J.C. Hutchins Gives Us One More Reason to be Afraid of the Dark

About a month ago I read something that I can honestly say scared the shit out of me. It’s not often that a novel can evoke such a primal emotion as fear. In fact, the only other novel I can remember reading that did so was The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty. The time has come once again though for you and I to be afraid of the dark. The reason? Personal Effects: Dark Art by J.C. Hutchins and Jordan Weisman.

The story follows Zach Taylor, a gifted art therapist who is employed at Brinkvale Psychiatric Hospital. Otherwise known as ‘The Brink.’ Zach has a way of reaching his patients through art therapy. Allowing them to express themselves to the point where they open up to him so the healing can begin. When a new patient is admitted though, Zach is forced to reevaluate everything his knows about his talents…and his past.

Enter Martin Grace. An alleged serial killer who is under suspicion for 12 murders and is admitted to The Brink for psychiatric treatment to see if he’s fit to stand trial. The only problem is, Martin Grace is blind, so how could he have killed 12 people? Zach is faced with the challenge of unraveling the mystery of Martin Grace and in doing so is plunged into a world so dark, so terrifying, that it not only forces him to question everything he knew to be true, but also forces him to face The Dark Man. A villain so evil that you’d swear that it was the spawn of Satan himself.

Reading Personal Effects: Dark Art was not only a treat (as a lifelong horror fan, I am always looking for the next best scare) but it was also a mind bending experience. Hutchins has a way of grabbing you head first and pulling you in to the darkness to the point where you forget everything that is going on around you. As someone who missed a few subway stops on the way to work, I’m qualified to say that.

Personal Effects: Dark Art isn’t just your everyday book though. What it does is combine the narrative flow of a novel and mixes it with the feel of an alternate reality game. The book comes with actual ‘personal effects’ that allow you to go online and virtually become the protagonist yourself. You can also call Zach Taylor’s voicemail to get clues, visit the Brinkvale Psychiatric Hospital website that allows you to submit your own artwork. Just Google character names and you’ll see websites specifically designed for them that will help you to unravel the mystery. It’s a truly interactive experience and one that is not to be missed!

Personal Effects: Dark Art is unleashed on the world on June 9 from St. Martin’s Press. You can pre-order it here from JCHutchins.net and also watch some of the very cool online video trailers that bring some of the biggest icons of horror together to ‘Vlurb’ the book. Go see for yourself.

Folks, believe me when I say that this novel really is one of the best I have read in the genre in the past 10 years. Is it perfect? No, but what little flaws it has can be overlooked by everything that this book brings to the table. Hutchins and Weisman make the ultimate team and when they say you’ll be afraid of the dark…they mean it!