By Wayne C. Rogers
The first line of the new novel, Salome, Mick Garris famously said “I thought I hated my wife until she was murdered.” When any novel begins with a powerful line like that, you know to hold on to your pants because the journey is going to be a whirlwind one.
That’s right!
This is the story of Chase Willoughby, a young Hollywood actress who became a TV star at age 12. She grew into a beautiful woman, but after the TV show ended, the phone stopped ringing.
One night around 3 a.m., her husband of two years, James Turrentine, received a call from the Arizona Sheriff that Chase had been found murdered, hacked in half by a maniac with a knife. James immediately dressed, jumped in his BMW, and drove to Salome, Arizona, where a morgue car was preparing to load his wife’s body into the back of the car.
Even though James and his wife rarely spoke anymore and really didn’t care about each other anymore, he secretly promised to find the killer and get revenge.
This is key Salome– A simple revenge story, but because it seems so close to reality, it has a profound effect on the human psyche.
As James begins to search for the killer, the reader also begins to learn about Chase Willoughby and how she ended up being taken to a wasteland in Salome, Arizona, with her body hacked to pieces. This place does exist, and it sounds like you wouldn’t want your car to break down there. I should also point out that the reader gets a much clearer picture of the Los Angeles area and what it’s like to be a star, as both the good and the bad are revealed. After reading this novel, you’ll have your eyes opened to the light and understand how dangerous strangers can be to celebrities.
Author Mick Garris has a background in the film industry and knows what he is talking about. There is no glitz and glitz in this novel, it just depicts the ugly truth. The reader can choose to believe it or continue to view La La Land through rose-colored glasses.
Another thing Mr. Garris is able to do is weave the story through to the finale like a true wordsmith. He has an innate ability to draw the reader into his world with a few well-chosen words that are as good as any draw I have ever seen. He doesn’t bore you with unnecessary information, but chooses every word to move the story forward. This man is a true writer, and a talented one at that. In fact, some of his sentences are so beautifully written that you might find yourself reading them out loud just to let the words flow off your tongue and admire his writing skills.
My only wish is that Mick Garris would write more often. He is that good! I hear the author does have another book coming out, but it’s still a few months away. I guess I’ll just have to settle for reading Stephen King and Dean Koontz until the next Mick Garris book finally comes out. Highly recommended!
Order yours here.
score:5/5
