Lad Lit Book Reviews! The Red Mohawk by Anonymous

That man has done it again! The best-selling author of The Bourbon Kid series is back with another belter of a book, caked with blood, action, bullets, hookers, dirty cops and a psychopathic killer in a skull mask with a red mohawk - and that's just the first couple of chapters!

Without doubt, the author behind his very own mask is one of my favourites. His blend of violence and dark humour never fails to disappoint, and in his first outing since wrapping up the Santa Mondega stories, it might have been easy to take his foot off the pedal. After all, so much went into making Santa Mondega the wonderful dysfunctional community it was

But step forward the residents of B Movie Hell (yes, that's the name of the town). They might not have a barman like Sanchez, but they do have an egotistical ex-porn movie producer who now runs a brothel (and pretty much everything else in town), and he has been pretty much left to do as he pleases since he bought and renamed the small town.

That is until the FBI turn up to investigate the mysterious serial killer who dons the frightening halloween mask with a red strip of hair who is hacking anyone up who gets in his way.

Agents Jack Munson and Milena Fonseca have been put on to the top secret case to capture the escaped mental patient, but they're not exactly welcomed with open arms in B Movie Hell. What starts to unravel is a town full of dirty little secrets, including one very big secret the FBI have been keeping for nearly two decades.

There are some awesome movie references used in this book, sometimes so subtle you'll want to re-read to make sure you have spotted them all. And then there are some pretty obvious ones, like the Dirty Dancing loving prostitute called Baby.

It's wonderfully paced and the author is brilliant at piecing all of his characters together one way or another and has a knack of making you fall in love with the biggest anti-heroes of them all. It's the cartoon circus of American wrestling in the 80s and 90s combined with cult slasher movies from yesteryear all rolled into one. Go buy it!

Lad Lit Book Reviews: The Book of Death by Anonymous (The Bourbon Kid 4)

The Bourbon Kid is back baby! The fourth installment of this wonderful Tarantino-esque romp returns to Santa Mondega after the bloodbath in the Arizona desert in The Devil's Gravyard, for the final conclusion to what has become my all-time favourite book(s).

Egyptian Mummy Rameses Gaius is on the verge of becoming the king of Santa Mondega; assembling an army of the undead to wreak havoc and pretty much kill anyone who stands in their way following the apparent death of The Bourbon Kid.The breakdown in law and order has sunk to a new low, what with the local police force being all but wiped out following the most recent bloodbath.

Now reliant on volunteers, the only two people stupid enough to put their names forward are Sanchez the bartender and Flake the waitress. The fact that Sanchez is attacked by a bunch of cookie-selling Girl Guides tells you all you need to know about his ability to shield the city from the evil engulfing it.

And when Sanchez stumbles across a mysterious book in the local library that is being hunted by his long-time crush Jessica the Vampire Queen, the bumbling bartender is only too happy to try and return the book to her, yet completely oblivious to the destruction it will cause by ending up in the wrong hands.

The good citizens of Santa Mondega (those who are left anyway) have only one real hope left, and when that last hope is to pray for the return of the world's most prolific mass murderer, you know things have hit rock bottom! Still, it isn't long before The Bourbon Kid is pulled back into the fold following the kidnap of his childhood sweetheart Beth, at which point you know it won't be long until all hell breaks loose!

Written with the same comedy timing and energy that has poured off the pages of the previous three books in the series, The Book of Death is another fine example of good old fashioned guts-and-gore fun! The characters all remain so unique in their own way, yet blend together in this wonderful world of werewolves, vampires, zombies, drunks, serial killers, and half-wits!

If reports are to be believed, JJ Abrahams - the Hollywood director and producer - has bought the film rights to The Bourbon Kid series and is rumoured to be creating a TV series based on the books called Pulp. I for one can't bloody wait!

Lad Lit Book Reviews: The Devil's Graveyard by Anonymous (The Bourbon Kid 3)

Have you ever wondered what would happen if X Factor met Night of the Living Dead? Me neither, but I’m sure as hell pleased that the anonymous author of The Devil’s Graveyard chose to mash these two unlikely forces together!

The third in the Bourbon Kid series (following The Book With No Name and The Eye of the Moon) takes a detour away from the vampire and werewolf infested city of Santa Mondega, and instead we are plonked bang in the middle of the Arizona desert at the Hotel Pasadena, which seems to be the holiday destination of choice for the undead as well as every lowlife and murderer in the country! Throw in an army of flesh-eating zombies and you have a whole different meaning to the term self-catering!

The reason for this gathering of ghouls is to take part in a TV talent show called ‘Back From the Dead’ but unbeknown to them is the fact chief judge Nigel Powell (And yes, Nigel Powell is a parody of Simon Cowell from the bright white smile to the devil horns!) has rigged the contest and has hired a stone cold hitman to bump off the other contestants as an insurance policy.

