artemisiaday's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
scottneumann's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
ellenripleysleftboot's review against another edition
3.0
I have mixed feelings about Dead Girl Blues. So much so that I had to take time to think about what I wanted to write for a week or so before putting up a review. On the one hand there is so much to love about this novel as a homage to the classic genre of Giallo. Which for those who are unfamiliar is a genre of film originated from Italy named after the colour yellow. The genre usually focuses on a protagonist who is seeking to solve a mystery behind a series of gruesome murders. It has often been called a subgenre of horror, but I more see it as a form of pulpy crime thriller with artfully shot murder scenes. This book seeks to recreate the effects and pay homage to the greats of the genre, like Dario Argento, Mario Bava and Sergio Martino. The book is even dedicated to them.
The real question however is, is this book successful at doing this, while also doing something new to capture a modern audience and breathe new life into a genre which has now become tired with some of its sexist and predictable motifs?
The answer is both yes and no.
While Sodergren does bring new ideas to the table with classism, sexism and discussions of poverty sprinkled in around the artfully written murder sequences, there are a few things that hold back from really taking things to a new level.
In the story we are primarily taken in by the mystery, as with all Giallo's. Who is behind these snuff tapes and who murdered Jessica Chalmers? From their we follow Willow as she slowly uncovers the secrets lying at the heart of this novel, and uncovers the killer(s). A huge part of this book is about Willow's descent into madness and her identifying more and more with being a killer. To the point where it quite literally consumes her when she is sucked into a pile of rotting bodies by the end of the book. Its an artful idea, which I think was executed in some places really well and in others a bit shoddily. It felt at points in the story a bit forced and I wasn't fully convinced of her grappling with her morality. The closest I came to believing her was the scene where she visits Jessica's apartment and views the tapes, before rescuing what turns out to be a fake baby, from a fire in the apartment complex.
The real sexism discussion is never really touched on fully in the text. Their are illusions to sexism and the treatment of women, when Willow (who is a sex worker) is objectified by the other male characters in the story (i.e. the police officer who is investigating Jessica's murder and Vinnie Sunset). She often makes a point to combat these depictions by being a self-sufficient character who stands on her own to feet. She makes a point of saying she wants to solve this murder because she hates the idea of a woman being treated as another statistic among many other women who are destitute or addicts, who end up being murdered. While I really liked this path that the novel was taking, I wished that this angle was explored in even more detail. I would have liked to have seen the female side characters getting a bit more development instead of obviously being there as part of the body count total. We only really learn details about Cat and her life in the moments of her death, and she is the only prominent female character who isn't either destitute or an addict, who is given any kind of deeper look on this scale (apart from Willow). I would have liked to have empathized and felt something for these other characters a bit more, so that when they got killed off, they didn't feel like another statistic in the genre of Giallo.
As for the themes of poverty and wealth inequality in this book; those were a lot more subtle then the sexism. They were underlying with the very plot itself. The premise being that these people in the snuff videos were so desperate for money for drugs or other things they needed, that they would make movies where they would have intercourse with people they were also simultaneously killing. The clever idea of the leaders of this organized snuff film ring being two members of the upper class (Jessica's parents) was a clever twist, though I did see it coming. It is a kind of commentary on how the rich stand at the top of the hierarchy, oppressing the poor and forcing those with less power to do horrible things under them, before casting their bodies away like their nothing. However, the one thing I would have liked to have seen with the reveal of this, was a bit more subtlety on the part of Mr. and Mrs. Chalmers. They both got quite cartoonish at a certain point of the climax, which took me a bit out of the experience of the story, breaking the tension.
Overall, this novel for me was something I'm glad is out there. It brings back some fun old tropes, while also having some fun with them. There are issues of the female side characters being underdeveloped and some of the dialogue being clunky, but those are only some small factors in an overall solid installment into the Giallo genre of books.
