If you are a fan of slasher horror movies then you are in for a treat with this book! It certainly lives up to its title with some blood curdling results with its graphic imagery as someone or something hunts them down, murdering the group one by one. Five years ago a group of friends broke into the Hayden Resort, a derelict, run down, abandoned hotel to do some urban exploration but only one person left the resort alive. Ashley King, known to the media and fans as 'The Final Girl'. A serial killer murdered all her friends in horrific ways, a killer labeled as 'The Wraith' but was never caught. Although Ashley made it out alive, she never recovered from that night and never escaped from the Wraith psychologically, resulting in her taking her own life.  Drowning in grief from his Ashleys fiancée, Todd finds a clue left behind by Ashely, one that could identify the Wraith and let Ashely feast in peace. Following the clue, Todd and his friends follow in Ashley's footsteps to the Hayden Resort and what follows is an almost mirror image of what Ashely and her group went through as they come face to face with her murder, the Wraith.  There is enough killing packed with gore to satisfy even the most bloodthirsty readers and even though it reads like an 80's horror movie, this isn't a mindless slasher. It is full of complex characters, powerful imagery and intelligent plot lines and genre crossovers, horror, paranormal, suspense and psychological thriller with a serial killer to rival the likes of Leatherface and Freddy Krueger. I can see it now making its way to the silver screen as a horror movie, the whole novel would be a perfect cross over from page to screen. With Christmas just around the corner this book would make an ideal present for horror fans, they certainly wouldn't be disappointed!

I chose to read and review an eARC of Slash but that has in no way influenced my review. Holy moly, this is a cracker of a book! If you're a regular visitor to the blog then you may know that I love the horror genre as much as I love crime fiction! I'm particularly fond of the '80s slasher movie' novels and tend to turn to horror when my reading mojo ups and leaves. I asked for recommendations a few months back and the lovely Sharron at booksbehindthetitle suggested I gave Slash a go as she'd recently read it and thought it would appeal. She was 100% right. I devoured this book. Slash has everything I look for in a horror novel but with so much more dolloped on top (in a steaming, festering, bloody pile). Ashley King was the sole survivor of the Hayden Resort Massacre five years ago. Yup, she's a Final Girl. Todd Matthews, her fiancé, returns home one day to find her lifeless body hanging in the basement. Heartbroken and grieving for his lost love, he returns to the site of the massacre to find out what really happened that fateful night. A serial killer named 'The Wraith' has always been held responsible for the murders and Todd, and his totally unprepared band of friends, want answers. But what they find living in the ruins of the Resort is a whole lot more than they ever expected.... This is Shea's homage to slasher movies and I really enjoyed the high-stakes terror and the unashamed gore fest of Slash. But all is not what it first appears. This is the second book I've read by Hunter Shea - the first being Creature which is also well worth a look - but I get the feeling that Shea (and this really is just a feeling having read only two of this author's books - don't hate me if I'm wrong) has a very distinct style, which Slash benefits from. The story really ramped up a number of notches and was given an almighty gut pulverising twist. Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. This is a blood soaked, rip roaring ride of a book and I loved every minute of it. If you're not a fan of gore in your novels then perhaps this isn't for you. But if you've got the stomach, this is one that shouldn't be missed. It ticked so many boxes for me and I'm adding Shea's previous books to the TBR. I chose to read and review an eARC of Slash. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.