Westerns aren’t typically my shot of whiskey. I immediately assume they’re a bunch of old white dudes who are either killing Native Americans or robbing banks and trains, and that just doesn’t vibe with me. But Red Station by Kinzie Jennings reminded me that horror is timeless, even in the Old West.
Red Station is one of 21 splatter Westerns published by Death’s Head Press, which is part of Dead Sky Publishing, and the first one that I’ve read. And honestly, this was the first Western I’ve read, period. It just happened to show up as a recommendation on Amazon one day, and I immediately was drawn to it by the cover. Justin T Coons designed the amazing cover art for Red Station. You may also recognize his work from other splatterpunk titles such as The Slob Collection by Aron Beauregard.
Based on the cover and the synopsis, I thought I’d give it a shot, and I am so glad I did. The story follows four stagecoach passengers traveling across the plains of Kansas: A doctor named Pickering, who is looking for a father and daughter who went missing, a newlywed couple, Finch and his wife, Patients, on their way to their new homestead, and Clyde, a lady in red with a bag filled with secrets.
They arrive at a station home to rest for the night that’s owned by the Adlers, a German family who give Clyde a very bad feeling. I don’t want to give too much away, but Jennings said that the inspiration for the story was from an actual family known as the Bloody Benders of Kansas.
I wouldn’t recommend looking that up until you’ve actually read the book, since it’s probably going to spoil some of the story.
I’ll go ahead and let you know now that this is a must-read. The story was absolutely fantastic, with excellent pacing, and the linear POV made it read like a movie. And that’s something I really appreciate.
Jennings created a world that really drew you into the mystery of the Adlers and their station house. There were some really well-written moments of suspense and action that kept me turning pages. So much so that I finished the whole thing in one sitting. Now, while the book was written with the Old West vernacular in mind, it was still pretty easy to find meaning to certain words and phrases within the context. As someone who has never read Western before, I found Red Station very accessible and easy to read. And once I finished the book, I knew I was going to start reading through the rest of the splatter Westerns from Death’s Head Press.
So if you’re looking for a fresh new take on the horror genre, I highly recommend stepping out of your comfy little box and taking a ride to the terrifying Wild West. At only 135 pages, Red Station by Kenzie Jennings is a great place to start.