Death's Door

Possibly his very best offering yet. Following close on the heels of Hangman but a little bit more intense and nasty. Those who liked his previous material will definitely not be disappointed. I could not put this book down!! Michael Slade has (erroneously) been compared to Stephen King by some people who should know better. These idiots don't know what the hell they're talking about! It's obvious that they have either never read Stephen King or else they haven't bothered to check out Michael Slade! It's like saying that Chaucer and Keats are similar because they both wrote prose! Stephen King writes fiction in a sort of grown-up horror fairytale style. Michael Slade writes horror thrillers based on REAL human experience...no magical, mythical creatures nor any witches or dopplegangers there ... All that Michael Slade writes is based on a combination of things or parts thereof, which human beings have actually done to each other at one time or another. That's what makes him so effective!

Michael Slade just keeps getting better and better. Can't wait for the next installment in the fight between DeClercq and arch villian, Mephisto. It is bloody and sadistic, but that is the nature of the villian -- someone who knows no restrait in his desire for the ultimate pleasure and we don't know yet what that is. You can see Mephisto going deeper and deeper into evil and DeClercq and crew doing their best to stop him. Couldn't put down and rates five stars (I normally don't give more than four).

I finished Michael Slade's 'Death's Door' the other night, and the read was well worth the wait and sleepless hours before finishing. All the favorites sleuths of 'Special X' are in attendance, either diectly or obliquely. With DeClerq ridin' herd through a string of grisly female mutilations and murders scattered over Vancouver and the islands between there and Washington State. Familiar hunting grounds for those who have followed the series for any length of time. The underlying theme throughout is beauty and youth and death. With a splendid Slade-ian twist involving a trio of extremely bent, buckled and distorted bad guys. Each more sick than the last. With 'The Director' pulling the strings of 'The Doctor' and 'The Undertaker'. Throw in a Mummy. A heavyweight Porn King whose stock and trade is Custom Made films for the more discerning patrons of Fluff and Snuff. Everything you ever wanted to know about Embalming. Ancient Egypt. The Fountain Of Youth. A serious fling between DeClerq and Dr. Gillian Macbeth. Plus several cliff hanging rescues with Ghost Keeper and 'Mad Dog'Rabidowski and you'll have just one HELL of a good time! Better than either 'Burnt Bones', 'Primal Scream', and 'Hangman'. Definitely on a par with 'Headhunter' and 'Ripper'.... Enjoy Sladists!!!!

Lord and Lady Ridding in England had a bit of a financial setback so he arranges to have his mummy Sleeping Beauty sold to the highest bidder. Before that can happen, Stopwatch, a master criminal hired to steal the mummy, puts his plan in motion to get it in his hands. Six guards die but the mummy in the coffin is safe and on a plane to Richmond Columbia where it is picked up by an albino looking man known as the Undertaker.The Undertaker kills two custom officials and takes the mummy to its new owner, The Director. Sleeping Beauty is perfectly preserved, flesh and body parts are as new today as when the mummy was alive years ago. The Director thinks that Sleeping Beauty, with the help of the Doctor, can help him unlock the secrets of aging and the patients they chose to experiment on don't have any say in the matter. It will be up to Chief Superintendent Robert De Clerq and his team to get some answers before even more bodies are found.This is a very gory tale detailing cruel acts done to people by psychopaths who love different kinds of torture. Do not read this book on a full stomach or if you easily turn squeamish especially if you can't handle the ugly results of torture. DEATH'S DOOR is a fascinating excursion into the sick and psychopathic mind and the audience will feel sorry for the police who have to deal with this trash as the novel makes Norman Bates look like a choirboy.Harriet Klausner

This is one of Slade's better that I have read. While it does not run as high as the phenomenal first book from Slade--Headhunter--, Death's Door is much better then the book it is a sequel for; Burnt Bones. As always, the authors behind Slade pursued a great amount of historicl research to create a backbone for the book. This time, they focus on Egypt and mummies. There are many investigations in this one book and they all tie together by the mastermind behind them all, the mysterious and thrilling Mephisto whom we were first introduced to in Burnt Bones. Burnt Bones was not Slade's best; it was a jumble of history and family ties tied in with a storyline that wasn't a whodunnit. Death's Door is not a whodunnit either, however the formula of being a simple thriller works well. The ending will keep you on the edge of your seat, never mind the lead up to it all. The storyline is interesting as well, with the 'looking young again' theme throughout the book being a saterical look at life right now. Slade has delivered with their latest book. I can't wait for the next.