Neal Cassidy’s latest novel, SCHROEDER, sets out to immerse readers in the turbulent mind of its antihero, offering an (overly?) ambitious exploration of emotion and experience through a stream-of-consciousness narrative. In short, the genre of the book is horror, but it's fed to the reader with a literary twist. While this choice was bold and initially caught my interest when requesting ARCs on NetGalley, it also unfortunately created a barrier to fully connecting with the story. The fragmented, often chaotic narration made it difficult to engage with the plot or the characters. Perhaps that's the point, but the disconnect from the story made it difficult to want to pick up the book.

The story itself doesn’t hold many surprises beyond what’s outlined in the synopsis, and the events regrettably unfold pretty predictably,;aside from one decent twist near the end. While I think Cassidy captures the characters’ frenzied inner worlds effectively, the writing style felt overly dramatic and self-indulgent at times. It was hard to focus on what was actually happening in the story when my attention was so intentionally drawn to the way in which those events are told to us.

Also, the plot leans heavily into exaggeration, with a series of dramatic events that stretch believability, to say the least. This is a horror novel, so I'm a little more willing to accept some out-of-this world explanations, but something about the ending didn't work here. I think that these events might have felt more authentic with a smaller or more isolated backdrop and less fantastical storytelling. But even so, I will say that the first-person narration - albeit self-indulgent - manages to convey the intensity of the characters’ emotions, adding a sense of authenticity to their personal experiences, even when the overall narrative feels implausible. While the novel has its moments of brilliance, its narrative style makes it hard to fully connect with or care about the story’s resolution at all.

Thank you to the publisher via NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of SCHROEDER by Neal Cassidy to review. All thoughts are my own and are not influenced by any third party.

“I don't understand how human beings can be so mean and awful to one another and cause such pain with such disregard. I can't continue riding some wave wherever it takes me, and it's heartbreaking to me that this is where we are, alone in a dark corner of the universe, and this is how we treat our own kind.”

You know what? HELL YEAH!

3.75 stars. Grotesque and at first very confusing “Schroeder” is a tale of what might at first seem as pure horror but as it unfolds we slowly come to see it as more of a revenge story. I wouldn’t call the protagonist exactly evil, sure he’s far from a good person, he’s a sadistic killer and yet as the story unfolds you understand him, understand his actions and slowly start to lose all sympathy for his victims. Schroeder isn’t a villain, rather a person who was driven to his breaking point by the people around him. Killers are not born, they’re made, carefully and methodically crafted by the society around them.

This book was very intriguing based on the description. It began right off the bay, and Schroeder continued spiraling throughout the book. I did feel about midway through, it started to drag a bit, which is crazy considering what was actually transpiring in the book. I did like the last chapter, even though heartbreaking, as it gave an explanation to the entire story.

Told over the course of a single day, this stream of consciousness novella follows Schroeder as he bikes from location to location, leaving a bloody trail of bodies in his wake. Schroeder narrates his carefully planned day in exacting detail, often allowing his mind to drift to more pleasant things as he goes about his killing spree, inspired by brief glimpses of joy on his journey. It is only at the end, through diary entries, that the reader comes to understand what has motivated his gruesome quest and inspired his bleak outlook on the world.

The straightforward plot keeps the reader engaged and the kills are creative and gore-filled. Some may not care for Cassidy's writing style as the author is very verbose. Page-long sentences are a frequent occurrence. However, this device seemed well-suited to the character and the book's premise. Thematically, there isn't much depth, but it was still an entertaining read.

Deliciously dark and totally twisted I could not put this book down once I got started. The story follows Schroeder who wakes up one day feeling compelled to carry out a series of actions - that he and certainly everyone else - will never be able to forget.

I didn’t think I was going to enjoy the book, however I was pleasantly surprised. Kept me hooked right till the end. Short book so was able to finish in one sitting.
Will be keeping an eye out for other books from this author!

Thank you!

Intriguing and wild. I would definitely recommend. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Schroeder
By Neal Cassidy

I really wanted to like this book. The concept sounded intriguing. But as I started to read, I got lost in all the rambling run-on sentences. So much so that I often had to go back and reread whole paragraphs that were one long run-on. I tried to push on through to get to the meat of the story, but was unable to get past the excessive verbiage. I finally gave up about half way through.

The style here is described as stream of consciousness. I just found it distracting.

