County residents know that spooky is a year-round thing, and for fans of grisly, all-out horror, Yellow pulls no punches. In fact, it hurls them relentlessly from just about the opening paragraph.
OliverFitch is an everyday guy, trying to make a go of the local mini mart he and his wife Lydia purchased. But, that was back when the city they reside in wasn’t so grim or plagued by crime. When violence arrives on Oliver’s doorstep, the terrified proprietor can’t cope, and soon, that open display of weakness brings even more—increasing in both severity and ferocity. The escalation forces him to do something his sarcastic and demeaning wife’s long wanted—for Oliver to stand up for himself.
The results are, in a word: brutal. Is there a supernatural element? Possibly, although one could argue that this is strictly a revenge tale and Oliver’s perspective has been warped by circumstances as he faces off with various evils that have turned his hometown dark. Drugs and pushers, crooked cops, street thugs, devil worship, racial inequity, friendships and hollow relations all play key roles in this rollercoaster ride of violence and payback. Warning: Not for the squeamish. Copious amounts of blood and gore; graphic depictions of sex; profanity and enough of all of that to keep you turning pages as fast as you can read them.
4.5 out of 5 stars
