Movie Review: THE CLOVEHITCH KILLER

 

THE CLOVEHITCH KILLER
Director: Duncan Skiles 
Writer: Christopher Ford
Staring: Dylan McDermott, Charlie Plummer, Madisen Beaty, Samantha Mathis 
Thriller / Crime / Drama  
109 mins / November 2018
Streaming: Hulu 

Are you in the mood for a slow-burn thriller, complete with creepiness, skin crawling, hair raising elements? The Clovehitch Killer just might be the movie you have been looking for. It was for me. Calling this film creepy just doesn't cut it. Maybe if I use a capital C? No. Nope. Still doesn't cover it.

Tyler (Plummer / Looking for Alaska) is living what he perceives as a normal teenager life. Tyler likes girls. Driving. And occasionally, sneaking out of the house to meet girls with his dad's truck. He is very involved in Boy-scouts, and his church. As are his parents. In fact his father, Don (McDermott / American Horror Story, The Practice), is the leader for Tyler's troop.

When a girl finds a bondage image ripped from the pages of a smutty magazine in the truck Tyler is driving, she spreads the roomer that Tyler is a pervert. Cindy (Beaty / Once Upon A Time in Hollywood), who hangs around outside the church, is rumored to be something of a little tramp with a fetish for the macabre. 

Tyler turns to Cindy for help, but not just because his reputation is being dragged through the mud, but because he can't shake the realization his father just might be the local serial killer. The two pair up and begin sharing clues and evidence.

As they leave no rock overturned, their search for answers alerts the Clovehitch Killer. Their own investigation has not gone unnoticed. The closer they get, the more desperate the killer becomes.

This is a fantastic film. I have no other way of putting it. Fantastic. Man, was it creepy -- did I already mention that? Somewhere at the beginning of the review? I think I did. Because, you know what? It was creepy!

Ford (Spider-man: Homecoming) carefully plots out the entire story. It is a thorough. He makes sure there are no questions left unanswered. While I found the action a bit surprising, maybe a little disappointing, I got it. I understand why Tyler does what he does, even if I don't agree with . . . how it all turns out.

It all comes down to the acting. Plummer and Beaty are good together. A little sexual tension, and plenty of awkward moments. However, McDermott's performance is absolutely unnerving (and, might I add, creepy?). 

Like I said at the beginning, if you want to kick back and watch a flick that immediately pulls you, twists your stomach into a knot, and doesn't let up until the final credits roll . . . The Clovehitch Killer is what you should be watching!

Phillip Tomasso
Author of the crime novel YOU CHOOSE 

Book Review: THE SLAUGHTER MAN, by Tony Parsons

Tony Parsons
THE SLAUGHTER MAN (DC Max Wolfe #2)
Minotaur Books, 2015
373 pages
Crime / Detective / Police

I am truly enjoying everything Tony Parsons. Max Wolfe is back. The second book in the series is even more engrossing than the first.

A horrible murder spree starts on New Year's Eve and finishes on New Year's Day. It seems an entire family has been slaughtered. The crime is committed in a ritzy, wealthy, gated community. The family was taken at night. The brutal killings are going to be a challenge to investigate. The weapon used was a bolt gun, traditionally used for stunning cattle. The weapon punches a hole through a human skull.

Reviewing the scene, Wolfe realizes one body is unaccounted for. The husband and wife were in the bedroom. They found the bodies of the brother and sister teens. Where was the four year old?

Wolfe and his team have their work cut out for them. They need to find the killer, and a missing person. There is a timetable involved. The longer it takes to find a missing child, the more likely it is the child is dead. Or just gone.

They do have a prime suspect in the murders. Someone who had decades ago killed a father, and his two sons with the same weapon.

What I am loving about the Wolfe novels is the family aspect. I cannot help but adore the detective's five-year-old daughter, and the special bond, the relationship between the two of them (and the lovable dog, Stan). The family aspect is important to Wolfe. It is clearly what keeps him grounded, gives him focus, and drive.

Another outstanding novel. Hats off to Pearson and his creation!

Phillip Tomasso
Author of the Severed Empire Series,
and The Vaccination Trilogy

Book Review: TOOTH & NAIL, by Ian Rankin

Ian Rankin
TOOTH & NAIL (John Rebus #3)
Minotaur Books, 2008
304 pages
Crime / Detective / Inspector

The more I read Ian Rankin, the more I love this guy, and the more I love the fictional lead, Inspector John Rebus. TOOTH & NAIL is the third book a slew of novels, and to date, might be my favorite.

In TOOTH & NAIL, Rebus' recent success has not gone unnoticed. Hailed something of an expert in the arena of Serial Killers, Rebus is called to London. They have a sick serial killer on the loose. They need his help on the case. A fresh set of eyes. A new perspective for looking at the stacking piles of evidence.

