Tuesday, April 6, 2010

The Frenzy Way-Gregory Lamberson

The Frenzy Way
Gregory Lamberson
Medallion, Jun 2010, $15.95
ISBN: 9781605421070

Captain Anthony Mace is awakened at 4:40 AM and asked to go to a crime scene by one of his subordinates. When he arrives, he sees a room washed in blood, a body torn to shreds and partially eaten with the head missing. On the wall painted in blood is the word Skinwalker, an Indian term for a werewolf. Claw marks are on the victim’s safe and inside is a sword with a broken blade.

It is called the Blade of Salvation and was used by the Inquisition to kill so called werewolves because it is made of silver. On the hilt is an Inquisitor holding the sword with a decapitated victim nearby. Several more deaths occur all by the same perpetrator sending Manhattan into a panic. When one of Mace's officers who invited the perp in her car is killed Mace's mind rejects what his eyes see until he witnesses the predator kill another victim. He can no longer ignore the truth, but when he tells his superiors, they reject his belief; instead they suspend Mace and insist he undergo a psycho evaluation. With Mace out of the picture, the killing spree goes unabated.

The key to Gregory Lamberson’s terrific police procedural horror novel is that he makes his Manhattan seem genuine even with a supernatural species hiding in the shadows, as the older audience will be reminded of the panic during the Son of Sam serial killings. The Skinwalkers fear that if their clandestine existence becomes known to humans, genocide as occurred in Europe will happen here. With a strong culture to enhance the existence of the otherworldly race and a serial killer stalking and exterminating them, fans will relish a read down the wild side of The Frenzy Way.

Harriet Klausner

No comments: