Brutal slayings in the quiet suburbs of Philadelphia have detective Aaron Miller on edge. Residents are readily falling victim to a cold-blooded serial killer who is absolutely vicious, torturing and murdering at random and for sport. As pressure mounts to stop this psychopath, Aaron becomes increasingly frustrated by the lack of evidence. As his own life begins to unravel, a chance encounter leads him to interview the employees of City Café. He notices the shadowy figure washing dishes in the back. What happens next places the group in grave danger and leads them into a horror that will change everything about their lives.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
5.0 out of 5 stars Gruesomely well spent time
By
QCHSKAS - See all my reviews
This review is from: Degenerates (Paperback)
Another great read from Ostroff. Wonderfully intertwined characters that demonstrate how small the world can be. He switches seamlessly from person to person and the way in which they come together is plausible.
About the Author
Author of dark, noir thrillers, romance thrillers, and middle grade sci/fi and paranormal novels. Neil D. Ostroff was raised in a rural town outside of Philadelphia. His novels are available at all online booksellers.
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18 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I was raised in the Chicago area in the 1950s when Riverview Amusement Park was in full swing. They had a roller coaster called The Bobbs that was made of wood. It shook as if I were sitting on an erupting volcano. At one point it headed straight for a 12x12 solid beam, which I was sure would decapitate me. Just before my head was to leave my body, the car dropped like a lead cannon ball, leaving my stomach to confront the beam. As I read Ostroff's novel Degenerates, I was back on The Bobbs headed into the beam. Whatta ride!
In the Prologue little Tommy Fielding watches his father blow his mother away with a shotgun, and then is forced to watch his father kill himself with the same shotgun. At that point I knew that Tommy was not going to grow up to be a choirboy and that the rest of the pages would be bloody.
Chapter one, twenty years later, Tommy, encouraged by Jeffery who is a huge Great Dane residing in the boy's mind, kills and savagely mutilates two women because Jeffery convinces him that killing makes him stronger, makes him God and eventually he will have the power to bring Mommy back to him. Thus, Ostroff had me by the throat and I could not get away.
Tommy is the key degenerate in the story who is an infamous serial killer terrorizing Philadelphia. Ostroff skilfully leads his characters to the City Cafe where the horrifying culmination takes place. Along the way we meet the other degenerates.
There is Astor, an astoundingly beautiful young woman who escapes a brutal marriage to a young medical student, Darrel, but carries with her grief from the death of their child, which he seems glad to have lost. Ironically, Astor was Tommy's first girlfriend, and she is still in love with him.
Emily comes from a home where her mother is a fanatic Christian who drives the girl away. She turns to cocaine for which she will do literally anything to get. Only seventeen when she leaves home, Emily is a true tragic figure whom Ostroff draws beautifully.
All of his characters are drawn with skill. Ed Kirkpatrick, a writer who crawled inside a bottle of booze years before we meet him, winds up cooking short order at City Cafe. Astor and Emily find their way to the restaurant to wait tables, and Tommy is hired as dishwasher.
At the restaurant we meet Judy Forester, a sixty-year-old woman who bosses the front of the cafe and who remains grief stricken over her husband's death twenty years before.
Matt runs the kitchen. He seems to be a combination of compassion and skill whose expertise is vital to the success of City Cafe.
Into the mix comes Aaron, a young policeman who is working his first CSI case and learns that experienced officers around him are worth listening to.
Degenerates is a very worthwhile read. Ostroff's prose is crisp and clear; there isn't a boring page in the book. I will warn anyone who finds violence repugnant to pass this one by. But any writer who wants to experience great prose and well-sculpted characters should make Degenerates a must read.
~ Reviewed by Frederick Fuller, March 20, 2011 on The Creative Cat,[...]/
In the Prologue little Tommy Fielding watches his father blow his mother away with a shotgun, and then is forced to watch his father kill himself with the same shotgun. At that point I knew that Tommy was not going to grow up to be a choirboy and that the rest of the pages would be bloody.
