Evil Cannot be Contained
Sim Barker is a successful You Tuber who specializes in true crime investigations. It is due to this success that he and his girlfriend Chrissy have been invited to visit a strange island compound called “The Keep”. As one of a select few first visitors, the billionaire owner hopes to gain traction and interest for this current endeavor. What initially appears to be a large museum paying homage to the world’s most dangerous serial killers in fact is a functioning high security prison. Housing over 30 of the most brutal killers alive, Evers Nealy hopes to promote a rehabilitative environment while studying their behaviors. As the tour begins with a cheesy almost Disneyesque ride ending in the bowels of the keep Sim and the other guests come face to face with some of the most dangerous killers currently alive including the brutal “Boxcutter Killer”. All seems to be going well, if not a bit unnerving being so close to such brutality in the flesh until a security breach allows the killers to run rampant and have Sim, Chrissy and the other guests running or their lives. With the guests and inmates alike attempting to escape the doomed keep, Sim comes face to face with his worst nightmare.
Maniac Menagerie is one of the more recent installments in the Cursed Manuscripts series of books by author Iain Rob Wright. The manuscripts themselves are unique in that they are grouped into a series; however, each once is a standalone offering. After having read a few of these to date and noting that there may be a mention in passing of an earlier book, these books are thus far in no way connected except for the main heading. Being a person who has always been interested in the psyche of serial killers I was eager to delve into this title and was not disappointed. Wright has imagined the best worst-case scenario when anything can and will go wrong. Setting this inside a high security prison of some of the most dangerous individuals only amped up the suspense. The interactions between the inmates and the guests as they attempt to escape the doomed structure the urgency was palpable. As always, be careful who you trust as even with the hardened criminals, not all is always what it seems. Wright’s descriptions, as usual, are vivid and allowed me to easily envision the plight of the characters. Overall, the character of the Boxcutter Killer was terrifying… a sort of boogeyman that the main character Sim is more familiar with than he would like anyone to know. I would say that the impact of the Boxcutter was more vivid with the inclusion of the prologue. When the first impression is the worst case, that imagery is carried with you throughout the story to where just the mention of the Boxcutter later in the story is enough to give the reader chills.
Improbable? Yes. Fanciful? Most definitely. But if you are a lover of all things horror, impossible situations, and terrifying villains then Maniac Menagerie will be a fun read.
Jennly Reads 