Griffin Hayes

Hugh Howey, author of Wool, wrote the blurb that hangs above Griffin Hayes's name on the cover of Dark Passage. It reads: "Nail-Biters beware." Though I haven't read any of Howey's work (yet, as Wool is on my TBR 2013 list) the man obviously knows good horror when he sees it.

After posting on Goodreads that I had started and was enjoying Dark Passages, Griffin contacted me, asking me to be completely honest with my review. I fully intended to, whether he had asked or not, but I'm going a little further with this critique than I normally would. I'm going to discuss formatting and typos, which I rarely ever do. So, before I get into the meat of my review, I would like to warn the nit-pickers out there. This book is not perfect, as it suffers from repeated words (He frantically scanned frantically the shadows...), missing words (He found a shotgun inside locked gun rack), misused words ("wadding" instead of "wading", "flood" instead of "floor"), two issues with missing quotation marks (One example: But instead of answering, Tyson grabbed her by the arm. Run!" he shouted.)and several formatting foibles where new paragraphs are not indented or indented so much that the text looks to be centered. I only noticed these things because I read every word on the page. I do not skim or skip around. Also, I was paying close attention after having been contacted by Griffin. Now, does any of that matter? That's subjective. What I will say is, Griffin Hayes is a storyteller of the highest quality. Dark Passage is so good that I am not adding the dozen or so mistakes I found into the rating for this book. Here's why.

Dark Passage is a terrifying story, brutally intense and unflinching with its portrayal of stomach-turning events. Griffin Hayes is the type of author that truly unsettles me. No one is off limits in this book. Bodies amass quite quickly, and I loved every minute of it. I'm one of those people who like being scared by my entertainment. I enjoy the relief that comes when I put the story down. Breathe in, breathe out... it's only a book.

It's been a long time since I've read about a creature as utterly terrifying as the one in Dark Passage. It has all the markings of a successful monster; a chilling precursor lets you know when it's coming, though I won't spil what that event entails; the way it moves; a hint of innocence, yet it's consumed by a ravenous bloodlust. Yeah, Griffin's monster is money. Honestly, the last supernatural monster that terrified me as much as Griffin's was Pennywise the Clown, from Stephen King's It. Yeah, it's been that long. There have been other scary monsters along the way, but none anywhere near the level of the one in Dark Passage.

I don't do plot summaries or spoilers (you can read, so go check out the synopsis). I will say, though, the twist at the end of Dark Passage was brilliant. I've read my fair share of mysteries and thrillers, so I'm not green when it comes to figuring out what's really going on, but Griffin shocked me stupid. I actually laid the book down, went outside for some fresh air, then came back in and surfed through the earlier sections of the book to make sure he hadn't screwed something up. Everything tied together nicely. If there's a plot hole, I missed it.

In summation, I will be reading everything this man writes. Last year, I had the joy of stumbling upon Kealan Patrick Burke. This year, it seems I've found a different author to throw my money at.

Thank you for the nightmares, Griffin.

E.

(P.S. This part will not go in my Amazon review, but I wanted to add that everyone who enjoys my work, should check out Griffin Hayes. It's odd... Griffin and I sound very similar in voice. He uses witty vulgarisms in his metaphors and similes, and there's even a slight sarcastic humor to some of his character's inner thoughts. Don't get me wrong, though, as Griffin is a unique talent. He definitely will not bore you.)… (más)