Hutchins’s book is about a man suspected in 12 murders.  He is currently being held at Brinkvale Psychiatric Hospital and his name is Martin Grace.  Martin Grace isn’t your average killer/crazy person, for he is also, blind.  Now, Personal Effects – Dark Art is told through the eyes of hipster art therapist Zach Taylor.  Zach helps the insane by letting them express themselves through art work, painting, quilting, etc.  He gets assigned to the Grace case and has a week to determine if Grace is sane enough to go to trial.

Personal Effects – Dark Art takes you into the mind of a complete mad man.  Martin Grace claims there is a force that rules him, he talks about, the “Dark Man.”  Even Zach isn’t immune to the Dark Man’s infectious evil and finds himself slowly being sucked into his own psychosis as he unravels the dark details of not only himself, but also Mr. Grace.  Things are not what they seem with Brinkvale’s newest resident, and Zach must learn that.  He must discover it all, even dipping into his own personal darkness.

This is more than a story you just read and walk away from.  Look at these pictures I took.

See all that?  Those are the photos, birth certificates, death certificates, identification cards, scribbled notes, forgotten letters, ancient accommodations and other important documents that are all part of the Personal Effects – Dark Art universe.  Go to My Flickr! page to get the big versions.  It isn’t just a bunch of paper and plastic, no, there are websites and contact numbers.  That is MY cell phone with Zach Taylor’s phone number.  Call it, I dare you!  Zach isn’t the only number in my phone, there are other numbers I discovered as I read through the book.

When I first got the book I spread out all the stuff that comes with it (as you see) and started to take notes and organize myself.  That is the notebook you see there.  I was glad I did, there is SO much extra stuff beyond these written pages I can’t even begin to tell you.  Well I could, but Zach Taylor does a better job.  I got it on Thursday of last week and I stayed up until 3 a.m.  I finished reading all the text but then I spent two days just exploring the rest of the Personal Effects – Dark Art world.  It is truly the evolution of story telling.  No movie, no game, and no television program will ever get you as involved in a story as Hutchins’s revolutionary method.  Get yourself a copy and check it out!

Click here to get it!

If this isn’t enough – Hutchins has started releasing the prequel novella to Personal Effects – Dark Art.  It is called Sword of Blood and if you ask me, it is way more bat shit crazy than Personal Effects.  Sword of  Blood also started me on a personal quest, a secret quest.  shhhhhhhhhh

p.s. The story hasn’t ended for me, I don’t know that it ever will.  I tore out page 179 and I carry it with me now.  You were wrong Hutch, it does mean something, and I will figure out what.

Read On -

“Billy lets go, he isn’t worth it.”

“The hell he ain’t Hank.  A kid can’t walk home from school without being scared, that’s not right.  I’m gunna teach him a lesson.”

“You should listen to your brother Billy, no sense in me kicking your ass again.”

“Jeremy that was three years ago, I’ve gotten a lot bigger since then.  Besides, what you’re doin’ ain’t right.  It ain’t right at all.  So square up you pussy, lets go.”

Billy put his fists up like he saw Rocky do in the movies.  The spectating kids formed a circle around them.  Sidestepping like two gladiators locked in battle to the death, one of them would not come out of here the same.  Jeremy struck first.

Billy lost his breath from the blow to his stomach and backed up.  Within seconds he recovered surprising Jeremy’s smirking face with hammering blows.  Jeremy put his hands up but Billy didn’t care.  He would pound on his forearms until they were black and blue, break them if it came to it.  Jeremy stumbled from the high intensity onslaught of Billy’s fists, which apparently were made of brick.  The stumble caused Jeremy’s arm to drop slightly creating a small exposure to the face.  Billy’s right hook had no trouble seeking out the weakness in the defense.  Jeremy’s cheekbone made a loud popping noise as Billy’s knuckles dragged across his face.  The nose was next in line and in that one swift motion, Billy broke it.  Jeremy reached up to hold his crooked nose and fell to his knees.  Blood oozed from between his fingers dripping into dusty dark red puddles on the dirt.

“Now, you might be the popular guy, your father might be the mayor, but you have no right picking on little kids like you done.  Like you did my little brother, like you did to me.  Because you know what Jeremy? We grow up and we don’t forget.  You better start learning that you are a small fish in a big pond and there is always a shark waiting to eat your ass,” Billy stood over the hunched figure.

Jeremy looked up, and in the shadow of Billy nodded his head.  Billy grabbed his little brother by the arm.

“Let’s go Hank, he aint gunna bother anyone no more and Mom will have supper ready by now.”

The crowd stood in silence and parted to let the two boys out.  They set off for home into the orange hue of the sunset.  After about a hundred yards, Billy turned to look back, the crowd was gone but Jeremy remained on his knees staring at their long shadows on the horizon.  Billy was certain things would be quiet for a while, but Jeremy wouldn’t be completely shut down that easy.  Retaliation was coming, just a matter of time and place.

Billy knew that people like Jeremy came to power through fear. While he had the false respect of many, some frustrated soul will always rise up and challenge his authority.  Ultimately the only way to end Jeremy’s reign is to destroy him, but Billy doesn’t have it in his heart to do that.  So Jeremy will rise again, only stronger next time, until another Billy takes the challenge.  Thus perpetuating the state of fear among the children, in the small neighborhood, in the middle of nowhere.