Book Review: Bone Chiller by R.M. Heske

Title: Bone Chillers: Tales of Suburban Murder & Malice 

Author: R.M. Heske 

Genre: Fiction - Horror 

Finished: August 19, 2009

Cold Blooded Chillers: Tales of Suburban Murder and Malice by R.M. Heske is an anthology of three previously released comic books. The ten comic book stories presented are sectioned off into subcategories: Femme Fatales, Mistrust Thy Neighbor, Someone is Watching, and Extra Pieces. Some of the stories, such as False Pretenses, are quick and to the point, while others like Alibi offer very little graphics and tell the story as if it were a script. Within you have everything from women murders, rape, child abuse, false accusations, to serial killers. The art styles vary because the artists themselves do, but the stories are all written by R.M. Heske, who has a knack for the creepy and the bizarre, as well as for revealing the darkness inside of people. Heske’s characters are common people, housewives and next door neighbors, so some of the chill comes from the fact that they could be living next door to you. The mystery and suspense in some stories is palpable, and some have twists at the end that take you by surprise and thoroughly disturb and amuse you. Some of the stories will definitely make you feel ill at ease because they deal with subjects that people might consider taboo, but I would hope as fans of horror, readers would not worry so much about what is taboo and instead enjoy the feeling of being unsettled. As for the art, I was very impressed with it because the panels are executed beautifully and go perfectly with the story told. I had a great time lying in bed reading this anthology. By their very nature, the stories are all quick reads compiled together into a book you can get through in an hour. I love instant gratification. Each one is like an episode, as vivid as if you were watching it on television. I recommend this comic to anyone who likes the horror genre.