Victim. Murderer. Serial Killer. What next?
Dead Head, by C. J. Skuse, is the third instalment in the dark comic horror Sweetpea series featuring the serial killing girl next door, Rhiannon Lewis. Rhiannon hates EVERYBODY and you don’t want to make it onto her kill list, but has she mellowed since giving birth?
I loved reading the first two books in this series and couldn’t wait to start reading the latest instalment, Dead Head. The first two were gory, quite unique and packed with humour in and amongst the brutal murders.
Rhiannon is now on the run after her depraved killing spree and some really brutal and horrific murders. Her ex-fiancé is still locked up in prison for her crimes, she has given birth and gave her daughter up for adoption and has set sail for pastures new. But despite posting her confession to all the murders all is not rosy with Rhiannon, the now-notorious Sweetpea killer, she seems to have lost her taste and enjoyment for murder. Can a serial killer every lose that bloodlust?
Out of sorts after her latest murders and giving birth, Rhiannon has left the UK to start a new life. But aboard a cruise ship (or floating tin cap) packed with screaming kids and Gammonati she is finding it hard to turn over a new leaf but has no lust to continue murdering the people that annoy her. Giving up her baby so that she could carry on killing just doesn’t seem to be working out for her.
All at sea, in more ways than one, she tries to kickstart her enjoyment of murdering people that make her list but is realising that there is more to life than death, will she be able to turn her life around?
Overall, whilst I thoroughly enjoyed Sweetpea and In Bloom nearly as much, Dead Head is a continuation of the story but takes a different turn, Rhiannon has confessed, left the UK and life seems to take a different turn, ultimately ending up in the hands of a Mexican cartel, where she seems to thrive and be content.
Whilst Rhiannon is trying to find herself again, there isn’t as many murders as Sweetpea, but there is enough killing to keep everybody satisfied. She also starts to make friends and even falls in love.
Dead Head, and the series as a whole, is deliciously dark and depraved and has enough comic and dark humour to make it a really fascinating and intriguing read. Rhiannon is a unique and psychotic anti-hero that is fun and lovable, but you wouldn’t want to get on her wrong side and end up on her list, it won’t end well for you!
Dead Head is a different but enjoyable continuation of the Rhiannon Lewis story, a dark comic murderous thriller that is definitely unique and a very different take on the serial killer genre that is fun to read. Rhiannon is a character that any reader will find hard not to love with her wit, sarcasm, and creative murderous ways.
Dead Head is a unique, engaging and darkly comic read with excellent characters, but on balance not as good as the previous books and I can’t see where a fourth book could go without her being caught. Not my favourite of the three books but still worthy of a read.
Rating: 4/5
RRP: £8.99 (Paperback) / £3.99 (Kindle)
Available to buy from Amazon here.
