"Beyond
the Pale Motel is a can’t-stop-reading, gasp-out-loud sexy thriller that keeps
you guessing at every turn. Block holds up a dark mirror to the traditional
love story. She creates characters so real you feel they’ve done your hair,
heard your sob story, slept in your bed. Block reflects Los Angeles with as
much distinction as Raymond Chandler and John Fante, but her Los Angeles has
the cotton candy colored sunsets in the smog and the dark magic of the
shadows."
-- Laura Lee Bahr, author
of Haunt
Praise for Francesca Lia
Block and Beyond the Pale Motel
“Francesca Lia Block is a
bright, golden thread in the literary landscape of Los Angeles. I have looked
to her novels as inspiration for myself as a writer; she is a wizard of
metaphor and imagery while at the same time deftly constructing stories that
compel a reader forward. Francesca's work stares unblinkingly into the face of
human complexity, of suffering as well as love and joy. She's a master
(mistress?) of the craft. Would that my muse give me half the talent she has.”
~ Samantha Dunn Camp, author
of Failing Paris
“Beyond the Pale Motel is
sadder, darker, grimmer [than anything Francesca Lia Block has written], yet
still glinting in spots with ethereal light and her trademark belief in the
saving power of love.”
~ Denise Hamilton, author of
Damage Control and L.A. Noir
Maternal, sexy Catt and her beautiful, daring best friend Bree
are hairdressers at an L.A. salon called Head Hunter, and work out at a gym
called Body Farm. They have over a decade of
sobriety behind them and are getting close to living the lives they've always
wanted.
But when Catt's husband, Dash, leaves her, and then her neighbor
is brutally murdered, possibly by a man being called the Hollywood Serial
Killer, Catt's world begins to come crashing down. The murdered victims all
seem to bear a chilling resemblance to Bree. Catt suspects that Bree is the
next target of the Hollywood Serial Killer...is she losing touch with reality
or simply coming to terms with the truth?
In Beyond the Pale Motel, a terrifying and intensely erotic
novel, Francesca Lia Block explores the dangers of modern living, loving and
dying with lyrical edge and sensational attitude.
My 5 star review
I literally just finished Beyond the Pale Motel and I am
in complete shock right now. This book is so beautifully haunting and
exquisite. I have never read a book like this before, but I hate to use the
word book so I will use the word story.
I was
captivated by each and every word written. This story will grab a hold of you
and take you on one hell of a ride. While reading this story I had to stop
every so often to talk about it with my mother. My exact words one time were
"Mom, I am 30% into this story and I am already so scared to write this
review it is that good." I was even more frightened when I got to the last
page. I had no clue how I was going to write this review and what I was going
to say. Not because it was bad but because it was so exceptionally good that a
review wouldn’t really even do it justice. You would just have to read it to
know how good it is, but I will try my best to write this so here it goes.
First things first, I will not spoil this story for you at all! But I will say that Beyond the Pale Motel was unpredictable to me. I could not predict where things would go no matter where I turned the page. Trust me when I say that because I am still sitting here thinking about this story and trying to wrap my head around it all.
Catt is this beautiful girl who sees herself in a whole different light since she has worked her ass off to be sober and has done so for eleven damn years so far. Then her ass-wipe of a husband, Dash, decides to be with another. I totally didn't even see that coming. After that her world comes crashing down one guy at a time. What pisses me off the most about this situation with Catt is that she is this amazing and loving character and these men constantly shit on her. Catt is worth so much more than she knows.
Then there is this Hollywood Serial Killer on this loose…dun dun dah! YOU will shit your pants when you find out who that person is. Teehee!! I told you I wouldn’t spoil anything. You will just have to read the book to find out. It is completely worth the time to read, I can promise you that.
Francesca Lia Block you did one hell of a job writing this story. I have a feeling that I will be talking non-stop about this mind blowing, amazing, terrifying, real, raw, emotional, intense, seductive, crazy, brilliant read for an extremely long time. You will forever hold a spot on my Top Reads List!!
Francesca Lia Block is the author of more than
twenty-five books of fiction, non-fiction, short stories and poetry. She
received the Spectrum Award, the Phoenix
Award, the ALA Rainbow Award and the 2005 Margaret A. Edwards Lifetime Achievement
Award, as well as other citations from the American
Library Association and from the New York Times Book Review,School Library Journal and Publisher’s Weekly. Her work
has been translated into Italian, French, German Japanese, Danish, Norwegian,
Swedish, Finnish and Portuguese. Francesca has also published stories, poems,
essays and interviews in The Los Angeles Times, The
L.A. Review of Books, Spin, Nylon, Black
Clock and Rattle among others. In addition to writing,
she teaches fiction workshops at UCLA Extension, Antioch University, Marilyn’s
Writing Pad and privately in Los Angeles where she was
born, raised and currently still lives.
Connect with Francesca Lia
Block
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