Blood on the Tracks by Shuzo Oshimi

OVERVIEW:

The series Blood on the Tracks, written and illustrated by Shuzo Oshimi, features a young boy, Seiichi, and his unconventionally close family unit. Every weekend, Seiichi must give up all of his social opportunities because his cousin is coming over to hang out with him and his overprotective mother, Seiko. A hiking trip turns sour one weekend, and tragedy strikes, changing the family dynamic forever. The secret between the two and what happened on that mountain trek drives a wedge, threatening to rent the mother/son duo apart. In the gripping clutches of a terrible secret, Seiichi takes the reader on a tailspin of heartache, romance, gore, and exposes the gritty underbelly of what it takes to keep a family together.

REVIEW:

This read brings a youthful infusion of drama for dark thrill-seekers, a softball into the horror genre for those wondering if a dance with the macabre is what they are looking for. This series is self-propelling with memorable characters, unsettling moments, and cringe-worthy events, ending consistently in cliffhangers that keep the pages turning.

Four and a half out of five stars leave this reader reaching for the next book in the series… the next book… and the next book.