"Flesh and Blood” by Simon Cheshire (Book 3 in The Red Eye Series)

Flesh and Blood (Red Eye) - Simon Cheshire

 

I must record the facts that have led me to where I am now. So that, when someone reads this, they understand. Sam Hunter's neighbours are pillars of the community, the most influential people in town. But they're liars too. The Greenhills are hiding something and Sam's determined to find out what it is. As his investigation unfolds, he realizes the lies reach further than he ever imagined - is there anyone he can trust? Uncovering the horror is one thing ...escaping is another. A chilling new story in the Red Eye series.  

 

 

PLEASE NOTE: this book contains strong violence and horror and IS NOT suitable for pre-teen readers. For ages 15+ only.

 

 

Sam Hunter has grown up in a relatively poor household. When his family comes into some money and moves to an affluent town, he feels out of place in his new school and his new environment.

Sam now lives close to the imposing Bierce Priory. Its owners, the wealthy and influential Greenhills, are the town’s resident philanthropists and a case study in success.

Slowly, Sam uncovers the terrifying truth about the Greenhills and the town they live in. A truth so disturbing that Sam’s life becomes a living, freakish nightmare, in which he is forced to doubt his own sanity…  :(Simon Cheshire)

Flesh And Blood is a truly gruesome horror story in the Red Eye series.  

 British author Simon Cheshire offers this gruesome, thrilling, and mysterious chilling story in book 3 of the Red Eye Series by Stripes Publishing. 17-year-old Sam Hunter and his parents have just moved in to a cul-de-sac town called Priory Mews, a rich neighborhood with a history full of dark and sinister secrets.  

 Sam's mother is employed by a bank and his dad is a musician. His mother is always at work and his dad asleep. But all that alone time spent by himself reading comic books led him to become interested in pursuing a career as a journalist. It is Sam's curiosity and ambitions of looking for a story that leads him to investigate the Greenhills. His father gets a break when two of his songs get sold and they earn a lot of money. Later on after moving in to Priory Mews and on his first day of school at Maybrick High a  body of a man is found, the top of his head is missing making his day worst. But it isn't until he hears a scream from outside his bedroom coming from the creepy mansion Bierce Priory ,where he sees a a injured dog and a sinister distorted face of a man on the window that he realizes that something weird is going on. The story is told in past tense, meaning that Sam's  already lived through everything in the story. As you read along you get the sense that he is writing this in a journal for someone, which in the end we shockingly find out why.

“I didn’t want things to turn out this way. I really didn’t. There have been deaths, and worse. Even if there’s no blood on my hands , not directly, I have to face the consequences of my actions, of what I did do. If events had happened differently, if I hadn’t been so intent on following my theories, then perhaps I wouldn’t be here now, sitting at this desk, writing out what some might see as a confession. But, if I hadn’t reacted as I did, then I’d never have found out everything I uncovered. I had to try, didn’t I? Maybe I could have prevented some of it. Maybe I could have saved a life or two, if only I’d acted sooner. No, that’s not true. I acted soon enough. I think. Nobody believed me, except Liam and Jo. And they didn’t take me seriously, at first. When did I last sleep? I don’t remember. It doesn’t matter, I guess. I have to write. I have to tell myself to stop being a pathetic baby and be calm and rational. That’s what I have to do. I must record the facts, a sequence of events, the chain of suspicions and thoughts that have led me to where I am now. So that, when someone reads this, they understand. At least it’s quiet right now, and I can collect my thoughts. This desk I’m sitting at is small and antique. A really nice piece of furniture. You can see the dark grain of the wood, the years displayed in its warm colour, its soft shine. The notebook has smooth, off-white paper. It almost seems a shame to write in it, but of course I must. I have to set down everything, to document it, from the beginning. I have to think clearly. Breathe deeply. I’ll sit and think for a while. Then I’ll write".

 While attending Maybrick High he meets Liam and Jo two nerds that enjoy comics and scifi-movies just like him. Later on he meets popular Emma Greenhills who lives next to him on the creepy Bierce  Priory.

 What were the Greenhills so desperately trying to cover up?   

This book explores the difference between the rich vs the poor, which later in the book we find is a important factor in the events that unfold. Hadlington looks down on the residents of Elton Garden. Every time a body was found in the river or in the park everyone assumed that Elton Gardens was responsible. People choose to believe that it was the work of drug dealers and gangs. As well as how far a person would go to in order to survive. If you are a fan of gory books and gory movies then you will enjoy this book. This book was really descriptive. This characters with a lack of morals, heartless were truly frightening and terrifying.   

 This book actually scared the heck out me.Maybe it is because I haven't read a horror book in a while but the day I read it I coudn't help double checking to make sure my door was locked. While you're reading you won't be able to stop questioning the characters poor decisions, and wonder weather there are actual people capable of doing what the Greenhills did. They were seriously monsters, while reading I kept thinking about all the scary movies I've ever seen.

        The house of horrors

“This, I later found out, was Bierce Priory, built in 1812. That extension was constructed in the 1920s, at the same time as our house. Even at first sight, even with the excitement of the moment sending my mood soaring, the Priory looked cold and austere. As if it was watching me back”.                                

Bierce Priory was the scene of unfathomable deviant crimes. The Greenhills obsession with dissection and keeping their victims various body parts in jars in the house. They injected drugs on their victims in order to render them unconscious, conducting experiments both on humans and animals, and cutting them to pieces and eventually killing them.

 

In the end I had mixed feelings about Sam. I liked the fact that he tried to follow his dreams in becoming a journalist. But I didn't like some of the selfish decisions that he made, even though he did them in order to survive. I liked how the story was so unpredictable at times and mysterious, the characters Liam and Jo were my favorite characters, I couldn't help feeling like they were betrayed by Sam. At times i found myself trying to predict what was coming next. The ending was really unexpected which made it all the more worthwhile. Be aware that if your one of those who dislike graphic images of dismembered bodies and descriptions of horrific murder you should probably skip this one!

 

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book. 

My rating: 4.5 stars****