Devil’s Breath
Greg F. Gifune
DarkFuse
July 7, 2015
Reviewed by Tim Potter
“This was not the time for hearts and flowers.It was all blood and barbed wire now.”
The fantastic Devil’s Breath is the latest dark-thriller/ horror novel from Greg F. Gifune. It is a brooding and atmospheric story that combines the best of mystery, noir, horror and supernatural genres, creating a unique and compelling tale. When strong characters are added to the mix the result is a compulsively readable work.
The story is told from the first-person perspective of Stan Falk, a dishwasher with a mysterious and combustible past. Things begin when Stan learns that his bank account has been drained without his knowledge and, somehow, by himself. Aided by insights into the drug scopolamine, street named Devil’s Breath, and the worship of the god Saturn, he finds that answers to his questions are stranger than he could have ever imagined. The story shifts from a gritty noir to a supernatural horror with a seamless ease that belies the complexities of the plot.
Along with his coworker and friend Sophie, Stan is sucked into a conspiracy that is beyond his ability to understand. Other characters pass through the story and help Stan along his journey to the heart of a vast conspiracy. His homeless friend Duane is a deep, sympathetic and enigmatic character who provides insights and intelligence that transcend his station in life. The remaining characters are also good, but play very small parts, serving to help Stan along in his journey.
The novel contains scenes that are possibly flashbacks, maybe dreams or hallucinations. When the relevance and true nature of these scenes is revealed it takes the quality of the structure of the narrative to an even higher level. The novel ends with a climax of sex, violence and the supernatural that could only be pulled off by a talented writer at the absolute top of his game.
