Publisher's Synopsis
Sixteen tales of dark, transgressive fiction for fans of Chuck Palahniuk, Elmore Leonard, and Edgar Allan PoeIn a near-future Pacific Northwest, a made-to-order sex robot tests a married couple's concept of fidelity; in the Tennessee hills of 19th-century America, an itinerant preacher forces others to prove their devotion to God - at gunpoint; and in a settlement town of the Old West, a former outlaw seeking to rescue his deceased brother's family from a life of poverty discovers to his horror the true meaning of blood.In The Meaning of Blood and Other Tales of Pervesity, Edgar Allan Poe scholar Chuck Caruso combines his deep roots in the American Gothic with his own contemporary sense of macabre humor. These sixteen stories of dark fiction range from crime thrillers to western noir to grotesque horror. Each twisted tale displays Caruso's unique blend of wry prose, feverish storytelling, and tragically-flawed characters discovering that even the most innocent encounter can lead to death. Or sex. Or both.About Chuck Caruso: Chuck Caruso is a 19th-century Americanist and Edgar Allan Poe scholar. His crime and horror writing has been published in Cemetery Dance, Shroud, and Dark Discoveries. His first novel The Lawn Job won the Independent Publisher Award for Best Regional Fiction. Caruso lives in Seattle, WashingtonPraise for The Meaning of Blood "The Meaning of Blood screams (and I mean screams!) Poe. Caruso is more than a Poe expert. He's practically Poe reincarnated, channeling the master's dark spirit to create stories that feel both ominously gothic and totally fresh." -Steve Hockensmith, author of the New York Times bestseller Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls"A lethal cocktail of hard-boiled noir, gothic horror and more." -Paul D. Brazill, author of Last Year's Man and A Case of Noir"Chuck Caruso is back with a collection of tales so twisted and twisty they give new meaning to the word perverse. With feverish intensity, Chuck explores shadows in the contemporary psyche not even the bright screens of our phones can dispel, spinning stories that read like lucid dreams on steroids. It's Black Mirror meets Dupin while Montresor drinks in the corner, with a pounding punk thrash as soundtrack. In these stories, Chuck messes with your mind and unravels your nerves, but you'll just keep turning the page. Trust me. You won't be able to stop. You might not be able to sleep either." -Bill Cameron, award-winning author of Property of the State "If Stephen King, Elmore Leonard, and Ray Bradbury were to mix their DNA, their literary lovechild would be Chuck Caruso. These stories were mind-blowing; I was left ravenous for more." - Orlando Ortega-Medina, award-winning author of Jerusalem Ablaze