Chapter one, twenty years later, Tommy, encouraged by Jeffery who is a huge Great Dane residing in the boy's mind, kills and savagely mutilates two women because Jeffery convinces him that killing makes him stronger, makes him God and eventually he will have the power to bring Mommy back to him. Thus, Ostroff had me by the throat and I could not get away.
Tommy is the key degenerate in the story who is an infamous serial killer terrorizing Philadelphia. Ostroff skilfully leads his characters to the City Cafe where the horrifying culmination takes place. Along the way we meet the other degenerates.
There is Astor, an astoundingly beautiful young woman who escapes a brutal marriage to a young medical student, Darrel, but carries with her grief from the death of their child, which he seems glad to have lost. Ironically, Astor was Tommy's first girlfriend, and she is still in love with him.
Emily comes from a home where her mother is a fanatic Christian who drives the girl away. She turns to cocaine for which she will do literally anything to get. Only seventeen when she leaves home, Emily is a true tragic figure whom Ostroff draws beautifully.
All of his characters are drawn with skill. Ed Kirkpatrick, a writer who crawled inside a bottle of booze years before we meet him, winds up cooking short order at City Cafe. Astor and Emily find their way to the restaurant to wait tables, and Tommy is hired as dishwasher.
At the restaurant we meet Judy Forester, a sixty-year-old woman who bosses the front of the cafe and who remains grief stricken over her husband's death twenty years before.
Matt runs the kitchen. He seems to be a combination of compassion and skill whose expertise is vital to the success of City Cafe.
Into the mix comes Aaron, a young policeman who is working his first CSI case and learns that experienced officers around him are worth listening to.
Degenerates is a very worthwhile read. Ostroff's prose is crisp and clear; there isn't a boring page in the book. I will warn anyone who finds violence repugnant to pass this one by. But any writer who wants to experience great prose and well-sculpted characters should make Degenerates a must read.
~ Reviewed by Frederick Fuller, March 20, 2011 on The Creative Cat,[...]/
19 of 22 people found the following review helpful
By QCHSKAS
Format:Paperback
Another great read from Ostroff. Wonderfully intertwined characters that demonstrate how small the world can be. He switches seamlessly from person to person and the way in which they come together is plausible. The detail of each bloody attack really lets the reader imagine the horror that Tommy (the main character) inflicts on the world around him. Yet I still somehow felt very sorry for the boy. Having grown up in the greater Philadelphia area it was great to know the places referenced in the book as well. If you enjoy psychologically thrilling books, your time is well spent on this one.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
By Lalo
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book is very nicely done. The character development was excellent. I got to know them, they were not all perfect people, some were struggling. They were all just getting through life as best they could.
At first I could not imagine how all these characters would be tied together. But they were and it was a great story. I was on pins and needles until the very end of the book. By that time I was so invested in the characters, I was feeling anxious about what would happen to them.
This book was very well written and well plotted. I recommend it without hesitation to people who enjoy thrillers and watching the police hunt down and find the criminals and stop the crime.
It is also a sweet book about people with damaged lives who can get back on track. In the end, I found it a very good story that was well written and well presented.
I enjoyed it and I recommend it.
At first I could not imagine how all these characters would be tied together. But they were and it was a great story. I was on pins and needles until the very end of the book. By that time I was so invested in the characters, I was feeling anxious about what would happen to them.
This book was very well written and well plotted. I recommend it without hesitation to people who enjoy thrillers and watching the police hunt down and find the criminals and stop the crime.
It is also a sweet book about people with damaged lives who can get back on track. In the end, I found it a very good story that was well written and well presented.
I enjoyed it and I recommend it.
More About the Author
Raised in a rural town outside of Philadelphia, Neil D. Ostroff has been a published author for more than twenty years. He is an avid poker player when not working on his novels. Neil also enjoys fishing, hiking, and all things outdoors. He's been interviewed in such publications as PHILADELPHIA MAGAZINE, THE PHILADELPHIA INTELLIGENCER, and THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER. His books have been described as noir with a twist of the unusual.
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