The Black Trainby Edward Lee
Synopsis (from the publisher): WELCOME TO THE GAST HOUSE - A historical bed and breakfast or a monument to the obscene? Collier doesn't need to know the building's rich history: women raped to death for sport, slaves beheaded and threshed into the soil, and pregnant teenagers buried alive. Who or what could mitigate such horrors over 150 years ago? And what is the atrocious connection between the old railroad and the house? Each room hides a new, revolting secret. At night, he can smell the mansion's odors and hear its appalling whispers. Little girls giggle where there are no little girls, and out back, when Collier listens closely, he can hear the train's whistle and see the things chained up in its clattering prison cars. Little does he know, the mansion and the railroad aren't haunted by ghosts but an unspeakable carnality and a horror as palpable as excited human flesh. WELCOME TO A PLACE WORSE THAN HELL...
Civil War horror? I guess that's where you'd put this. I like Edward Lee so I checked this one out. In typical Lee fashion, it's pretty macabre, brutal and full of gore and sex. Also in typical Lee fashion he does a nice job of character building, and a couple of "heroes" of the book are very likable and interesting (especially for me since both are beer connoisseurs... one writes books on beer while the other is a brewer). I can relate.
The flashbacks are full of savagery and brutality for sure. Some of the scenes described will probably haunt you for a bit, so be warned. The book does a nice job of building suspense throughout as things unfold, but I have to say I was disappointed in the end really. I expected all hell to break loose, so to speak, and a crazy finish. Really, it's pretty tame compared to the set-up and a bit of a letdown to me. This left me feeling a little disappointed in it.
A good, dark "Civil War horror" novel, definitely worth a read, but I'm going to stop short of praising it like other Edward Lee titles I've read. Not bad, but not his best.
6/10