When an ordinary young man wakes up in his quiet neighborhood on a day seemingly like all the others, the city he’s lived in all his life has no idea what’s about to befall it once he sets out on a day-long bike ride carrying a purposefully packed backpack and a definitive plan.

Wow. This started out with a bang, Schroeder, a young man who has decided today was the day to start an killing spree. Author Neal Cassidy doesn't really give an reason for this decision but it's easy to imagine when our anti-hero has begun this quest.

I read along with his spree with my usual delight never expecting the emotional hit I would get as all was finally revealed at the end.

This was so masterfully written. A wonderful dose of gore and violence for the horror lovers like me and a cautionary tale to add a dark morality to this like the horror stories of old.

Highly recommend. Out now, published 10/15/2024.

Thanks to @nethalley and M&S Publishing for the opportunity to read this eArc in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

Thank you to Neal Cassidy and M&S Publishing for providing me with a free ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

DNF at 31%

I had high hopes for this book and was enticed by the first chapter. However, things quickly fell flat for me. My biggest issue lies with the writing style. It simply was not for me and the sentences dragged on and on. I felt lost reading them.
The kill scenes seemed to happen so quickly and without real purpose. In between kills, we would get a LONG monologue of Schroeder’s extensive disappointment with the world and his community, which is fine, but it was so damn repetitive.
By the end of his 2nd kill I did not have the desire to read on and felt I had to stop in order to be completely honest about the book.

Overall, I would recommend this to someone who may be more interested in the psychology behind a made up serial killer, but other than that, I don’t recommend this book.

This is a very well written and intriguing book, it pulled me in and I enjoyed it. This is one I will be happily recommending to friends!

I’m not really sure how to review this one. At first I thought it was like an American Psycho for incels, but the deeper I read, the more I realized I was wrong. I can’t say more without spoilers, just that in the end it was rather uplifting.

Recommended.

It took me a little longer to read SCHROEDER, partly because the font was so small and my NetGallery reader app did not have a magnifying feature (that I could find), and partly because I decided the best way to read this was one chapter at a time - and glad I did.

The story is told by the main character (Schroeder) and is written in stream-of-consciousness narration. Neal Cassidy's novel takes us into the mind of a serial killer, constantly raising questions regarding the who, what, when, where, and why of his one-day killing spree - and eventually answering them in the daily, monthly, yearly diary notes of Schroeder.

Schroeder is an ultra-conscious observer of both the mundane and detailed sights and scenes of everyday life in a busy community, and we begin to build a profile of his character through his shared observations and social commentary. Not everything is negative. He's bright and intelligent, which makes readers wonder why he is engaging in such brutal activity. Not until the end do we begin to receive any answers.

Graphic, disturbing, revelatory. Not your usual day-in-the-life of a serial killer. Both the character and the method of story-telling are the difference.

Neal Cassidy’s Schroeder is a haunting and provocative psychological thriller that dares to peer into the darkest corners of the human psyche. Combining elements of horror, literary fiction, and sharp social critique, Cassidy weaves an unsettling tale of a day-long killing spree that is as much a journey into the protagonist’s mind as it is through the heart of a troubled city.

At the story’s core is Schroeder, a chillingly ordinary man turned antihero whose motivations and musings guide the narrative. Cassidy employs a stream-of-consciousness style to immerse readers in Schroeder’s fractured psyche, painting a vivid portrait of his internal world. As Schroeder cycles through city streets and suburban enclaves, each victim he encounters is more than just a name; they are threads in a larger tapestry of societal decay. The intimate and often lyrical narration lends an uncomfortable intimacy to the violence, forcing readers to confront the stark contrasts between Schroeder’s reflections on beauty, joy, and his capacity for brutal destruction.

What makes Schroeder particularly compelling is its exploration of moral ambiguity. Schroeder is neither a traditional villain nor a sympathetic hero; he is a cipher for humanity’s broader failings. His critiques of societal greed, inequality, and alienation resonate sharply, even as his actions remain indefensible. Cassidy’s prose brims with sharp observations that expose the veneer of civilization, making the city as much a character as Schroeder himself. The juxtaposition of vibrant city life with its grim underbelly serves as a poignant metaphor for the contradictions within humanity.

