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The Train Derails in Boston
CHERRYWOOD LODGE IS HAUNTED, AND THANK FUCK FOR ITS GHOSTS . . . Rebecca Malone has problems. Not just the alcohol. Not just her husband's inane attempts at writing a bestselling novel, their teenage daughter's promiscuity, or her certifiable mother. Not even her lover, who wants to take her husband's place in Cherrywood Lodge, the famous estate she now calls home. Her biggest issues start the moment she discovers a chest of ancient mahjong tiles in the basement of her new house, causing her life to spin out of control with hallucinations, sexual deviances, and grisly murders. Is the mahjong game haunted? Or are Rebecca's problems part of a different game, started before she was born?
348 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 8, 2016
7 people are currently reading
167 people want to read
About the author
Jessica McHugh
96 books209 followersJessica McHugh is a 3x Bram Stoker Award-nominated poet, a multi-genre novelist, & an internationally-produced playwright who spends her days surrounded by artistic inspiration at a Maryland tattoo shop. She’s had thirty-one books published in sixteen years, including her Elgin Award-nominated blackout poetry collection, “The Quiet Ways I Destroy You,” her sci-fi bizarro romp, “The Green Kangaroos,” and her cross-generational horror series, “The Gardening Guidebooks Trilogy.” Explore the growing worlds of Jessica McHugh at McHughniverse.com.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
April 4, 2017
This one is fun for the whole family - Ghostly gangbangs, haunted mahjong tiles, eHow exorcisms and gallons of blood and Stoli raining down over the halls of Cherrywood Lodge. Nice.
A wild ride full of violence, disgrace, domination and indulgence. And no shortage of ghost cock. Yep, that's right. Ghost cock. Told you this was fun for the whole family.
A wild ride full of violence, disgrace, domination and indulgence. And no shortage of ghost cock. Yep, that's right. Ghost cock. Told you this was fun for the whole family.
May 27, 2016
Full Disclosure: I received an e-copy of the book from the lunatics at PMMP for review purposes.
This is probably the most impressive horror novel I've read in 2016. I've read a lot of horror, and I'm pretty jaded. Not many books impress, excite or draw me in.
It's a little tough to review. It doesn't fit neatly into a specific type of horror. I'm not entirely sure how to describe it. There's a lot going on, a lot of various threads and twists. In a good way, it'll drive you crazy. It all gets tied together in the end, and it's pretty amazing.
I can't get into most of what goes on. I don't mind spoilers, myself, BUT, I personally don't like to spoil entertainment for others.
All the characters are super- unlikable. There's not exactly anyone to root for. It's almost hard to feel bad for what they go through. (The one character that I started to like, ended up being the absolute worst!)
There's a lot of explicit, deranged sex, and use of the word "quim". (Quim's a great word. I was tickled that McHugh used it.) Of course there is about an equal amount of bloody, horrifying scenes.
I read the book in one sitting. (I stayed up past my bedtime to finish it.) I recommend that you buy a copy.
This is probably the most impressive horror novel I've read in 2016. I've read a lot of horror, and I'm pretty jaded. Not many books impress, excite or draw me in.
It's a little tough to review. It doesn't fit neatly into a specific type of horror. I'm not entirely sure how to describe it. There's a lot going on, a lot of various threads and twists. In a good way, it'll drive you crazy. It all gets tied together in the end, and it's pretty amazing.
I can't get into most of what goes on. I don't mind spoilers, myself, BUT, I personally don't like to spoil entertainment for others.
All the characters are super- unlikable. There's not exactly anyone to root for. It's almost hard to feel bad for what they go through. (The one character that I started to like, ended up being the absolute worst!)
There's a lot of explicit, deranged sex, and use of the word "quim". (Quim's a great word. I was tickled that McHugh used it.) Of course there is about an equal amount of bloody, horrifying scenes.
I read the book in one sitting. (I stayed up past my bedtime to finish it.) I recommend that you buy a copy.
