Next of Kin

In this morbid and intense horror-romance hybrid from Skelter (Life Support), the relationship between a vicious killer and his intended victim grows complicated. Serial killer Jacob Mallory is New York City’s public enemy number one, his nightly murder sprees unsolved by police. He’s surprised and intrigued to learn that a beautiful stranger named Nathan McGuire has him as an emergency contact when the hospital calls to inform him of Nathan’s suicide attempt. Jacob agrees to bring Nathan home, delighted at the opportunity to stage a perfect murder—but he quickly realizes he’s gotten more than he bargained for as he begins to fall for Nathan, his murderous impulses colliding with a tenderness he’s never felt before. Meanwhile Nathan has secrets of his own, and as Jacob becomes more compromised, surprises surface that threaten to tear apart the volatile balance between predator and prey. This tense tale succeeds as a queer romantic riff on Bret Easton Ellis’s American Psycho, with Skelter’s nimble prose perfectly evoking Jacob’s wry detachment. Though the plot occasionally struggles to grow beyond the bounds of its influences, it has plenty of transgressive charm. Fans of Poppy Z. Brite’s Exquisite Corpse will especially want to check this out. (Mar.)