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Specters
A murderer of children moves to Florida but soon discovers that his past has returned in the form of the specters of his young victims, who demand vengeance before he begins to murder again.
384 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1991
118 people want to read
About the author
J.M. Dillard
44Ìýbooks109ÌýfollowersJ.M. Dillard is the pseudonym under which Jeanne Kalogridis (b. 1954) publishes her Star Trek novels.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
May 22, 2023
Yet another rather subpar offering from the Dell Abyss series! Dillard gives us a rather tired tale here of a serial killer/pedophile and with something of a supernatural revenge angle from his victims. Dillard writes reasonably well but failed to breath any new life into this tired trope. Our main protagonist Avra has a twin sister named Maggie and when they were five or so, the man their wife was soon going to marry was caught molesting Avra; in the ensuing rukus, the man killed the mother and escaped. Avra and Maggie then moved in with their grandma in Tampa.
Now, 25 years later or so, Avra is still struggling with her trauma from that time. She still lives with her sister in their grandma's house (grandma passed away years ago) and now works in a bookstore. One day she sees the man, now going by Dr. Feinman, in a local restaurant and her fears and such come back with a vengeance. Is it really him? Did he see her? Avra's granny told them that the man died back then, but was she lying?
Through a series of flashbacks, we are introduced to 'Dr. Feinman', from his early traumatic childhood to his nasty little deeds across the US since his 'encounter' with Avra. We know the two will meet up again; the only mystery is just how it is going to pan out. Dillard also drops in some supernatural aspects as Dr. Feinman keeps seeing ghosts of his prior victims and they sometimes leave little presents for him, like the dolls they held when he killed them.
All in all, Dillard manages to build some tension here, but it feels really forced. I mentioned the prose is decent, but Specters builds a rather tired plot and the introduction of ghosts does little for the over all story. Meh. 2 abysmal stars!
Now, 25 years later or so, Avra is still struggling with her trauma from that time. She still lives with her sister in their grandma's house (grandma passed away years ago) and now works in a bookstore. One day she sees the man, now going by Dr. Feinman, in a local restaurant and her fears and such come back with a vengeance. Is it really him? Did he see her? Avra's granny told them that the man died back then, but was she lying?
Through a series of flashbacks, we are introduced to 'Dr. Feinman', from his early traumatic childhood to his nasty little deeds across the US since his 'encounter' with Avra. We know the two will meet up again; the only mystery is just how it is going to pan out. Dillard also drops in some supernatural aspects as Dr. Feinman keeps seeing ghosts of his prior victims and they sometimes leave little presents for him, like the dolls they held when he killed them.
All in all, Dillard manages to build some tension here, but it feels really forced. I mentioned the prose is decent, but Specters builds a rather tired plot and the introduction of ghosts does little for the over all story. Meh. 2 abysmal stars!
May 17, 2023
Very dark and twisted, but stays pretty classy. I liked it! The villain was real easy to hate!
September 18, 2018
As a kid, I was prohibited from watching most films rated higher than PG, but my parents had no problem with me reading the novelizations of said movies. (Not sure whether that was a clever literacy promotional strategy or a complete lapse in logic.) As a result, I read A LOT of movie tie-ins, and among my favorites were J.M. Dillard's adaptations of THE FUGITIVE and STAR TREKs V & VI.
SPECTERS is the first original work of hers that I've read, and it's a bit of a mixed bag. On the one hand, Dillard's prose remains as compulsively readable as ever. She's not a flashy writer, but she can hold your attention in a way that seems effortless.
The problem is the story, which feels familiar and generic, especially for a publisher that advertises "horror unlike anything you've ever read before." Well, I have read horror like SPECTERS before, plenty of times. In fact, it reminded me of a typical Richard Laymon novel--less fun, maybe, but much smarter and in way better taste.
It's basically a cat & mouse thriller about a serial-killer-slash-rapist-slash-pedophile and his latest batch of intended victims. The plot is standard fare, but Dillard gives her characters more depth than you'd generally expect from this sort of thing. This is especially true of the killer himself, whom Dillard develops in such a way as to humanize him without making him sympathetic. It's a well-crafted novel despite being pretty forgettable.