September 10, 2016
This was my first experience reading McHugh, and although I enjoyed reading it, I felt it would have worked much more effectively as a novella. There was simply not enough story to sustain a 300+ page novel. The dysfunctional family issues felt repetitive for the first two thirds and only picked up during the final third of the book, where the actual story kicked in. And even then, the story details all seemed a bit too convoluted and forced. I'm convinced a solid editor could have turned this into a real gem of a novella, not to mention catch the obvious but rare typos. And while the graphic descriptions of sex were enjoyable, they were not nearly on the level of a Wrath James White or Edward Lee.
Regardless, I did find most of the character interactions authentic and the dialogue believable and has me interested to see what McHugh writes in the future. My initial 2 and 1/2 star review gets bumped up to a full 3 because of the incredibly mind-blowing ending. Without spoilers, I can say that I don't think the gimmick the author used on the last page has ever been done before -- at least not that I am aware of. That alone, for me, was worth the price of the book. In the end, this book is recommended with reservations.
Regardless, I did find most of the character interactions authentic and the dialogue believable and has me interested to see what McHugh writes in the future. My initial 2 and 1/2 star review gets bumped up to a full 3 because of the incredibly mind-blowing ending. Without spoilers, I can say that I don't think the gimmick the author used on the last page has ever been done before -- at least not that I am aware of. That alone, for me, was worth the price of the book. In the end, this book is recommended with reservations.
July 12, 2021
The Train Derails in Boston is sorta like a John Dies at the End kind of book. It doesn't matter that the book spoils the ending, that's not what it's about at all. It's about the ride it takes to get there and therein lies the meat and intrigue of the book..
This is part mystery, part ghost story, part erotica and part weird. There's a lot of sex scenes in the book, nearly every chapter. That's not off-putting but I felt I lot of it didn't lend much to the story and became redundant after the point was made.
There is a shifting timeline in the narrative that also confused me at times. It's easy enough to follow overall, but in the moment I had to recalibrate my head space to align with the constantly shifting points in time.
Overall, The Train Derails in Boston is a good read. Not my favorite by Jessica McHugh but that certainly doesn't make it bad either. Lots of great turns of phrase and brutal examinations of the human condition. Check it out.
This is part mystery, part ghost story, part erotica and part weird. There's a lot of sex scenes in the book, nearly every chapter. That's not off-putting but I felt I lot of it didn't lend much to the story and became redundant after the point was made.
There is a shifting timeline in the narrative that also confused me at times. It's easy enough to follow overall, but in the moment I had to recalibrate my head space to align with the constantly shifting points in time.
Overall, The Train Derails in Boston is a good read. Not my favorite by Jessica McHugh but that certainly doesn't make it bad either. Lots of great turns of phrase and brutal examinations of the human condition. Check it out.
February 6, 2017
There was a time in my life when I fancied myself somewhat of a musician. I wasn't overly talented but I played some decent, functional blues and rock bass. And I still remember the first time I heard Victor Wooten play and how inspiring it was to see what could be done with that instrument.
It also made me want to stick my head in the toilet.
I had this exact same feeling, reading The Train Derails In Boston.
I've not read much or, really any erotic tilted fiction before. Not a judgment on the genre, it's just not my thing. Here's the thing, though. If the singer has the chops, the music is going to elevate. And this story is so well done, there was never a point where I thought the sex seemed out of place or shoehorned in to the story. This felt real, authentic and honest. This was masterful work.
One thing I wanted to praise in particular was the layering of the narrative. Most of the story takes place in flashback, jumping around to various points in time and from the perspective of different characters. I firmly believe that roughly nine out of ten writers would take this structure and turn it into a hot mess, and I include myself as one of those nine. McHugh pulls this off in such fine form, I can't think of any better testament to her talents and qualities as a writer.
Train Derails is an exciting and frightening book, with images and content that will disturb. And as it draws you into the narrative, it gradually hands over the information you need until you hit that blissful moment when you get a glimpse of what is going on, only to realize how much more there really is. And it all builds up to possibly one of the most brilliantly clever final lines I have ever read in a book.
Read it
It also made me want to stick my head in the toilet.
