Shady Palms

By: Allen Dusk

Narrated by: Rose Caraway

Length: 8 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

A sleazy motel, burrowed on the edge of town, is haunted by rumors of dead hookers found between mattresses and peep holes drilled through walls. When Special Agent Daniels targets the motel during an investigation, the nefarious owner, Sanjay, must scramble to conceal evidence of his own dark deeds. Just when he believes things can't get any worse, motel guests begin to vanish without a trace.

Can Sanjay discover the truth behind the phenomena threatening his motel before the Feds get suspicious, or does he risk exposing his own sordid enterprises to seek help from the outside?

Why don't you book a room for the night and find out? At these bargain rates you'll be lucky if you only find dirty sheets and a few skeletons in the closet. Welcome to the Shady Palms Motel. Check out is at 11, if you live that long...

©2012 Carnal Morgue Press (P)2013 Allen Dusk

Worst ever!

Would you ever listen to anything by Allen Dusk again?

No, terrible trash. I guess he's trying to be a Carl Hiassen-type writer, but this guy doesn't have the style or sense of humor.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Rose Caraway?

Anyone. She's a terrible narrator. She shouldn't quit her day job!

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

The book cost $3.95 and that was much too much.

raunchy sex, bad lanquage, awful people

But a compelling story. I cant tell you why I kept reading, it was gross and revolting but facinating. Read at your own risk! A Horror story with Giant radioactive bedbugs, Jihadists, prostitutes, and a vile hotel owner with a live website from cameras that show what goes on in the hotel.

Only one likable character. Discusting.

You have got to be kidding

What would have made Shady Palms better?

Perhaps the worst Audible book I have ever listened to. Radioactive bed bugs? Give me a break! So poorly written and so poorly read. I was actually hooked for awhile to see just how bad it would get. AND it did keep getting worse

You must like foul language to finish this

I did not finish this book because it was just too rude. I did not find anyone in the book that I could call a "hero" or who was likable. I did not enjoy the narrator.

I seldom, if ever, read horror books; so maybe I should not even rate this. However, gratuitous foul language just is not my thing. I want to warn anyone who may feel the same. I felt myself being assaulted, so I just turned it off.

Lots of Shady. No Pines.

I almost passed on this gem of a story. Unable to get a handle on what “kind” of story it is, I was going to skip it. I’m so glad I did not. Big thanks to other reviewers who convinced me to give it a try. It was a suspenseful, entertaining trip to a creepy place. Yes, there is horror, but it’s the characters that make this a solid listen. One character in particular, Sanjay, the proprietor of a motel that you really don’t want to check in to, is one of the most interesting and complex characters I’ve “met” in a long while. Mr. Dusk does a good job of melding the crazy goings on at the Shady Pines into a unique, gripping story I was sorry to hear end. I'd give it a strong "R" rating for all the sex stuff and some gore. I really enjoyed this story and look forward to more from the author.

not my idea of a hidden gem

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

This book was like a REALLY BAD B horror movie. Story was original and would have been 3 or 4 stars if the dialogue had been more mature. But this struck me as something sprung from the mind of a fifteen year old. I would recommend it to a much younger audience if it was not for the mature content. Not a very satisfying read.

What was most disappointing about Allen Dusk’s story?

I felt the characters and much of the dialogue lacked dimension and maturity. The only thing mature about this book was the often unnecessary graphic sexual content.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Rose Caraway?

The narrator used did not have much range or inflection.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Disappointment. It could have been a good book in the hands of say Seth Grahame-Smith or David Wong.

Audible summary misleading

What would have made Shady Palms better?

I found this book disgusting not only because of the gruesome descriptions of people being attacked by giant bedbugs but also because of the graphic descriptions of the pornography on the website. A warning would have kept me from purchasing this book.

Has Shady Palms turned you off from other books in this genre?

from this author

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

the narrator was good but I wonder why she would be willing to read this novel that depicts graphic scenes of highly degrading pornography

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Shady Palms?

the whole book

Surprise,surprise, surprise!

Shady Palms was a great, and interesting story. It was thoroughly enjoyable. It is definitely recommended.
Don't miss a word!

Looking for the worst book ever?This is it!

Any additional comments?

This book is so absurd,you'll enjoy listening to it.The plot is so ridiculously far -fetched that it's funny.Remember the movie "The little shop of horrors"?Well,this is like an audio version along similar lines.
Sleazy motel,murderous staff,and to top it all off,giant mutant radioactive killer bedbugs that destroy everyone in their way.How much more absurd can it get?Absurder?
The narrator did a pretty good job of this mess.
I actually enjoyed the ride because it was so absurd,with ridiculous sex scenes thrown in,that it made me laugh.

You'll think twice about checking into a hotel..

Would you consider the audio edition of Shady Palms to be better than the print version?

Although I would want to read the print version one day, the audio version made some of the scenes almost surreal.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Shady Palms?

The shower scene with everyone's favorite hooker.

What about Rose Caraway’s performance did you like?

Ms. Caraway's overall performance was great.

Who was the most memorable character of Shady Palms and why?

Sanjay all the way. You want to hate him but towards the end I felt like I was rooting for him.