Rating: 
Summary: so-so plot, terrible characters, even worse writing
Review: I, too, heard the comparisons to Thomas Harris. Forget it. The plot is intriguing at first, but the chapters written from the killer's POV are ludicrous: over the top and utterly lacking in any realistic insight into the mind of a killer (or an artist, for that matter). The "heroes" aren't much better and come off as total cartoons. The plot becomes more and more ridiculous as it goes along (why, exactly, would a serial killer with an entire family caged in his basement agree to have an art-student intern move in?!?). Nothing happens unless it can be used later as a plot contrivance (gee, that lecture about keeping water away from the hot metal seemed extraneous at the time!). And the writing... so, so bad. I rolled my eyes so often they hurt. Overbaked prose, mixed metaphors, misused words... this puppy's got it all.
Rating: 
Summary: NO STARS/WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY
Review: If you bought, or want to buy, this book based on the cudos of the author - forget it. If you want this book based on the narrative of its contents - it's a lie. This book is nothing more than a "snuff film" - written by a sick excuse for an author. He tries to glorify his story by keeping his thesaurus close by so he can write "big words" - thus making him appear cerebral - but the attempt, like the story, like his accolades, are a digusting farse. DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK or anything else written by this man.
Rating:
Summary: NO STARS/WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY
Review: If you bought, or want to buy, this book based on the cudos of the author - forget it. If you want this book based on the narrative of its contents - it's a lie. This book is nothing more than a "snuff film" - written by a sick excuse for an author. He tries to glorify his story by keeping his thesaurus close by so he can write "big words" - thus making him appear cerebral - but the attempt, like the story, like his accolades, are a digusting farse. DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK or anything else written by this man.
Rating: 
Summary: taut, gripping thriller
Review: Nykanen's writing has been favourably compared to that of Thomas Harris, and after reading "The Bone Parade", I can see why. Nykanen has written a tightly paced,deeply disturbing, and brilliantly constructed story, and Ashley Stassler stands shoulder to shoulder with Hannibal Lecter as one of the darkest (yet strangely enduring) psychopaths ever conceived. Lauren Reed is a strong, intelligent protagonist, and Diamond Girl will no doubt go down as of the most repulsive, fascinating, and unique characters ever imagined by an author. While "The Bone Parade" is definately not for the faint of heart (one chapter in particular is absolutely terrifying), it gives a fascinating insight into one man's "heart of darkness". A dark, hugely entertaing read - I cannot recommend it enough!
Rating: 
Summary: Disturbing and Original - This Thriller Packs a Creepy Punch
Review: On a ranch just outside of Moab, Utah, in a secret cellar under a barn, sculptor Ashley Stassler is working on his latest masterpiece. Although the finished project will be cast in metal, at this stage he is still sculpting flesh. From the beginning of Mark Nykanen's latest thriller, THE BONE PARADE, the reader knows the artist is, above all else, a serial killer.But artist and professor Lauren Reed has no idea. She is not a fan of Stassler's work; in fact, it disturbs her. Still, she sends her most promising young student, Kerry, to intern with Stassler on his remote ranch. After all, he is a world-renowned artist, known for being eccentric at most. When Kerry disappears shortly after arriving at Stassler's, Lauren is pulled into a chilling mystery. Over the years, in order to create his famous series "Family Planning," Stassler has collected families. After kidnapping them and locking them up in a cage in the cellar, he begins to physically and psychologically torture them before using their bodies as the structures of his sculptures. The family that will soon make up "Family Planning #9" are the Vandersons --- mother, father, son and teenage daughter. For Stassler, torturing and killing families in the name of his art has become routine. But the daughter from this particular family, dubbed Diamond Girl by Stassler, is different. She challenges him and engages him in a dangerous psychosexual game. Soon he is facing even more complications, including the investigations of Lauren Reed, which threaten to expose him for the villainous killer he is and destroy his bone parade forever. Nykanen's novel is not very long, but it packs a creepy punch. The reader is privy to many of Stassler's thoughts and activities. While it is interesting to be inside the mind of a literary serial killer, Nykanen never really shares how Stassler came to be a person for whom destruction of human life is necessary for the creation of his art. There is a prologue but it may confuse more than explain. THE BONE PARADE is disturbing and original with several interesting twists. In Lauren Reed, Nykanen has created a smart and spunky heroine. She is a character driven by her instincts as an artist and as a teacher. Her instincts help her in the novel to save her own life and the life of her student. Perhaps Nykanen's most intriguing character is Diamond Girl. A sociopath in the making, Diamond Girl is just as frightening as Stassler, maybe even more so. She too, however, is written without a clear motivation and it is hard to understand what has made her, in her short life, so wicked. Despite the creativity of the plot, the evil of the villains, the courage of the heroine and the twist at the very end, Nykanen's novel may not satisfy readers hoping for a peek into the psyche and background of a serial killer. Still, THE BONE PARADE is action-packed, scary and poses uncomfortable questions about the relationship between destruction and creation and what inspires an artist. Nykanen does a great job of keeping readers involved and turning pages. --- Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman
Rating: 
Summary: Erotic Horror
Review: See book summary above. Mark Nykanen's villian loves to torture his subjects, though in the villians eyes, it's not torture, it's to create great art.
Nykanen does a good job setting up the story and laying down the suspense. This novel contains both explicit violence and sex.
The first person perspective of the villian gives great depth to that character and shows you just how crazy he is.
A dark and entertaining read.
Rating:
Summary: Dark thriller gets you in its grasp
Review: The single-minded savagery of the villian put me off at first but I'm glad I continued to read this dark thriller. The author rachets up the tension and one finds it hard to put the book down or disengage from the characters and their plights. There is a great chase scene in the southern Utah rock country that leaves the reader soaking wet and exhausted, the writing is so vivid. I defy you to go to sleep until you've finished this book!
Rating:
Summary: Get to the point already
Review: This book was an ok read. The plot was good, but I had a hard time fitting the characters together at the beginning. Towards the middle, I was thinking enough already I get how weird you are, get on with it already. I ended up skipping the last 75 or so pages to get to the outcome because it got redundant for me. Recommend as entertaining but not the best that I've read.
Rating:
Summary: A NICELY DONE STORY
Review: This is a good read and I say this after admitting to the fact that I normally do not like books of this sort and only read it after being prompted by my wife. I found excellent character developement and a story with wonderful twists. The author is certainly a good story teller and knows his craft. This is one well worth picking up and reading.
Rating:
Summary: A NICELY DONE STORY
Review: This is a good read and I say this after admitting to the fact that I normally do not like books of this sort and only read it after being prompted by my wife. I found excellent character developement and a story with wonderful twists. The author is certainly a good story teller and knows his craft. This is one well worth picking up and reading.
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