Something has risen from the ocean, and taken the form of a woman. Meanwhile, Dignon Malloy picks up a used copy of a book called 'Mythical Beings In A Mortal World' and takes it home to his apartment, occupied by himself and his cat named Mr. Tibbs. Opening the book, he is transfixed by the writing on the inside cover: "This book belongs to Bree Harper", along with a phone number. Dignon doesn't understand why he bought the book in the first place, nor why he calls the number to lie to Bree Harper that he found her book in the park and wants to return it. She's happy, she says, she wants the book back.

Dignon has a past. He and his brother Willie (now Wilma - and considered a sister) were horribly abused as children, and now are closer than ever. Dig is also on disability now, having watched his long time partner as delivery men for Tech Metropolis, Jackie Shine, get killed by a crazy man with a shotgun right in front of him. Mr. Tibbs is Dig's only source of calm in his turbulent world, other than his "sister" Wilma. Until he meets Bree Harper to return her book to her.

What could a woman like Bree Harper - beautiful, intelligent, outgoing - see in an overweight, unemployed loner like Dig? Dig thinks he may have found the answer by skimming through the book Mythical Beings In A Mortal World.

Once again Gifune has written a masterpiece, a tale of a soul so damaged, and continuing to be damaged, that liberation from his tortured mind seems impossible. Whether traveling through Dig's past or walking through the snowy streets with him, you feel his emotions and his heartbeats as if you are speaking with a real person. Gifune's characterizations are so fully fleshed-out that they pump real blood through their veins, even if the blood is Electric Blue.

'Blood In Electric Blue' is a sad story, dramatically real; one of unmistakable isolation and loneliness, of pain and despair ... and hope. His ghosts of the past haunt him as intensely as the new acquaintance of Bree Harper and the amazing things he found in her book. Just how much truth is there to reality? Do yourself a huge favor and don't miss out on this surrealistic journey of anguish and dreams. I can't recommend this book highly enough. Ten Stars! Enjoy!

Can't believe it took me this long to read this. I thought I had read every book by Greg but somehow I missed this. And wow, was it ever worth the wait. Another masterpiece by one of my favorite authors.

Review of BLOOD IN ELECTRIC BLUE by Greg F. Gifune

If you've read anything by Greg Gifune, you know to expect cutting-edge, off-the-mainstream fiction that will delve deep into the reader and carve its own unforgettable niche. Mr. Gifune presents several enduring (in more senses than one) characters in BLOOD IN ELECTRIC BLUE, a novella I believe has and will impact me as powerfully as did his novel SAYING UNCLE.

BLOOD IN ELECTRIC BLUE weaves mythology with loneliness, death, violence, childhood horrors, transgender/transsexualism, the longing for love (in many stripes), domestic violence, and so much more, including the backdrop of a city with its selective neighborhoods, a low-rent "red light" district, and a suspicious chemical manufactory that never ever stops. It is unforgettable, literally and metaphorically.

Disclaimer: I reviewed via Kindle Unlimited. This review is my honest and impartial opinion.

Greg F. Gifune, Blood in Electric Blue (Delirium Books, 2009)

I've been a huge fan of Greg Gifune's short fiction for almost a decade, since I first read Heretics. Until now, however, my experiences with Gifune had always come in the realm of short fiction; this is the first chance I've had to sample one of his novels. It was to my great delight that I found him to be equally proficient with feature-length work. Blood in Electric Blue is short (just over two hundred pages), sharp, well-drawn, and leaves just enough unanswered questions at the end to keep the reader thinking about this one for a long, long time after s/he turns the last page on it.

Plot: Dignon Malloy and his transgendered sister, Willie (it's never mentioned whether Willie is pre- or post-op, but I always got the feeling she is the latter), grew up in a household that can kindly be called "horrifically abusive", and both have major problems as a result; Willie is drawn into relationships that mirror those the children had with their father, while Dignon has spent the past two decades mourning the loss of his first, and only, true love. Now Willie lives in a fleabag apartment building in the bad part of town with her newest nasty boyfriend, while Dignon has a small apartment in a slightly nicer section, with a view of the local chemical plant. On indefinite leave from his job after a traumatic event landed him in the arms of the PTSD crowd, Dignon mostly spends his days watching his pretty, punky neighbor Nikki through the bathroom window and haunting used bookstores. It is in the latter pursuit that he happens upon the book Mythical Beings in a Mortal World, which once belonged to a woman named Bree Harper, who wrote her name and phone number inside the front cover. Dignon uses the book as a ruse to meet her, and she turns out to be the epitome of "all this and brains too". But Bree, as well, comes with baggage, in the form of jealous ex-boyfriend Kyle. Kyle, in one of his confrontations with Dignon, insinuates that Bree is not exactly what she seems to be--and Dignon, when he starts thinking about it, realizes Kyle may in fact not be crazy after all.

To me, the mark of a truly great mystery is not that it keeps you guessing until the end, but that once you get there, you realize you were trying to guess the answers to the wrong questions after all. Gifune doesn't get quite that far here; the setup for the main mystery is a little too obvious, so you know from the beginning what questions you're supposed to be asking. But he does manage to keep things interesting by not giving you all the necessary details; not so much that you have to fill in huge pieces of the puzzle, but some of the minor details are left just obscure enough to have you wondering which of the possible answers Gifune had in his head by the time you turn the last page (or if he kept himself from asking those questions in order to be able to truthfully say "I don't know" if ever asked). This is very good stuff from first page to last. Gifune, it turns out, is equally skilled writing short stories and novels, and I hope I'll be reading a lot more of both from him in the future. ****

Gifune is one of the best authors whose books I have had the pleasure of reading. His writing style is somewhat poetic and every sentence within his books is well thought out. His writing ability far surpasses that of Dean Koontz and maybe even Stephen King.
I can relate to the character Dignon in this book. Gifune has accurately described the emotions and demons one faces in Dignon's deep depression. I love the descriptiveness Gifune possesses with his words but refrains from being too wordy such as authors like Anne Rice.
Thanks again Mr Gifune for another excellent read.