Matthew Weber ‘A Dark & Winding Road’ Review

Written by: Paula Limbaugh

Wow, what an utterly engaging book.  Travel down A Dark and Winding Road and you will find 11 quite unusual short stories, all horrific in their own unique way. These are the stories of subtle terror that I find so stimulating, the type that make you sit up and say, “Damn, I didn’t see that coming. I loved it

Guard the Park gives new meaning to the idiom “No good deed goes unpunished.” Two old men while away their time reminiscing the past and keeping an eye on the neighborhood park. What could possible go wrong?

The Shady Brake Baptist Fall Festival, it’s Halloween night and Zack Kinsley is stuck going to the Baptist Church party with his mom in lieu of trick or treating with his friends. No SCARY costumes allowed.   But, what happens when one kid dares to be different?  EEK!  The old church fest will never be the same.

In The Clinic we find a dark tale regarding a problematic kid.  Alex Tyler is one seriously disturbed child. Unable to handle him, he’s parents reach out yet again to one more place for answers and hopefully results. Sometimes the end justifies the means.

Ha!  Eye of the Pig, I love that title, I love this story. Poor Bernie Everson, co-owner of the local grocery store; always trying to do right and it just doesn’t make a difference. It took finding the pig head in a bin of bacon to set the day’s events in motion.  A cheating wife, a lying brother, HOW much can a man take?

Rules are meant to be broken, we hear that all the time but sometimes there are consequences. Just ask Mrs. Desharden in Rules are Rules she can tell you first hand what could happen, oh wait maybe not.

Sometimes bad things happen to good people and then sometimes those good people get revenge. Check out Suzie’s Dead End, I think it’s more like the beginning for her!

Remember the warning when you first started driving “Never stop for hitch hikers”? In The Hitch we are reminded that sometimes the hitcher should be careful of whom he accepts a ride from or…..

Bobby’s Holiday Wish List such a cheery title, eh. This is my favorite of the bunch. Little Bobby is just trying to do the right thing when he talks to Santa, but alas things don’t always work out for the best.

My Own Personal Monster, like Aesop’s The Slave and the Lion, Vanessa is there to help, but will that be enough?

Never Trust a Hippie is a bit like “never judge a book by its cover.”  We all have preconceived notions that can get in the way of making the right choice.  That’s exactly what happens here at the local watering hole.

Hmm, Summon a Demon in Five Easy Steps, what drives a child to bully another?  Nick has been picked on one too many times.  Now it’s his turn and revenge is SWEET or is it?

So there you have it, a brief rundown of all the included stories.  I hope I’ve whetted your appetite enough to entice you to pick up your own copy here, wickedly delicious!

Rating: 5/5