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A review by tobin_elliott
A Mask of Flies by Matthew Lyons
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Matthew Lyons is one of THE best of the newer horror authors going right now. I devoured his first two novels, and this one didn't disappoint either. I'm still thinking it through, but it may be his best so far. It's hard to tell, because it's a very high bar.
I'll leave the synopsis to others. Crime story. Bank heist. Crazy horror. That's all you need to know.
But Lyons is a master of character, of dialogue, and damn, when he turns up the horror, he turns it all the way up.
If I have one complaint, it's that Murphy the cat doesn't get fed enough, and doesn't have a place to do his business (you'll understand when you get close to the end of the novel).
So, here's my take. I read a lot of books. Most of which are books I wouldn't write, but I love to read...non-fiction stuff, mysteries, SF, fantasy...all of that. That's the bulk of what I read.
Then there's the stuff that I love, and only WISH I could write. Kind of a "Damn! I wish I wrote that!" sort of situation. Matthew Lyons' s novels fit firmly into that category. He writes horror. Yes, I write horror too. And while I really like the horror I write (hell, I write it to please myself first), I LOVE the horror that Lyons puts out. If I was a better author, I'd write what he's writing.
And honestly, that's the highest compliment I can give a fellow author.
I'll leave the synopsis to others. Crime story. Bank heist. Crazy horror. That's all you need to know.
But Lyons is a master of character, of dialogue, and damn, when he turns up the horror, he turns it all the way up.
If I have one complaint, it's that Murphy the cat doesn't get fed enough, and doesn't have a place to do his business (you'll understand when you get close to the end of the novel).
So, here's my take. I read a lot of books. Most of which are books I wouldn't write, but I love to read...non-fiction stuff, mysteries, SF, fantasy...all of that. That's the bulk of what I read.
Then there's the stuff that I love, and only WISH I could write. Kind of a "Damn! I wish I wrote that!" sort of situation. Matthew Lyons' s novels fit firmly into that category. He writes horror. Yes, I write horror too. And while I really like the horror I write (hell, I write it to please myself first), I LOVE the horror that Lyons puts out. If I was a better author, I'd write what he's writing.
And honestly, that's the highest compliment I can give a fellow author.