Bedbugs (Leisure Horror) [Mass Market Paperback]

Rick Hautala (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Known for the past two decades as "that other horror writer from Maine," Hautala boasts a reputation that rests primarily on more than a dozen novels of suspense and the supernatural set in his home state. The 26 stories in this workmanlike first collection of short fiction draw mostly from the same reservoir of regional characters and settings as his longer works and form a roadmap to the bedrock horror themes of the last 20 years. For the most part, their plots are simple setups with twist endings in which luckless or unlikable characters fall victim to unspeakable fates and poetically just deserts. In "Voodoo Queen," a dissipated man learns firsthand the dark secret of a carnival freak show presided over by an alluring snake woman. "Colt .24" is an inventive variation on the deal-with-the-devil theme, narrated in the first person by a character anxiously ticking off the seconds as his inescapable doom approaches. "A Little Bit of Divine Justice" captures the flavor of the Twilight Zone in its eerie account of two men caught in a recurring cycle of death and retribution on a snowy winter night. As often as not, in stories like the first-person psycho narrative "Bird in the House" or the biter-bit tale "Rubies and Pearls," Hautala is cramped by genre conventions that leave him belaboring the obvious or struggling to soften the predictability of a situation. But the book balances lesser efforts with effectively crafted shockers for a mix that lives up to the title's reference to discomforting things that get under the skin. (Feb.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 390 pages
• Publisher: Leisure Books (March 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0843950749
• ISBN-13: 978-0843950748
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,658,013 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars LEAVE THE LIGHT ON...ALL NIGHT!, May 8, 2000

By 

RANDALL WIGGINS - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bedbugs (Hardcover)

BEDBUGS is one of the best single author short story collections I have ever read. Each story kept me moving through the pages, not wanting to close the book until that last page. There is not a story in this book that is not on par with the best Hautala has ever written. This book will be remembered for many years to come!

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars These Bedbugs have bite!, March 27, 2003

By 

Henry W. Wagner (Rockaway, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bedbugs (Leisure Horror) (Mass Market Paperback)

Those who only know Rick Hautala as a novelist might be surprised to learn that he's a talented short story writer as well. Ample proof is available in BEDBUGS, a collection of 26 tales of horror, suspense and the macabre.

One has to be impressed by Hautala's versatility. Many of his short stories capture the style, feeling, and, sometimes, the very intensity of writers as diverse as Edgar Allen Poe ("The Back of My Hands"), Robert Bloch ("Colt .24"), Joe R. Lansdale ("... from a Stone") and Gary Braunbeck ("Schoolhouse"), even as he puts his own spin on the material. Hautala's also proven that he can deliver even when constrained by narrow or quirky
themes, as in his stories originally written for theme anthologies. Tales such as "Winter Queen" (from Dark Destiny), "Surprise" (The Ultimate Zombie), and "Piss Eyes" (Frankenstein: The Monster Awakes) demonstrate his consummate professionalism and extensive range.

As Matt Costello notes in his afterward, Hautala brings "... a special freedom to his short fiction ... as though the short stories didn't have to fit in a certain niche of Rick Hautala books, and he could just wail." This assertion is proved repeatedly as Hautala takes readers on an oft-times bizarre tour of the human psyche. In "Crying Wolf," a tale dedicated to Richard Laymon, they're introduced to Billy Lewis, a sociopath
who'd give Todd Hunter of "Apt Pupil" fame a run for his money. In "Sources of the Nile," they meet a narrator who takes his eye fetish to extremes. Finally, there's "Rubies and Pearls," featuring a serial killer whose M.O. is sure to raise a few hackles.

Such is Hautala's craftsmanship that many readers won't even notice it. Take the opening paragraph of "Speedbump":

"I can't go swimmin' anymore, 'n all because Phil had to go and kill our son-of-a-b**** of a boss, Lester Croix. I suppose it was bound to happen, but I dunno. I think Phil coulda done a better job of it. Lucky thing for Phil, though, I work with him and was the first one to notice Lester's body -- his hand, anyway. That way, just as a favor to Phil, I could clean things up to make sure no one else ever found out about what he had done."

Hardly anyone reading lines like these is apt to stop. Openings like this are only one indication of Hautala's abundant literary gifts, all of which are on display in this estimable collection.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wildly imaginative collection, January 20, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Bedbugs (Leisure Horror) (Mass Market Paperback)

One of the things I like best about Mr. Hautala's stories is the range and diversity. From circus dancers to IRS agents, they all have a place in the crazy universe of BEDBUGS. My favorite story is "The Schoolhouse", which is a delightfully creepy trip back into the nightmare of grade school.

I read this book in two nights and loved every minute of it. Mr. Hautala's prose style is easy to read and he knows how to write a rocking good story. BEDBUGS is destined to become a classic!