- austrianspencer
Curfew - by Kev Harrison
This “Short, Sharp Shock!” from Demain Publishing and Kev Harrison delivers on the premise of the series. Given the length of the story (short), I’m not going to summarize the groundwork of the plot, if you want to you can look up that on the cover or on a teaser of the story on Goodreads or Amazon. Instead, I think it’s safer to focus on the writing.
I’ve read a few of Kev’s novellas now, Below, The Balance, Warding, Alone with myself – and his collection of shorts Paths best left untrodden (I’m still looking forward to Cinders of a blind man…) and that voice that powered all of those other stories is in evidence here. There’s something relaxingly familiar about Kev’s writing – it has the effect of being comfortable – it’s very much like seeing an old friend and remembering, all at once, how their accent always made you relax. That might be because (for me) Kev’s accent (English) and mannerisms and language itself, scream Englishman – I can’t say – perhaps that’s my bias – but it has this good-natured contentedness to it that lulls you into the story. You very easily drop into his many worlds, and eagerly await the despicable nastiness that he is going to inflict upon his poor characters. I guess I could sub-classify it as cozy gore. You get all the warm feelings and then can’t wait for Kev to dismantle it all in front of you in just horrible, horrible ways. Case in point - Curfew.
The title suggests the main thread of the story, and the unpicking is all about the why of it all. The breadcrumbs are carefully laid down, and though you might guess at the overall theme, Harrison delivers on the Shock! Part of the series too. There's a kiss scene that tugs at the sensibilities of the reader, and forced me to analyze what exactly I was feeling uncomfortable about - but I can't discuss that here without giving away plot points.
Honestly, this is a bargain at 0.89 cents (Euro), it’s long enough you to feel a little weight but light enough that you will be ready for the next one.
4 out of 5 ⭐ ‘s, and let’s get Cinders on the TBR list.
You can buy Curfew, by clicking on the Amazon link nearest you:
You can visit Kev's Website, HERE.
You can find Kev on Instagram, HERE.
You can find Kev on Twitter, HERE.
You can find Kev on Facebook, HERE.
You can find Kev on YouTube, HERE.
You can find Kev on TikTok, HERE.