I had this exact same feeling, reading The Train Derails In Boston.
I've not read much or, really any erotic tilted fiction before. Not a judgment on the genre, it's just not my thing. Here's the thing, though. If the singer has the chops, the music is going to elevate. And this story is so well done, there was never a point where I thought the sex seemed out of place or shoehorned in to the story. This felt real, authentic and honest. This was masterful work.
One thing I wanted to praise in particular was the layering of the narrative. Most of the story takes place in flashback, jumping around to various points in time and from the perspective of different characters. I firmly believe that roughly nine out of ten writers would take this structure and turn it into a hot mess, and I include myself as one of those nine. McHugh pulls this off in such fine form, I can't think of any better testament to her talents and qualities as a writer.
Train Derails is an exciting and frightening book, with images and content that will disturb. And as it draws you into the narrative, it gradually hands over the information you need until you hit that blissful moment when you get a glimpse of what is going on, only to realize how much more there really is. And it all builds up to possibly one of the most brilliantly clever final lines I have ever read in a book.
Read it
November 19, 2016
The Train Derails in Boston is an unusual horror story. Its ample sex scenes are as steamy as they are disturbing. Its characters are all reprehensible, but also sympathetic. This book is an unforgettable take on the classic haunted house story.
December 14, 2018
I spotted this one on bookstagram and thought I'd give it a go since it got good reviews. I'm going to have to reconsider who I follow because they must have been paid to say that.
This was a DNF for me which is disappointing as I want to love all things horror then there is this. Just filled with unnecessary sex. While I'm no prude at 200 pages in and every 3 pages if not leas is filled with someones sexual escapade and perversion. And not even have a point. That got boring quick add in severely weak men and :yawn: I could not care less about any one of the characters. I hope they all die in the end the world could do better without this cluster screw up of a family.
On to better books
This was a DNF for me which is disappointing as I want to love all things horror then there is this. Just filled with unnecessary sex. While I'm no prude at 200 pages in and every 3 pages if not leas is filled with someones sexual escapade and perversion. And not even have a point. That got boring quick add in severely weak men and :yawn: I could not care less about any one of the characters. I hope they all die in the end the world could do better without this cluster screw up of a family.
On to better books
March 14, 2017
That was a wild, wild ride.
June 18, 2016
The Train Derails in Boston, a clever title for a dark as hell read. When the title clicks it'll hit like a vagrant brick. First off, trigger warning! This read has a lot of fornication going on. It's almost non-stop through the first half of the book (and still quite prevalent throughout the second half.) And not so much in the way of hot whoopie, but more of the damaged, compulsive grudge business. So, brace yourself, there's going to be some stuff going on. This could be a turn off for some. Not so much me although I found it a bit distracting, but not a hindrance. It is some of the most fluid (wink) scenes I've read, and there is some important clues to be garnered within. So pay attention. Could the info have been revealed in other ways? Maybe, maybe not. It's an author's job to tell a story. It is a reader's job to find the connection. I did learn some things though, so....
At the heart of the book, and at the heart of this haunted house, is a tale of disfunction. Broken people finding damaged ways to make amends for youthful indiscretions. Mistakes. Finding the most abrasive way to extract revenge. Trying to disprove the notion of two wrongs not making a right like they're trying to cure cancer. It's really a heartbreaking chain of events, with pieces dropped methodically, link by tarnished, rusty link. When the final piece falls, you may let out an audible curse. I did anyway.
I loved the entire cast here, in all of their shattered glory. This book pumps heat, emotion, and it all exudes from this great collection of souls. They feel like real people, facing honest problems, and making bad decisions on realistic choices. The words they speak are aimed to hurt, just like the real people you pass each and every day, bless their hearts.
This is my first McHugh read and The Train Derails in Boston had a lot of hype built up around it. Not just the book itself but concerning Jessica's writing as well. It's isn't hype, it's truth. She's a dangerous and energetic storyteller. This won't be my last.
