The Devil's Graveyard [Kindle Edition]

Anyone like me, who loved the previous 2 Bourbon Kid adventures will not be disappointed with this superb 3rd installment. While it doesn't perhaps have the depth of storyline as my personal fave the Eye of the Moon, this one is by far the funniest and most violent of the three. There are too many belly laugh moments to recall - i'm just glad i read it in the comfort of my own home rather than in public! For those who have read it, i have 2 words - Janis Joplin. I need say no more...!

This time around see's the Bourbon Kid and old characters such as Sanchez (complete with his legendary "homebrew") Elvis, and the Mystic Lady, heading to the Hotel Pasadena for the Back from the Dead singing competition. With many new characters thrown in for good measure (Jacko, Judy Garland, Freddie Mercury etc), it's a bloodbath waiting to happen. I'm pleased to say that the 'Kid has lost none of his edge from the previous 2 books, and remains the coolest dude on the planet.

I have no idea who this particular Anonymous is, but he is in my opinion one of the most exciting new writers around, and i sure hope he sticks around for a long time to come.

This is the 3rd book from Anonymous, aka The Bourbon Kid. If you've not read any of the other books by Anonymous you're in luck as this one is set prior to the first two books, The Book With No Name and The Eye of the Moon, so you can still read those without much being spoiled in this one.

Back to this book and it features a few of the characters from the other novels, namely Sanchez, Elvis, The Mystic Lady and of course The Bourbon Kid himself, who are all in an area known as the Devil's Graveyard one Halloween for the `Back From The Dead' singing contest.

Like the other books there's a few pop culture references to look out for and plenty of moments where you'll find yourself laughing out loud. Sanchez in particular is in fine form and the `Back From The Dead' contest itself provides an abundance of laughs.

The blood, and of course Sanchez's `homebrew', flows as much as you'd expect from an Anonymous novel with plenty of people falling victim to any of the handful of killers that have been lured to the Hotel Pasadena, where the contest is held, and to the other visitors that find their way to the contest as it draws to a close.

I finished it quite quickly, despite trying to pace myself, as like the other novels by our mystery writer it is incredibly engaging and the majority of chapters, if not all, end on a cliff hanger in some form. There's a lot going on as well and the novel generally switches between characters every chapter, further keeping the reader hooked to want to read on.

Overall I'd happily recommend this as worth a read, along with the previous two books if you haven't already. Simply put it is an engaging, action packed novel with plenty of laughs that will keep you hooked right up to the final page.

Out in the Arizona desert is a area called The Devils Graveyard. This is the site of the huge Hotel Pasadena, where TV talent show 'Back From The Dead' is filmed each year. Unluckily for all of the hopeful contestants the chief judge - Nigel Powell - has rigged the contest and already chosen the five acts he wants for the grand final.

But - even more unluckily - someone has hired a ruthless hitman to kill off the finalists and in case that wasn't quite enough the infamous serial killer known as the Bourbon Kid has also decided to stop by the hotel...

Oh yeah; The night that the talent show takes pace is Halloween and Nigel has sold his soul to the devil AND there are flesh hungry zombies awakening around the hotel.

I received this book free from Amazon's Vine programme and - reading the back blurb - realised that this book features characters from earlier books from the author. This and the fact that the books chosen critical recommendation on the front is by the Daily Sport put me of reading it straight away, so it sat on my bookcase for a few weeks ignored and unloved.

This was a huge mistake as when I did pick it up the story dragged me in literally from the first page - it opens on a high speed chase between the police and the Kid and the pace never slows down again.

THE DEVIL'S GRAVEYARD is not any one set genre. Instead we spin back and forth between crime, urban fantasy, critical satire, to tears at one point. All of this is served with a huge dose of humour; One of my favourite parts is when someone witnesses the Kid commit murder and he still happily hitches a ride with him and offers to sing 'Earth Song' for him in the car...

Even when the characters aren't interacting with each other there are still plenty humorous moments; Such as when someones vehicle is stolen they are actually more annoyed that their signed copy of Tom Jones' greatest hits is inside it.

All of the characters are likable, even the serial killing Kid himself; you'll find yourself overlooking the dead bodies and willing him on. Then there's luckless sap Sanchez, who has won a weekend at the hotel in a competition only to be confused for a hitman on arrival. Alot of the communicated humour comes from Sanchez and his friend Elvis [no prizes for guessing that he has entered the contest]. Then there's the villain of the piece - Nigel Powell. The author really captures Simon Cowell's mannerisms and speech patterns in the character and it is so easy to picture him as Nigel. The part where Nigel swipes an ice cream of one guard struck me as being hilarious. My favourite character however has to be Emily, who is the most genuinely likable character, and the most easy to connect with.

This is the first book I've read in a while that I sat up into the small hours reading because I just had to know what happened next.

I couldn't find any faults with this book what-so-ever; It really does have a bit of everything in it. I'm now desperate to get my hand's on the author's first two books. [Yes; seeing it's good when it was free does seem suspicious, but trust me on this - if I thought it was crap then I'd happily say so]

** Though it makes a good stand-alone story with no gaps, the Kid, Sanchez and Elvis are introduced in 'The Book With No Name', followed by 'The Eye Of The Moon'.

There's nothing to say except buy, buy, buy!!!