The serial killer shows no sign of pattern. Nothing the police can identify, anyway. Each of the victims seems random. The locations where the bodies are found, random. The ages of the victims, random. The only consistency is that the victims are women. The other similarity is the way they are killed. A knife slicing away their life . . . and the a bite taken out of their abdomen.

As always, Rankin includes plenty of Rebus' personal life. The inspector's ex-wife and daughter are living in London. This gives him a chance to catch up with his family. Trouble is, his little girl, Sammy, is dating. Rebus (as any good father) doesn't like the guy. He's too old for her, too wild. And as the plot unfolds, a bit of a lawbreaker. Dealing with family matters only adds additional pressure, and stress as Rebus and his London team hunt for the serial killer known now as The Wolfman.

The city is in panic mode. Rebus calls on psychological tricks to attempt luring the Wolfman out publicly. The ridicule is sure to upset the serial killer. Only the plan backfires when the killer goes after a member of Rebus' team, instead of after Rebus.

With lives on the line, time is running out. If Rebus can't solve the mystery more people are going to die. People he cares about are going to die!

Ian Rankin has a smooth, matter-of-fact writing style. He doesn't bog down his narrative with flowery prose. He keeps the pace with succinct descriptions, and terse, authentic dialogue. The supporting cast is wonderfully filled-in. Each character given plenty of attention, and depth so that they become real on the page. There was a time, back when James Patterson wrote his novels, when I thought Alex Cross was the best detective in the fiction world. I think John Rebus far surpasses that legend.

Phillip Tomasso
Author of the Severed Empire Series
and The Vaccination Trilogy

Book Review: THE MURDER BAG, by Tony Parsons

Tony Parsons

THE MURDER BAG

Random House/Century, 2014

372 pages

Crime / Detective / Police Procedural

THE MURDER BAG is the first in the DC Max Wolfe series, Tony Parsons' first crime novel. I am floored by this. It is possibly one of the best, most gripping crime novels I've ever read.

The story takes places in the London. At a Potter's Field Prep School a group of boys participated in a vicious sexual attack on a young girl. When the girl tried escaping things went from very bad, to even worse.

Twenty years later, a string of horrific murders occur. There seems no rhyme or reason

connecting the victims. A banker, a junkie, a judge, an artist, a politician . . . That is until the police learn they were once close friends at Potter's Field.
DC Max Wolfe is new to the homicide division. He's on the team charged with investigating the crimes. While the majority of the task force is focusing attention on a high profile social media suspect, Wolfe works more closely with his boss, DCI Victor Mallory, and rookie officer, TDC Edie Wren following up on leads the rest of the department refuses to see.

THE MURDER BAG is brilliant! Parsons expertly creates a main character you care about. While dedicating his time to the job, Wolfe is also a single father. He is doing his best to raise a most amazing daughter (Scout), and train a brand new, loveable puppy (Stan); these two are spliced into the story with perfect balance.

Fans of old James Patterson novels, back when Patterson actually wrote his own novels, will love Tony Parsons. It has that Kiss the Girls, Along Came a Spider umph! Thankfully, at this point, there are three more DC Wolfe novels available. Keep checking back. I will have more Parson reviews soon!

Phillip Tomasso

Author of the Severed Empire Series,

and The Vaccination Trilogy

Book Review: Knots & Crosses, by Ian Rankin

Ian Rankin
KNOTS & CROSSES
Doubleday, 1987
182 pages
Crime / Detective

Recently discovering Ian Rankin, thanks to a book group I belong to on Facebook (Crime Book Club), I decided to give the author a try. Where to start, since he has so many novels out? Why, at the beginning naturally!

KNOTS & CROSSES is a quick read, and introduces us to Inspector Rebus, the first in a long running series of novels. There is a serial killer on the loose. Young girls are abducted. Days later, bodies found.  Rebus and Inspector Jack Morton are added to the task force. The task they are assigned is menial.   However, not insignificant. In a manhunt of this size, and nature, no investigative work done is useless.

Additionally, the last few weeks Rebus has received odd letters at home. The letter in side usually contains a single sentence, or two. Obscure, and for the most part, meaningless. Along with the letter, however, is a

piece of rope tied off into a knot, or a matchstick turned into a cross. Annoying, but relatively harmless, and with everything else on Rebus' plate, the investigator has little time to fret over such . . . randomness.

When the task force gets closer to the killer, the hunt becomes more intense, and for Rebus, personal. When his daughter Samantha is kidnapped, Rebus is forced to remember his past. Time is running out. If he can't unlock the mystery behind identifying the serial killer, his daughter will be murdered.

With an amazing cast of characters, and even a new love interest with the press liaison from the task force, we get a personal, and raw look into Rebus' world. A former military man, once with the Parachute Regiment with the Special Air Service (SAS), Rebus is also divorced, and not handling the separation from his family very well. The background on his father, and brother, Michael (both stage hypnotists by trade), seemed so ludicrous a concept that it ended up feeling authentic and believable, and fit perfectly within the tale.

