Dark mystery that sucks you into a different place. A nightmare where no one wants to be. Good read. Can’t put it down. Wondering where it’s going to go

A cunning pederastic serial killer nicknamed “Santa” is making his way up the East Coast from New Orleans to Boston, leaving a trail of young bodies in his wake. Santa covers his tracks along the way by working as an itinerant bass player in a series of jazz combos. At the same time, the Driscoll family – Mark, Julie and their nine-year-old son Nate – who live in an upstate suburb of Syracuse, New York, struggle to come to grips with Mom’s quadriplegia following a horrific auto accident. The suspense builds to a fever pitch as these two plot strands approach each other for the inevitable confrontation. All this tension is heightened by the mystery of Duncan, Nate’s stuffed-toy gorilla, who is not only the boy’s beloved companion but becomes a kind of family totem, and, later on in the story, so much more.

This is a novel not only for readers addicted to thrill rides and maddening suspense, but also those who are curious about the abnormal psychology of the pedophiliac killer. The book gives food for thought as well as a kind of perverse satisfaction for the imagination and senses. It is a thinking reader’s thriller.

For me, there were times when it was a bit slow and seemed to drag on. However, I can tell you I do not like “Santa” I can say it definitely leaves you thinking.

I received this book for free in exchange for my honest opinion.

Definitely read “Duncan”!

Denis McCort brings characters and scenes to life in this emotionally gripping and compelling breakout novel. Brilliantly crafted.'' Duncan will haunt you well after the last page is read.

Uff, definitely not for me despite the interesting insight into the mind of a pedophile. The story is divided in two: the life of Santa, the pedophile and serial killer, and the life of another family with a nine year old boy with an ape toy called Duncan.

So we go on and about the life of this family and their son Nate until finally, at 88% Santa and Nate meet and the obvious is about to take place. Except that something kind of eerie and magical happens.

I would say this had the taste of some Haitian tale... If you like reading about the lives of people that have absolutely nothing to aport to the story, go ahead and read it.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this title.

Duncan by Dennis McCort is touted as a thriller, but I disagree. This is not a thriller. I’m just not really sure what it was...part horror, part slow-burn suspense?  I'm just classifying it as fiction.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher GateKeeper Press, and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

My Synopsis:   (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
Julie is having a rough time after the catastrophic accident that left her a paraplegic, but she is coping with the help of her caregiver Hattie, and through meditation. Her husband, Mark, is a rather weak, selfish and insecure man, who is handling Julie’s disabilities by having an affair. Their son, nine-year old Nate, is handling things remarkably well. His way of supporting his mother is by leaving his stuffed monkey, Duncan, with Julie while he is at school. Julie appreciates this link with her son, and it becomes more important as things start to go downhill.

Sammy Clause, known as “Santa” is a jazz bassist who is playing his way up and down the east coast. He is leaving one gig after the next, and a dead boy in almost every town. He’s a murdering pedophile on the move.

When Santa and Nate eventually meet, we know it is not going to end well.


My Opinions:
For those who follow me, you know I am reluctant to give up on a book. Once started, I have to finish. Yes, I know life is short but I really feel that I owe it to the author….and you never know, it could turn around…

That being said, I don’t know how many times I just wanted to throw in the towel. Did I really want to read about a pedophile who kills his victims after abusing them? Did I really want to read his deep thoughts and desires? Apparently I did, or I wouldn't have selected this book.

However, the tale is told between long ramblings about philosophers, jazz artists and classical music. No doubt, the author is knowledgeable on many subjects, and his knowledge of “big words” can’t be denied, but I didn't need to hear about everything in such depth. I admit to skimming at times...many times. The actual story got lost in the excessive verbiage. There is also a lot of self-analysis by a number of the characters, in particular Santa and Julie. And yet, unbelievably, the ending seemed rushed.

On the positive side, the premise was good, and the suspense was enough that I stuck around to see what happened with Nate (who I don’t think even met Santa til around the 85% mark of the book). As well, I really liked Julia, Nate and Hattie. The author’s development of his characters was very good, and the relationship between mother and son really rang true.

Bottom line, this book was just not for me. However, for those who would like a look inside the mind of a pedophile, this book delivers (well, remember, it is fiction).  Anyway, I am sure there are many out there that will enjoy this book, just not me.  If nothing else, it will give you food for thought.

What goes through your mind during a power outage? For Claire Moore it is terrifying as 10 years previously she was almost killed by a serial killer. He became known as the Blackout Killer as he manages to cut the power to his victims homes.
Now although Claire has the support of her family, she is still very frightened and has made every provision to make her house secure.
She meets Paul and although he understands her fear and tries to give her as much emotional support as he can, Claire holds back still remembering that awful night when her husband was killed and she barely survived.
This thriller will not disappoint. I thought I had the ending all wrapped up, but then came a total surprise!

