Book Review: Kinfolk by Matt Kurtz

Kinfolk by Matt Kurtz

Grindhouse Press is probably the most prolific publishing house I've ever encountered. It seems that every few weeks or so, there is an announcement for a new book dropping. Despite this speedy publishing schedule, they seem to release quite a few high quality pieces: KILL FOR SATAN! and DEAD STRIPPER STORAGE by Bryan Smith, FULL BRUTAL by Kristopher Triana, and RITUALISTIC HUMAN SACRIFICE by C.V. Hunt, to name a few. 

KINFOLK by Mr. Kurtz was on my radar, and Matt was kind enough to send a review copy. 

The story starts off strong, and in extreme fashion, with an Edward Lee-esque opening passage. So, I put my seatbelt on, expecting a bumpy ride. Well, I wouldn't need my seatbelt for a few more pages. The protagonists here are two criminals, with a revenge story woven in. I will admit that the relationship between the two brothers fell a little flat for me. I think Kurtz drew the characters ok; I just wasn't emotionally invested in them. As a result of this, I didn't get hooked into the story until the blood soaked and creepy final act, where Matt really flexes his writing muscles. That's when I needed TWO seatbelts.

There are some occasional flashes of extreme horror brilliance here, but the lack of a sympathetic protagonist kept the story at arm's length for me.

Grade: C

Review by Jason Cavallaro

Twitter: @pinheadspawn