A Psycho’s Medley
Terry M. West
A half-dozen questionable characters come forth in A Psycho’s Medley to reveal tales from the dark underbelly of life. However, every one of them is portrayed with such emotion you can’t help but hope for them – hope they find redemption, hope they find retribution, hope they find peace. The first story relays the ramblings in a journal of mass murderer, John Newport, aka: The Traveling Slayer. His journal of thoughts describes his state of mind and uncanny lack of motive for his killings, as he awaits the death penalty in a psychiatric prison. It is also interlaced with his own poetry, which reveals disturbing aspects into his deadly deeds. All the characters in this book are dirty, flawed and degenerate. Their pleas for help cry out from the corners of prison cells, strip clubs, and motel rooms with cheap escorts. This book is definitely not for the squeamish or those with pristine sensibilities; it will take you to dark places hidden from those who lead a proper moral life. Some of the character’s indiscretions are family traits learned in the swamps of Louisiana or at the end of a switch. ‘Hair and Blood’ is probably my favorite story in the book as a down-trodden 
young man becomes obsessed with the Carney side-show, Jungle Woman and she helps him to escape a bleak future. These stories are not unfamiliar; an overbearing parent, a childhood sweetheart, a young man bullied by schoolmates. Their conclusions are just as familiar, often read scenarios from the front pages of newspapers across the US. A Psycho’s Medley is raw and gritty horror taken from real life, a great book for anyone looking for a fast-paced, well-written collection of modern horror fiction. Definitely one of the best horror collections I’ve read this year!
Available in paperback and Kindle editions,
A Psycho’s Medley – Amazon
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parlor of horror 