Thank you to netgalley and the published/author for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Holy hell
Trigger warning for pedophilia, disability, murder, and so forth

There are some graphic scenes that would make any normal human uncomfortable to say the least. This isn’t an easy book to read due to the topic / story line. As a mom, my heart was in my throat, and I wanted to puke the entire time I read this book.

This was one of the oddest books I've ever read; it's both philosophical and very dark. It follows "Santa," a pedophile who lures young boys into his van and eventually kills them. The parallel story follows Mark, a university professor, his quadriplegic wife, Julie, and 9-year-old son, Nate whose favorite stuffed gorilla, Duncan serves as a totem/protector for both Nate and Julie. I was intrigued because I really had no idea where this novel was going, but there are also some odd chapters that tend to break up the narrative and don't seem essential to the plot. References to Kafka don't seem to connect either, but maybe I'm just missing something in my analysis. Overall, it's an interesting story but clearly not for the faint of heart as there are graphic scenes of pedophilia that are difficult to read.

What a book!
I would not go so far as to describe this book a "thriller" and I probably would have given up reading halfway through it, if it were not for my need to know about the fate of Nate Driscoll. Although most parts of the book seemed stretchy and kept going on and on about random stuff that had no connection to the main plot, the ending more or less redeemed the book, in my opinion.
This book did give food for thought as it claims and and an insight into the mind of "Santa" a debolical predator!
I loved how Mr. McCort portrays the heart-warming relationship dynamics within the Driscoll family. Oh I did love Duncan too! Special mention also to the cover which was partly responsible for luring me into reading Duncan.
Thank you Netgalley, Dennis McCort & BookBuzz for an arc.

The book features a variety of themes including child abuse and disability. McCort provides an uncomfortably plausible insight into the mindset of the deplorable Santa. Thankfully I was never a Miles Davis fan or I think he'd be somewhat ruined for me now. Some sections were confusingly random, serving only to interrupt the narrative flow, and the Kafka passages feel shoe-horned in without contributing anything. The writer is clearly knowledgeable about jazz and classical music and well-read but sadly his apparent need to demonstrate this seemed to interfere with the story rather than enhance it. For me the concept was odd, the story a little too disjointed and the ending utterly ridiculous.

Thanks to NetGalley for this book in return for an honest review. I don’t know what to make of what I just read. There is no doubt that the author has an enviable vocabulary and is vastly knowledgeable in many fields, but I found the story too incomprehensible and chaotic despite its scholarly intentions.

The main characters are Samuel ‘Santa’ Clause, a deranged serial pedophile, who preys on young boys and then kills them.
Mark, a University professor of literature, who is conflicted about an affair.
Julie, Mark’s wife, is a quadriplegic following a horrifying car accident. Later, following a stroke, she developed ‘locked-in’ syndrome.
Nate, their nine-year-old son, is very intelligent. He has a small stuffed toy ape called Duncan, which was his valued companion. Duncan has become a family totem, resting on Julie’s lap while Nate is in school.
Hattie is a motherly caregiver and companion for Julie. She has retained some beliefs, superstitions and folktales from her native Haiti.

The story contains references to classical composers, Jazz musicians, famous literary writers and philosophers. It touches on meditation, academia, medicine and fantasy. There are streams of consciousness by Samuel. We also follow Julie’s thoughts within her paralyzed state.

The inevitable abduction of Nate doesn’t occur until 88% through the book where we get a startling and fantastic conclusion. So many unnecessary minutiae diminished the suspense and thrills I wanted. Prospective readers should not be influenced by my misgivings as it leaves one with plenty to think about.

Description
A cunning pederastic serial killer nicknamed “Santa” is making his way up the East Coast from New Orleans to Boston, leaving a trail of young bodies in his wake. Santa covers his tracks along the way by working as an itinerant bass player in a series of jazz combos. At the same time, the Driscoll family – Mark, Julie and their nine-year-old son Nate – who live in an upstate suburb of Syracuse, New York, struggle to come to grips with Mom’s quadriplegia following a horrific auto accident. The suspense builds to a fever pitch as these two plot strands approach each other for the inevitable confrontation. All this tension is heightened by the mystery of Duncan, Nate’s stuffed-toy gorilla, who is not only the boy’s beloved companion but becomes a kind of family totem, and, later on in the story, so much more.

This is a novel not only for readers addicted to thrill rides and maddening suspense but also for those who are curious about the abnormal psychology of the pedophiliac killer. The book gives food for thought as well as a kind of perverse satisfaction for the imagination and senses. It is a thinking reader’s book.

WOW. I was amazed at Duncan. It was such a good read. Just had trouble with the Santa of course. Thanks to NetGalley for the copy for review.