It's also quite disturbing in some ways. Not due to violence and gore, but because the atrocities committed in the book involve children. Dillard's pen never flinches, and it's clear she's not playing around. I'd be very curious to learn why she decided to go from STAR TREK to something this bleak and nasty.
SPECTERS is the first original work of hers that I've read, and it's a bit of a mixed bag. On the one hand, Dillard's prose remains as compulsively readable as ever. She's not a flashy writer, but she can hold your attention in a way that seems effortless.
The problem is the story, which feels familiar and generic, especially for a publisher that advertises "horror unlike anything you've ever read before." Well, I have read horror like SPECTERS before, plenty of times. In fact, it reminded me of a typical Richard Laymon novel--less fun, maybe, but much smarter and in way better taste.
It's basically a cat & mouse thriller about a serial-killer-slash-rapist-slash-pedophile and his latest batch of intended victims. The plot is standard fare, but Dillard gives her characters more depth than you'd generally expect from this sort of thing. This is especially true of the killer himself, whom Dillard develops in such a way as to humanize him without making him sympathetic. It's a well-crafted novel despite being pretty forgettable.
It's also quite disturbing in some ways. Not due to violence and gore, but because the atrocities committed in the book involve children. Dillard's pen never flinches, and it's clear she's not playing around. I'd be very curious to learn why she decided to go from STAR TREK to something this bleak and nasty.
November 6, 2019
Dell Abyss 4/43
from the dell abyss line priding themselves on being not your granddad’s old horror yarn, comes some seriously generic shit. extra point for Dillard being a good writer(but not a great writer) but I’m pretty sure evil child molester stories have been done to death even before this publishing line’s conception. not necessarily bad, but very disappointing that this line has already seemed to settle for this quality only on Book 4.
from the dell abyss line priding themselves on being not your granddad’s old horror yarn, comes some seriously generic shit. extra point for Dillard being a good writer(but not a great writer) but I’m pretty sure evil child molester stories have been done to death even before this publishing line’s conception. not necessarily bad, but very disappointing that this line has already seemed to settle for this quality only on Book 4.
April 6, 2018
Even twenty-seven years ago, books about child molester serial killers were cliched. That premise doesn't automatically mean a story using it would be terrible, but Specters doesn't do much original with that idea. That this was one of the first books published under the "Cutting Edge" of the Dell/Abyss line is that much more disappointing.
To be fair, Dillard does a good job with the story. She writes well, and her characterization is convincing. Bruder, the antagonist, could have been evil simply because he molests children, but Dillard doesn't rely on just that to make him evil. He's a bad person because he lacks empathy and treats people as disposable; the whole molesting children thing is just an extension of all that. He begins to break down toward the end of the story, but that could be because the author is making him more and more unstable as his insanity goes deeper and deeper. The parts didn't cohere into a solid enough story for me.
Dillard also plays around with the idea of the story being a supernatural one, since Bruder sees ghosts OR he could be seeing hallucinations brought on by his own deeds. It's vague enough that the reader can try to guess, but then she also gives the two protagonists (twins) a psychic connection. So it suggests that the supernatural is real in the story, even though it would be more effective to have us guess at Bruder's ghosts.
Specters is definitely better than Dusk, and doesn't smack of '80s/'90s-misogynistic horror like Nightlife threatens to do in places, but I don't see this as being on the level of what Dell/Abyss promised. So far, it seems like the books from the line written by women hold up better than those by men, but I'm only four books into this project so far. We'll see.
To be fair, Dillard does a good job with the story. She writes well, and her characterization is convincing. Bruder, the antagonist, could have been evil simply because he molests children, but Dillard doesn't rely on just that to make him evil. He's a bad person because he lacks empathy and treats people as disposable; the whole molesting children thing is just an extension of all that. He begins to break down toward the end of the story, but that could be because the author is making him more and more unstable as his insanity goes deeper and deeper. The parts didn't cohere into a solid enough story for me.
