SYNOPSIS
What do you see…?
When the mutilated body of a young woman is discovered in the desert on the outskirts of Los Angeles, the detective assigned to the case can’t deny the similarities between this murder and one that occurred a year prior. Media outlets are quick to surmise this is the work of a budding serial killer, but Detective Bill Renney is struggling with an altogether different scenario: a secret that keeps him tethered to the husband of the first victim.
What do you hear…?
Maureen Park, newly engaged to Hollywood producer Greg Dawson, finds her engagement party crashed by the arrival of Landon, Greg’s son. A darkly unsettling young man, Landon invades Maureen’s new existence, and the longer he stays, the more convinced she becomes that he may have something to do with the recent murder in the high desert.
What do you feel…?
Toby Kampen, the self-proclaimed Human Fly, begins an obsession over a woman who is unlike anyone he has ever met. A woman with rattlesnake teeth and a penchant for biting. A woman who has trapped him in her spell. A woman who may or may not be completely human.
In Ronald Malfi’s brand-new thriller, these three storylines converge to create a tapestry of deceit, distrust, and unapologetic horror. A brand-new novel of dark suspense set in the City of Angels, as only “horror’s Faulkner” can tell it.
REVIEW
Thank you Titan Books for sending me an ARC of Senseless to read and review. All opinions are honest and my own.
If there’s a theme tying all of Ronald Malfi’s book together, it is secrets, and Senseless is his magnum opus of secrets. Every character in this novel is brimming with them and they will keep you guessing until the final page, and for a few, long after.
Talking about this novel without spoilers is near impossible, the synopsis really gives you all you need to know. With echoes of the Black Dahlia murder, Malfi takes us on a journey into all corners of Los Angeles. From the sweltering desert and the McMansions to the secret clubs and seediest corners, we meet characters from all walks of life who have no business crossing paths, but somehow Malfi masterfully weaves all these stories together into a beautiful horror-noir (noirror?) tapestry.
Ronald Malfi has been quickly climbing my list of favorite authors and Senseless is my favorite so far. I say “so far” and not “by far” because everything I’ve read by him is incredible and he keeps getting better and better. But as a true crime junkie who’s gateway in was The Black Dahlia Murder, this is the book I’ve been waiting for. Every character’s story is gripping and the way it all ties together is just…brilliant.
Beautifully written, ingeniously structured and paced, and filled with characters you won’t soon forget, Senseless is my favorite Ronald Malfi book yet and will surely remain one of my favorite books of the year. Filled with tension, twists and secrets, Malfi takes us into the deepest, darkest corners of humanity and emerges with a masterpiece that will knock you senseless.
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