ABOUT THE BOOK
A suited man runs from a burning tower in Melbourne as bodies rain down upon him.
Before the city’s millions can compose, he boards a train into the countryside. Hiding his identity and changing his appearance, the man finds his way to Sulley Ridge, a lawless town in the heart of the harsh Victorian outback.
The following day, a burned man wakes up in a hospital bed. Surging with rage, he speaks a name. Within an hour, the suited man’s face is across every screen in the country. It’s the greatest manhunt Australia has ever seen.
But as he tries to camouflage in Sulley Ridge, he soon realises the town has its own problems. Under the iron fist of a violent leader, the locals are trapped within slow and torturous decay…
As we learn more about the night of the burning tower, the connection between the suited man and the burned man threatens to leave a trail of destruction across the state.
Here is the story of a man on the run from his past, as the line between sanity and evil is danced upon.
Here is the tale of This Strange Hell.
MY REVIEW
Suspect runs and hides in a country town. Burn victim identifies suspect. Suspect’s name and photos are plastered on television and the newspapers. Burn victim vows vengeance. Suspect tries to redeem himself by helping a stranger and his family. Not everyone is who they seem… not everything is cut and dried…
He was hated across Melbourne and throughout Victoria. He was hated across Australia and throughout the world, thanks to the power of the internet. And now, in a place of anonymity and equipped with a new name, he was hated here too.
This suspense thriller begins on the city streets of Melbourne, Australia, and ends in a small country town called Sulley Ridge. Danger is everywhere. “The man” thought he could get some relief from running in a small town, but the town is run by a vile man named Siphon who kills without provocation. “The man” has nothing to lose and devises a plan to help the citizens of Sulley Ridge which also involves “the burned man” who wants the money. The results of the bloody showdown are eye-opening while the truth comes out.
A quick and sharp storyline with lots of action and questions to be answered. Sutton leaves nothing out when describing the horror of “the burned man’s” anger and the squalors of Siphon’s domain and the company he keeps.
Sutton’s clever method of not using the two main character’s names when describing their activities is interesting. It’s like they both lost their identities after the fire. The author also ties up endings by putting all the pieces together and brings closure in that “the man” didn’t do everything for naught.
I recommend this book for lovers of mystery and suspense that will keep one guessing to the end.
**Trigger warnings: violence, attempted rape**
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
C.J. Sutton is a writer based in Melbourne, Australia. He holds a Masters in journalism and creative writing and supports the value of study through correspondence. His fictional writing delves into the unpredictability of the human mind and the fears that drive us.
As a professional writer, C. J. Sutton has worked within the hustle and bustle of newsrooms, the competitive offices of advertising and the trenches of marketing. But his interest in creating new characters and worlds has seen a move into fiction, which has always pleaded for complete attention. Dortmund Hibernate was his debut novel, released by Crooked Cat Books on July 18. It is available now.
His new novel, This Strange Hell, will be released on March 15.
Visit him on his website, on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
