Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: Art of Death 

SERIES: Lychgate #1

AUTHOR: Bob Appavu

PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Publications

LENGTH: 271 pages

RELEASE DATE: September 3, 2019

BLURB:

Starving artist Riley Burke refuses to be dependent on his rich older boyfriend—hence his second job as a nude model at the local art school.  When the famous artist Coliaro requests him for a private modeling session, he jumps at the chance to earn some real cash.

But then Westwood, a mysterious stranger, warns him to steer clear—it’s said Coliaro is undead. That his worshippers perform rituals to fill him with life energy. That every time he paints a male nude, the painting transforms to depict a gruesome murder. And that shortly after, a young man turns up dead.

Riley dismisses the rumors—until they start to play out before his eyes. When he becomes a target, Westwood comes to his aid. But Westwood is secretive and dangerous himself… which just makes him more attractive to Riley. Riley is in over his head, and even his tenuous alliance with Westwood might not save him.

REVIEW:

MAN! This book is f@$’ed up with a capital F, but it is so damn good. But if you can’t handle a lot of blood and gore and stuff, don’t read it. Otherwise, you’ll be missing out on a damn good book if you don’t.

Riley was just trying to make ends meet and not feel like a kept boy working as an artist model. It didn’t pay a whole lot but he felt like he was contributing. When he was told he was requested by a famous artist, Coliaro, to paint him, he was flattered but had no idea who it was and why it was a big deal. When some certain people found out he was to be painted by Coliaro, they threatened him and everything to keep him away. Even his own boyfriend warned him. But Riley couldn’t understand why people were so against this guy when people were using his paintings as murders. But as he began to dig more, he found himself in a world he couldn’t get out of. And betrayed by those he thought he could trust. And now he has found himself in the middle of more murders and has finally found out who has killed the old and the new. And both have shocked him to the core. He’s now face to face with the main killer and he may not make it out alive.

Riley was definitely in over his head. Holy crap. He stepped into a world not many know of and had no way to get out. He didn’t know who to trust and what to trust because things he thought he saw and believed, ended up being a lie. Not only that, but many of the people he thought he knew, or knew of, he was completely wrong about. It was messed up and I felt bad for him. It was a complete horror story come to life for him and he had no way out. And his weird, messed up attraction to Westfield didn’t help, because the man was a murderer himself. So what does he do? He figured out the way to kill one of the undead that had been causing all the murders. Well, them being done in his name anyway. But the worst blow came when he found out who was doing it in Coliaro’s name. He was already struggling because of his past and the way his family was. But this just added an extra blow he doesn’t know if he’ll recover from. If he makes it out alive. It broke my heart for him. He just wanted the murders to stop. Especially since it was his paintings causing them to happen.

This is a damn good story people. You really need to read it. But it is definitely borderline horror/thriller. Well, beyond to me. Lol. It is one that will keep you intrigued until the end,

RATING: 

BUY LINKS: 

dsppublications

amazon