Jack Strange

Confessions of an English Psychopath by Jack Strange


I'm not quite sure what I think about this story. It is definitely a unique read - I can't say I've read anything like it before. For me, I found the introduction to be...well, interesting. It didn't hook me onto every word, but at the same time it didn't defer me.

I would say this book is more of a niche book. You either will love it, or you won't. It's a very special type of humor and writing style that not everyone will love. With saying that, it is definitely a good book. Jack Strange put a lot of effort into it and you can tell. It's well written and it's well versed, but the audience needs to be away it's not for EVERYBODY.

I definitely wouldn't suggest this to someone looking for an epic adventure, a long lost romance, or just some good old crime story. It's in it's own little category - the niche, crime/killer/thriller novel section.

If I'm comparing it to anything, I'd like to think it's kind of a splash of Dexter (television show) meets Kingsmen: The Secret Service Movie, and tie in a few serial killer stories as well.

The more you go into it, the "confessions" themselves are unique and telling. Somehow you like Lawrence (our main character) throughout the story despite him being pretty shady - which says a lot about Jack Strange. If he can make us like this "dislikable" character so much, he definitely has talent.

If I were to critique this novel or say something I disliked, the only thing I might have wanted was more action sooner. I found the first few chapters a little slow, but it picks up once you're one or two chapters in.

Overall, this book wasn't made for me. I did think it was fantastic, but it's not the type of book that I'm personally seeking out. I would love to read more by Jack Strange because his style is by far one of the most unique I've ever seen, especially lately.

Four out of five stars.… (mais)

Jack Strange is, yet again, the master of the comedic horror genre.

"Having a dead chef as a front man would be a television first..." - a quote that perfectly summarizes this entire book in a nutshell.

I'm always impressed by Jack Strange - he is a unique writer that is easily able to attract an audience's attention. His mixture of horror and comedy somehow works and draws me back to his work each and every time.

Some of the humor in this book really killed me - a pair of marigolds to get rid of the smell of rotting, human flesh? I always plant marigolds in my garden, and I know they are VERY strong smelling, so this made me chuckle. Even some of the comments said by the characters come off in a hilarious manner - most seem to be said with a hint of sarcasm (or pure stupidity on the character's part), but it's so good! It's my type of dry yet dark humor, and I love it!

I also loved that Henderson is one of our main characters. He's a cat. An undead cat, but still a cat! It's something I don't see very often (animals being main characters or having a personality that isn't some weird talking/animated animal plotline), which adds some points to this read.

The insanity of this plot is exceptional and outstanding! It's unique, strange and oddly satisfying. I would have never come up with like this! Zombies, celebrity chefs, a zombie cat, and R rated mischief? It's a must read for those readers who are looking for something different that they have never come across before! That's one of the best parts about Jack Strange's writing - he's so incredibly creative!

If I had to put this book in specific genres, it fits in many. Horror, comedy, satire, political satire, and fantasy are all shelves I could put this book on. There's sex, gore, and sarcasm galore ridden throughout this novel. Even when the action is at it's highest point, there's a few fantastic one liners that will have you laughing and cringing all at the same time.

My cons are as followed:
1. My own personal con is the font was small in the version I received. Does that affect my scoring? Heck no! Was I slightly annoyed? Yeah. Is this a reason to not read the book? Nope! But I'm gonna include it as a way for Jack Strange to "improve" in his future writing endeavors!

Overall, this book is a true masterpiece! It's clever, ingenious and seriously funny. I highly recommend this book to fans of horror, comedy and satire. You're not going to be able to find another book like this unless it's from Jack Strange's catalogue.

Four out of five stars.

I received a free copy of this book from the author Jack Strange in exchange for an honest review.… (mais)

*Arc given by the author, Jack Strange, in exchange for an honest and unbiased review*

Warning: Spoilers below.

Jack Strange's books are of an interesting variety - when reading the synopsis I always get this very melancholy or "yeah, yeah" feeling, but when I pick up the book I'm blown away by the sheer excellence of his writing skills. Truly, the synopsis of anyone of his books don't do the novels justice.

If I had to describe this book in one sentence, it would be "what the eff". Now, that might sound rude, but I mean it in the nicest way possible. This book is all kinds of messed up, and truly memorizing. It gives me Dexter-like vibes in every way, in every good way. If you're into severely messed up crime, this book is for you. It'll blow your mind with how crazy, surreal and descriptive a novel like this can be.

I'm honestly surprised that Jack isn't a more popular author than he is. I could see people lining up for these books in my local book shops, but they aren't. It really boggles my mind how some really talented people aren't getting the recognition they deserve.

Pros:

1. Excellent story telling - Jack Strange has true talent with how he weaves his narrative together. You don't know what's real or not until the very end - and that's just how I love a good quality crime novel!

2. Unique descriptions - This man has a way with words, as I already said. But not only is his story telling fascinating, but his word choice enhances this novel to another level.

3. I find it interesting that most crime novels that feature a murderer don't delve into the actual feelings they have (why they murder, what they feel after, etc) but Jack finally did. It's a nice change, because I always wondered if the murderers felt anything at all or if they were just emotionless monsters.

4. The arc of the storyline was intriguing and followed every note I hoped it would hit. Some of it is easily guessed, but I'm glad Jack took the route he did (trying to explain this without any major spoilers is tougher than I thought it would be...). In a world like today where Big Brother is always watching us and social media is king of all, it was nice to see this book accept this fact and play along with it.

5. The King Lear references about tragedy being brought on by the character's themselves is a very nice addition.

Cons:

1. Drugging a cat annoyed me as a cat lover, I won't lie. That's a major con for me.

2. My personal con/questions: I would have liked to know what swung Brian into being the bad guy that he is. Was he always this bad? Was it just a situation that led him to this? I have lots of questions as to how someone could be so easily swayed into the life/choices they made. But that's just me and my over active imagination/thoughts. It's not necessarily a con against the book, it's my personal thoughts/loose ends that didn't get tied up for me.

3. I found that at some points of this book it got a little boring/slow. I get bored very quickly with books that don't interest me 99% of the time, so that's a "me" con.

4. The ending is ridiculously obvious if you paid attention while reading the book. Just saying.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It's a great read that can be easily devoured in one sitting.

Four out of five stars.… (mais)