‘Killer On The Road’ – Stephen Graham Jones (Titan Books)

 

Page Count: 278 Pages

I had to take a slight detour, from the intended route, but I’ve made it to Halloween having read a decent chunk of horror and supernatural fiction, go me :o)

The plan was to round October off with a little Edgar Allan Poe but ‘Killer On The Road’ has been sat on the table for too long, all lonely and unread, so I resolved to do something about that yesterday (and the font size was just right for my eyes, can’t wait to pick my glasses up later today) . And that’s exactly what I did, even though I had a few things that I should have been doing instead. Time well spent? Let me tell you about it.

Sixteen-year-old Harper has had another blow-out argument with her mother and decides to hit the road, again. However, her two best friends, little sister, and ex-boyfriend all stop her from hitch-hiking her way up Route 80 in Wyoming by joining her on an intervention disguised as a road trip. What they don’t realize is that Harper has been marked by a very unique serial killer who’s been trolling the highway for the past three years, and now the killer is after all of them, leaving a trail of bodies behind him. The killer won’t stop and Harper will not give up, who will be left standing after the final confrontation?

I haven’t read as much of Stephen Graham Jones’ work as I’d have liked but I haven’t come across a book of his, yet, that I haven’t enjoyed. ‘Killer On The Road’ made short work of joining that list and is a fast paced slice of highway horror’ that kept my eyes firmly fixed on the page.

I’ll be honest, the pace was a little too much for me at times; I struggled to keep track of who was where, on the road, but that’s on me rather than the book, I’m clearly better suited to following car chases etc. on the screen than on the page. I’ve got all my fingers crossed that ‘Killer On The Road’ is made it into a film, some of what you read here would look absolutely stunning. A bit of a struggle to stay on top of (for me) but what I will say though is that reading these scenes really makes you feel like you’re travelling well over the speed limit, and that is just what this kind of book needs to be doing. Harper is swept up into a high octane, high stakes game of survival and so is the reader.

Jones writes a compelling final girl and maintains that record here with Harper, able to make the tough decisions (even before she meets our killer) and dogged enough to see them through. Add in the ability to remain cool under pressure (and spring a massive surprise at just the right moment) and Harper is the best lead to follow; what she faces is a massive challenge but she meets it head on and that drives the plot in the best way. 

And ‘Bucketmouth’ is a particularly intriguing villain to follow (and also the name of my local kebab shop, it will feel a bit weird the next time I go in…) Bucketmouth has no idea why he is the way he is, just resolved to follow his nature and indulge any whims along the way. This not only makes for some nasty surprises but also lends a sense of chaos, to proceedings, as Harper struggles to anticipate his next moves. And while I’ll always have a soft spot for the ‘faceless killer’ (which funnily enough, Bucketmouth is…), I’m always up for a little context to really get me thinking about the antagonist. Jones really gives his readers plenty to think about here, especially when you realize just how long Bucketmouth has been playing this particular game.

I struggled to find my feet in ‘Killer On The Road’, at times, but the plot itself is so gripping and fast paced that it doesn’t matter; once you’re along for the ride, that’s it. Jones clearly knows the recipe for perfect ‘slasher horror’ and employs it superbly here. Now I really need to read 'The Babysitter Lives'.