Unmarked Grave
Carietta Dorsch
Independently published (March 25, 2024)
Reviewed by Nora B. Peevy
I read Unmarked Grave, Carietta Dorsch’s debut novella, in one sitting. There was a raging thunderstorm, the perfect setting for a light late night serial killer tale. It just so happens I had settled down to read after feeding Bradbury (my turtle) his cockroaches. If you don’t like cockroaches, do not read this novella. If you love serial killers, gore, erotica, and well developed main characters, then this is the novella for you.
Carietta Dorsch wasted no time putting me inside the mind of a predator. The book opens with a couple having sex and the man murdered on top of his lover. This is the least graphic scene in the book. I admit no scene has ever come close to making me vomit or twitch while reading, but the first cockroach scene in this novella almost succeeded. It’s terrifying if you’re a woman, and I won’t give it away.
Dorsch takes a hacksaw to your bed, rips you out from under the covers, and smacks you in the face with her fast paced demented plot. You’re going to need to read this one with the lights on. At the end of the story, I asked myself one question: What did I just read? If this is her debut, I can’t wait to see what she writes next.
