Slashtag

By: Jon Cohn

Narrated by: Lauren Ezzo

"Welcome to Slashtag, the most immersive horror reality competition series in history! Tag along as seven of America's favorite celebrities step into the infamous Propitius Hotel, home to one of the most prolific serial killers in history" (Arthur Wilson).

Arthur built and operated the Propitius Hotel from 1905 until 1928, until dozens of bodies were found in his hotel, along with countless hidden torture rooms throughout the hotel. Arthur disappeared, seemingly never to be caught. He then returned—nearly 40 years later—under the guise of a priest leading a congregation of 100 people back to his hotel, where he once again committed mass murder.

Enter Tawny Howlett—a top-tier lifestyle influencer who is in the midst of the worst week of her life. Her brand new health drink turned out to be tainted, so thousands of her followers want nothing more than to see her social media empire crumble. In order to rehabilitate her image, she's agreed to take part in "Slashtag: The Ultimate Horror Experience".

At first, it's all fun and games, until the team of seven celebs discover that the ghost is very real, and out for blood. In order to survive the three-day live-streamed event, Tawny and her fellow contestants must band together to try and send the spirit of Arthur Wilson straight to hell.

While Tawny has her hands full trying to survive a weekend at the Propitius Hotel, it's up to her younger sister April to work from the outside to try and find a way to save her sister while uncovering the dark truth behind the TV network that continues to air the deaths of some of America's top talent.

Together, these seven doomed souls must solve the puzzles hidden within the hotel in order to vanquish the spirit of Arthur Wilson.

©2023 Jon Cohn (P)2023 Jon Cohn

The Reality Show From Hell

Jon Cohn invites us to Slashtag, a multiplatform reality program that promises to take horror to new, previously undreamt heights. The Propitius Hotel, once the home of America’s most notorious and prolific serial killer, Arthur Wilson, is the setting for this nightmare-inducing challenge that pits seven celebrities (or what passes for celebrities) against the clock as well as the malevolent entities that wander the haunted hotel.

The characters are all believable and distinct from one another, especially as their carefully crafted facades begin to crumble under the strain of life-or-death stakes, and the people beneath are gradually revealed. Cohn handles that character development/dismantling with masterful skill. As self-awareness kicks in and self-preservation becomes essential, we witness these people transforming before our eyes, even as they struggle to maintain the personae they know their fans are logging in to see.

Tawny and April are amazing characters, fascinating and fleshed-out, and the rest of the cast Cohn introduces us to is no less vibrant and interesting in their own ways, even if their personality is bland (yes, I’m talking about Britt). In some instances, the clear analogs to real-life people are a lot of fun, especially as we meet the wealthy board members of Krentler Media.

The uncertainty of whether what’s happening is real or contrived is deftly handled, as characters react in vastly different ways, depending on where they fall along that spectrum of belief…until they’re all in the loop, and fully cognizant of the danger they’re in.

The premise behind the reality program itself, the purpose behind the torture and slaughter, and the mythology that’s brought to bear are enjoyable and metered out with just the right pacing.

Lauren Ezzo’s narration is spectacular, providing each character with their own delivery and cadence. Her narration made the book all the more enjoyable.

All the horror feels!!

Slashtag by Jon Cohn wasn’t high on my BOH Indie brawl priority list because I was expecting extreme horror for some reason, but after reading several reviews, I had to dive in, and am I glad I did. It is a slasher, for sure, but it dives into a variety of horror tropes and gives respectful nods to some great horror movie classics. I also respected and appreciated the take on the frequent insincerity behind social media influencers because of the branding and money expectations. The characters were well developed, the pacing kept me interested and engaged in the the plot, and the ending was completely satisfying. It had all my favorite things in a horror story: a serial killer, a haunted hotel, a vengeful ghost, a group of strangers forced to work as a team, technical misdirection, and greedy rich assholes you want to see get what they deserve. I especially appreciated the representation in the diverse group of characters. Overall, I loved this book. My only constructive criticism was the dual first-person narrative. Once I became more familiar between the differentiation in the sister’s personalities, it was a little easier to follow, but it did cause some confusion at the beginning of the story. That aside, this was a fast-paced, roller-coaster ride of horror and I enjoyed every minute of the adventure!

Very compelling

Amazing story with original concepts, twists, and clues that direct you towards every twist but still leaves you surprised when it happens.

the story

I loved this book. everything from the characters to the story. look forward to read more from the author

A Fun and Gruesome Nightmare

Story time: about 10 years ago-maybe more, maybe less- I was watching that horrible Halloween movie Halloween Resurrection where they live broadcast a night spent in the infamous Michael Myers house. I started to get an idea on writing a book about a live stream haunted house.
I started mapping it out, writing a few chapters, but could never figure out how to get all the characters and celebrities to the house without it sounding forced.

10 years later, I am glad I never moved forward with that book because we would never have had the masterpiece that is Jon Cohn's Slashtag. This book was a very fun read that kept me turning the pages until the very end. I didn't want it to finish.

When celebrities agree to be filmed nonstop in a supposed haunted hotel, only the worst can happen, and it truly lives up to that. This book is scary in more ways than just ghosts and blood. With the way our world is heading with Social Media and Influencers and god-like celebrities, something like this doesn't seem to far off.

I give this book a 4.5 stars and it will go down as one of my favoritebreads of 2024