was that there seemed to be a lot of repetition in the first half of the book... where some thought or idea was repeated again after having encountered it from only a few paragraphs before. It reminded me of an author who had put down his writing for a while and then when he starts up again, forgot what he'd previously wrote and repeated himself.Impressions:A tale of a man pushed to and past the edge of insanity; pushed into this state by events over which he had no control.A tale not only of graphic murders but it also takes the time to show the unraveling of the mind behind these heinous actions... and for this I felt this short work was worth reading.As it is... 4 1/2 Stars.Ray Nicholsonraynicholsonsreviews@hotmail.com