Cassidy’s storytelling is taut and relentless, each chapter escalating the tension as the day hurtles toward its inevitable conclusion. The denouement is devastating yet revelatory, forcing readers to grapple with questions about free will, the root of violence, and whether redemption is ever truly attainable. The lingering impact of Schroeder’s pathos ensures that this book stays with readers long after the final page.

However, Schroeder is not for the faint of heart. Its graphic violence and unflinching depiction of a mind unraveling may be overwhelming for some. The stream-of-consciousness style, while effective, can feel disorienting, making the narrative a challenging, if rewarding, read.

In conclusion, Schroeder is a bold and unsettling novel that combines literary elegance with visceral horror. Neal Cassidy crafts a story that is both a gripping thriller and a sobering meditation on the human condition. Readers seeking a thought-provoking and deeply psychological journey will find much to admire—and to haunt them—in Schroeder. Four stars.

This book sounded really promising with a high creep factor. However, the way it was written was so discombobulating to me, I had a hard time getting through it. Interesting read - just not an easy one.

Cassidy is on my auto buy list and this book only cemented his place on my list even more. This is horror at its best. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for this free eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

i had such a hard time focusing when i was reading this book and im upset about it bc i think it could have been really great!! maybe ill reread this another time to give it a fair shot

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

I found that this book awkwardly straddles two genres. There’s definitely hints of the splatterpunk book that this was clearly modelled to be, interspersed with a more mainline thriller approach that was a little awkward to see running alongside.

I do wish that it took things further or pulled things back- the awkward middle ground resulted in the gore being not quite gory enough, and the thriller being not quite thrilling enough. Schroeder is explained, but he was explained at the end, and the whole novel builds up to him speaking to all his traumas. That’s great and does help to provide context, but it’s a bit little a bit late.

The book does have some messy kills and some interesting turns, but it just wasn’t quite there for me. I’d love to see this firmly seated this into one genre or another, and to see the reasoning behind the main character be a little less trauma show and a bit more believable.

This was an odd little book. The description captivated me as I'm always up for a unique and twisted novel, and mostly, this delivered.

Schroeder - really an unnamed narrator but it's the dang name of the novel so I stand by that I'm not giving anything away! - starts his day like any other with his exercises and breakfast. We learn quickly that he's a quirky fellow who likes his structure and routines. His quirkiness and inner monologue makes him nearly likable. But then he embarks on a journey of sheer terror.

Schroeder has a well-crafted plan to murder several people and he takes the reader on that journey. Each death is graphic, over the top, completely personal, and wholly unique. In between the gruesome murders, Schroeder casually rides his bike, eats his lunch, and people watches. It's truly odd and the mundane-ness of much of the novel is unsettling.

Throughout Schroeder's killing spree, we learn nothing of his victims. It's clear to the reader they are quite intentional and they all know Schroeder, but he gives us no indication of why he selected who he did. He also never goes out of his way to kill anyone who wasn't part of his original plan. For a while, I wondered if we'd be left hanging, but the novel does end with Schroeder's personal diary through boyhood detailing the traumatic events of his past. It's left to the reader to put the pieces together as to which victim was which.

The novel really ended with a bang and I appreciated the diary entries. You're left feeling hurt and sad for this tortured boy, despite reading about the torture and mutilation he just afflicted on several people as they painfully departed this earth at his hands.

This book won't be for everyone and if you have trigger warnings (any) that make you shy away from books, just don't even try! But, if you like books that are graphic, very unique, and entirely unsettling, this will be perfect for you.

Thank you to M&S Publishing and NetGalley for the copy of this book.

First of all, a trigger warning: 'Schroeder' contains extremely graphic descriptions of a string of murders. If you can handle that, Neal Cassidy's book is a quite riveting read, following a trail of slaughter and the thoughts, lifestyle and circumstances of the killer.

The author adds social, political and religious context to the character's mindset, and there's an awful lot that makes sense when you consider the world today.

You may well be scratching your head, wondering how an individual who can appreciate kindness and compassion whenever he sees it can sink to such an apparent disregard for human life. The answer makes for a harrowing read in itself.

'Schroeder' is beautifully written, full of acute observations on the life of this loner and the way he views this essentially planet in turmoil ,and makes the killer's short bicycle journeys fascinating as past, present and future are presented in often poetic detail.
Certainly not a book for the fainthearted, but I found it a compelling read and a 5 star experience.