S.C. Mendes, The City review

Written by Paula Limbaugh

Wow, it’s been a while since I have felt for a character as much as I did for Max Elliot. Not that he doesn’t have his faults, but I still wanted him to come out a winner. Max is a complex man, he’s been trying to keep his demons at bay since the gruesome murder of his wife and the disappearance of his daughter, Leigh Anne. Consumed with guilt for not being there when the crime occurred Max has been smoking away his troubles in the opium dens of Chinatown.

Reading like a hard-boiled detective novel The City opens in 1910, Chinatown San Francisco. Like the Chinatowns of any big city, this is a place of mystery, enticements, and superstition. Max, a detective can be found here most days trying to forget until one day 6 months later he is asked to come back to work. A crime similar to what happened to his wife has been discovered… three bodies, skinned and boneless.

Reluctantly pulled away from his comfort zone and armed with his only clue, a strange powder found at the crime scene Max begins calling on old contacts for some answers. His search for answers and hopes of finding his daughter lead him to a subterranean city beneath Chinatown.

The City is a world unto its own, run by the old ancients known as the Mara. Man’s basest desires can be found here, even the most vilest and violent acts can be had for a price. And, the deeper one goes, the more perverse it gets.

S.C. Mendes has done a fantastic job with this story. Winding through a labyrinth of intricate sights and sounds we are transported to a time and place like no other. With fully developed characters that we will either love or hate we are drawn into Max Elliot’s life. I dare say, this is one story that you will want to see through until the bitter end. Oh, I guess I should add that this is an extreme horror novel that some may find offensive, consider yourselves warned! You can pick up your copy HERE!!

5/5