Empties

In this nightmarish tale, a third-rate detective is faced with an impossible crime, as bodies are turning up without their brains and without any indication of how the organs were removed. His only lead—an attractive landlady—becomes more than a lead and drives him into a world of terror, where his sanity is questioned and he must stop the monster before she does more evil. Or should he join her? Does he even have a choice, or will he just be driven by terror?

From Publishers Weekly

Reductive gender stereotyping and sloppy pacing sink this ambitious foray into psychological horror. When the autopsy of a homeless man reveals that his brain has mysteriously vanished from his unopened skull, Detective Benek is initially alone in his determination to pursue the matter. Then a dead priest is discovered in a church with his brain lying beside him and a woman named Dierdre Matera passed out in a back pew. Even after Matera drugs and rapes Benek and demonstrates her brain-snatching abilities on various other victims, Benek can't convince anyone of her evil predations. Zebrowski (Macrolife) builds a simplistic and biased portrayal of the mating game, casting women as cold predators and men as befuddled innocents. As the characters become mired in repetitious reflection, the reader is likely to feel as confused as the hapless protagonist. (May) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine

"This engrossing genre bender combines police procedural, male romantic suspense, science fiction, and/or fantasy, nourish pursuit thriller, and gross-out horror story."

Mystery Scene No. 110

"This is no book for the squeamish, since it describes horrific procedures, steamy sex, and some pretty out there occult beliefs. That said, Empties can be a fascinating adventure for mystery fans who like a dash of weirdness with their murders."

About the Author

George Zebrowski is the author of Macrolife, chosen by the Library Journal as one of the 100 best science fiction novels, and Stranger Suns, selected by The New York Times as a notable book of the year. He has published more than 200 works of short fiction, articles, and essays, which have appeared in Amazing Stories, Bertrand Russell Society News, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Nature, Omni Magazine, and Science Fiction Age. His short fiction has been nominated for the Nebula Award and the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award. He lives in Delmar, New York.

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