Welcome to My Monday Minis where I share short reviews about books I’ve read.
I’m a sucker for clever titles and catchy cover art. It was an easy choice to read The Conversationalist. Not a long story but sure gets the point across.
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The Conversationalist
by Justin Bog
Horrorstruck Novel #1
Genre: Psychological Horror
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My Review
The Conversationalist is tagged as psychological horror. Being a genre I really enjoy, I crossed my fingers and gave it a go. It’s unpredictability makes for quite the page turner. And, as mentioned in the synopsis, it has an aura of old time edgy horror. I can see this playing out in black and white on the movie screen.
Patrick is such an odd bird. I’m still wondering what to make of him after finishing this story. You get right inside his head, and you really need to keep on your toes as you fall down that rabbit hole.
Patrick tries to be normal. He even starts dating Wendy. But I wonder if he’s drawn to her subconsciously. If maybe like is drawn to like. He has a dark side and so does she. Two very odd, lost souls make for an unexpected outcome.
While the story isn’t long, the author does a superb job bringing his character to life. How he presents Patrick to you is suspenseful and fills you with an intense need to find out what his dark thoughts are leading up to.
It was truly nothing I would have expected and still lingers in my mind. A first read for me by this author and it won’t be my last.
4 Stars
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Synopsis
BEGIN A CONVERSATION WITH PATRICK, IF YOU DARE . . .
“The Conversationalist is the type of story that if Alfred Hitchcock were alive and his TV show, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1962-1965), was still up and running, he’d snatch Bog’s script as fast as he could and turn it into a featured vignette.”—Anita Lock, Seattle Book Review
On Patrick’s Pacific Northwest Island home, people whisper about his family’s sad history. Some feel sorry for him. Most want to help Patrick, as if he’s a song-less bird, make him their next project, and even set him up on a date with a best friend . . .
On one such date, Wendy sits across from Patrick and confesses she’s afraid to die, and says: “My mother died a year ago . . . horribly.” Patrick listens and pretends to care. He keeps his own dark secret safe that way.
There’s something wrong with the way Patrick treats the women he dates, his friends, his family . . . no one ever gets close to Patrick. He won’t allow that.
“This suspenseful story deals with lies and betrayals that threaten lives and friendships, and they don’t leave anyone innocent in the end.”—Jacob Buckenmeyer, Anacortes American
THE CONVERSATIONALIST
Horrorstruck Novella One
Included within: an original dark tale, THE NIGHT, and a bonus short story from the award-winning suspense collection, Sandcastle and Other Stories, ON THE BACK STAIRCASE.
Justin Bog is a member of the ITW: International Thriller Writers. He lives in the Pacific Northwest on Fidalgo Island. He’s the author of the crime novel, Wake Me Up, and HARK!
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