The author reached out to me and asked me to read this book and after reading the synopsis, I was definitely intrigued. I am new to this author but if this book is any indication, I will most assuredly be checking out more of his books.
The basic premise of the book is simple. A pub called The Rack and Cue, positioned in the middle of nowhere on a lonely road, is running a billiard tournament. The pool competition ends with a $2000 purse. Sounds pretty sweet, doesn't it?
The story begins with introducing us to the players, an odd assortment of people. A couple of girls backpacking through, a couple of truck drivers diverted due to the rain, a couple of undercover cops and a biker gang. The owner of the pub Porky seems like just your run of the mill barkeep. However, he is harboring some very dark secrets and intentions. We also meet Doc and Baby but I won't say anything about them, too many spoilers.
The tournament begins and they are soon picked off one by one. The losers are sent to an alternate exit than the one they came in and are told they are going to another lounge. However, that is not the case. Unbeknownst to the other players, the losers are encountering something much more sinister than they could have imagined. A few of the patrons start to get suspicious and soon enough a few of them are in a fight for their lives, literally.
The initial story I thought was over, but I was happily and surprisingly wrong! At about the 70% mark (I read this on my Kindle) the story takes another turn. The plot thickens and a new one begins. Still at the same location and involving some of the same people but with a big twist. I really love a good twist in a story. If I had one thing I didn't like, the second part left me wanting more. I was really intrigued by the two characters that are introduced in the second part and I would love to get more of the story there although I felt the author did a good job of giving us some of it so we wouldn't be completely in the dark.
Overall, I really enjoyed this story. Its full of blood, gore, crazy folks, and some really disgusting moments. Which is precisely why I liked it! The characters are interesting, and I think the author did a good job of giving us enough of a backstory with each. The ending is pretty perfect too, even if I wanted more. I really liked the setting as well. An intensely rainy day, a roaring fire in an old English pub, complete with meat pies and local ale. Underneath the seemingly normal building, it is anything but that. Secret rooms, a bloody basement and a creepy attic makes this place the perfect place for what's truly going on. If you love a good, gory story with monsters and blood and guts, then this is the book for you!
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