Book Review: Sinister Mix

Author: Brian Bowyer

Release date: April 17th, 2021

It’s interesting to me how wide the horror landscape is. You can have authors writing in different subgenres who are frequently posted about on one social media platform, but never so much as a peep on others.

Case in point – Brian Bowyer. I see Brian’s writing praised frequently on Twitter as being some of the most extreme stuff out there. I also see it a bit on IG. Very rarely do I see it on FB. That’s not to say there is anything bad about that, but it is to point out that we are currently having an overabundance of dark fiction riches to discover.

Bowyer is also very prolific, churning out a number of releases each year. I actually dove into a different release from him, but found it just wasn’t working for me. So, I took a look at his vast catalog and decided to dive into this collection, and I have to say – this one was a ton of fun.

What I liked: Bowyer’s writing is succinct and to the point. In each story within this collection, we are only really shown the gruesome event, which works to create a chaotic feeling as you go from one story to the next. Not to say we don’t get back story or any build up, we do, but often that is within the story, not before, which I think works really well.

A number of the stories really stuck out for me but I’ll highlight the four I think would be considered my favorite.

First Date – the opening story was also one of the best. It starts with a simple set up – an author goes on a first date, only to find out she’s a fan of his work. After spending the night together, she invites him to come out to see her farm and get some writing done. From here, things go south and Brian delivers a really chilling ending.

Maternal Flame – a horrible story about a boy who is kidnapped while out with his mom and the events that occur after. This one is both extreme but also incredibly sad.

Black Yacht – another story involving a parent and a child, in this case, a heroin junkie mother takes her child to the beach, hoping to score some drugs. While there a strange boat is docked just off shore. Someone offers the mother cash in exchange for the kid coming onto the boat alone for the day. Bowyer adds some X-Files-ish elements to create a really unnerving story.

Casa Fiesta – this one might be the most straight-forward story in the batch, but it follows a woman who goes on vacation by herself and discovers not all strangers have her best interests at heart.

Time and again, Bowyer really gives the story the worst possible moments and readers who like extreme will be really happy.

What I didn’t like: One thing I did find was there was some repetition in story themes and plots, which dampened the impact of those that came after. Case in point – ‘Maternal Flame’ is about a kidnapped child. Shortly after, we get another story involving a child and a similar ending to ‘Maternal Flame.’ Several stories later, ‘Black Yacht’ comes along, another story involving a parent and a child. Some readers may find not even variety to make their way through the darker pieces.

Why you should buy this: Bowyer writes with gusto and joy, you can practically feel his maniacal grin coming off each page when you read brutal passages. You know he had fun writing these extreme slabs of brutality and the reader definitely benefits from it.

If you’re looking for a quick, depraved cross-section of life’s worst moments, look no further, Bowyer has you covered!

4/5