Review – Guillotine by Delilah S. Dawson (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Horror/Humor
Length: 196 pages
Publisher: Titan Books
Release Date: September 10, 2024
ASIN: B0CPXRZF4W
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: Borrowed ebook from Library
Rating: 4/5 stars

“Thrift fashionista Dez Lane doesn’t want to date Patrick Ruskin; she just wants to meet his mother, the editor-in-chief of Nouveau magazine. When he invites her to his family’s big Easter reunion at their ancestral home, she’s certain she can put up with his arrogance and fend off his advances long enough to ask Marie Caulfield-Ruskin for an internship someone with her pedigree could never nab through the regular submission route.

When they arrive at the enormous island mansion, Dez is floored—she’s never witnessed how the 1% lives before in all their ridiculous, unnecessary luxury. But once all the family members are on the island and the ferry has departed, things take a dark turn. For decades, the Ruskins have made their servants sign contracts that are basically indentured servitude, and with nothing to lose, the servants have decided their only route to freedom is to get rid of the Ruskins for good…”

Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I borrowed this on ebook from my library.

Thoughts: This was a wonderfully vicious Halloween read that I enjoyed and read quickly. This book is hard to put down; if a bit over-the-top goofy at times. Think of this book as a B slasher movie, and you’re going in with the right attitude. Dawson has been a bit hit and miss for me, but this was one of her more entertaining stories.

Dez Lane is desperate to make it as a fashion designer and she is struggling to get a foothold in the industry. She definitely doesn’t want to go back home where her mother cleans hotels rooms of the rich in Vegas. She also definitely doesn’t want to date Patrick Ruskin, however she does want to meet his mother, Marie, who is the editor in chief of a famous fashion magazine. What’s a few awful dates and some casual sex with an asshole compared to a lifetime of doing what she loves? When Patrick invites Dez to the family’s private island for Easter Dez sees this as an amazing opportunity to share her designs and get some facetime with Marie. From the start, the trip is weird….then things get completely, horrifically unhinged.

This whole book is basically a middle finger at the ultra-rich and a screw you to anyone who treats other people like they don’t matter. That being said, this is all pretty over-the-top and campy. You have to suspend your dis-belief at the whole premise to make this work. So, it’s best not to overthink the story and just enjoy the ride.

None of the characters in here are likable, and they are all fairly one-dimensional. That seems to be the point, and honestly, the character “development” really isn’t part of that story. Although Dez, does grow some through her experiences here.

The story is fast-paced and moves very quickly from “crazy Easter get away with rude rich people” to “blood-soaked murder party”. Things in here are gory, creatively awful, and a bit unhinged. Honestly, given all the buzz I have read about how unhinged this book is, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be but it also isn’t for the faint of heart.

This was an oddly fun and engaging read. I was constantly intrigued by what horrible person would have what horrible things happen to them next. There is also the question of what will happen to Dez throughout. Then you are trying to figure out what the end game is. I ended up reading this in just a couple sittings.

My Summary (4/5): Overall if you are looking for a gory little fast-paced murder read, this was a fun one and I would recommend it. The characters are pretty one-dimensional, the premise is a bit dis-believable, and it was less un-hinged than I was expected. However, it’s engaging, and the story really pulls the reader forward. This is an excellent Halloween season read.