Dillard also plays around with the idea of the story being a supernatural one, since Bruder sees ghosts OR he could be seeing hallucinations brought on by his own deeds. It's vague enough that the reader can try to guess, but then she also gives the two protagonists (twins) a psychic connection. So it suggests that the supernatural is real in the story, even though it would be more effective to have us guess at Bruder's ghosts.
Specters is definitely better than Dusk, and doesn't smack of '80s/'90s-misogynistic horror like Nightlife threatens to do in places, but I don't see this as being on the level of what Dell/Abyss promised. So far, it seems like the books from the line written by women hold up better than those by men, but I'm only four books into this project so far. We'll see.
Want to read
July 21, 2011Stephen King endorsed the entire Dell Abyss Horror line. Here is his blurb:
"Thank you for introducing me to the remarkable line of novels currently being issued under Dell's Abyss imprint. I have given a great many blurbs over the last twelve years or so, but this one marks two firsts: first unsolicited blurb (I called you) and the first time I have blurbed a whole line of books. In terms of quality, production, and plain old story-telling reliability (that's the bottom line, isn't it), Dell's new line is amazingly satisfying...a rare and wonderful bargain for readers. I hope to be looking into the Abyss for a long time to come."
"Thank you for introducing me to the remarkable line of novels currently being issued under Dell's Abyss imprint. I have given a great many blurbs over the last twelve years or so, but this one marks two firsts: first unsolicited blurb (I called you) and the first time I have blurbed a whole line of books. In terms of quality, production, and plain old story-telling reliability (that's the bottom line, isn't it), Dell's new line is amazingly satisfying...a rare and wonderful bargain for readers. I hope to be looking into the Abyss for a long time to come."
August 25, 2018
It's about a child predator. Dark thriller. Not for everyone. If child molestation bothers you, skip this one.
February 24, 2018
Maybe should read, book read as far as I could go.
Had this book for years never read.
Guess I did not know actual main theme just thought horror when picked up, seeing cover.
I only made it first chapter, and done with it.
Involves child predator, and calling himself the doctor.
Starts going into how he abuses the young girls, enjoys them.
Considering all of the sick real life happenings out there.
This is not something, I find entertaining in any way.
Find it disturbing, anyone can write this. From the predators desires of children.
Not to mention someone with such tendencies real life.
Maybe getting ideas from this.
Would recommend to no one ever.
A one chapter and done for me.
Had this book for years never read.
Guess I did not know actual main theme just thought horror when picked up, seeing cover.
I only made it first chapter, and done with it.
Involves child predator, and calling himself the doctor.
Starts going into how he abuses the young girls, enjoys them.
Considering all of the sick real life happenings out there.
This is not something, I find entertaining in any way.
Find it disturbing, anyone can write this. From the predators desires of children.
Not to mention someone with such tendencies real life.
Maybe getting ideas from this.
Would recommend to no one ever.
A one chapter and done for me.
August 18, 2019
Well-fleshed out characters and above average writing in this cat-and-mouse thriller/ revenge story about a child predator and one of his former victims.
The scenes between the villain and his victims (young children) are not for the squeamish. However, there is a point of view shift during one of these moments that is very powerful, if disturbing.
Makes me wish that J.M. Dillard had written more in this genre.
3.5/5 stars
The scenes between the villain and his victims (young children) are not for the squeamish. However, there is a point of view shift during one of these moments that is very powerful, if disturbing.
Makes me wish that J.M. Dillard had written more in this genre.
3.5/5 stars
September 4, 2021
Trigger warning for child molestation!
As a survivor myself, I was both bothered by the concept and details of abuse in this book, but also somewhat taken in by the revenge aspect of it, which was not sugarcoated either, the forced actions of a grown woman whose life has been shattered. Tread carefully.
As a survivor myself, I was both bothered by the concept and details of abuse in this book, but also somewhat taken in by the revenge aspect of it, which was not sugarcoated either, the forced actions of a grown woman whose life has been shattered. Tread carefully.
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