by S C Mendes 

A Horror, 2017 by Blood Bound Books, 275 Pages 

What I Didn’t Like:

• The one-case-ruined-me cop is a bit cliche. Thankfully, that’s really the only hard cliche in this one.
• I’m not someone who believes that horror, necessarily, needs a content warning. That being said, there are some seriously deplorable things going on in the city. Proceed with caution.
• The ending left me with a few questions. Not a lot, which is good, but a few. This is the opener in a series so it’ll be interesting to see where it goes from here. 

What I Did Like:

• I did like Max early on. He’s obviously imperfect and readers who don’t love the cliche character may not like him, but I liked his hardened nature pretty quickly.
• The concept of a city like this existing underneath early 1900s California is fascinating. There’s a whole host of stories you could tell here, this barely scratched the surface.
• The ambiance of this one works. It’s such a dark, depraved location and you really feel that. Everything adds to the tone here. It’s very well written. 

Who Should Read This One:

• Horror readers who like dark tales of kidnapping and rescues. 

My Rating: 3 Stars