‘Daughters of cruelty’ by L.J. Dougherty - A review
Despite the cult popularity of the giallo film, particularly during its seventies heyday, attempts to adapt it to fiction in a contemporary context have proven mixed at best. All too often releases either betray its source material, resulting in a story that doesn’t resemble the genre, or it is a poorly hashed out story that lacks quality or understanding.
Sure, there are a few contemporary examples that buck this trend, for example ‘Dead girl blues’ by horror author David Sodergren or rather obviously the adaptation of ‘Case of the bloody iris’ by Michael Hudson, but let’s be honest most contemporary written giallo fiction (that is marketed as such) sucks.
So, with a little trepidation, I requested an advance copy of ‘Daughters of cruelty’ from the highly respected horror author L.J. Dougherty. I was lucky enough to be granted a copy to read and review, and seeing Sodergren had written an introduction, my fears were allayed somewhat.
The multi-POV story primarily takes place in Taormina, Sicily, and after what could best be described as a pre-credit scene that results in the violent deaths of four individuals we cut to the United States where one of our protagonists, a private investigator-photographer named Jack Ivy, is being congratulated on a job well done by a connected Congressman for whom he has just done a job for. In fact, the Congressman is so happy he is sending Jack on an all expenses paid holiday to a luxury resort in Sicily, and would you believe it, the resort is practically next to where those poor schmucks were just killed.
At the luxury resort, Dougherty introduces us to a diverse cast of characters from a fading horror director and his wife, to a bunch of swingers, a young Italian widow and a range of employees that shift from the creepy to the overly helpful.
Now, first things first, I wasn’t enamoured with the opening chapter. It was good, sure, but certain sentence structure choices made by the author simply didn’t work for me and contrasted with other moments of fluidity, leaving me to ponder which direction the book was going to take. However, I needn’t have worried as I found the rest of the book to be very well written at worst and captivating at best.
Furthermore, I found Dougherty’s creative similes and how he seamlessly weaved in ‘easter eggs’ to complement the story (rather than merely to provide a smile) to be a delight.
Back to the story, and our lothario protagonist Jack soon finds himself on the hook for a murder (not to mention an attempted one), and in true giallo fashion he turns amateur sleuth in order to not only prove his own innocence but to get the bottom of what has become an intriguing and violent mystery.
By mixing the expected tropes and use of red herrings with unique story ideas, Dougherty has created an authentic reading giallo that will please more than just fans of the film genre. At its heart, the deals with generational trauma and family, but wrapped up in a blanket of sex, sleaze and suspicion. Exactly what we wanted.
From the actions of the pitch perfect cast of characters, to the settings and situations they find themselves in (not to mention the wonderful depictions of set-piece violence), Dougherty nails every aspect.
‘Daughters of cruelty’ packs a lot into its pages and all of it works, so for those looking to read something that replicates the early-70s formula, here is something that has the substance behind the style. Arguably it is the best giallo novel out there.
