Books I Read in May 2024

Horror, historical fiction, and crime this month. 

Red by Jack Ketchum (Leisure Books, 2002)

I wasn’t planning on reading anything by Jack Ketchum as his most well-known books sound too brutal for me, but when I came across a copy of Red, I looked it up and it sounded more like something I would like. 

Widower Avery Ludlow seeks justice after a devastating encounter with a spoiled rich kid and his friends. Avery soon learns that going through proper channels can be frustrating and he winds up in a battle of wills with the kid and his family. Strong characterization, excellent building of suspense, and beautiful prose all make for a fast paced and involving story about loss, grief, revenge, and violence. More of a drama with some horrific elements than Ketchum’s usual brand of horror. 

My copy of the book also includes the novella “The Passenger,” a harrowing story of a lawyer who meets some very bad people after her car breaks down. Well done but unsettling. Not in the same league as Red.

The Turn of the Screw by Henry James (from The Turn of the Screw and Other Ghost Stories, Penguin Books, 2018, originally written in 1898)

A fascinating psychological gothic ghost story. I liked the atmosphere and the ambiguity but not the writing style. It was incredibly wordy at times which I felt kept getting in the way of the story. Great ending though. 

After reading The Turn of the Screw I watched the 1961 film adaptation, The Innocents. The film is well paced and beautifully shot and thanks to Truman Capote who worked on the script, has lots of fascinating symbolism and a claustrophobic feel. An outstanding adaptation that captures the feel of the original story without being bogged down by the wordiness. 

Undead Folk by Katherine Silva (Strange Wilds Press, 2024)

A woman traveling with an undead fox seeks revenge in a post-apocalyptic world. A novella about grief and revenge with a dash of backwoods magic. I really enjoyed the prose, how the backstory was gradually revealed, and where the story led. 

Kiss and Kill by Richard Deming (Wildside Press, 2017, originally published in 1960 by Zenith)

A con artist and his protege pose as brother and sister as they target widows. Eventually their scams escalate and include murder. Well written and even though it became pretty obvious where it was leading to towards the end, the ending was hard core noir.

History and Historical Fiction

Boudica: Queen of the Iceni by History Nerds (History Nerds, 2023)

This free e-book is a short history of Queen Boudica of the British Inceni tribe and the events that led up to the failed rebellion she led against Roman invaders. Very simple writing style with a bit of repetition. The quotes from historians Tacitus and Cassius Dio were nice. I read this in preparation for Song for a Dark Queen by Rosemary Sutcliff which I reviewed in this post: 

We Learn by Writing: Song for a Dark Queen by Rosemary Sutcliff

Short Stories

I read some Adam Nevill horror short stories which I wrote about in a previous post: 

We Learn by Writing: Some Short Stories by Adam Nevill

Dracula’s Guest by Bram Stoker (from Dracula: Collector's Special Edition (Sterling Publishing, 2021)

This short story is believed to have been intended as the first chapter of Dracula. It's included as an extra in the edition I have. After ignoring warnings about “Walpurgis Nacht,” an Englishmen wanders into an abandoned village that is considered unholy by the locals and he has some eerie encounters. Loved the descriptions and the atmosphere.

The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell (Open Road Media, 2020, originally published in 1924)

A big-game hunter winds up becoming the hunted on a mysterious island in this famous short story. It felt a little dated at times but for something written in 1924 it holds up really well. I liked the pulpy style and General Zaroff was a great villain.

June Reading Plans Last year I read some westerns for the June on the Range reading event featured on YouTube. I have lots of westerns on my to-be-read list, so I’ll be reading some more, and hopefully a few other things as well.