Andrew Compton, a British serial killer who escapes a life sentence by faking his own death, arrives in New Orleans to resume his search for the perfect victim. He encounters Jay Byrne, a wealthy recluse with a matching habit of predatory necrophilia and cannibalism. The two men form a perverse romantic partnership, stalking a young, HIV-positive runaway named Tran. Their pursuit intersects with the life of Lucas, a local pirate radio host grieving a broken relationship. The narrative details the physical decomposition of bodies and the clinical mechanics of human butchery within the city’s humid, decaying landscape.
Horror readers seeking extreme transgressions choose this book for its lack of moral boundaries and its focus on the psychological overlap between eroticism and violence. It attracts those interested in the darker possibilities of the human mind and the stark realities of mortality. Readers emerge with a graphic understanding of how obsession facilitates predatory behavior. The book provides a cold, anatomical look at the fragility of the body and the capacity for two individuals to validate each other's most destructive impulses.
Escapist; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Curious Generalist. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 1996
- Language
- EN
