Closing Time and Other Stories [Hardcover]

Jack Ketchum (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Though Stoker-winner Ketchum is best known for his novels of hardcore horror (Off Season, etc.), the 19 stories in this collection reveal his skill at crafting short and subtle mood pieces about everyday folk who find themselves wrestling with overpowering emotions that occasionally open them to macabre experience. "Do You Love Your Wife?" tells of a man who sees his crumbling relationship with his lover mirrored in a cryptic violent nightmare. "Returns" is narrated by the ghost of a man who finds that his frustrating inability to spur his grieving lover to care for their pet cat crystallizes the emotional shortfall that distinguished their relationship. Though most of the stories conclude with surprising O. Henry twists, several simply follow the intersecting paths of multiple characters as their experiences conclude dramatically in inescapable tragedy, notably "Station Two" and the title story, which sets a haunting tale of personal loss involving two star-crossed lovers and a predatory robber against a backdrop of the incomprehensible devastation of the events of 9/11. These well-told tales are proof that quiet horrors wrought by a skilled writer can make powerful reading. (Feb. 28)
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Product Details

• Hardcover: 255 pages
• Publisher: Gauntlet Press; Limited edition (January 8, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1887368906
• ISBN-13: 978-1887368902
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,799,151 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read Ketchum. Period., March 21, 2007

By 

Stephen Ylvisaker (Madison, WI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Closing Time and Other Stories (Hardcover)

Though this collection contains stories that have been previously published in various capacities, it, as well as his previous collection PEACEABLE KINGDOM, are must reads. Ketchum is not a household name, but he should be. In recent years he has received deserved praise from the master of horror himself, Stephen King, and some readers have found this diamond in the rough, and I assume are very grateful for that. The price for some of Ketchum's books are more than general authors, but I imagine a majority of publishers would not publish his material, because it is so dark and un-mainstream. I found him almost a decade ago, and I am eternally grateful for that. With a few movies already adapted from some of his books, I imagine he will only become more popular and well known. I don't think he wants to be a 'celebrity', but at 60-ish years of age, I assume he's ok with where's he is at financially and publically. So bottom line, read Ketchum, anything by him. The rest will take care of itself, like a running faucet. You will be hooked. If you want to read his best book, it is THE GIRL NEXT DOOR. Anyone who tells you differently, doesn't know what they're talking about. Happy reading!

4.0 out of 5 stars Great, emotional work from Ketchum, October 12, 2008

By 

Ashton M. Heyd - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Closing Time and Other Stories (Hardcover)

a.k.a. Ash Lomen



Great, emotional work from Ketchum... but I was expecting a bit more of the old ultra-violence...

Still... you never get what you expect from Ketchum, and that's a part of his charm.

This isn't as good a "Peaceable Kingdom" but it is very good...


"Monster" was my favorite.