Review of “The Stew Man”, by John Owen E. Adimike

This flash fiction piece has a chilling premise, and it succeeds in planting the seed of a dark character (The Stew Man) whose very name lingers ominously. The concept of a killer who dissolves victims in chemicals is both grotesque and memorable, giving the story an edge that sticks with the reader even after such a brief encounter. It already feels like the opening to a larger crime series, where this mysterious figure becomes an infamous legend.

That said, flash fiction lives on precision, atmosphere, and implication. Right now, the piece leans more toward summary than scene. The events are told rather than shown, which lessens the intensity of the horror. For example, instead of stating that the body “had decomposed beyond recognition,” the story could let the reader feel Detective Morris’s reaction: perhaps his hand tightening on his notebook, or the stench forcing him to turn away. Details like the steam of chemicals lingering in the room, or the eerie neatness of the empty water bottle, could carry more weight than exposition. There are also a few grammatical slips that need tightening. These little corrections would polish the story without distracting from its creepiness. The repetition in “the body had decomposed, which had decomposed beyond recognition” could also be sharpened into a single, stronger phrase.

What works best here is the idea: the Stew Man as a criminal who erases not just lives but bodies, leaving nothing but silence and chemical residue. That’s chilling. But in flash fiction, less is more, hinting at the horror rather than fully explaining it often creates a more unsettling effect. If the detective had discovered only a half-empty bottle with strange residue and a tub filled with corrosive soup-like remains, and then realized why they call him the Stew Man, the revelation would land harder. This piece is strong in concept but could become far more gripping if it trusts atmosphere over summary, suggestion over explanation.