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Terry Walker, an incarcerated serial killer, recounts his twenty-year stretch of murders. The 54-year-old inmate now has nothing but time to reflect on his past, channeling his anger at Karl Michaels, the detective who captured him, by bequeathing to him a written confession of sorts. But one may wonder if it is merely Terry’s means of reliving his once gratifying exploits.
It begins in December 1978, a particular time of year that marks Terry’s life with tragedy since the death of his family in a fatal car crash one Christmas. They were coming to visit him. It is unclear what age Terry was when this happened, and he admits this doesn’t excuse his behavior. But it gives some insight into the impact on his psyche. Terry’s first murder is accidental, but the rush of it leaves him compelled to explore further the elation he gains from it. With strategic planning and trial and error, Terry chooses victims based on sin, becoming known as the Torture Killer due to the centuries-old torture methods he employs. He leaves much carnage in his wake.
Andrews’ novel is not for the faint-hearted. Its subject matter is grim and visceral, but the author is careful enough not to revel in overly gruesome details, leaving much to the imagination. This book is most certainly for fans of horror and those who enjoy gruesome tales of serial killers (think the Saw franchise in novel form). It is surprisingly short—just shy of forty pages—but the story still works despite being such a quick read. More development of Terry and Detective Karl Michaels might have given the story a different pace, weight, and depth, but even without this, the novella remains a dark and disturbing tale.