Reviewed by Becca
TITLE: The Man From Milwaukee
AUTHOR: Rick R. Reed
PUBLISHER: Ninestar Press
LENGTH: 237 pages
RELEASE DATE: July 20, 2020
BLURB:
It’s the summer of 1991 and serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer has been arrested. His monstrous crimes inspire dread around the globe. But not so much for Emory Hughes, a closeted young man in Chicago who sees in the cannibal killer a kindred spirit, someone who fights against the dark side of his own nature, as Emory does. He reaches out to Dahmer in prison via letters.
The letters become an escape—from Emory’s mother dying from AIDS, from his uncaring sister, from his dead-end job in downtown Chicago, but most of all, from his own self-hatred.
Dahmer isn’t Emory’s only lifeline as he begins a tentative relationship with Tyler Kay. He falls for him and, just like Dahmer, wonders how he can get Tyler to stay. Emory’s desire for love leads him to confront his own grip on reality. For Tyler, the threat of the mild-mannered Emory seems inconsequential, but not taking the threat seriously is at his own peril.
Can Emory discover the roots of his own madness before it’s too late and he finds himself following in the footsteps of the man from Milwaukee?
REVIEW:
Ok people. Seriously not in any way, shape or form is this a romance. At all. It’s in the time of Jeffrey Dahmer and his trial and murder and a fan who writes him and tries to emulate him in some way. There are triggers in this. It tells some of the gory details of Dahmer and his killing spree, it tells of one of the MCs obsession with Dahmer and how his brain is twisting by it, to the point of murder and kidnapping and attempted murder. If any of this is a trigger for you, please take care.
In a mess up sort of way, I’ve always wondered what goes through a murderer’s mind when they are doing it. Sometimes there’s nothing, because they are so psychotic or such sociopaths, they really don’t feel much. Or what they do feel is vulgar, often erotic for them and other things. But what gets me the most, is the fans of these killers. Or the ones wanting to marry them. My first reaction is What the f……But it just makes me wonder what goes through these people’s heads. Well, this is a fictional version, as far as I know, and it’s messed up. And it really makes you think about a few things.
Emory was so lonely. Dealing with a job he hated, a mother dying from AIDS from a transfusion and no way for her to get better, and a sister who could care less. All she did was watch soaps or something all day and smoke and then be gone all night, leaving everything on Emory’s shoulders. So when he comes across a paper with the details of Dahmer and what he’s done, Emory doesn’t see a messed up man. He sees someone like him who was just lonely and wanting someone to stay with him. So when he meets Tyler, he denies being gay, although he’s been to adult stores where men have basically raped him. But he wants Tyler’s friendship and eventually something more. But when Tyler wakes up in the middle of the night and finds Emory missing, he goes to look for him and is terrified at what he’s hearing. He always knew Emory was obsessed with Dahmer, but not this bad. And worse, Emory has no idea what he’s doing. It’s like he’s in a trance. And Tyler runs for his life. When time passes and Tyler runs into Emory into a bar, Emory bolts out of there and Tyler wants to make sure he’s alright. They agree to start over, but Emory can’t wait and takes matters into his own hands a few nights later. And it’s a matter of time before Tyler may be a dead man. He only hopes someone finds him in time.
I know loneliness can do things to people. I know having to shoulder the burdens of so much in life makes it worse. Believe me, I deal with it every day. But I will never understand the wanting to be a part of a killer’s life. I won’t lie. I love history and I love reading about WWII and trying to figure out the mindset of Hitler and his minions. But I don’t think I could ever be a friend to someone like that. And definitely not try to emulate them. But then again, so often people who are wanting that are often not quite right mentally. It takes some mental…something, to do it to begin with but wanting to be friends…..yeah, that’s just a whole other ball of wax. I felt for Tyler in this story. Not knowing what he was getting into. He was just trying to be a friend and having some fun. In his own way, Tyler was really attracted to the shy Emory, but after that night, I don’t blame him for running. I think I would have done it a lot sooner to be honest. But it wasn’t just Tyler I felt for. I felt for Emory’s sister as well. Yes, she shouldn’t have let Emory shoulder so much of the burden when their mother was alive, but it wasn’t something she could deal with. Everything was just too much and she felt trapped. If only she had realized in time, Emory felt it worse than she did. I guess in a way, I feel for Emory as well. Yeah, he went a little too far and mentally he wasn’t right, and talking to Dahmer wasn’t helping. But that was it. Everything became too much and mentally he couldn’t take it all.
It’s a horror story but a sad one as well. If certain steps would have been taken years ago, then maybe things would have turned out differently. But, in the real world you can what if all day long, and it doesn’t change a thing. Actions have to be taken. And since none were, it broke the lives of several people that were unnecessary. It’s one heck of a story, but it is definitely not for the faint of heart. Take care.
RATING: 
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