The real question however is, is this book successful at doing this, while also doing something new to capture a modern audience and breathe new life into a genre which has now become tired with some of its sexist and predictable motifs?
The answer is both yes and no.
While Sodergren does bring new ideas to the table with classism, sexism and discussions of poverty sprinkled in around the artfully written murder sequences, there are a few things that hold back from really taking things to a new level.
In the story we are primarily taken in by the mystery, as with all Giallo's. Who is behind these snuff tapes and who murdered Jessica Chalmers? From their we follow Willow as she slowly uncovers the secrets lying at the heart of this novel, and uncovers the killer(s). A huge part of this book is about Willow's descent into madness and her identifying more and more with being a killer. To the point where it quite literally consumes her when she is sucked into a pile of rotting bodies by the end of the book. Its an artful idea, which I think was executed in some places really well and in others a bit shoddily. It felt at points in the story a bit forced and I wasn't fully convinced of her grappling with her morality. The closest I came to believing her was the scene where she visits Jessica's apartment and views the tapes, before rescuing what turns out to be a fake baby, from a fire in the apartment complex.
The real sexism discussion is never really touched on fully in the text. Their are illusions to sexism and the treatment of women, when Willow (who is a sex worker) is objectified by the other male characters in the story (i.e. the police officer who is investigating Jessica's murder and Vinnie Sunset). She often makes a point to combat these depictions by being a self-sufficient character who stands on her own to feet. She makes a point of saying she wants to solve this murder because she hates the idea of a woman being treated as another statistic among many other women who are destitute or addicts, who end up being murdered. While I really liked this path that the novel was taking, I wished that this angle was explored in even more detail. I would have liked to have seen the female side characters getting a bit more development instead of obviously being there as part of the body count total. We only really learn details about Cat and her life in the moments of her death, and she is the only prominent female character who isn't either destitute or an addict, who is given any kind of deeper look on this scale (apart from Willow). I would have liked to have empathized and felt something for these other characters a bit more, so that when they got killed off, they didn't feel like another statistic in the genre of Giallo.
As for the themes of poverty and wealth inequality in this book; those were a lot more subtle then the sexism. They were underlying with the very plot itself. The premise being that these people in the snuff videos were so desperate for money for drugs or other things they needed, that they would make movies where they would have intercourse with people they were also simultaneously killing. The clever idea of the leaders of this organized snuff film ring being two members of the upper class (Jessica's parents) was a clever twist, though I did see it coming. It is a kind of commentary on how the rich stand at the top of the hierarchy, oppressing the poor and forcing those with less power to do horrible things under them, before casting their bodies away like their nothing. However, the one thing I would have liked to have seen with the reveal of this, was a bit more subtlety on the part of Mr. and Mrs. Chalmers. They both got quite cartoonish at a certain point of the climax, which took me a bit out of the experience of the story, breaking the tension.
Overall, this novel for me was something I'm glad is out there. It brings back some fun old tropes, while also having some fun with them. There are issues of the female side characters being underdeveloped and some of the dialogue being clunky, but those are only some small factors in an overall solid installment into the Giallo genre of books.
bayoumuddah's review
5.0
Whooaa what an ending. I was gripped from the beginning to it's shocking ending. What a plot twist. Imma have nightmares
djgroupi's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is one twisted, disturbing book! And that ending!!! Reads like an NC-17 film with elements of the classic 80s slasher flick and torture porn like Hostel. Willow is a stripper who gets caught up in the underground world of snuff films when a young woman mysteriously dies in her arms in an alley. Not for the faint of heart.
owltheory's review
5.0
This was a fun noir/giallo inspired story with some extreme horror turns here and there. Violence for violence’s sake in fiction doesn’t bother me for the most part but it was nice to read something where the graphic scenes furthered the plot. I’m 100% the audience for this book just based on the movie references alone, not to mention just being a sucker for stories about snuff films.
5 stars for entertainment and the distinct feeling that Sodergren and I could have great conversations about the history and progression of horror films.
