Thursday, September 12, 2019

The Amulet by Michael McDowell

(pb; 1979)

From the back cover

“When a rifle range accident leaves Dean Howell disfigured and in a vegetative state, his wife Sarah finds her dreary life in Pine Cone, Alabama made even worse. After long and tedious days on the assembly line, she returns home to care for her corpselike husband while enduring her loathsome and hateful mother-in-law, Jo. Jo blames the entire town for her son’s mishap, and when she gives a strange piece of jewelry to the man she believes most responsible, a series of gruesome deaths is set in motion. Sarah thinks the amulet has something to do with the rising body count, but no one will listen to her. As the inexplicable murders continue, Sarah and her friend Becca Blair have no choice but to track down the amulet themselves, before it’s too late.”


Review

Amulet is a good, playful, bleakly funny and sometimes gory read, one that fans of slasher films might especially enjoy, in a Final Destination “accidental death” way. McDowell, to his credit, imbues his familiar storyline with creative kill variations and even, briefly, a sense of mystery within its familiar storyline. He also keeps the tone lively and fast-moving, making for a book that─despite its occasional chatty characters─is largely entertaining, with a finish that is stunning in its simply put, mini-twist impact.

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