I was privileged to receive and advance review copy of the novella, SCRUBS, by Thriller writer Simon Wood, writing under his horror pseudonym Simon Janus. Here are my thoughts on what I consider to be a remarkable piece of fiction…

What if there were more to the mind of an evil, sociopathic genius than met the eye? What if all his ravings and psychoses turned out to be normal reactions to a world that is just different from the one we know and accept? If it’s true - if the ranting madmen wandering the street talking to invisible others, and the cults, and the insanely violent are part of some bigger whole we can’t understand, it’s okay. The way things work, they are solo artists in a choir from hell - they don’t draw us in, and we - generally - wall them out. It’s a process that has kept us real, sane, and existing for centuries.

Except, in the psychiatric prison known as Wormwood Scrubs, over in foggy, rainy London town, where Bloody Jack once danced with death and H. G. Wells dreamed of Time Machines, the rules are changing. There’s an experimental ward in the prison, and the experiments aren’t safe. No one wants to admit it because, frankly, it’s cool. What they’ve discovered could revolutionize so many things that the world might shift on its axis.

The experiments require guinea pigs, and that’s where Simon Janus’ protagonist, Keeler, comes in. Keeler is a lifer, nothing to look forward to - except if he signs on to be part of the experiment, there might be a way out at the end. He’s not a bad man - not really. He killed a boy…but he’s not really a killer.

What he finds beyond the locked doors changes his life, and the world, forever. Three others went before him - two lifers, like himself - and one who is more.

This book will challenge your imagination in ways it’s not used to being challenged, and take you places you never expected to go. The ending is tight, and satisfying, and yet - there is endless room for expansion and sequels.

The hero is unlikely. The villain is all-too-easy to hate. The innocent and the guilty, the crazy and the sane? Good luck figuring out which is which before the final bell rings.

This is a top notch novella from a talented author I expect to see a lot more from in the months and years to come. Truly a remarkable book and I highly recommend it. This book is available now for pre-order - I read an advanced review copy. It will come out soon from Bad Moon Books in trade paperback. The cover art, by the talented Alan Clark, is brilliant.