Why'd They Have To Die?

Sometimes I forget I'm reading a horror novel.

I've become so desensitized to most of it. Sometimes I fail to remember that it’s supposed to gross you out. Books like these are meant to make you wonder about the mental sanity of the author.

I'll tell you, Mike Dellosso is perfectly sane. (Well, as sane as anyone is. I’ve never met him personally, but I’m thinking he’s not too bad, haha.)

The Hunted by Mike Dellosso most definitely qualifies as Horror Fiction. I’m not sure what it’s been officially labelled, but in my book, it’s pure horror. The Hunted has all the essentials for success, including probably the most important of all; it extracts empathy. As you read the story, the characters swarm your mind and you begin to feel what they feel. Your emotions begin to echo theirs. You actually start to care for the fictional people now residing in your imagination.

This fact, this feature alone, is what makes a reader ask, “Why’d they have to die?”

I ripped through The Hunted, trying to consume every detail, every clue I possibly could obtain. As I did so, I grew a connection to the small-town characters. I wanted to keep reading to hear that they were going to be okay, to look for the happy ending. (By the way, a good bit of advice, if you want to make it through a horror novel without feeling anything, don’t get attached to ANY character. No one is safe…This also happens to be something Dellosso knows quite well.) But as all good horror author will note, happy endings have to be desired, but as far in the distance as can be. Dellosso achieves this with menacing beasts, graphic gore, and incessant havoc, all inflicted over the innocent spectators of a ancient town secret. One thing after another with no end in sight.

So I know I’ve just described a book that seems it should only be read by people of a certain age. But honestly, this is the stuff that makes horror…well…Horrific. Terrifying. Exhilarating. Exciting. Addicting.

As the age-old, concealed secret gets exposed more and more to the light, questions of supernatural, demonic forces come into play as Joe Saunders fights to save himself, his family, and his hometown. If you are a fan of a good plot, twists you can’t perceive, and a little bit of nonsensical death, you’ll love The Hunted.