Personal Effects: Dark Art
He Said:
About a month ago I read something that I can honestly say scared the $#!+ 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 twelve 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 twelve 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-
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!
She Said:
From the minute I first heard about J.C. Hutchins upcoming interactive horror novel experience, Personal Effects: Dark Art, I knew I wouldn't want to miss it. After participating interactively by submitting my patient profile and artwork to the official Brinkvale Psychiatric hospital website, I knew there was no way I could wait until June 9th to get my hands on a copy of this book.
I emailed the author and requested an advance copy to review for eMuse, and the rest is history. As I began to devour the pages of this incredibly dark and disturbing story, I wanted to share it with everyone I knew, and the current contest, eMuse Summer Madness, was born.
Hutchins' protagonist, Zach Taylor, is a colorful and driven character. As an art-
Martin Grace is the suspect in string of violent murders, but there's a catch. Grace is blind. His detailed prophecies describing the murders before they occurred line him up as the sole suspect, and it's up to Taylor to determine Grace's competency to stand trial.
One step beyond the call of duty, Taylor finds himself drawn into a gruesome and
terrifying mystery that links him to the hidden secrets of his own past. Piece by
piece, Taylor unravels the enigma behind the entity Grace refers to as The Dark Man
with the help of his tech-
Included with the novel is a host of paraphernalia: phone numbers, website addresses, identification materials and more. Readers can call the numbers and visit the sites to become a part of the story themselves, and can even participate in the Brinkvale experience by having themselves committed.
The interactive nature of this reading experience intensifies the dramatic effect
rather nicely. This is a summer must read for mystery and horror fans alike. Also,
be sure to check out my review for the companion prequel podcast: Personal Effects:
Sword of Blood, which is presently available as a free audio novella at http://jchutchins.net/site/personal-
Review by
James Melzer and Jennifer Hudock
© 2009 eMuse-
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