Scurry by Seann Barbour
Scurry
April 2025
Self-published
374 pages
Horror / Insects
I was intrigued by the cover and premise, so when I realized I had a review copy on offer from the author, I was so happy to get to this one. Nothing better than a serial killer story, which I adore, coupled with something that might be creepy on a different level. Roaches. Bugs and pests of all kinds can be creepy and to see a bug or snake unexpectedly can jar in real life. We can look to Willard or the Sand Kings and even Creepshow for a little varmint horror… but this made the reader have compassion for the pests. Not on a level where I want to sit in the dark and commune with them, but to read about someone who can was a unique take. You can understand the strange psychic link our lead Catty has with the bugs. How they will help her thwart the killer stalking her I will leave to the reader to discover, but it all works seamlessly. Roaches are not the only creepy crawlies to be featured here either, so if the eight-legged type freak you out, you get that too.
From the back cover:
Catty Hammond isn’t like other girls; she can talk to roaches. It’s not a gift she ever wanted or asked for, but ever since she was a child, it’s marked her as different. And in the suburb of Hilly Green, different is just about the worst thing a person can be. After a lifetime as a social pariah-culminating a bloody and terrifying encounter with a deranged murderer-Catty left suburbia and never looked back. A decade has passed since then, but now a call from her sick mother brings Catty home. Not much has changed in Hilly Green: the houses are still beautiful, the lawns are still immaculate, the people still smile and gossip and quietly judge their neighbors…and the serial killer Catty narrowly escaped from all those years ago is still there, watching her.
It creeps up on you…
Two of my favourite things about this book have to do with the killer, and the time span. Seeing Cat grow from a toddler to an adult woman is handled well. We get few flashback scenes, and instead grow with her. The story takes us through teen years to adulthood well, moving back and forth as needed, but mostly staying on course to tell the story linearly. The killer, once we get a grasp on who we are dealing with is another story all together. With a scant bit of time spent in the killers point of view, we learn all we need to know. They feel frozen in time, unchanging, immobile, truly a spider waiting in their web; and it works.
A little more punk than splatter…
While this book focuses on the dread and mystery more than gore, I found it lives in my mind alongside a lot of splatterpunk books. Certainly as creepy and off-putting though if you find bugs as creepy as gore. The main character, Cat, makes for a great analog to any subculture girl. Being bisexual makes her relatable regardless of orientation as we have all had some share of confusion or rejection in life. Her music tastes work well to describe her being on the fringes, but nothing works and the towns arm-length treatment of her and her family. You can like all the punk, metal or tattoos you like, but that alone does not an outsider make. This book does not stop at describing the manic-pixie-punk-girl pin-up but goes further to describe a well-crafted teen you may have known in high school. Sure, she still goes to prom, but a few of the freaks, geeks, and queens did, so we cannot hold that against her.
Recommended for those wanting something lighter, that still packs a punch. Perfect for those wanting to bridge from young adult horror into more adult fare as well. If you are tired of haunted houses but still want a little supernatural angle to horror, Scurry is a great pick.