Wow, it only took me 5 years to get to this one....
I bought it sometime in 2014, I think, but it was released from Deadite Press in 2013.
I met Shane McKenzie at the World Horror Convention around that time. He seemed very cool, and we had a good talk about Wrath James White.
For whatever reason, I didn't start this book until last week when Jack Bantry blogged a list of his Top 10 favorite Splatterpunk books. I rummaged through my older Kindle purchases and found MUERTE CON CARNE patiently waiting.
This story was great. It definitely has its gory, harder edges, but I was surprised by how I was drawn to the main characters, Marta and Felix. McKenzie does a fantastic job setting this story up. Hell, there wasn't too much going on horror-wise in the first half of the book, but I knew it was coming, and I was at the edge of my seat just waiting for the death meat to hit the fan.
El Gigante was a wonderful surprise, as well. Yes, he's still a murdering psycho, but he really can't help it.
While MUERTE CON CARNE has a splatterpunk ending, it was a much milder read than I believed it would be. McKenzie held back when he could have let loose from the start. That kind of restraint is amazing. I think he got a better book from doing so.
I give MUERTE CON CARNE 4 stars!