Scan barcode
A review by david_agranoff
Chills by Mary SanGiovanni
3.0
“True Detective” meets H.P. Lovecraft in this chilling novel of murder, mystery, and slow-mounting dread." The description of this novel above sold me. I have enjoyed SanGiovanni in interviews on podcasts, and even though I had a couple copies of her books on my shelf for years I never got around to reading them. This was going to be the first one because I loved the tone suggested and the plot sounded interesting.
A freak late spring snowstorm hits as a detective tries to solve a bizarre murder. The first act of this book is a very intense slow burn cosmic horror piece. Each page develops serious dread. Honestly I could have handled another hundred pages of this.
One of the best most fascinating scenes was an interrogation between the lead character and her brother - a serial killer now in prison. This is where the True Detective comparisons come into play. Really it is one chapter. It was very tightly wound and I was hoping the novel would returned to it.
The deep and cosmic dread of the first half was everything I was looking for and the second half of the novel turns into something else that I feel gets into the territory of spoiler. Consider yourself warned. Chills is the third in a trilogy, a fact I didn't know this until I went to Good reads to post this review and had re-edit it. I am not sure if I am missing something, maybe the back story with the brother - not sure.
The best thing I can say about this one is I now want to read the novels that will for me be prequels. However I didn't enjoy the second half of the novel quite as much once it became a full on monster attack. SanGiovanni did such a wonderful job building the dread I wish the book had a longer second act focused on that part of the story and a shorter third act that dominated the novel's entire second half as is.
Am I glad I read Chills? Yes. For sure. I think horror fans will too, and I think many will disagree with me about the second half. I think you should decide for yourself. It is a cool book and deserves to be read and debated. SanGiovanni certainly knows how to write monsters. I am sold for sure and will read more SanGiovanni.
A freak late spring snowstorm hits as a detective tries to solve a bizarre murder. The first act of this book is a very intense slow burn cosmic horror piece. Each page develops serious dread. Honestly I could have handled another hundred pages of this.
One of the best most fascinating scenes was an interrogation between the lead character and her brother - a serial killer now in prison. This is where the True Detective comparisons come into play. Really it is one chapter. It was very tightly wound and I was hoping the novel would returned to it.
The deep and cosmic dread of the first half was everything I was looking for and the second half of the novel turns into something else that I feel gets into the territory of spoiler. Consider yourself warned. Chills is the third in a trilogy, a fact I didn't know this until I went to Good reads to post this review and had re-edit it. I am not sure if I am missing something, maybe the back story with the brother - not sure.
The best thing I can say about this one is I now want to read the novels that will for me be prequels. However I didn't enjoy the second half of the novel quite as much once it became a full on monster attack. SanGiovanni did such a wonderful job building the dread I wish the book had a longer second act focused on that part of the story and a shorter third act that dominated the novel's entire second half as is.
Am I glad I read Chills? Yes. For sure. I think horror fans will too, and I think many will disagree with me about the second half. I think you should decide for yourself. It is a cool book and deserves to be read and debated. SanGiovanni certainly knows how to write monsters. I am sold for sure and will read more SanGiovanni.