Review: Brutal, shocking, disturbing - a Psychosexual Thriller!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 02 11, 2013
Mat and Dougie have not had the easiest life. Mat is a fighter, through and through, but the hard knocks keep coming and even with Dougie as inspiration he knows that his chances are growing slimmer in the ring . He has spent most of his adult life making sure Dougie had everything he needed to make himself a success. Whether it was a home, textbook, or food Mat worked hard to provide for Dougie. After all that work the payoff seems to be within the brothers grasp as Dougie is almost done with his school when one fateful night everything changes. Dougie, home before Mat for a change, takes the opportunity to relax and unwind not knowing the danger that creeps closer nor the target on his back. When the brothers find themselves in a life or death situation each one must reach down inside to find the courage to go on - for each other and for themselves.The first episode of The Flesh Cartel starts with a bang, or should I say punch. Mat is the kind of character that has the girls and boys swooning with his rough edges. Dougie is the all American type boy, the boy next door, the one you want to bring home to Mom and Dad. In spite of Mat's grittiness you sense in him a real desire to do the right thing, and his love and protection of Dougie tests all bounds and limits of human endurance. Dougie is more fragile, not only physically but emotionally. You get a real sense that Mat's taken his knocks for him, and Dougie is not equipped to deal with the horrific event which befalls him.The dramatic tension and suspense tingle your senses. The prose is tight and smooth though there is choppiness where it fits the story. You might forget to breathe as you turn the page because even you, the reader, are not sure who is going to make it out of this situation alive. The focal point of the brothers gives you two points of view with which to see, feel, and hear the actions. At this stage it is the "who" that is in play - with a little "why" thrown in for good measure. This is raw, elemental, violent, and unapologetic. Underneath it though the characters are what keep you interested and move you forward. It reads very much like the episode it is and not like a novella - this is part of a greater whole and it shows. Most similar to a TV show episode. The beauty of this format is that development can occur in a different fashion and using different scales and with different viewpoints. What might be forsaken in the rush to get a whole book out gets plenty of time here. The setting, the utter horror that this could exist slaps you in the face. No mincing words or feeling, no sugar (or really any) type of coating. I'm going to say this just one time: Heed the warnings. While I do not know where this is going, or what the end will look like, right now it is not for those who like their kink or their romance to come wrapped in a bow with a nice box of chocolates. The Flesh Cartel is more like peeling back the covering of something that goes bump in the night. As a device I have not been too fond of serial stories - having found few that can measure up and make me believe I got value for my money. This is not the case here - and much like I might obsessively wait for each episode of a favorite TV show I will now turn my eyes to the next episode of Dougie and Mat to find out what happens.** Disclosure - a review copy was provided to the reviewer by Netgalley for an honest review **