Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: Sting of the Tail
SERIES: Carnival of Mysteries
AUTHOR: T.A. Moore
PUBLISHER: Rogue Firebird Press
LENGTH: 334 pages
RELEASE DATE: October 4, 2023
BLURB:
The Carnival of Mysteries just arrived in Sutton County. They say if you cross the fortune teller’s palm with silver she can read your future like a map. Right now all Ledger Conroy wants to know is if he has a future.
Back in Sutton after over a decade, Ledger’s plan had been to bury his father–recently deceased convicted serial killer and less-well known warlock, Bell Conroy–clear the property, and then finally wash his hands of being a Conroy. Instead there’s a cured human heart in the larder, a pissed off pretty boy who is definitely not human at the door, and a debt to the devil that Ledger’s just inherited.
Devil. Monster. Something like that. He’d not asked for its pedigree
Whatever it was, it’s given Ledger a week to fulfill the terms of his father’s contract. Or else he’s never going to leave Sutton again. With pretty-boy Wren at his heels, more to make sure Ledger doesn’t skip town than to provide assistance, Ledger tries to track his father’s sins across Sutton. The problem is there’s so many of them.
Ledger is faced with old grudges, a Sheriff that thinks Ledger knows more about his father’s crimes than he’s ever said (and isn’t wrong), and a dead man with a book shop. Not to mention the on-going distraction of Wren, who can’t decide whether to be a hindrance, a help, or just hot.
Luckily Ledger has a nose for this sort of work.
Sting in the Tail is part of the multi-author Carnival of Mysteries Series. Each book stands alone, but each one includes at least one visit to Errante Ame’s Carnival of Mysteries, a magical, multiverse traveling show full of unusual acts, games, and rides. The Carnival changes to suit the world it’s on, so each visit is unique and special. This book contains a dealer in dark collectibles, a man who’s NOT people, and a monster with a debt it expects to be paid.
REVIEW:
Note: There is quite a bit of horror in this one, so if that’s not your cuppa, you are forewarned.
Ledger is returning to town to wrap up the “estate” of his recently deceased serial killer father. Bell Conroy was released on compassionate leave from his prison sentence as he was riddled with cancer and about to die. When Ledger arrives, he just wants to be done and get on with his life and get back Ithaca where he resides. He left after he was committed when no one would listen to him about what his father was doing – torturing and murdering his victims in the basement of the family home. Nobody is happy to see him. Someone wants to sell the homestead out from under him. Oh and there is an evil monster who wants “what Bell owes” from Ledger. Ledger has zero idea of how to find what it is that will satisfy “Earl” the evil being that is trying to find his death.
Wren, who is definitely not human, “works” for Earl. He’s supposed to keep an eye on Ledger, but he’s also inclined to help him because he likes the looks of Ledger Conroy. Ledger knows its a bad idea to get involved with Wren, but it’s not like he’s getting any other help. And he’s got 5 days to get it done or suffer consequences way worse than death. Ledger has a couple of ideas after a search of the house doesn’t provide any real clues to what Earl is looking for. Ledger also calls his business and other associates to chase down leads. He keeps running afoul of the Sherriff who seems to think that Ledger knows more about Bell’s misdeeds than he’s letting on. It’s a race against time for Ledger to figure out the riddle that he’s been set to solve or both he and Wren will suffer some die consequences. But it turns out that maybe Wren and Ledger do make a pretty formidable team – even if they aren’t sure what they are doing a lot of the time.
So I am REALLY not a fan of horror. In fact, I pretty much try to avoid it and have always been that way. I’ve never read a Stephen King book in fact although I think he’s a fantastic writer just based on the TV adaptations. I did not realize how big the horror elements would be in this one, so that pulled me up a bit short. The other thing I found missing in this book was background on what Ledger’s deal was. Like I could figure out what his “line of work was” exactly – it’s alluded to and some of his colleagues/competitors are side characters, but I wasn’t quite sure what he did – although it seemed to involve magic and occult objects. Anyway, the mystery was well done – although I was pretty sure of the main bad guy pretty early on. That being said it was a very interesting ride getting there. Wren is an enigma. Ledger is trying to do the right thing and get on with his life after the death of his serial killer father. He’s still not popular in this town thanks to what his father did and he wants to get in and get out. Wren is something that interests him even though he knows it’s a bad idea to associate with him. Ledger can’t help it though – he’s drawn to Wren and they make a rather odd team. Neither wants the other to be hurt, but there’s little chance that they can get out of this without that happening. Ledger keeps scheming and fighting and hoping though that he can figure out a way to both keep his own life and maybe keep Wren too. The carnival plays a small but interesting and pivotal role here with the fortune teller. Ledger is looking for some sort of direction and it’s not at all clear that he’s going to get it. So if you’re looking for all the answers to be tied up into a nice neat package with a bow, well you’ll be disappointed because the story ends with a HFN and many open questions. Interesting mystery with some romantic elements and a lot of creepy things. Recommended for those who don’t need everything resolved and don’t mind a pretty hefty dose of horror.
RATING: 
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