The Killer Inside Me

The threat of violence in the small Texas town profiled in Jim Thompson’s The Killer Inside Me is so low that the patrolling sheriff, Lou Ford, doesn’t even need to carry a gun.  Lou doesn’t worry because hell, who’s more dangerous in Central City than good ol’ Lou himself?  While he speaks in clichés and…

The Big Ugly

Ellie Bennett is out on the streets following a thirteen month sentence behind bars.  Having been set up by a rival prison guard, Ellie was imprisoned for unnecessary assault on an inmate.  Enjoying the sweet taste of freedom, it isn’t long before Ellie is offered a job.  Tasked with locating a missing woman who served…

Misery

Acclaimed novelist Paul Sheldon, badly injured in a car accident, is held captive by deranged super-fan Annie Wilkes.  A former RN, she vows to aid him back to health until he’s well enough to make the trek to a hospital.  However, it’s on one condition; he write a new novel featuring his signature character Misery…

Everybody Dies

“The most successful war seldom pays for its losses.” –Thomas Jefferson Lawrence Block’s fourteenth entry in his long running Matt Scudder series is by far the most tragic.  The loss of life within these pages is astounding and there came a time near the end where I thought very few would make it out alive.…

Heart-Shaped Box

Jude Coyne, a middle aged former front man of an immensely popular metal band, is obsessed with the occult.  His assistant finds a post online advertising a ghost-for-sale and being the collector he is, Jude decides that he must have it.  When a heart-shaped package shows up, it contains nothing but an old raggedy suit.…