One Last Shindig
Mark Towse read 3/9/2025-3/11/2025
Imagine being given a short blurb for a book and the chance to ARC knowing it’s a group of geriatric geezers facing zombies full of satire and horror elements only to find a story filled with so much more!!! Well, when Mark Towse asked for someone to read One Last Shindig and give him an honest review, this is what happened. I volunteered to give it a read thinking aaaaaaahhhhh, a nice little palette cleanser from psychological thrillers with funny old geezers and zombies, what could go wrong?
One Last Shindig is a cleverly crafted blend of horror, dark humor and chaos. I have no other way to put it. Towse does what Towse does – He sets the scene with vivid imagery while he takes you on a surprisingly dark journey that starts out with a mom arguing over biscuits with her child in the supermarket then chaos ensues in and out of the supermarket. Cut to the geriatric geezers on a bus heading to look at glow worms bantering back and forth about all types of things clueless to anything but what’s going on inside the bus. Towse possess the ability to weave dark humor through moments of creepy, disturbing scenarios creating a, well, psychological satirical thriller masterpiece. He may have just created a new sub-genre!!!!
I could smell the spray on pain meds, hear the squeaky walkers, imagine the droopy nappies (for us Americans diapers/drawers), hear the shuffling of the orthopedic shoes and sometimes playful, sometimes not so playful banter of the old geezers with their nostalgic stories and teasing about who needs hearing aids and stool softeners. It was like a visit to the local nursing home up in my head.
But what started as a peaceful day trip to see the elusive glow worms, hotel casino stay and food other than retirement home food (plus a little booze mixed in), artfully, Towse shifts our peaceful environment into a nightmarish scene of blood and gore. One of Towse’s masterful qualities is pacing. His ability to build tension gradually luring you into a feeling of false security because you think you know what is about to happen then a plot twist drops, making the turn into horror even more disturbing. The most refreshing part of this story is his ability to introduce humor and maintain a balance between that and the upcoming horror.
Towse is an engaging writing who masterfully builds suspense. He gives the reader the chance to experience terror and humor with the characters. One Last Shindig will make you laugh, scream and celebrate life’s unexpected moments while capturing the essence and thrill of the unknown.
As always, all opinions and reviews are of my own volition. I have not been promised any compensation by the author, present or future, for my review.
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