To say author Stephen Graham Jones is prolific would be an understatement.
After completing his Indian Lake Trilogy, plus the slow burn The Buffalo Hunter Hunter, he is dipping his toes into new territory with Killer on the Road.
Admittedly going in, my point of reference was to something like The Hitcher, but Killer… is far more complex and nasty than even the legendary Rutger Hauer could come up with.
We follow teenager Harper, who after another argument with her mom sets off onto the highway to escape. Her friends, her-ex and her sister tag along for an intervention disguised as a road trip, not knowing they are in the crosshairs of a vicious serial killer.
Jones does not mess around introducing us to our villain, with a shocking opening chapter which completely sets the tone for this bonkers, bloody and compelling read.
Our killer is not your average nutcase, coined Bucketmouth, he sets about removing body parts from his victims for reasons that you will find out.
The juxtaposition of Bucketmouth and Harper is what really makes Killer on the Road a fine horror novel. Harper is strong and intelligent but angry whereas her binary opposite is calculated, psychotic and at times, chatty.
Jones gives Bucketmouth a real sense of humour which elevates him above your average serial killer.
It’s great to see Indian representation in the novel too, something that is a regular inclusion in Jones’ work. Not every hero needs to be white.
Clocking in at 240 pages, you will fly through this as you put your pedal to the metal and enter the world of a truly twisted serial killer with a full tank of gas.
Killer on the Road is available now in various formats from Titan Books.
Bloody Flicks 