Bodily Harm by Deborah Sheldon
Bodily Harm by Deborah Sheldon is a crime-horror novel set in Melbourne, Australia. Released on October 11, 2024 by Undertaker Books, the paperback weighs in at 451 pages.
I don’t normally read crime stories, but when it’s a crime-horror book from Deborah Sheldon I can’t resist it. Some of my favorites are her creature or monster stories. I feel this novel still applies, since sometimes humans can be the scariest monsters out there.
This is a story about Cara, a young woman who moved to Melbourne, Australia to start a new life. She survives an armed robbery at her local pizzeria one evening, but the nightmares and horrors continue as she tries to get past the fear and trauma of the experience. Dangerous events seem to unfold around her at every turn.
Bodily Harm comes with a Mature Content Warning, which I believe was aptly placed. The content touches on various types of trauma and violence, but it was handled deftly by Sheldon and wasn’t off-putting or overdone for the sake of violence or shock. The title itself plays on that fact, and I feel it applies to a handful of characters and their experiences.
Sheldon nails the emotional trauma of being a victim in a handful of scenarios, too. There were moments when I found myself backing away in disgust from the characters and scenes in the book as I read it as well as moments when I was tearing up thinking about the trauma some of the characters experienced. Sheldon doesn’t hold back, and the result hits you square in the chest. I love a book that elicits real feelings and emotions from me as I read. Kudos to Sheldon for hitting the mark repeatedly.
Lately, due to time constraints I’ve focused on reading books that are shorter. I read Bodily Harm on my e-reader, and I didn’t even realize the page count until I’d finished it. I absolutely flew through this book and was shocked when I saw the length. I read over 90% of it in one sitting. I couldn’t stop. Sheldon does a superb job of keeping readers in suspense, wondering what’s going to happen next, and turning those pages.
“They do whatever they want and they’re not accountable to anybody.” - Detective Sergeant Frank Ward
Sheldon allows the reader to experience the story through multiple characters’ eyes, which makes it even richer. The layering of characters and their personal storylines is woven together masterfully. Getting glimpses of their different perspectives throughout the book helped me to build a sense of curiosity as well as distrust and suspicion, which was a lot of fun.
In a story like this, I want to be extra careful not to give away any spoilers, so I’m just going to leave a few final notes I jotted when I finished reading.
Great characters! There are a decent amount, but I found them all to be fleshed out. It was easy to recall who was whom, and I was able to learn their tendencies and personalities.
There’s a ton of suspense and suspicion sprinkled throughout the entire book! It never lets up!
There are some intense and truly frightening scenes, but they’re handled well. Sheldon brings to life travesties and violence that are vivid, realistic, and downright scary.
I can’t recommend this book enough! If you like crime and horror, this is a no-brainer.
Need more Deborah Sheldon? Here you go!
From Deborah Sheldon’s Website:
I’M AN AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR FROM MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA.
I WRITE SHORT STORIES, NOVELLAS AND NOVELS ACROSS THE DARKER SPECTRUM OF HORROR, CRIME AND NOIR.
MY CREDITS ALSO INCLUDE TV SCRIPTS, STAGE PLAYS, MAGAZINE ARTICLES, AND AWARD-WINNING ANTHOLOGY EDITING AND MEDICAL WRITING.
Read Deborah Sheldon’s interview from Undertaker Books about why she wrote Bodily Harm and info about her journey into writing horror.
Check out my other reviews of Deborah Sheldon’s works:
From the Undertaker Books website:
Welcome to Undertaker Books, where our core values are integrity, professionalism, honesty, and transparency.
At Undertaker Books, our mission is to provide publishing services to indie authors worldwide, spotlighting new and unique voices within the realm of horror fiction. We strive to offer a seamless publishing journey from submission to publication while providing valuable feedback every step of the way.
We believe in collaboration between authors, publishers, editors, and designers to bring diverse voices to the forefront of the horror genre. Our passion lies in creating a long-lasting partnership with authors by focusing on the “less is more” concept: quality releases, not the quantity of them.
Undertaker Books is not limited to any specific theme or subgenre. Instead, we are dedicated to innovative storytelling and embracing the myriad voices that contribute to horror literature. To our readers, we hope to bring you stories you’ll take to your grave.