Jessica's style is consuming and intoxicating, the words swinging like barbed hooks. Chaos reigns as the tale bounces around five plus decades. There is a lot going on, most of it sour. The copious amounts of sex was still a bit of a distraction, but the rest of this book is a rock solid, onyx black heart.
And I dug it quite a bit.
I'll never look at a mahjong set the same way.
Overall score: 4.5/ 5
Zakk is a big dumb animal!
https://www.facebook.com/ExLibrisTheE...
**Note: I received a review copy of this book from the publisher on the promise of an honest review. These are my unbiased feelings.
June 13, 2016
3.5 stars
Where to even start with this one? Uhm, I have no idea. I don't even know what genre this goes in. Horror-porno-satire? Is there such a thing? No? How about whisky-fueled-satirical-horror-porn? Yeah, that's the one.
Now that I have established a fitting box to file this in, lets get on with it!
I've seen this draw many comparisons with American Horror Story: Murder House, and yes, I can see that. There are many, it's set in a haunted house/mansion. There's a lot of kinky sex. The family that move in are a husband, wife and teenage daughter. Everyone sees things that aren't there, or maybe are?
That's pretty much where the similarities end. What follows is a completely crazy journey. The author slowly releases information through various flashbacks, that explain in detail, what led our messed up protagonists into this difficult situation.
It starts off rather innocently, Rebecca driving to her lover's place to end it, she wants a fresh start with her husband and daughter, very quickly things get weird. At first I was a little thrown off balance by the constant jumping around in time. Six months before today, 3 months before today, 50 years before today, it made it difficult to keep track of what was happening when, and to whom. Alas, a few days after the finish, I think it works very well.
The reader is just barely keeping up, that's kinda the point. It all adds an angst to the plot. Whilst the reader is trying to make sense of the order of everything, they are unprepared for the revelations to follow. Makes for a brilliant suspense builder.
I was surprised by the quality of the writing, its really good. Even with all the sex, I'm not a prude or anything, but I was blushing quite a lot all the way through this! (How many different words do you need for vagina? Quite a few as it turns out!) Anyway, it wasn't enough for me to be put off, or distract from the brilliant writing.
This is a very well written, darkly funny, sex-and-booze fueled speculative fiction, with majong.
*I received an e-copy from Perpetual Motion Machine Publishing in exchange for an honest review.
Where to even start with this one? Uhm, I have no idea. I don't even know what genre this goes in. Horror-porno-satire? Is there such a thing? No? How about whisky-fueled-satirical-horror-porn? Yeah, that's the one.
Now that I have established a fitting box to file this in, lets get on with it!
I've seen this draw many comparisons with American Horror Story: Murder House, and yes, I can see that. There are many, it's set in a haunted house/mansion. There's a lot of kinky sex. The family that move in are a husband, wife and teenage daughter. Everyone sees things that aren't there, or maybe are?
That's pretty much where the similarities end. What follows is a completely crazy journey. The author slowly releases information through various flashbacks, that explain in detail, what led our messed up protagonists into this difficult situation.
It starts off rather innocently, Rebecca driving to her lover's place to end it, she wants a fresh start with her husband and daughter, very quickly things get weird. At first I was a little thrown off balance by the constant jumping around in time. Six months before today, 3 months before today, 50 years before today, it made it difficult to keep track of what was happening when, and to whom. Alas, a few days after the finish, I think it works very well.
The reader is just barely keeping up, that's kinda the point. It all adds an angst to the plot. Whilst the reader is trying to make sense of the order of everything, they are unprepared for the revelations to follow. Makes for a brilliant suspense builder.
I was surprised by the quality of the writing, its really good. Even with all the sex, I'm not a prude or anything, but I was blushing quite a lot all the way through this! (How many different words do you need for vagina? Quite a few as it turns out!) Anyway, it wasn't enough for me to be put off, or distract from the brilliant writing.
This is a very well written, darkly funny, sex-and-booze fueled speculative fiction, with majong.
*I received an e-copy from Perpetual Motion Machine Publishing in exchange for an honest review.
