The Snuff Network is a horror/suspense novel quadrilogy by Jon Athan. Each book in the series revolves around a deadly and underground organization that profits from making hundreds of snuff films on the black market.
Mr. Snuff is about a former mobster named Russell Wheeler hunting down the man who kidnapped and tortured his daughter to death in a snuff film. But on his quest for vengeance, he soon realizes that an entire organization has been kidnapping and killing other civilians under similar circumstances, and he's the only one who can stop them.
Ms. Vengeance focuses on Mizuki "Misty" Himura, a young woman who's mentally and emotionally traumatized after she's sexually assaulted by men who tried to kidnap her for a snuff film. Eventually, she becomes a vigilante and ends up targeting her rapists and other members of the Snuff Network.
Dr. Sadist revolves around Bradley Anderson, a long-time employee of the Snuff Network who's grown weary of his occupation and wants to retire and live with his family. But after Bradley is tasked with killing a few teenagers who discovered one of the Snuff Network's film studios, Bradley must decide between continuing his life of violence or betraying his employers and putting himself and his family at risk.
Kill Wu is the Grand Finale of the series. After the events of the first three novels, Misty and Bradley team up with each other in Japan as they dismantle the Snuff Network and its leader, Andy Wu, once and for all.
The Snuff Network quadrilogy provides examples of:
- And the Adventure Continues: Bradley's arc ends with him getting on a boat to Taiwan so he can eliminate the rest of Wu's business associates.
- Anyone Can Die: Numerous recurring characters, loved ones, and major antagonists are killed off without warning in each book. Even some of the central characters like Russell Wheeler and Ren Nakamura don't survive the series.
- Ass Shove: While Misty, Bradley, and Ren are torturing Andy Wu in Kill Wu, Misty shoves a sword into his anus repeatedly.
- Big Bad: Andy Wu, the leader of the snuff organization that is responsible for kidnapping, raping, torturing, and killing thousands of civilians across the world.
- Bittersweet Ending: Bradley, Misty, and Ren finally find and eliminate Andy Wu, and it's implied that Franklin Taylor, Lorraine Hughes, and Bradley will hunt down and arrest or kill everyone else in Wu's empire. However, several innocents—including Erica, Christian, Russell, Kendra, and Bradley's family—have all been killed. It's also heavily implied that Wu's family are going to take over his snuff industry and continue from where he left off.
- Crippling Castration: Some of the nastier villains in the series have their penis and/or testicles chopped off or mutilated.
- Cruel and Unusual Death: Exaggerated. There are dozens of characters who are gruesomely tortured to death either in snuff films or by the vengeful protagonists.
- Death of a Child: Kids aren't spared from Wu's snuff films, and he has no problem ordering the deaths of entire families, children included. Just ask Ren and Bradley's daughters.
- Decoy Protagonist: Russell Wheeler has little impact on the series as a whole. Not only is he killed at the end of the first book, but he fails to so much as lay a finger on Wu, and all the destruction he caused was nothing more than a minor setback Wu quickly recovered from.
- Downer Ending: Mr. Snuff ends with Russell getting shot to death by the police and Andy Wu not only escaping without a scratch, but planning to expand his snuff business worldwide.
- Earn Your Happy Ending: Misty's arc ends with her getting revenge on Andy Wu, returning to America and resuming her career as a painter, and finally moving past all the trauma Wu inflicted upon her.
- Eye Scream: The protagonists aren't shy about maiming the villains' eyes with any sharp/blunt object they can find. Most notably is Carrie Wheeler, who has a spoon shoved into her eye socket in her snuff video.
- Hates Being Touched: Following her rape, Misty refuses to let anybody physically touch her.
- I Love the Dead: Some of the Snuff Network's clients are into necrophilia, such as a client in Kill Wu who gets aroused by a headless, dismembered corpse.
- Karmic Death: Some of Wu's most vicious soldiers, like Nico Mochida, are tortured to death in snuff videos similar to the ones they're responsible for making.
- Karmic Rape: Ronald Pruitt contracted Wu's business so they would make him a snuff film where an elderly woman would be sexually assaulted in her stoma. In Kill Wu, Wu has Nico kidnap Pruitt, mutilate him, give him a makeshift stoma, and then rape him in said stoma.
- Surprisingly Sudden Death: Christian is killed off halfway into Ms. Vengeance with almost no buildup and very little warning. Even Misty is shocked at how abruptly she shot him.
- Villain Protagonist: Bradley Anderson, the main protagonist of Dr. Sadist, is one of Andy Wu's most loyal torturers who's been working for Wu for decades without remorse.