Queue the appearance of everyone’s favourite mass murderer, The Bourbon Kid, to sweep in and throw a spanner in the works, especially when he takes it upon himself to make sure no harm comes to one of the contestants, Emily, who reminds him of someone he knew a lifetime ago before the bourbon transformed him into a raging killer.

But The Kid is not the only one to make a return to form as the hapless bartender Sanchez once again steals the show with some seriously laugh-out loud scenarios after turning up at the hotel after winning a competition to earn himself a weekend away. Only Sanchez could win something and end up in Hell!

What else can I say about this writer and this series of books that I haven't said in my previous two reviews? He/she has the uncanny ability to articulate the most gruesome of scenes yet they still leave you with a smile on your face. It is laced with wicked dark humour throughout which means the laughs come as thick and fast as the blood that scatters each page.

It’s simply another great triumph from the author, and it just as hard to put down as the previous two. If I'm being ultra critical it's not quite as good as the first two instalments, but they set the bar so high that it's by no means a criticism on what is a fantastically enjoyable read!

Lad Lit Book Reviews: The Eye of the Moon by Anonymous (The Bourbon Kid 2)

Well, Mr Anonymous has done it again! This fantastic follow-up to the The Book With No Name sees The Bourbon Kid make a triumphant return to form in this bloody, violent, brutal, and hilarious dark comedy. I was hoping for more of the same and this book duly delivered!

The Eye of the Moon picks up immediately where The Book With No Name left off in the wonderfully supernatural city of Santa Mondega; where the humans are the ones considered ethnic minorities living amongst all the vampires and werewolves.And if that wasn't terrifyingly frightening already for the residents of Santa Mondega to contend with, a bloody Mummy has been awoken and has now escaped from the museum.

With the Bourbon Kid gone AWOL, everyone else seems to be hell-bent of finding the mysterious Eye of the Moon to take control of the power that it wields.

We see also the return of young lovers Dante and Kacy, Peto the kung-fu monk, and of course the legend that is Sanchez the bartender, who is back to his self-deprecating self! Throw into the mix the US Secret Service, a corrupt police force, and a little fella who calls himself the Dark Lord, and you have the recipe for another rip-roaring thrill ride!

The pace of the story is as frantic as it was the first time round, and the author once again displays a truly fantastic skill for setting up cliffhangers chapter after chapter. Yes it's gory, yes it's full of foul language, and yes there are more killings that a 1980s Arnie action film, but who cares! If you don't like that sort of thing, don't buy the bloody book and moan about it later! I saw one review that complained it was too much like a Quentin Tarantino film and then went on to say how much they loathed Tarantino films. To that person I say - jog on you muppet! I don't particularly like costume dramas so I simply switch off the TV when Downton Abbey comes on!

I've said it once and I'll say it again - Twilight nearly ruined the vampire genre by turning it into a mushy love saga! I say we need more Bourbon Kids, more gruesome blood-sucking murderers, and more sequels to the The Book With No Name!

Lad Lit Book Reviews: The Book With No Name by Anonymous (The Bourbon Kid 1)

Imagine a story about gangsters, Kung-Fu Monks, an Elvis-impersonating bounty hunter, and swarms of vampires all living in a world that is a cross between The Lost Boys and From Dusk Til Dawn (and not a Twilight reference in sight)! Do I really need to say anything else to get you excited?!

Ok, I suppose I better had otherwise it would be a pretty pointless review...!

Miles Jensen is a detective in the mould of Fox Moulder from the X-Files, and he is sent to the lawless town of Santa Mondega to investigate a spate of vicious murders. Unbeknown to Detective Jensen is that the root of all this evil is down to a mysterious blue stone known as The Eye of the Moon and all of the low-lifes and blood-sucking creatures of the night that prowl Santa Mondega will stop at nothing to get their hands on it. 

It soon becomes very apparent that all of the victims have one thing in common - they have all read the ancient Book With No Name and not one of them has lived to tell the tale. Detective Jensen will need to piece together all the clues if he is to work out what the hell is going on, and he meets some very strange characters in the process, including The Bourbon Kid - who just happens to be a serial killer, blasting his way through the undead, but not before he has a sampled a shot of his beloved whiskey!

A special mention has to go to my favourite character - Sanchez the bartender. The guy is such a weasel, but you can't help but like his self-obsessed and bleak outlook on life. Then again, if you owned a bar and all your clientele were blood suckers, you probably wouldn't be too happy-go-lucky yourself!

This book packs a punch from the very first page and is laced with black humour that will have you chuckling away despite all the blood, gore, and guts that comes in between. The author, who remains anonymous to add further intrigue to the story, manages to convey his story in such a way that it is never a chore to read, and you are always looking forward to picking it up again.

The quickest way I can sum up The Book With No Name is by calling it a Quentin Tarantino movie in the making. It is such a pleasant change to read a proper good old-fashioned vampire story without a ridiculous love triangle splattered all over it. And if that ticks all the boxes for you then make sure you get yourself a copy of this book!