 The Honey Trap by Patrick Sheane Duncan is the perfect novel for fans of exploitation movies like Freeway and Promising Young Woman Book Title: The Honey Trap Author: Patrick Sheane Duncan Publisher: Encyclopocalypse Media: Audiobook & Print/Ebook Buy: https://www.amazon.com.au/Audible-The-Honey-Trap/dp/B0B6CQ5PGB Sometimes the best possible way to go into any work of fiction, is to go in blind. It leaves little room for expectation and lets the story meet you on its own terms. While I have to admit that I did know the premise of this one, I basically went in blind. Essentially, all I knew was that it was an Encyclopocalypse audiobook (which never let me down), and that it was about a student veterinarian and conwoman becoming the target of a serial killer when she lures him into her honey trap. Pru, the kickass female lead in this one, poses as an underage girl on dating apps to bait perverts into taking advantage of her. Usually, she turns the tide on them, takes their money, and escapes without harm. Unfortunately for her, one particular target, Calvin, is running the same kind of game. Only, he’s a lot meaner than she is. Calvin baits young girls and chops them into pieces. When their paths cross, Pru manages to escape her first encounter with Calvin, stealing some of his belongings as she flees. As you can imagine, this one becomes a deadly game of cat and mouse for Pru. Calvin works his angles as he tries to recover the incriminating evidence Pru has taken from him, and Pru battles with her conscience as she decides whether to go into hiding or whether to seek justice for all of Calvin’s past victims. With that kind of set-up, you’re going to know if this is the story for you, but what I’ll add is that this is a particularly well-told novel, and I’d love to see it adapted into a movie. There’s a great tradition of protagonists like Pru overcoming monsters like Calvin in cinema, and this would add to it. Seriously, if you dig films like Freeway and Promising Young Woman, you’re probably going to love this book. Of course, Duncan’s character-work is what really makes this book so good. Pru is a genuinely likeable character. She’s flawed and she’s damaged by her past, but ultimately, she’s a hero you can get behind. She cares for injured animals, and while she’s trying to set herself up for a great future, she’s relying on the less conventional skills she has to earn enough to keep her animals going and to get herself through her studies. By the same token, Duncan’s characterisation of Calvin as the classic traditional father in a God-fearing family and a serial-killing freak with serious perversions is just as effective. He’s created a truly terrifying character, and with his proclivities pitted against Pru’s wiles, this story is a tense and suspenseful affair. Throughout the course of the novel, Duncan delivers enough moments of heartbreak, splatter, and genuine breathtaking tension to ensure his story grips you tight and keeps you holding your breath until the thrilling climax and unexpected twist. It’s great stuff. When all of that combines with the high production values delivered by Encyclopocalypse Publications team of producers and narrators, you end up with an audiobook that’s guaranteed to hold you in its thrall. Felicity Day and Sean Duregger handle the perspectives of Pru and Calvin respectively, and they breathe so much life into the characters—thanks to Duncan’s excellent groundwork—that you might even forget you’re listening to character actors. To sum it all up, I can offer no better praise than this: I listened to this audio as I travelled to work, and on two separate occasions, I was so engrossed, I forgot to drink my coffee. The Honey Trap |
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