In this throwback novel by Nick Horvath, he manages to give us a thrill a minute narrative with enough blood to fill a swimming pool and a fantastic character in Sledge who is the ultimate anti-hero.
If you're a fan of those noir, character driven, action packed books of the past, this one will be perfect to add to your collection.
Sledge is a huge man. Six foot ten inches of violence wrapped in the skin of a person. He's not a stealthy man and, some would say, he's not particularly strategic. But what he does best is kick ass, take names, and if you're in his sights, you better run.
Despite this, he's loyal to his few friends. Perhaps loyal to a fault. This gives him a vulnerability that you can't help but to root for and despite the brutal acts of extreme violence, he's kinda a loveable guy (in his own special way).
When a female friend tells him that she is being targeted by a dark web group calling themselves The Labyrinth, he decides to help her and this story just takes off right away. Sledge doesn't like guns. He prefers his trusty sledgehammer and his meaty battle tested fists to get the job done. With the help of his best friend (once an enemy who tried to kill him in the past) Sledge begins to do what he does best. Extract information from people in the most unsubtle ways possible.
This novel takes many twists and turns along the way. We'll meet characters that are often shady at best, we'll discover more about this Labyrinth and how they operate (think video game achievements and money for doing some particularly gruesome things to people), and we'll find out more about Sledge himself.
Since I'm fairly certain there will be more books coming from this world, I was really happy that the author didn't give away all the information. I have a feeling we'll be seeing more of him and there will be much more to discover.
I absolutely loved Sledge Vs The Labyrinth. It's gritty, bloody, noir-ish, and bad ass in the best possible way. This book releases on October 31st and you can pre-order your copy at the link below.
Dave from Horror Reads
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