Beware Sally Pencilneck!

TITLE: Killarney Lake Massacre

AUTHOR: Kumar Sivasubramanian

PUBLISHER: Self published

PUBLISHING DATE: March 13, 2026

PAGES: 360   

SOURCE: ARC

FROM GOODREADS: They bashed their beef, and she bashed their brains! 

Sally Pencilneck, the nunchaku killer, was supposed to be an urban legend out of the past, a campfire story about a horrific woman that butchered people in the goriest of ways for having “impure” thoughts in the woods. But when men start turning up dead after an internet craze inspires them to practice self-love in the wild, whether Sally is more than a myth or not, a host of sinister forces descends upon the small Canadian city of Fredericton, New Brunswick. 

Now, Nandini Rajan’s annoyingly monster-obsessed sixty-one-year-old mother, Aruna, wants to prove that Sally exists, and, out of spite, Nandini is determined to prove that she doesn’t. However, the moment they set foot in the forest, as if cursed, they find themselves at its mercy and have to contend with not only Sally’s return, but also her unhinged leaf-disguised nemesis, weaponized papier-mâché horse butts, an alpaca-sacrificing Black Metal fanatic, demonic frogs, an international conspiracy of sexual degenerates, and energies from another dimension that threaten to tear apart the very fabric of reality... 

Gruesome and outrageous, but also full of touching moments and inappropriate touching moments, Killarney Lake Massacre is the deranged new novel from the author of Weird Crime Theater and Tanuja Hunter-Seeker!

MY THOUGHTS: Wow, where do I begin?  First of all, did I request this ARC because of the cover?  Yep, sure did.  But I DID read the synopsis, and I DID expect something weird, but I don't think anything could have really prepared me for this one.

Sally Pencilneck is an urban legend Fredericton, New Brunswick, who kills people who have "unpure" thoughts.  She does so in extremely gruesome and extremely graphic manners.  Oh, and the murders often involve anatomy.  Nandini's mother Aruna is obsessed with monsters.  So when she hears Sally is once again terrorizing the area, she wants to investigate.  On a good day, Aruna irritates Nandini but even so, she can't think of letting her mother take off alone.  So together then go off into the woods to find Sally and from the start I knew it wouldn't end well.

I have to say one major thing about this book - it is EXTREMELY political.  In fact, had I gotten even a small vibe from the synopsis, I would have never picked it up.  A lot of names have been changed to protect the not-so-innocent, and I actually ended up having a lot of good laughs but because of how heavy-handed the author is, I think I will play it safe and say this is one I just can't recommend. 

I did enjoy this though, even though it's not a fave.  I enjoyed the legend of Sally Pencilneck and the relationship between Nandini and Aruna which although not perfect, is definitely reminiscent of a lot of mother-daughter relationships, I am sure.  I also enjoyed the cultural aspects included by the author, who himself is Indian-born Canadian.  This is borderline extreme horror as well, so I know that turns a lot of readers off.  So overall, knowing what I know now I might never have read it but at the end, I don't completely regret the choice.  

MY RATING: 3 PAWS