Special X Books In Order

Publication Order of Special X Books

Criminal lawyer and novelist, Jay Clarke has presided over more than one hundred murder cases. His understanding and specialty in law are overwhelming. His last argument as a lawyer was in Canada’s highest law court. Using his forensic experience, Jay Clarke also known as Michael Slade fuses the genres of legal procedure and police, impossible crime and whodunit, history and horror in Special X book series and Wyatt Rock thriller. Slade has been invited as a guest at the World Horror Convention and Bloody Words crime convention. Due to his success and experience both as a writer and a lawyer, Slade has also been invited to the International Police Leadership conference as the guest speaker together with several other RCMP regimental dinners.

Writing in conjunction with a team of authors, Clarke has managed to publish several police procedurals. In the Special X book series; Michael Slade describes the protagonists as they try to track down fugitives who are basically deranged murderers. Apart from Jay Clarke, four other authors have also contributed under the pen name of Michael Slade. They include Jay Clarke, John Banks, Richard Covell and Rebecca Clarke. Irrespective of the collaborative nature of this books, Jay is the most predominant voice. With that said, there were reports that the creators of Arrow in the Head, Bright light pictures, had optioned Headhunter for a movie. However, this project died long ago since to further details with regards to the movie has been released.

If you are an ardent fan of Michael Slade, then you must have noticed that he writes all his novels in three concentric levels. At the center of each storyline, there is a howdunit and whodunit. Additionally, at the center, there is also a psychological horror, whereby Slade ventures into a supernatural world without moving away from the real world. The outer level of the book is police procedure.

Headhunter

Headhunter is the first book in the Special X horror series. The pages in this book are not only jam-packed with nauseating incidents and details of maiming but are also filled with incest, murders and another type of crimes which were committed in England, U.S, and Canada. When he was not sexually occupied with women, Zinc Chandler who was a member of the RCMP conducts an investigation of the widely recognized musicians of a rock group i.e. Ghoul, Hyde, Rika and Saxon Hyde. Upon failing to stop a mad bomber and also a bloodthirsty fiend, Scotland Yard’s Hillary is on the brink of being demoted.

Meanwhile, Chandler discovers that one of Hyde’s half-sister’s had been killed and her body had been dissolved in acid. While working on the case, he meets with the surviving half-sister, and they fall in love eventually. Deborah, the other half-sister, appears to be the only sane member of the family. Another detective, Robert LeClerq is also summoned up by the RCMP. But, when Robert tries to get into the head of a murderer he discovers that there is a diabolical disparity which exists there, and he cannot do anything to assist him.

This book meanders and winds its way through the Canadian Northwest to rainforests of Ecuador and finally to New Orleans. And despite the fact that there was a time that the storyline appeared to get hopelessly entangled, it always got on track in time. With that being said, Headhunter is unquestionably a read for individuals with a strong stomach; there are some unequivocal sickening happenings in the books. Nonetheless, it still does not overwhelm the storyline.

Ghoul

Ghoul is the sadistic tale of serial murders from the author, Michael Slade. In this installment, Michael Slade begins the storyline with the atrocious live burial of a teen. After the live burial of the boy, there is also an axe murder of an exceedingly young woman. The woman is the latest victim of the three killers who has been terrorizing London. The trio is known as the vampire killer, Jack and the Bomber and Sewer killer. In a few blackout scenes, the author shows the trio going ahead with their killing spree. The author also intercuts the efforts of the Scotland Yard detective known as Hillary to solve these mysteries and also patent the book lore. The author then takes us to Vancouver where Zinc Chandler is in pursuit of Ray Hengler, a porn broker and a heroin who has been promoting a rock group widely known as Ghoul.

While pursuing Hengler, he proves to be a dead end. Nonetheless, the detective, later on, discovers a dead body in an acid bath. Could it be Ghoul’s singer Rika? The case eventually leads the detective to the English capital. While at the English capital he crosses path with Chandler’s. Chandler points out the fact that both the murders are somewhat connected. There are several scenes which prove out to be exceedingly successful, but for the most of the storyline, Slade manages to juggle frantically over his rather complex storyline. With that said, Slade is undoubtedly one of those authors that you may either love or hate; his tricks of multi-plotlines will either entice or annoy the reader. Nonetheless, one thing is still for sure; Michael Slade is a fantastic author.

Ripper

Ripper is not only gruesome, but it is also diabolical, twisted and brilliantly written. It is the fourth book in the Special X horror series.When an American feminist, Brigid is found dead in Vancouver with her face scourged, the local Mountie, decides to call the commander of the Special X series, Robert De Clerk. Brigid’s murder oozes of satanic rituals and serial murder. Immediately after Brigid’s body is discovered, some grisly murders follow and just like the first murder, they all follow a pattern. De Clerk, uses a novel, trace the group of murders motivation back to the same demon which drove Jack Ripper to do the same. While trying to solve the mysteries in an isolated island, an ex-police chief and a coven of writers find members of the group being killed.

In this installment, Slade bends the archetypal murder mystery game with the occult arcana to such an extent that he may end up losing all the most enthusiastic mystagogue. All in all, this book issue is a serial, mystery, murder fan’s delight.

One Response to “Special X”

1. Ann Keck: 2 years ago

   Are you going to write anymore books? I feel like after Red Snow you left us hanging by a thread and wanting more.

   Reply