Autumn Vs. Support Buddy

Autumn Leaves Deliberates on the Nature of Heroes and Villains as She Dives Into “Support Buddy” by Lesley A. Camphouse

TITLE: Support Buddy

AUTHOR: Lesley A. Camphouse

GENRE: Splatterpunk, Extreme Horror

PAGES: 168

PRICE: Ebook $2.99, Paperback $8.50

Cameron, Cam to his friends, is a pedophile. However, Cam has never touched a child inappropriately, never harmed an innocent. He reaches out to a group which is supposed to protect children to make a speech as a pedophile, explaining that not all pedophiles are dangerous. Cam believes there are others like him who do not harm anyone. The group’s representative becomes threatening when Cam tries to pull out of the event, afraid for his reputation, and Cam contacts his best friend, Jester, a lawyer, for help. Jester guarantees he can take of Cam’s problem.

However, Jester’s way of taking care of trouble is more than Cam bargained for and he finds himself at his friend’s mercy and owing him a huge favor. Jester has very specific plans for Cam, to use him to lead him to dangerous pedophiles so that he and Cam can murder them, and they murder many.

However, Cam is deeply disturbed by the lengths he must take to ensure the trust of the pedophiles, fearing he is becoming the monster he hates. He must compromise all his values and boundaries in order to meet Jester’s demands.

The plot thickens when Jester’s own child is abused and Cam finds out who the boy’s abuser is, someone very unexpected. Cam does what he feels is right and believes that all the horrors will finally end.

The problem is, Cam did not count on being screwed over by the criminals he was trying to pursue and finds himself guilty of his greatest fear. Can he go back to life as he once knew it? You will have to read to find out.

The obvious topic to tackle after reading “Support Buddy” is to try to determine who are the heroes and villains of his story and that becomes very complicated, as many characters are both, including Cam.

Cam can be seen as a hero in that he is trying to use his sickness for good, to wipe out as many dangerous, active pedophiles possible. However, in order to do this, he must commit unspeakable acts, leading him to descend further into darkness. He sees that he is very much in danger of becoming the type of villain he loathed most: someone who is willing to harm a child.

If you decide to read this, what do you think of Cam? Is he a monster? Or a savior?

If you enjoy “Support Buddy”, I recommend “The Groomer” by Jon Athan.

Autumn Leaves is a Canadian author and poet. Her poem “Siren’s Song” was published when she was 15. Autumn is in love with the dark and has an affinity for all things horrific and disturbing. Autumn is also an avid horror reader and book reviewer. Her favorite author is Jack Ketchum. She lives with her children and army of fur babies on a small island off the coast of Maine.

PLEASE NOTE: The views and opinions of the staff of Memento Mori Ink do not necessarily represent those of Memento Mori Ink or Crystal Lake Publishing, nor do the views or opinions of Crystal Lake necessarily represent those of Memento Mori Ink or its staff. Thank you for understanding.