Chained, Matt Shaw

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Publisher: Matt Shaw Publications

Genre: Revenge Horror

Tags: Contemporary, Horror, Revenge, Sexual Violence

Length: 64 Pages

Reviewer: Cindi

Purchase At: Amazon.com

Synopsis –

Critically acclaimed bestselling author, Matt Shaw – #1 bestseller in Horror Fiction with hundreds of 5 star reviews – brings you one hell of a messed up “romance”.

CHAINED

He is chained to her through his own choice.

She is chained to him through no choice of her own.

A thick chain linking the two of them together by their ankles and kept in place with heavy-duty locks.

She knows why she is there. He has explained that once – and only once. Each subsequent time she asks, he simply tells her that she knows the reason. She knows there is no way out until he says so.

For a time of his choosing, she is his prisoner and that is all there is to it. Yet – for the two of them – things could have been so, so different.

“There is a ferocity about Matt Shaw’s writing that is both welcome and also necessary when it comes to horror.” – Shaun Hutson, author of “Slugs”

Categories for CHAINED

• Horror
• Psychological Fiction
• Survival horror
• Serial killers
• kidnap horror
• Suspense horror
• Revenge horror

Review –

The first thing I have to say about this story is that it may contain triggers for some readers. Past and current sexual violence is on-page. See my tags above and those listed in the blurb.

I’ve always enjoyed Matt Shaw’s books. He’s one of the few authors who can say a lot in only a few pages. He does so brilliantly in Chained. The only problem is that it’s difficult to write a review because almost everything I say can be a spoiler.

The blurb says a lot about the story. What it doesn’t say is why. We know that a man has a woman chained to him against her will. At first the reader is led to believe that he’s this monster who kidnapped this innocent woman. He’s not a good guy by any means, but he has his reasons for why he’s keeping her captive. I’m not saying they’re good reasons, but in a sense you can see exactly why he feels that he has to do something to hurt her. That’s not me saying I agree with it – I don’t – but once the reader is given a glimpse of backstories for both characters it makes sense in a very warped, screwed up, and violent way.

I’m a big horror and dark thriller reader. When I read those types of books I’m usually trying to figure out exactly why the bad guys are the bad guys. What made them that way? A lot of times they’re just flat out evil and there’s no coming back from that. Other times there were events in their lives that led them to do certain things that they’ve done. In Chained there is zero doubt why the man does what he does. Do I agree with it? Not at all, especially considering some of the things he does to the woman. Does it make sense in a way? His want to punish her? Absolutely. She is a victim. She is being held against her will and being forced to do things she shouldn’t have to do. However, the captor is also a victim, made so by past events put in place by the woman.

I can’t say more than that.

This is classic Matt Shaw. Just when you think you have the story figured out he throws the reader for a loop. That’s exactly what he did in Chained.

Great short story.