Book Review: Funny Taste by Jacob Marsh

Funny Taste Book Review by Matt Boiselle

Some horror novels hook you with a creepy old house. Others rely on haunted woods or abandoned hospitals. Funny Taste takes a different approach by asking a simple question: What if your summer job at a rundown burger joint turned into your worst nightmare? Needless to say, I was all in.

Set on Birch Island, Funny Taste centers around Clown Town Burgers, a run-down restaurant that’s somehow managed to build a cult following despite looking like it’s been frozen in the 1980s. The burgers keep customers coming back, but the restaurant has another attraction lurking in the shadows—its twisted founder, who still stalks the halls dressed as the establishment’s iconic clown mascot. Angela is just looking for a summer job, but it doesn’t take long before she realizes she’s signed up for something far more terrifying than flipping burgers and working the late shift. From there, Jacob Marsh serves up a fast-paced horror story packed with mounting tension, memorable scares, and enough creepy clown moments to make you think twice before pulling into any roadside burger stand. What I really appreciated about Funny Taste is that it never loses sight of what it’s trying to be. This isn’t a slow-burn psychological drama or a dense piece of literary horror. It’s an entertaining creature feature with slasher vibes that knows exactly when to crank up the suspense and when to let the fun take over. Marsh clearly understands what horror fans are looking for, and he delivers it without overcomplicating things.

The setting deserves a lot of credit, too. Clown Town Burgers almost becomes a character itself. Between the faded décor, late-night atmosphere, empty dining room, and the feeling that something is always watching from just out of sight, the restaurant creates the perfect backdrop for the story. It’s the kind of place you can picture vividly—and probably wouldn’t want to visit after finishing the book. Without giving anything away, the horror elements are handled well, the pacing keeps the pages turning, and the story wastes very little time getting you invested. There are plenty of tense moments, a healthy dose of gruesome surprises, and enough mystery surrounding the restaurant and its infamous founder to keep you guessing right up until the end. One of the things I enjoyed most was how effortlessly readable the novel is. It’s the kind of book where you tell yourself you’ll read one more chapter before bed…and suddenly you’ve knocked out half the novel. That’s always a good sign.

If you’re a fan of creepy clowns, late-night horror, slasher-style stories, or simply enjoy books that feel like they’d make an awesome horror movie, Funny Taste deserves a spot on your reading list. Jacob Marsh has crafted an entertaining ride that’s equal parts unsettling and fun, proving once again that some of the scariest places aren’t haunted houses—they’re the places serving dinner after midnight.