A ‘Did Not Finish’… ‘Splasher’ – Billie Host (Penguin)

 

So, we’ve already established that I’m a sucker for a title that has a pun in it. Not only that, I’ve also got a real soft spot for any horror book with a garish cover (takes me right back to the eighties, that does). That is all it took for me to take a chance on ‘Splasher’, the other day. I keep telling you, there is absolutely nothing scientific about how I choose what to read next ;o)

It’s a little bit of a relief then to know that I’m not just drawn to a shiny cover etc; the words, in between the cover art and the blurb, still determine how much I get out of a book. Unfortunately for ‘Splasher’, I ended up putting the book down after a hundred and thirty pages.

These days though, I’m a lot more forgiving about ‘DNFs’. The way I see it, as the reader, I’m as much a part of the experience as the book so I’ll happily shoulder some of the responsibility for a read that didn’t quite work out. Right book, wrong reader? Something like that ;o) Have some blurb…

Autumn 2006. Low-rise jeans are in, grunge is out, and all Spencer Ward should be worrying about is his new job as Assistant Swim Coach at Richardson University. It’s been a decade since tragedy struck during his own college years, but Spencer is determined to sink his skeletons and focus on a winning season for his team.

Until, that is, two students are found dead in the pool on the first day of training. While everyone assumes it was a horrible accident, Spencer is overcome with an ominous sense of déjà vu.

There’s blood in the water, and not just because competition season has started. As increasingly severe freak accidents plague the students, and twisted shadows are seen by the poolside, Spencer and his swim team must work out what is hunting them before it’s too late. The pool echoes with the ghosts of the past, and they won’t rest until they are finally heard.

Not carrying on with ‘Splasher’ was an easy one from where I was sat, and very much about what I needed from the book vs. what it gave me. I’ve had a shitty week, at work, and was after a read that took me away from that right away. And while ‘Splasher’ looked like it could give me that… It ended up being a book that took its own sweet time to get going and one where the scares didn’t hit the target for me. Your mileage will inevitably vary. I love the concept and can’t help but feel like I’m missing out here. Having said that though, I don’t have the time or inclination to persevere. And that’s wholly on me, not ‘Splasher’. I like to assume all horror is for me, right up to the point where I find out that I’m not the target audience, and that is what happened here. I’ll keep ‘Splasher’ for my daughter, who is looking for some horror to read, but can’t see myself going back to it. That cover art is glorious though :o)