November 19, 2016
Man this was an exciting read. I want to say first of all there is a lot of graphic sex scenes in this book. I am not saying that because I have a problem with it, I don't. I know people are going to be reviewing this book with 1 or 2 stars and complaining about it. So if you are a tight ass and clutch your pearls about sex, you may want to pass on this one. If you can actually read like an adult you will realize that the sexual elements add a layer of psychological terror to the plot. It is an integral part of the plot but it is far from the main part of the story.
Rebecca Malone is a troubled woman. She is recovering from a car accident in which she was driving drunk with her teenage daughter. They were both injured physically but not nearly as much as they were traumatized mentally by the event. Between Rebecca's alcoholism and affair she is really having a difficult time connecting with her daughter and husband. Rebecca and her family have recently moved into a mansion called Cherrywood that her mother and husband purchased in a secret deal. Something about the house isn't right and as the story unfolds in a series of terrible events. Violent, psychologically awful events. Two words--Ghost Rape. Of course, since McHugh is such a talented writer there are more layers to the story than the awful things that are happening. McHugh drops dashes of hope and moments of lucidity throughout the book. Just enough for you to feel for this family and how people can do awful things but it doesn't mean they aren't capable of love.
The book unfolds in a creative manner which reminds me of what I loved about Chuck Palahnuik when I first started reading his work. Even the title is a creative play on the plot. I have read several books this year that are relentlessly harsh and brutal like The Train Derails In Boston. Books like CV Hunt's Ritual Human Sacrifice and Brother by Ania Ahlborn come to mind. If you are into that sort of thing, as I am, go ahead and pick up this book. I want to reemphasize my appreciation for McHugh's work and say I look forward to her future horror/Sci fi novels.
Rebecca Malone is a troubled woman. She is recovering from a car accident in which she was driving drunk with her teenage daughter. They were both injured physically but not nearly as much as they were traumatized mentally by the event. Between Rebecca's alcoholism and affair she is really having a difficult time connecting with her daughter and husband. Rebecca and her family have recently moved into a mansion called Cherrywood that her mother and husband purchased in a secret deal. Something about the house isn't right and as the story unfolds in a series of terrible events. Violent, psychologically awful events. Two words--Ghost Rape. Of course, since McHugh is such a talented writer there are more layers to the story than the awful things that are happening. McHugh drops dashes of hope and moments of lucidity throughout the book. Just enough for you to feel for this family and how people can do awful things but it doesn't mean they aren't capable of love.
The book unfolds in a creative manner which reminds me of what I loved about Chuck Palahnuik when I first started reading his work. Even the title is a creative play on the plot. I have read several books this year that are relentlessly harsh and brutal like The Train Derails In Boston. Books like CV Hunt's Ritual Human Sacrifice and Brother by Ania Ahlborn come to mind. If you are into that sort of thing, as I am, go ahead and pick up this book. I want to reemphasize my appreciation for McHugh's work and say I look forward to her future horror/Sci fi novels.
July 11, 2016
The Train Derails in Boston is a fierce erotic horror novel - an unflinching juggernaut of a book that will give you wet dreams as well as nightmares.
It tells the story of Rebbeca Malone, a troubled, angry woman who is all kinds of damaged. She's an alcoholic; has a shattered marriage and a terrible relationship with her equally damaged teenage daughter; is cheating on her husband with a man some 20 years her junior; and now, worst of all, she's being pursued by seductive, bloodthirsty ghosts. When her deadbeat husband buys a stately manor using Rebecca's mother's money, the story kicks into haunted house mode, stepping into the territory of such classics as Anne Rivers Siddon's The House Next Door and Clive Barker's The Hellhound Heart with a steady pace and a solid hold on suspense.
We meet each member of The Malone family, as well as Rebecca's disturbed mother, who seriously strained their relationship from day one. Throughout the course of the book we're also treated to various ghosts, from vengeful madmen to horny hermaphrodites. The book is loaded with intense sex scenes that will make you sweat, as well as graphic gore and psychedelic weirdness. McHugh has a writing style that keeps you reading as well as guessing, and while I'm keeping the description of the story vague so not to spoil it, I assure you that you're in for a lot of surprises with this freaky sex bomb.
