Customer Reviews

The Church Of Dead Girls

5 star:		(69)
4 star:		(50)
3 star:		(25)
2 star:		(14)
1 star:		(16)

 

 

The Church of Dead Girls is the best novel I have read in a long time. I imagine that most readers of this review are looking for a good thriller/serial killer novel; this book is certainly that, and an excellent one. Dobyns uses some wonderful techniques to create the sort of suspense that keeps you up at night. Even the most seasoned readers of serial killer novels will be uncertain what exactly is going on until the last few pages.
But what is even more interesting, this "whodunnit" is the story about a small town that has fallen under the shadow of murder and abduction. This is not a novel about police hunting down a serial killer, but rather, a novel about what happens to the inhabitants of a sleepy rural town when they are confronted with the fact that one of them (at least) is a monster.
Still better, though, is Dobyns' masterful narrative. It takes a lot of courage to stray away from the omniscient and anonymous third person and the tell-all biographical first person narratives. Dobyns, however, has done just that. Our narrator is a real person, a teacher at the local high school. He himself plays only a minor role in the story he tells and admits to not knowing everything. Frequently the story is told in a thrid person voice, but the narrator always provides us with the source of his information, so that the feeling of authenticity is maintained. Dobyns brings this town so vibrantly alive that you begin to wonder if this is really fiction.
Dobyns has proved himself to be a masterful storyteller -- don't deprive yourself of this wonderful experience.

From the first five pages, where Dobyns describes finding the bodies of the girls, I was hooked. Even when I had figured out why the girls had been kidnapped and killed, I had no idea who had done it. When I read this book a second time, a year later, and knew who the killer was, Dobyns's writing is so powerful, and the story so unpredictable, that I began to doubt my memory.

The really disturbing aspect of the novel is the way the townspeople begin to distrust each other, and the fact that some people even go so far as to act violently towards people who were once their friends. Most upsetting, though, is the ending. I won't give anything away here, you'll have to read it for yourselves.

This novel is deliciously creepy and sometimes quite grahpic. If you prefer your thrillers without graphic crime scene descriptions, you might want to check out Dobyns's later novel, _The Boy in the Water_. However, the scenes here are not gratuitous -- they are very necessary to the plot of the novel. This killer's violence is in many ways symbolic, and these descriptions are important to solving the mystery. All in all, this novel is an excellent read, and will gratify mystery and horror readers alike.

I can't wait to read another thriller from Stephen Dobyns!

I read this book last summer while sitting beside a swimming pool on a hot, humid August day in the middle of the sweltering urban swamp of Washington, D.C. Despite the 98-degree temperature, and 90 percent humidity, I had persistent goose flesh and chills. If you like a good scare, here's one shudder-fest you should NOT miss.

THE CHURCH OF DEAD GIRLS stands head and shoulders above most of the last two decade's releases in the horror genre. Until I read this first Stephen Dobyns' release, I was convinced that REAL horror existed only on the six o'clock news. Thank you Mr. Dobyns for proving me wrong.

This book is extraordinarily well crafted. It's hip! It's witty! And it's full of horrific images and unexpected plot twists that really get under your skin where they fester and grow -- and keep revisiting you even weeks after you've finished reading. And because of its sheer realism, THE CHURCH OF DEAD GIRLS is pure nightmare bait. This one will be hard to top.

For some of us, a good scare has the same affect as a good laugh, a good cry or some other really intense, orgasmic release. In a nutshell, this book creeped me out! God, how I love that!

Okay. I read quite often, and I really treasure a book as well-written as this one. Being a Master's Student in Literature, I tend to shy away from most mystery and thriller type books. I just find most poorly written.

Dobyns, however, writes with a beautiful prose. Apart from having a chilling and absorbing story, the book is written with a style that should be grouped with other modern books of high literary merit. I didn't feel cheaper after reading this book. Instead, I was satisfied when it was over.

This book is told through the eyes of a man similar to most of us. We can see through his eyes. We feel as though what he sees happening in the town of Aurelius after the disappearance of a young girl is something that could happen in our own towns.