At the time I bought KNOTS & CROSSES I also picked up another seven (7) Rankin novels. I cannot wait to read them, and as always, I cannot wait to share my reviews with all of you!

Phillip Tomasso
Author of the Severed Empire Series,
and The Vaccination Trilogy

Book Review: DARKNESS, TAKE MY HAND, by Dennis Lehane

DARKNESS,TAKE MY HAND is the second book in the Kenzie & Gennaro series. It was a whole lot darker than the first. A bit more disturbing. Many cogs in a mysterious wheel spinning at once. And I loved it.

Diandra Warren is worried. She is a professor and psychiatrist. When a young woman, Moira Kenzi, comes to her for help nothing adds up. Things get worse when the doctor receives a photograph in the mail. It is of her son. She now finds herself worried about his safety, as well as her own.

If the Irish Mob isn’t directly behind the silent threats, it could be Kevin Hurlihy, Jack Rouse’s right hand man. Either way, Kevin’s involvement spells trouble. The man has no heart, and is known for his unorthodox ways of dealing with things. Delivering pain, resorting to torture, and even killing people doesn’t faze him in the slightest.

Kenzie and Gennaro are hired. Diandra wants to be absolutely sure no one is after her son. The investigation involves a lot of shadowing, keeping the doctor’s son under constant surveillance. The best the private eyes can tell, there is nothing for the family to worry about.

Nothing to worry about, that is until a young girl is found dead. Crucified. Her hands and feet were nailed into the ground. On her was Kenzie’s business card. Although seemingly separate from Kenzie and Gennaro’s initial investigation, sins of the past are brought to the present.

Someone is killing people from the old neighborhood. And before each person is killed a photograph of that person is sent to someone they love. A serial killer is on the loose. The police and the FBI find one common factor in all of the cases. Patrick Kenzie. He is in some way tied to nearly each and every one.

When those Kenzie loves are threatened, are put into harm’s way, the joint investigation is stepped-up, but it may not be enough. Finding the one responsible is no easy feat. Bodies keep turning up. And it is clear that time is running out. Kenzie receives a simple threat, not everyone you love can live.

A fantastic, fast-paced, and gritty crime novel! DARKNESS, TAKE MY HAND just grabbed me from the depressing opening scene, until the very last page. I am finding this is common in the Lehane books I’ve read recently. He is quickly working his way up as one of my favorite authors!

PhillipTomasso

Author of the Severed Empire Series

and theVaccination Trilogy

Book Review: THE NIGHTMARE PLACE, by Steve Mosby

Steve Mosby
THE NIGHTMARE PLACE
Pegasus Books, 2014
328 pages
Detective / Thriller

THE NIGHTMARE PLACE was my first ever Steve Mosby book. And right off the bat, the one thing that threw me off balance in this crime novel, this thriller, was that the police detectives do not carry guns. Or own them. Maybe it is because I am American, or have seen too many movies, and cop shows, whatever the reason I was stunned a bit by this. I even googled it, and with the exception of Northern Ireland, in the United Kingdom, only specially trained firearms officers carry a gun. It was at the beginning of the book when the main character, Detective Inspector Zoe Dolan had hidden hammers, and knives throughout her home. And not one handgun. Hmmm What do ya know? Learned something new.

Anywho . . . THE NIGHTMARE PLACE was the kind of thriller I knocked off in a sitting. A serial rapist is on the loose. He has a distinct calling card. He manages to get into houses without a trace, and after his brutal attacks, he tends to flee through a, now, wide open first floor window.

Police have five victims, and no leads. Things are looking bleak. The rapist has a type. The women are mid-twenties. Uniquely beautiful. And live alone.

Detective Inspectors Zoe Dolan and Chris Sands notice a growing trend. Each victim has been beaten after the rape. Only thing is, the beatings are progressively worse each time. How long before the rapist takes things to far and actually murders one of his victims?

Unfortunately, the officers don't have to wait too long before that question is answered.

When Jane started a volunteer position with a telephone helpline, she understood the rules. All calls were confidential. If they weren't, no one would ever call. The confidentiality made people feel safe about reaching out for help. The organization, Mayday, has helped many people over the years because of this rule. However, Jane realizes keeping calls confidential might go against her every fiber when the serial rapist starts calling Mayday and confessing his crimes to her. Torn, she isn't sure if she should honor the rules of her position, or take the information she has and share it with the police.

THE NIGHTMARE PLACE is a fast, and gripping thriller. I enjoyed Mosby's writing style, and character development. Spliced into the action-packed narrative, we learn so much about Zoe, her youth, and her fears, that she became more of a person, and less of a fictional character. Mosby managed to give this personification to most of the central characters, as well. I was engaged from the opening page, until I set the book down hours later. I do look forward to more by Steve Mosby . . . now where is my Amazon card? Ah--there it is! Excuse me. I've orders to make.

Phillip Tomasso
Author of The Severed Empire Series, and
The Vaccination Trilogy