I found myself reflecting on Richard Matheson's Hell House, due to the sexual deviancy of the ghosts, and Stephen King's The Shining, for how the protagonist is tortured by their alcoholism as well as the poltergeists. But while the book winks at these horror gems, it is still very much its own monster - and a nymphomaniac monster at that. Fans of Richard Laymon will be pleased.
McHugh has a rapidly building body of work, and The Train Derails in Boston is a solid addition to her catalogue. If you're looking for a gruesome horror bonerjam, you've hit the G-spot.
It tells the story of Rebbeca Malone, a troubled, angry woman who is all kinds of damaged. She's an alcoholic; has a shattered marriage and a terrible relationship with her equally damaged teenage daughter; is cheating on her husband with a man some 20 years her junior; and now, worst of all, she's being pursued by seductive, bloodthirsty ghosts. When her deadbeat husband buys a stately manor using Rebecca's mother's money, the story kicks into haunted house mode, stepping into the territory of such classics as Anne Rivers Siddon's The House Next Door and Clive Barker's The Hellhound Heart with a steady pace and a solid hold on suspense.
We meet each member of The Malone family, as well as Rebecca's disturbed mother, who seriously strained their relationship from day one. Throughout the course of the book we're also treated to various ghosts, from vengeful madmen to horny hermaphrodites. The book is loaded with intense sex scenes that will make you sweat, as well as graphic gore and psychedelic weirdness. McHugh has a writing style that keeps you reading as well as guessing, and while I'm keeping the description of the story vague so not to spoil it, I assure you that you're in for a lot of surprises with this freaky sex bomb.
I found myself reflecting on Richard Matheson's Hell House, due to the sexual deviancy of the ghosts, and Stephen King's The Shining, for how the protagonist is tortured by their alcoholism as well as the poltergeists. But while the book winks at these horror gems, it is still very much its own monster - and a nymphomaniac monster at that. Fans of Richard Laymon will be pleased.
McHugh has a rapidly building body of work, and The Train Derails in Boston is a solid addition to her catalogue. If you're looking for a gruesome horror bonerjam, you've hit the G-spot.
July 3, 2017
This book was exactly what I was looking for. Extreme, twisted, bloody, sexy. Compelling writing helped me plow through this book quickly and I enjoyed every minute of it. There's nothing tired about this take on the haunted house genre.
May 13, 2016
Received an ARC from the publisher, Perpetual Motion Machine. I'm going to shelve it under NetGalley for convenience.
This book is not my normal type of read, I love horror, but I prefer books with much less sex and sexual violence. I stuck with it anyway, and the story actually became quite intriguing. The plot caught me by surprise several times and though I was convinced she couldn't possibly resolve all the plot points, the author actually managed that quite well. Until I was 3/4 done with the book, I was worried that the whole cast of unreliable narrators were just going to be a convenient way to explain giant plot-holes, but it really does come together in the end. Once you start it, you may well have to finish it just to KNOW where the truth actually lies. The book ends up being a bit of a play on Daphne DuMaurier's Rebecca (the main character's name certainly seems to be a nod to this old Gothic horror tale) with a bit of Rose Madder and some very graphic sex. Picture the strange love-child between Stephen King and E.L. James and the kind of imagination that kid could have... I'm not easily frightened, but some of the truly dark and gritty scenes in this novel freaked me out a bit.
This book is not my normal type of read, I love horror, but I prefer books with much less sex and sexual violence. I stuck with it anyway, and the story actually became quite intriguing. The plot caught me by surprise several times and though I was convinced she couldn't possibly resolve all the plot points, the author actually managed that quite well. Until I was 3/4 done with the book, I was worried that the whole cast of unreliable narrators were just going to be a convenient way to explain giant plot-holes, but it really does come together in the end. Once you start it, you may well have to finish it just to KNOW where the truth actually lies. The book ends up being a bit of a play on Daphne DuMaurier's Rebecca (the main character's name certainly seems to be a nod to this old Gothic horror tale) with a bit of Rose Madder and some very graphic sex. Picture the strange love-child between Stephen King and E.L. James and the kind of imagination that kid could have... I'm not easily frightened, but some of the truly dark and gritty scenes in this novel freaked me out a bit.