Nothing about this book seems at all out of place. All the characters aren't as well-developed as we may wish, but they aren't supposed to be. In real life, we don't know everything about everyone. This book is just the way it's supposed to be. It's seen through the eyes of a real human.

Even though the ending isn't necessarily satisfying in the traditional thriller sense, I didn't care. This book isn't about how the murder mystery is wrapped up (even though we aren't left hanging, thank God!). It's about a small town, and how they react to a very real horror. It's a wonderful novel.

Read this at night, wrapped up in a blanket, alone on your couch. It will frighten you. You will love it.

I generally don't like mysteries, but "The Church of Dead Girls" is so well written, so intriguing, I couldn't help but like it. The primary reason is that it is not what one would consider a "traditional" mystery. Yes, there are murders and multiple suspects; but there is also an intense examination of the psychology of small towns and the nature of human darkness.

Dobyns' makes the reader think even as he entertains. By introducing a host of less than reputable suspects he keeps the reader on their toes right up until the end. At the same time, however, he is also pointing out the darkness and suspicion we all carry inside of us. He recognizes that the primary difference between a "normal" person and a "monster" is as much restraint as anything. Furthermore, his characters are superbly written, and yet enigmatic. One can't help but feel that their actions and motivations are the same as one's own acquaintances.

"The Church of Dead Girls" has it all. It's a creepy, engaging thriller with plenty of twists, and it's also a very thoughtful, thought-provoking novel. It is well worth reading.

There's not too many things as pleasurable as discovering an outstanding "new" author, being highly impressed with his novel, then realizing the author is a veteran writer with many books under his belt. "The Church of the Dead Girls" absolutely floored me ! I truly enjoy the fact that I can turn into a gushing fanatic to recommend a novel, being that it happens so rarely, but this thriller/mystery is so perfectly realized, please allow me to gush. Mr. Dobyn's prose is exceptional. An obviously intelligent man that not only knows his craft, but truly seems to enjoy and respect it as well. This story begins with a gruesome discovery in a small town, as three missing young girls are found. Then the author backs the reader up a bit, taking us to the beginning, and simply unfolds the story in such a brilliant and deeply involving manner, you will repeatedly have to remind yourself that this is a work of fiction. The author leaves no character unturned, as each one is richly developed, as well as the setting and each scenerio that takes place. This author's intelligent prose practically leaps off every page as the mystery and suspense keeps building. A complaint I hear often from avid readers is their disappointment with a book's ending. Well, I'm happy to announce that this ending is superb, and matches the brilliance of the rest of the novel. If you are tired of the generic and cliched mystery and thrillers that saturate the market these days, then I HIGHLY suggest you seek this novel out. One of the greatest that I have read in a long while, and for once, all the great reviews from the very notable critics were accurate. This novel is a winner and hits the bullseye...dead center !

except to not expect this to be the usual vicious and gory serial killer murder mystery. I've actually hesitated writing this review for a while now, simply because I cannot decide just exactly what this book is. It's a murder mystery, a horror novel, or a social dissertation of crumbling societal values.

This is not an easy book to read, and no action really begins until you're halfway through. The novel is named after three girls who are kidnapped and presumed dead, but this is really a secondary story. The real story is the town of Aurelias, a sleepy hamlet in upstate New York, believed by its citizenry to be exempt from tragedy or outside interference. Soon the town is rocked by the disappearances, and conspiracy theories and persecutions of seemingly innocent townspeople.

What's most intriguing is that Dobyns has assembled a story that reads as some kind of perverted version of "Our Town." The characterizations are achingly complete. Whether you want to or not, you know these people, and what's worse is that you know people like them. You may even recognize yourself a little (or a lot) in some characters, or an amalgam thereof. Even the narrator, who is incidentally never given a name; their gender is not even clearly identified until halfway through the book.

