A trio of short stories that present a cast of evil yet interesting villains.
"Bloodstained Tales of Sin and Sex" is a trio of short stories written by David Hearne that present a cast of evil yet interesting villains. Some are loathing underdogs that are unsympathetic characters that will anger you with their evil and sadistic actions. And some protagonist will have you cheering for their success in their quest to kill. Some of the stories are incredibly suspenseful and full of horror that comes not from imaginary evil entities, but from insane acts of human cruelty; much scarier than the boogie men under the bed. Scenes from Bloodstained tales of Sin and Sex will shock, disgust, yet grossly satisfy your thirst for decadent horror stories. Each story is fast paced with action and suspense. The Secret Sinners Society: Revenge is coming to a beautiful female cop in Beaumont Texas who desires to kill her mother's murderer. She and some other good folks of Beaumont are going to make it happen. Someone is going to die slowly and their screams won't help. How diabolical can her revenge be when she comes face to face with the murderer of her mother? Very! One Eighty Seven: When good luck suddenly swings in Raymond Billing's direction after years of no luck, he is elated. He has a job, good looks and lots of ladies, but what will he do if his nightmare life returns? The Strangler Fig: Does the mighty Banyan tree have the ability to recognize good from evil? That question is answered in this strange tale of redemption of a black family after they survive the oppression and brutality of post-Reconstruction America only to lose their house, land and more to the local KKK..Decades later redemption is finally on the table with the help of a Banyan tree and a Santeria Priestess.
Excerpt
THE STRANGLER FIG
Fifty feet above me was the outline of the remains of my great grandfather, Willy Taylor, or more affectionately referred to as Great Pa. His outline glistened from the rain, and it looked as if he was staring down on the strange happenings below. The huge Banyan tree swished and shook like it was undergoing a massive electric shock treatment. Even its scraggy aerial roots wavered back and forth in some sort of rapturous excitement.
Muffled by a roll of thunder, a horrible guttural noise bellowed from the naked man standing under the Banyan’s thrashing branches. His cries and pleas of mercy would go unanswered, and I’d feel no guilt for the horror that was there awaiting him. That day had been coming for many decades, and I’ll remember it as the Taylors’ day of atonement.
Back in the early nineteen hundreds, Willy Taylor, my Great Pa, was the best cabinet maker in Key West. Everyone agreed, even Big Jim Dillon, the Klarogo or Sergeant of Arms of the local Ku Klux Klan. If anyone wanted a cabinet or chest made right, they would go to Willy Taylor. In 1930 my Great Pa had fallen ill and started having dizzy spells. He wasn’t really all that old, maybe about forty, so he figured the condition would just pass, but instead, the spells got worse and often he’d pass out right where he stood.
One day in October 1930 Big Jim Dillon sent a message to my Great Pa to come to his house and build him an armoire for his new wife, Thelma. My Great Gram claimed that the new Mrs. Dillon was a bitter white woman as mean as a cornered rattlesnake. Great Gram’s warning made no difference to Great Pa since there was no way to say no to a job from a member of the KKK, especially its Sergeant of Arms.
The second day on the job, Mrs. Dillon came in to tell my Great Pa to leave because she had some white ladies coming over, and she didn’t want them to see no sweaty black man in her house. While she stood there glaring coldly at him, my Great pa had one of his spells.
As he collapsed, one of his flailing hands accidentally grasped Mrs. Dillon’s bodice and ripped it open. When he came to, a group of astonished white women were all looking down at him, but even worse, he saw that Mrs. Dillon was crying and grasping her torn bodice. As Great Pa shakily rose from the floor, Thelma cursed and shrieked at him that he’d pay mighty when Big Jim heard about this.
Great Pa didn’t have to wait long to see what awaited him. Later that very evening some unwelcomed visitors banged on his front door yelling, “Open the door, coon.” When he finally opened the door, six hooded and robed KKK members burst into the house and pummeled Great Pa to the floor. The hooded men said they had a big lesson of respect to teach him about white women; at least that’s what they claimed they were there for.
Professional Reviews
Riveting Reads
If there was ever a good writer I must confess it has to be David Hearne. I think I must be his hugest fan, having read all his books of course, so when I found out he had written a new story I just had to get in on it. While many of my favorites do not live up to my expectations I have come to the conclusion that he is the best at the short story sphere. These stories and characters were developed quickly and the tales moved forward fast I read this book in less than a day and it had me wanting more. His novels are worth reading and you won't be sorry having invested the time with any of them, but his true masterpieces are in this collection of short stories. I loved them. These were really different.
Hearne willingness to experiment in different genres and getting his stories out to the public in innovative ways sets him apart from many other authors.
Of all the stories included in Bloodstained Tales of Sin and Sex, my favorite is the first one “The Strangler Fig” This story of revenge is riddled with man’s cruelty to man and sprinkled with some strange sex scenes, and it was good. There were some shocking parts that literally had me at the edge of my seat but in the end I had to give credit to the genius who crafted such a riveting story. This story alone is worth the cost of the book.
I also appreciated the last story, about a female police officer who is searching for the person who killed her mother. Lots of twist and turns in this one and ends up much different than I had anticipated. As the story progressed I became drawn into the plot myself and somehow I began to feel what I supposed the character must have felt. It is always great when a simple book can inspire emotions in its reader.
A great read for anyone who likes campy horror stories.
5 Stars - Kashif Ford
Enjoyable read for a frightful night
I do not read horror stories often as I usually go for thriller. I decided to go for this "Bloodstained Tales of Sin and Sex" as it is made up of a trio of short stories written by David Hearne. Sometimes I prefer short stories since I can finish and find out what is the ending.
The author managed to create some interesting characters, especially the villains. You will not have any sympathy for these evil characters if they did not have a good end of their lives.
I love the author's writing style, the words flow smoothly. I found it easy to read page after page and I managed to finish the whole book in one night of reading. Yes, I prefer to read horror stories at night. Out of the 3 stories, I love One Eighty Seven the best. I found there is tiny bit of humor in this story to balance out the horror.
I will recommend this book to other horror stories lovers for a quick and exciting read.
5 Stars - Jan Wuzeler
Very impressive!!
Bloodstained Tales of Sin and Sex is one of the most unique and original reads that I have encountered in a long time. David Hearne expresses himself in an engaging and visually-rich writing style that leaves the book with a very captivating feel; the plot does an excellent job of keeping the reader on edge - it left me always guessing what was going to happen next, yet the author always managed to execute a perfect twist or turn that would make each story play out different than I expected. There's definitely a strong thriller element that compliments the horror element near flawlessly, in a way that I haven't seen much of before, and so I am ultimately left not only impressed with the stories, but also with an author that I will definitely be keeping an eye on in anticipation for future releases. My only issue with this book is that I can't decide which story is my favorite between "The Strangler Fig" and "One Eighty Seven" - for that reason alone, I can't possibly give `Bloodstained Tales of Sin and Sex' anything less than the 5 stars that it deserves.
5 Stars - Lucidity
In the end they'll all be dancin'--all them ones that didn't die.... Dance with me in the shadows amidst the lightning and the thunder, and all that nu-cu-lar debris. See the big bang from the other side, and then open that cellar door. Go down into
Grab those side-irons, saddle up and join former Civil War sharpshooter Luther Henry for a ride into pure terror, western-style…think ‘Wild Wild West’ meets ‘The X-Files’.
