Horror Book Review: Grisly Deeds by Tommy Ellis

This week’s Horror Book Pick is GRISLY DEEDS by Tommy Ellis. The book is an anthology of 20 horror stories that was published in May 2024 and has since then been on the bestsellers list of British and Irish Horror. 

The stories are an homage to the classic horror stories of the 1960s and 1970s, and covers several themes and topics such as the Cold War experiments, medical terrors and so on. 

The author sent me a copy of the book so I may provide an honest review of the book, and so here it is. 

Book Review of GRISLY DEEDS 

The book opens strongly with a story called First Do No Harm. The author manages to trick us about the protagonist’s identity and we think we are reading about a simple surgical procedure. There is a hint in the middle though that you are bound to miss. Everything makes sense when you read the last line. 

This grisly story is followed by Dead Man’s Teeth, another tale that is bound to make you cringe and feel creeped out. Following that is Simon, a story about a man and his best friend, except his best friend is unlike anything anyone can imagine. 

The next few stories contain creepy stories that are intermixed with surprising twists and subtle humor. You are going to find some of them shocking and some bordering on gruesome. 

While I enjoyed reading all the stories in the collection, my favorites were First Do No Harm, Tsunami, VHUK, and of course, Secret Ingredient. These stories had surprising twists that hit you right in the end leaving you with a sense of fear but also tickles you. 

Tommy Ellis has crafted twenty eerie short stories that get straight to the point and straight to the horror. There are stories like Table Manners that is only one page but it is filled with gruesome descriptions and a clever twist that will leave an impact on you. 

Revealing any more about these stories will spoil your enjoyment for when you pick up the book and indulge in these creepy tales. 

If you are looking for a horror book to satisfy your horror cravings, then this collection of grisly tales, is just for you. 

To Read or Not to Read?

I did read the entire collection in two days and many of the short stories left an impact on my mind. The author is not only a good writer but a good storyteller as well. His talent is unmistakable and his gift for weaving horror tales is evident. But what the author also manages to accomplish is tell his horror stories with a hint of dark humor that will make you chuckle at the most unexpected moment. 

The fact that the author has managed to elicit that kind of response from its reader is a remarkable feat. 

No doubt, this is one of the best horror collections I have come across so far.

Get the book here