FR Jameson author Horror Thriller Books

R E V I E W S

Literary Magic
13th January 2009

The Wannabes by FR Jameson

Reviewed by Heidi Hirner

When someone offers to take you – Constant Reader – by the hand, and lead you into a space of horrors … make sure that your guide is a good one.

If you’re like me, then you probably check the end of horror books first, just to make sure that it’s safe to dip in your toe. Because you don’t wanna dip in your favourite tootsie and lift out a bloody stump – nobody does a decent pirouette on a missing main piggy. So we gingerly test the water, you and me, and if nothing in the dark deep end lops off our tootsies, then we wade in.

We probably like Stephen King the most, because we feel safe with him. We’re happy to let him take us by the hand and lead us down those dark paths because he knows where the monsters lurk, he’s dealt with them before, he knows how to twist them into knots before they get ya. Stephen – we both know - is a good guide.

And so is FR Jameson. We have a new good guide.

When John Clay returns to London after a two year absence, he is drawn to the flat of three beautiful actresses, and into the boudoir of one of those actresses – Belinda, his flame-haired ex, a beautiful but self-absorbed woman who is nothing but “bad news.”

After a night spent indulging in various sins of the flesh with his recovered ex-love, Clay dreams an exceptionally vivid and violent dream, a dream that involves his old friend Raymond.

The next morning he discovers all that now remains of Raymond is his burned and bloody carcass.

Is Clay having pre-cognitive dreams? And what motive could anyone have for wanting Raymond dead? As Clay investigates the death, he discovers that a lot has happened to his group of friends during his two years away from London; secrets and resentments and murderous motives have knotted and clotted the relationships of the group he calls the Wannabes, a group of actors, musicians and artists drifting perilously on the wrong side of thirty, their naïve dreams of Hollywood morphing slowly into nightmares of garish reality, the truth of decaying London flats and unglamorous sagging flesh.

As the murders continue, Clay travels deeper into understanding the mysteries of his friends, the enmeshment that characterizes their unhealthy relationships. And as he comes to understand them, he comes to understand himself.

A book that is like a magnet – absolutely unputdownable from the moment you pick it up. Puzzle pieces that are electrical, characters with their own unique attractions, charged tension. A fantastically magnetic read.

FR Jameson is an excellent guide through the land of horrors, the kind of guide that we can stick with.

Spentinglers
12th January 2009

Well I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year and aren't experiencing any post Christmas blues.

However if you are we have something which will hopefully cheer you up. A review of The Wannabes by F R Jameson. This is Jameson's debut novel and it proves what all of us here at Spiney already knew that F R Jameson is a world class story teller. The Wannabes so impressed the reviewer that it has been shortlisted for the Spinetinglers Book of the Year Award 2009.

F R Jameson is one of Spiney's most elusive authors and we hope in a few weeks to have an exclusive interview with the elusive author. Jameson's first story Adultery made it into the winners circle as far back as October 2006, and left us all wondering about the actual author when the only information we were given was that F R Jameson lives and works in London. Jameson followed this up the very next month with Wilderness which was the overall monthly winner in November 2006. Then in early 2007 came back with another Jameson classic Snowbridge. If you haven't already read these then give yourselves a treat some wintry night and curl up beside a roaring fire with a warm glass of your chosen beverage.

However before we get to the review of The Wannabes I am delighted to announce that the website for the Spinetinglers Anthology 2008 is live you can check it out at http://www.thespinetinglersanthology2008.com/ don't forget to let me know what you think of the website by emailing me (Jodi) at spinetinglers@btinternet.com

to reignite old acquaintances. However, a brutal murder forces them to meet again and petty rivalries quickly bubble to the surface. Only John can mend these shattered relationships and catch the killer. Unfortunately, he has two problems: will enough of his friends still be alive to resolve their issues and will Clay stop dreaming that he is his friend’s killer? You have to read the book to find out!
F.R. Jameson is a writer that Spinetinglers is acquainted with. We have published quite a few of his short stories and of course were fairly keen to read his first full-length novel. And we were not disappointed. The Wannabes is an intriguing, blood and guts tale of witches, corpses, and the odd pretentious bohemian gathering.
With the flood of reality T.V. shows continually assaulting our screens, a title like The Wannabes conjures up images of self-obsessed, embittered trouble makers who will do anything for screen time. The characters within this novel will not do anything to rectify this preconceived stereotype. They are a vacuous and superficial lot whose main pleasure seems to be running each other down. In fact, Jameson has done such a good job of bringing to life these vile characters that, at times, you find yourself rooting for the killer.
The Wannabes uses a contemporary style whodunit with a supernatural twist. Its characters are a gloriously vapid and self-obsessed lot who are bloody hungry for fame. F.R. Jameson’s book will make your pulse race and your toes curl and you will enjoy every blood spattered chapter as vainglorious big-brother-types get savagely bumped off. A treat for those whose summers have been marred by inane celebrity T.V.
For those of you who are suitably intrigued just click on the link below to take you directly to Amazon.co.uk