Double-Barrel Horror presents, Matthew Weber, Chad Lutzke, Karen Runge…

Reviewed by Paula Limbaugh

Double Barrel Horror from Pint Bottle Press is a great way to check out some amazing authors and their stories. Each book gives us two short stories. I love that these are broken down this way rather than buying a full-size book that I may end up only liking a few of the tales. They make for a quick entertaining read and it’s a great way to check out an author that you may have not read before. I’m just going to give you a brief idea of what to expect from the few that I have read so far…

From the first set of releases in 2016, I shall start with Matt Weber’s Beware the Whammy/Swallowed. Two very different stories that deal with revenge. Hmm… I think we all know you don’t mess with someone’s family, especially their dog! A couple of good ol’ boys learn that lesson the hard way./Bullies… sometimes it takes a bit of divine intervention to free yourself from their clutches.

K. Trap Jones gives us One Dirt Road/Last Clown Out. Urban legends, the stuff that nightmares spring from, sometimes, there’s some truth to those stories./And you thought clowns were full of mirth, Hah! Check out what happens when you’re the last clown out!

From Amanda Hand we have Chef and the Maiden/These Things We Do for Our Children. Yum, dinner dates are the best. But, then again, I guess it would depend on what’s on the menu./The saying goes… there is no greater love than a mother’s love. But, can that really be true?

2017 brings us more of the same, starting with Chad Lutzke, I’ll go over a few of the titles released this year. Punk Rock Re-animator/Holes. Whoa, first concert, first punk show, this should be a night to remember! Ah, what could go wrong? Let me give you a clue… it ain’t the music that will be remembered!/What can be sweeter than revenge, hmm…

John Boden’s offerings are There Will Be Angels…/Marlene the Magnificent. Oh my! Heartbreaking./A new take on an old trick, nasty!

Karen Runge’s stories are a bit different than the others I’ve read, quite deep and brooding. They are Shellfish/Exile. Did you ever get that sense of Déjà vu, you know, those annoying inklings of a memory that just won’t fully show itself?/Solitude… how many times have you wished to be alone? But, is it really all that?

There is a disclosure at the beginning of each book that states that these tales are intended to disturb. That they may include death, graphic violence, profanity, blasphemy, sexual content, blah, blah, blah. I think this does pertain more to some stories than others, but I just thought I should mention it so as those easily offended are warned in advance.

There are a lot more selections to choose from and if you head over to the Pint Bottle Press website you will find the rest of the titles there. Kindle Unlimited members will be able to read for free and for the rest of you, 99 cents is a small price to pay for checking out a new author or reading a couple of stories from a favorite author! You can also find a print collection of all the 2016 stories in one volume on Amazon. Click on any of the titles above to purchase through Amazon. All in all, I think this whole Double Barrel collection is great!

5/5