The opportunity of a career, an investigative journalist finds himself caught in the orbit of an unconventional killer.

If you have the chance to read A Screw Loose: The Montana Files, be forewarned that it’s going to stick with you a bit. And to still have lots of questions when the curtains finally close. For a first-time novelist, the fact that Cameron Wright is able to achieve that here is honestly amazing.

Based on the premise of a mass murder being carried out behind prison bars by a guard and not an inmate, the killer becomes fleshed out over the course of the novel. Split into sections rather than chapters, most of these sections are either transcripts from the trial or interviews between the killer, Eddie Montana, and the journalist assigned to cover his story, Leif Lacreux. From a reading standpoint, I much preferred the interviews over the transcripts because they are where the novel excelled.

The connection between Eddie and Leif can be felt even from the start of their very first meeting. And because we view those chapters largely from the latter’s vantage point, as they get pulled into the charismatic killer’s orbit, so do we. There is also an underlying tension that grows between the two characters, one that always kept me wanting to turn the next page. I think this contrast with the much dryer transcript chapters is one of the reasons they fell a bit flat for me.

Overall, I found A Screw Loose maybe not an easy read because of the content, but one more than worth my time. Part social commentary, part character study on how a person can just break even if they appear stable, expect some twists and turns even though the story opens with the killer having pled guilty already. Masterfully weaving in so many elements, I’m still a bit shocked this is someone’s first novel.

Wright included a warning at the beginning of the novel along with encouragement to seek help if needed. But the wording of what to expect was general enough that I need to advise some caution to readers sensitive to certain topics. There are multiple and often graphic depictions of sexual harassment and abuse that involve both minors and adults as victims. In addition, body horror and graphic violence are major elements.

A Screw Loose: The Montana Files by Cameron Wright is available to buy on Amazon.

Verdict:

READABLE