Wasp Oil, by A.G. Flitcher, tells a story drenched in darkness, madness, and obsession. It begins with a drunken man riding into a city under a cold sky, only to stumble into visions, betrayal, and a sinister voice that drives him toward violence. From there, the narrative unspools into a twisting detective story centered on Rosaria, a tough but haunted cop navigating a web of corruption, strange deaths, and whispers of something otherworldly lurking behind the ordinary. The world of Halburton feels at once familiar and warped, like a city sitting on the edge of reality, where every alley hides a ghost and every conversation has teeth.

Reading it was messy, wild, and, at times, unsettling. The writing is raw and jagged. Flitcher doesn’t hold back, and that gives the book a kind of honesty that I couldn’t shake. Some passages felt like I was being pulled under water, gasping for air, and others came at me with such absurdity that I laughed even while feeling disturbed. Flitcher is a master at crafting scenes rich with almost grotesque detail and dialogue that sometimes wanders into strange tangents, but I couldn’t look away. It reminded me of listening to a friend tell a story you know is going off the rails, but you can’t stop yourself from leaning in.

What really stuck with me was the atmosphere. It felt like the book itself was possessed, whispering through its characters, tricking me into thinking the city of Halburton was alive, hungry, and always watching. Rosaria, with her grief and sharp tongue, carried the story for me. She felt real in her contradictions: strong and fragile, hardened and yearning, reckless and careful all at once. And beneath it all, there’s a constant drumbeat of fury and loss, which gave the book its heartbeat. The ideas about anger, corruption, and what it means to be consumed by darkness didn’t come across as polished philosophy, but as something jagged and painful, and that made them hit harder.

I’d recommend Wasp Oil to readers who like their fiction strange, brutal, and emotionally raw. If you’re someone who enjoys wandering into a world that feels unhinged and alive with ghosts, violence, and raw human emotion, then this book is worth your time.

Pages: 414 | ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0FNSSSRGM