Rest Stop by Nat Cassidy Published by Shortwave Media on October 15 2024
Genres: Adult, Horror
Pages: 160
Format: Finished paperback
Source: Purchased
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
The nitty-gritty: A twisty, bloody tale, Rest Stop is a delightfully gruesome surprise.
Rest Stop is a short and extremely twisted novella, and it has firmly cemented Nat Cassidy as a must read author for me. This is a wild, bloody adventure—or should I say “misadventure”—involving an ill-fated convenience store stop, a deranged killer, and a bunch of googly eyes. And yes, this review is extra short in order to avoid spoilers.
Abe is on his way to visit his grandmother, who just suffered a stroke and is in the hospital. In the middle of his long, nighttime drive, he decides to stop for gas and a snack, but when he goes into the bathroom, he finds himself inexplicably locked in. From outside the bathroom, Abe can hear giggling and other weird noises. And then something emerges from a vent in the ceiling…
Cassidy does a fantastic job of throwing surprise after surprise at the reader, and I never knew what to expect next. Poor Abe, he’s just trying to fill up his tank and take a much needed pee, but things at the convenience store just keep going from bad to worse. Without giving anything away, I will tell you that all he wants is to get the hell out of there, but circumstances inside the store prevent him from doing that.
Expect lots of blood and body horror, and if you’re squeamish when it comes to bugs and snakes, well, don’t say I didn’t warn you!
The author also brings some depth to his story, in addition to the expected horror elements. As Abe is going through his ordeal, he reflects on his grandmother and her experiences growing up Jewish during the war, and as it turns out, these memories bring a bit of comfort to him. But not too much comfort, because Abe is having a really terrible night.
Rest Stop is a quick read and a ton of fun, and I loved the whole package. Maybe read this during the day, though.
The cover is… Gruesome! But I am glad you enjoyed this one so much! It sounds like something original and intriguing!
It was fun, and so well written.
I preordered this before I saw snakes. I won’t lie – I’m worried. Maybe since I know about them I can tolerate it. Glad you loved it so much!
The snake is a small part, don’t worry!
Ya know, I think would have walked right past the cover in a book store. But after reading your review I’m much more curious about it. Sounds like a lot of fun, even if gruesome. Also sounds like it’s due for a movie treatment.
The cover is actually very clever once you read the story:-)
Haha – what Todd said. Sounds good. Although, you know me, I don’t usually pick up short stories and novellas.
Lynn 😀
I’m glad you enjoyed this one so much although I’ll admit that it’s gore level doesn’t really sound like it would be for me. I do appreciate how it’s managed to throw in additional elements with the grandmother’s past though.