Ronald Malfi’s Senseless: Book Review and Art inspired by the novel - by Hal Hefner

Hollywood is where dreams go to die. In Senseless, they die screaming.

If you're a fan of horror and haven't yet explored Ronald Malfi's work, Senseless is a perfect entry point.

Malfi has a way of writing where the horror creeps up on you. He takes the gritty realities of the real world and twists them just enough that you're never quite sure if what’s happening is supernatural—or if people are simply the worst monsters of all.

SYNOPSIS:
Senseless is a Los Angeles-centered thriller filled with vampires, a human fly, a monkey, doctors, detectives, and Hollywood predators. When the mutilated body of a young woman is discovered in the desert outside L.A., Detective Bill Renney is assigned the case—and he can’t ignore the chilling similarities to a murder that happened a year earlier. As Renney struggles to find suspects, clues, and a grip on his own unraveling reality, he must contend with ghosts haunting him from all directions.
Is it a serial killer? A copycat?
And how do a human fly, a vampire, an author running from her past, a narcissistic Hollywood producer, his drug-addicted son, and a Hollywood shrink all fit into the puzzle? Their lives converge into a Rubik’s Cube of horror you won’t be able to put down.

Senseless is the kind of book that hooks you through rich character development and a shifting point of view that makes you feel like you're right there, watching and listening as it all unfolds.
This review will be spoiler-free because I want you to experience it for yourself. I'll touch lightly on the characters without giving away the farm.

This is how I like my books—told through the eyes of multiple independent characters whose stories eventually intertwine. Malfi excels at this structure, and in Senseless, every character is an unreliable narrator in their own right. Yet when you step behind their eyes and see their lives unfold, you're drawn deeper and deeper into the world he's created. I found myself constantly looking for excuses to dive back in and spend more time with them.

Characters are the heart of great storytelling, and Malfi has a magical way of making you care about these broken people—people who reflect pieces of ourselves, whether we want to admit it or not.

Having worked in the movie industry for many years, I can say Malfi's depiction of Hollywood’s predatory underbelly is spot on. His portrayal of spoiled trust fund kids gone wrong thanks to selfish, negligent parents is just as painfully accurate.

Here’s a glimpse of a few of the unforgettable characters you’ll meet:

Detective Bill Renney, haunted by ghosts both real and metaphorical, clinging to sanity as the darkness presses in.
Toby Kampen, the self-proclaimed "Human Fly," desperate to climb the monstrous food chain from Renfield to Nosferatu in the eyes of the vampire he worships.
Author Maureen Park, newly engaged to Hollywood producer Greg Dawson and reluctantly entangled with his troubled, dangerous son, Landon.

Oh—and after you read this book, you'll never hear the phrase "Have you met the monkey?" the same way again. Trust me.

As an artist and writer, I could see, hear, and smell the characters in my mind like a movie playing out frame by frame. When a writer can do that, it’s magic—and Malfi always seems to deliver.

Go read Senseless.
Below is a piece of art I created inspired by the story—starring the monkey.

Enjoy!
Hal Hefner

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