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I thoroughly enjoyed this action-packed ride, full of offbeat characters, lurid situations and more twists and turns than a Tilt-A-Whirl. Although larger than life, the humanity of the main characters kept me thoroughly engaged the entire time. Highly recommended!

First off, don't believe a thing I say because Will is a good friend of mine.
However, Will is a very talented writer who has recently come back to fiction after at least a 15 year break. And the ideas that bubble out of his head are outrageous. It's obvious that this guy has watched way to many B movies, and this is the story of a B-movie, as told from the writer's point of view (he yearns to be like his characters), the characters (who just take all the weirdness without asking questions) and the director (and real writer) who manipulates all, but is completely manipulated himself. Zombies, dead Elvises, tiki bars, lounge singers, gang rape by biker gangs, exploitation, exploitation,... More > exploitation. If you know Will, you will see many parallels to his own life, as he works through the drama that has surrounded him over the years. In fact, his frequently updated blog becomes yet another active point of view to this novel.
As I said, don't believe me, but if this wasn't an engrossing read, I wouldn't recommend it. < Less

Oh, man what a wild ride. No matter what you think you're going to get in this book, Will "The Thrill" Viharo will take you to places you never thought possible on our plane of thought. Viharo has been around the block a few times and his caliber of writing shows it. Zombies, porn makers, sexy chicks, bad cops...that's just the beginning. His descriptions of each wild scene will make you feel like you're right there, in the action, seeing what he sees. Viharo doesn't hold anything back. It's all there, sometimes touching, sometimes sexy, sometimes damned disgusting and all fantastic. If you dig this kind of scene, you will hands-down flip for this book. -Christopher Pinto

Just finished reading "A Mermaid Drowns in the Midnight Lounge". No spoilers in this review; this thing is all about mood and style just as the work itself. It took me two days to finish the book because I just couldn't bring myself to read it in daylight. It's a sort of pulp film noir for the video generation, all fast cuts and plenty of lurid action on every page. Reading it felt like taking a drive to the corner store at night in the rain making all left turns and ending up parked in front of an opium den in Morocco. Sorry, no Haagen Daz here! I strongly advise having a bottle of booze and a dirty glass handy while reading this... not so much to drink, but to bring the mood of the story into your space.

Another neo-noir genre-blender from the wonderful Will Viharo, whose work, this time out, updates a David Lynchesque (specifically: "Lost Highway") template, traversing three alternate realities - actually levels - that are grindhouse violent, retro-revering, and over-the-top horrific and pornographic.

When the levels begin to meld, the characters' degeneration, the werewolfery, the zombies (which read like cognizied versions of Lucio Fulci's putrefied undead) and the dizzying swirl-cycle of bloodthirstiness, sex, skewed humor and desperation acelerate into a satisfying come-together finish.

If you're fan of grindhouse, neo-noir, retro-culture horror or science fiction-ish work,... More > you should own this novel.

Or you can talk to him when he hosts Thrillville, once a month, and buy it from him directly (after he orders it for you). For Thrillville details, check out Will's site: http://www.willthrillville.blogspot.com/.

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Actual Rafiq composed an "original book score" for Mermaid, titled "Music for a Drowning Mermaid". This exhilarating four-song instrumental CD, which reflects and complements the mood of the book that inspired it, is on sale at Lulu.com for $8. < Less