Kelly Sue Plamp

The stories in this book are terrific -- creepy and disturbing. However, the way they are put together without any break or announcement when one story ends another begins makes it very difficult to listen to. I made several attempts and finally looked up the stories on the internet to figure out how many stories there were and what they were about, and finally was able to separate them.

100 points for the author, -10 for Audible.

One you get past Dr. Morrison's bragging about her life and lifestyle, this is a very interesting and detailed study of serial killers. Her reading style is bit stiff, but not difficult for listening. Following Dr. Morrison's experiences and watching them build into her theory about serial killer behavior is interesting and educational.

I can tolerate foul and/or crude language in fiction -- even Stephen King at his worst is okay ("Christine"), and, although I hate to give my age away, I even truly enjoyed "A Boy and His Dog" by Harlan Ellison. Why? Because in these stories the language generally fit the characters who uttered it, and became a believable part of the story.

I sought out this book because the cover, the description, and the reviews made it seem an interesting read. And I love ghost stories. However, I was really disappointed at Palahniuk's use of language. It served no purpose other than to distract from the story. I was unable to get past chapter 1 without just turning it off in frustration.

Mr. Palahniuk apparently is overly absorbed with backsides, and unfortunately only appears to know one word with which to identify said portion of anatomy. I prefer my authors to possess a bit broader vocabulary.

To quote a character from the movie "Sister Act II" -- "It's okay for what it is, but it ain't all that." This book is a bit dated, and pulls in material from several other vampire stories, but it is fun to listen to if you want a rather light-hearted remake of a modern-day vampire. While not comparable to Anne Rice, King at least makes the story interesting, although a bit self-indulgent.

If you're looking for light summer reading, you have quite a bit of time to spend, and you like modern gothic fiction, this is a perfect book.

I cannot say I liked it, or I didn't like it. I liked the character development, and I enjoyed the characters. I didn't care for the plot; it was just a bit too contrived and tried too hard to mimic Stoker. But over all I enjoyed it.