5 stars for entertainment and the distinct feeling that Sodergren and I could have great conversations about the history and progression of horror films.
tales_of_a_succubus's review
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
What's it about?
When Willow encounters a young woman that dies in her arms on the street, she is led into a mysterious, dark underground world. With a snuff film being the only clue to who the killer is, she digs herself into a grave to find the answer.
Y'all, this entire book meshes so well! A sexy, badass stripper discovering the seedy world of snuff films after a chance encounter murder? Yes please. In typical fashion, I stayed awake most of the night to finish this because I could not, by any means, put this down. It's fast-paced, moody, and seductive. It knows how to draw you in and keep you there. The plot unravels without ever becoming cheesy, overdone, or predictable. This shit was surprising all the way through! It takes you on a ride, my friends, and one I never want to get off of. And THE ENDING. Oh my god...it's amazing, trust me. You get your gore, some twists to shock you, and the perfect emotional ending we all know my void heart needs.
Our MC, Willow, is such a badass babe. From her mentality to her actions, we've got a tough one here and she ain't going down for shit. She's awesome and I enjoyed following her around. Her roommate is sweet & her only real friend. She's got co-workers she appreciates that she doesn't want anything bad to happen to. The brief moments we follow/get to know Jessica's life briefly before she is murdered, and she is an utterly fascinating character that I'd love a whole book on alone!
Scare Rating: 7 out of 10. Personally, I don't think this is his scariest book but Sodergren will always be a splatterpunk god, even when writing a mystery novel. Be prepared for gore and controversial topics!
I thought it was a cool note at the end about how this was inspired by Italian noir mysteries from back in the day, down to the yellow cover. Even though it deviates from a traditional Italian noir plot, this is an amazing modern take. I can't keep a favorite Sodergren book anymore, they are all too good! If he ever makes a mystery mini-series, I'd be jumping up and down lol.
I'd recommend this to splatterpunk fans, noir readers, those looking for a different take on a mystery, and anyone that wants an amazing top tier book.
5 stars
When Willow encounters a young woman that dies in her arms on the street, she is led into a mysterious, dark underground world. With a snuff film being the only clue to who the killer is, she digs herself into a grave to find the answer.
Y'all, this entire book meshes so well! A sexy, badass stripper discovering the seedy world of snuff films after a chance encounter murder? Yes please. In typical fashion, I stayed awake most of the night to finish this because I could not, by any means, put this down. It's fast-paced, moody, and seductive. It knows how to draw you in and keep you there. The plot unravels without ever becoming cheesy, overdone, or predictable. This shit was surprising all the way through! It takes you on a ride, my friends, and one I never want to get off of. And THE ENDING. Oh my god...it's amazing, trust me. You get your gore, some twists to shock you, and the perfect emotional ending we all know my void heart needs.
Our MC, Willow, is such a badass babe. From her mentality to her actions, we've got a tough one here and she ain't going down for shit. She's awesome and I enjoyed following her around. Her roommate is sweet & her only real friend. She's got co-workers she appreciates that she doesn't want anything bad to happen to. The brief moments we follow/get to know Jessica's life briefly before she is murdered, and she is an utterly fascinating character that I'd love a whole book on alone!
Scare Rating: 7 out of 10. Personally, I don't think this is his scariest book but Sodergren will always be a splatterpunk god, even when writing a mystery novel. Be prepared for gore and controversial topics!
I thought it was a cool note at the end about how this was inspired by Italian noir mysteries from back in the day, down to the yellow cover. Even though it deviates from a traditional Italian noir plot, this is an amazing modern take. I can't keep a favorite Sodergren book anymore, they are all too good! If he ever makes a mystery mini-series, I'd be jumping up and down lol.
I'd recommend this to splatterpunk fans, noir readers, those looking for a different take on a mystery, and anyone that wants an amazing top tier book.
5 stars
roshisshell's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0