Joyrideby Jack Ketchum
Synopsis: Carol and her lover, Lee, knew there was only one way to get rid of Carol’s abusive husband for good. They planned every detail. And they thought they had committed the perfect crime. But a stranger named Wayne saw what they did, and he was thrilled. Now Wayne wants to be their friend. He wants to share the excitement of murder with them. He wants to take Carol and Lee on a road trip straight to hell so his new friends can enjoy an all-out killing spree that can only end one way….
Nothing original about this one at all, but it's a pretty decent, non-stop horror tale with plenty of gore worked in between some character development. It starts out right away with a murder and quickly escalates into an all out slaughter. It's a short read and never dull, even when Ketchum is fleshing out his characters. He does a good job of getting into the mind of the killer and taking you on his "joy ride" to madness and he progressively causes more and more carnage as he deteriorates. You get a peek at the dark side of human nature from the inside while you have a hero to root for attempting to stop him.
As far as Jack Ketchum novels go, I'd didn't find this one as memorable or disturbing as Off Season or The Girl Next Door, but it's a solid, quick, psychological horror read that you could probably digest in day. It's satisfying yet not outstanding.
6.5/10
