FEVER HOUSE by Keith Rosson / Z-View

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FEVER HOUSE by Keith Rosson

First sentences…

Tim Reed sits in the driver’s seat of his ancient and rust-punched Datsun hatchback, balancing a screwdriver on the tip of his finger.  Hutch and Tim are killing time, waiting for some poor guy to come home so they can terrify him and, if necessary, perform grievous harm to the architecture of the man’s body.  It’s the usual deal: reluctance to pay a debt owed.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Tim and Hutch are leg-breakers for Peach Sorreno.  Although the two are more than willing to throw a beatdown on deadbeats who’ve borrowed from Peach, when Tim and Hutch show up to collect, more often than not they come away with money.  That’s par for the course and the way it’s been working that night.

Until they get to Wesley.

Wesley’s a methhead. He claims he has no money.  When Tim and Hutch search Wesley’s apartment, they find a severed hand in his refrigerator.  Tim and Hutch decide to take Wesley and the hand to Peach’s warehouse.  There they’ll sort out what to do next.

What Tim and Hutch don’t know, but will soon learn is the hand causes anyone near it to get violent, murderous thoughts.  These urges become so strong and persistant that those under the influence lose control and act on them.  They will brutally murder anyone near.  Worse still, the killed by a person under the influence of the demon hand, reanimate as zombies with the same sadistic killing urges.

As the madness spreads two factions work to recover the hand…

  • Peach Sorreno knows Tim and Hutch had the hand, but do they still?  Sorreno wants it badly, and brings in Nick Coffin, one of his “fixers” to resolve the issue.

 

  • A US government black ops organization that deals with the occult has been searching for the hand.  Under the direction of David Lundy (who wants the demon hand to weaponize it), two field agents, John Bonner and Samantha Weils are boots on the ground.

With each passing minute, the fevor spreads.  One infected becomes two.  Two become four.  If the hand isn’t recovered and destroyed, it could be the end of the world.

+++

When I started FEVER HOUSE I expected a crime novel with horror overtones.  What I got was an epic, crime/conspiracy/horror/demonic/apocalyptic tale that I absolutely loved.  I’ve already purchased the sequel and it’s nearing the top of my next-to-read pile.

FEVER HOUSE gets my highest recommendation.

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