June 5, 2016
Thanks to Perpetual Motion Machine Publishing for a copy of this book!
The premise of this book sounded great. But let me tell you, I felt so dirty reading parts of this book. It was not what I was expecting. It was smut, pure smut. And violent, graphic sex.
But it was great. I was hooked from the first page. I couldn't put it down.
I don't want to give any of the book away, so I'm not going to talk about what goes on, except that the family moves into a haunted house, full of deranged, sex fueled ghosts. It almost reminded me of the Murder House in American Horror Story. But better done. So much better done. This is what the Murder House should have been.
The characters are vile. I wasn't fond of any of them. The book is fast paced, and moves between past and present smoothly. Lots of twists and turns, and I was definitely confused a couple times, but everything made sense in the end. But while it did make sense in the end, I still felt unfulfilled. I would have liked just a little more explanation. There were a copy things that should have had some more explanation. Maybe there will be a sequel. I would love to see these characters again.
I would definitely recommend this book to any fans of horror. Just be forewarned, it is absolutely not for the weak.
The premise of this book sounded great. But let me tell you, I felt so dirty reading parts of this book. It was not what I was expecting. It was smut, pure smut. And violent, graphic sex.
But it was great. I was hooked from the first page. I couldn't put it down.
I don't want to give any of the book away, so I'm not going to talk about what goes on, except that the family moves into a haunted house, full of deranged, sex fueled ghosts. It almost reminded me of the Murder House in American Horror Story. But better done. So much better done. This is what the Murder House should have been.
The characters are vile. I wasn't fond of any of them. The book is fast paced, and moves between past and present smoothly. Lots of twists and turns, and I was definitely confused a couple times, but everything made sense in the end. But while it did make sense in the end, I still felt unfulfilled. I would have liked just a little more explanation. There were a copy things that should have had some more explanation. Maybe there will be a sequel. I would love to see these characters again.
I would definitely recommend this book to any fans of horror. Just be forewarned, it is absolutely not for the weak.
October 27, 2016
I had the pleasure of meeting Ms. McHugh at a writer's conference. When I picked up this book, she warned me it was pretty crazy. Challenge: accepted. TRAIN is crazy. It's crazy and demented and twisted ... and I loved every word. Somehow, McHugh managed to make a horrific story about a cursed family in a haunted house beautiful--thanks to her writing, her character development, and her expert grasp on the horror genre. I flipped pages quicker than Michael Myers guts drunken teenagers. Indeed a wild ride, not for the faint of heart. Read this book expecting to be turned on and terrified in equal measure. And I'm not saying a word about that ending ...
August 2, 2016
Bizarre. Or Bizarro, as this new genre is called.
I'm gonna be honest here, this book is provocative, borderline pornographic and.... tremendously well written!
New to the Bizarro world? Read more on The Serial Reader Blog.
*This book was kindly sent to me by Perpetual Motion Machine Publishing*
I'm gonna be honest here, this book is provocative, borderline pornographic and.... tremendously well written!
New to the Bizarro world? Read more on The Serial Reader Blog.
*This book was kindly sent to me by Perpetual Motion Machine Publishing*
May 13, 2021
3.5 STARS and ughhhh!!!! I'm SO confused by it all!! Maybe part of the problem for me was I got side-tracked with a library book that came in & I had to put this aside about half-way through... or maybe not. I actually did enjoy the book for the most part but it was a bit smutty. I am definitely FAR from a prude but this was way raunchy. Like way over the top with the describing of lady parts & such... And I think I read another review that said the book was just too long & probably would have been better as a novella. I know. Too late now. But I second that...
So yeah, the story did keep me interested so that's a good thing. And I feel like an idiot because I think the ending may have been one of those mind-blowing endings but I'm not completely certain if I really got it? Although after thinking about it maybe I did get it? Uggghhh...