This book is really about the ramifications that a tragedy can cause in a town. Not just for the victims' families, but for the police, local government, school faculties, neighbors, and clients. When a town is so small that everyone knows each other, imagine the devastation caused when peoples' most innermost secrets are put on public display? People are taking sides left and right, vigilante lynching mobs are formed, hysteria ensues, and an entire community is destroyed.

I can't say whether or not you'll enjoy the book. You will, however, be thinking about its message for weeks afterward.

By the mere title alone it would seem that this book is just another unimaginative, psycho/slasher thriller. Dobyns however takes an ordinary "search for the missing girls" type story and turns it into a revealing and somewhat dark look at human nature.

When young girls begin disappearing from a small, upstate New York town the residents become overwhelmed with the urgency to catch the culprit before he/she strikes again. Narrated by a local biology teacher, the story weaves a finger-pointing tale of how in the hysteria of a crisis, people throw all rational and lucid thoughts aside. Mere suspicion eventually overrides facts and everyone at one point or another becomes suspect. It shows how people need to have a scapegoat in which to focus their own uncertainties. Houari Chihani first becomes this scapegoat when he acquires a postion as a history teacher at the local college. Some of his students form a small club and begin learning Marxism and other ways of thinking about society. Because this rationale is so different from the town's way of thinking they quickly become suspects to the disappearances. However, as time goes on everyone's past actions and acquaintances come into play no matter how trivial they may seem.

I didn't find this book to be a thriller in the sense of being overly scary or gory but more along the lines of a very good suspense novel. Dobyns intricately weaves the storyline between characters and events so well that at times you wonder how he can make the connections in a reasonable way but he does.

If you've ever lived in Small Town, USA you will notice how the gossip that is generated soon takes on a life of its own. To quote Dobyns, "And once that sort of talk begins, truth or falsehood means nothing. Talk has its own momentum."

Reading this book is an exercise in patience and perseverance. It opens brilliantly with a vivid, if graphic, depiction of the three dead girls of the title. From there on, Dobyns weaves an intricate and complex novel of just what makes up the members of the sleepy little town of Aurelius, New York.

When reading the novel, you don't realize until late in the book that you have no idea who your narrator truly is. His name is never mentioned, and at times, you wonder if the narrator isn't the one responsible. Is He? No spoiler here, hopefully.

The amount of detail of the characters is overwhelming at times, and you have to really pay attention to what you are reading. There are many wonderfully drawn characters and some real scenes of chilling suspense. While some of the situations and characters may initially appear "over the top," the way Dobyns weaves them into the story is highly commendable.

The book, as good as it is, remains a downer. The ending is totally unexpected, and you have to wonder where the pivotal character is heading. The dark secrets and the way suspicion destroys this town is depressing, to say the least.

As a novel, it is a remarkable work; as entertainment, be warned---it's one of those books that disturb you more than entertain.

Worth a read if you're into cerebral mystery!

The small town of Aurelius is set on edge by a murder and the disappearance of three teenage girls. Everyone in town begins to distrust each other. Fingers are being pointed at anyone who is outside of the norm. Things come to a boil as local and state officers try to determine if this serial kidnapper is a local or from out of town.

I was sorely disappointed when it was all over and done with. The first three-fourths of the book were a labored effort in reading. I literally had to force myself to trudge through this book. In my mind, I can see Dobyns locked away in a tiny room, struggling to write page after page.

All but a few of Dobyns' characters in this book are dry and lifeless. Throughout the majority of the book you are bombarded with scattered tidbits or history for just about everyone in town. After awhile, the bits get lost in a confusion of who is who, and who does what?

The story is written from the perspective of a long standing resident of the town, which teaches at one of the local schools. Through is dialogue you find that most of the people in town have something to hide, and that just leads to distrust amongst everyone. Almost every chapter includes some adulterous affair between two people in the town. Before long, the town begins to look like a bunch of closet swingers at best. Some soap operas don't have as many connections.

The only thing that saved this from a two star rating, for me, was the last fourth of the book. The pace picked up quite nicely and gets a little exciting towards the end. However, the steep climb before hand doesn't make it quite worth it. This book easily could have been pared down to less than 300 pages and been a much better read.