If this is on your radar I would recommend you check it out for yourself. I can say that with certainty!
So yeah, the story did keep me interested so that's a good thing. And I feel like an idiot because I think the ending may have been one of those mind-blowing endings but I'm not completely certain if I really got it? Although after thinking about it maybe I did get it? Uggghhh...
If this is on your radar I would recommend you check it out for yourself. I can say that with certainty!
June 1, 2023
The actual plot was really interesting and that last 100 pages or so is thrilling. I enjoyed the way everything came together. It felt like there was no way things were going to make sense, but the author really pulled it off. There were so many details that you could normally take for granted as just being part of a spooky setting, but they all actually had explanations that are shown to you. It was impressive how well things tied together.
My biggest complaint is the amount of depraved sex that constantly occurred and doesn’t seem to really have needed to be a part of the story. It seemed like every chapter divulged into sex until nearly the end. It was constant, the writing in those sections were the weakest in the book, and a big detractor from what was actually a good story.
My biggest complaint is the amount of depraved sex that constantly occurred and doesn’t seem to really have needed to be a part of the story. It seemed like every chapter divulged into sex until nearly the end. It was constant, the writing in those sections were the weakest in the book, and a big detractor from what was actually a good story.
February 8, 2019
If you can get past the non-linear, sometimes confusing structure of the story, Train Derails is a messy grindhouse Trashterpiece. The writing is raw, the sex is graphic, and once I got used to going back and forth and forth and back and back and back and forth again, I fell in love with the McHugh's Gallery of fucked-up characters.
There are times when the story flags, but those are few and far between. Let this book run a Train on You
There are times when the story flags, but those are few and far between. Let this book run a Train on You
June 9, 2020
Starts full on crazy, never really lets go. A haunted house story with the volume turned up. Featuring addiction, sex, insanity, ghosts, more sex, cannibalism, the devil, yet more sex. Definitely a family with issues. The plot is a somewhat secondary to the gleefully the over the top style. Exaggerated enough to feel only semi serious at times, possibly this more about a fracturing state of mind than anything, though it does make 'sense' in the end. Enjoyably different.
April 19, 2022
Incredible
The first three quarters of this book demonstrate the author's ability to switch rapidly between hot & disturbing (and sometimes hold on both for extended periods), but by the end, a reader will learn that these are not the only tricks up her sleeve.
The first three quarters of this book demonstrate the author's ability to switch rapidly between hot & disturbing (and sometimes hold on both for extended periods), but by the end, a reader will learn that these are not the only tricks up her sleeve.
November 27, 2023
I got this signed by the author, and she wrote, "I'm sorry for what's about to happen to you," and, boy, was she not kidding. Loved every deranged moment of it.
July 25, 2016
At first, I enjoyed The Train Derails in Boston as a fun bit of fluff. Sex, gore, sex, gore, sex, gore, repeat. And both the sex and the gore (and, frequently, the intersection of the two) are superb.
But then, about a third of the way in, the characters really started to settle in and get real. And that's when the actual terror began.
To a person, these characters are terrible people. But they're so compellingly, realistically written that you can't help but care about them and invest in their struggles anyway. The stakes of keeping an already dysfunctional family together under the stress of a haunting of the magnitude that The Train Derails throws at the Malone family are astronomically high, and endlessly compelling.
This is not a book for the prudish, nor for the squeamish. But if you come for the gore and the sex, you'll stay because you genuinely want to know how it all ends.
But then, about a third of the way in, the characters really started to settle in and get real. And that's when the actual terror began.
To a person, these characters are terrible people. But they're so compellingly, realistically written that you can't help but care about them and invest in their struggles anyway. The stakes of keeping an already dysfunctional family together under the stress of a haunting of the magnitude that The Train Derails throws at the Malone family are astronomically high, and endlessly compelling.
This is not a book for the prudish, nor for the squeamish. But if you come for the gore and the sex, you'll stay because you genuinely want to know how it all ends.
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