Pressure (Leisure Fiction) [Mass Market Paperback]

Jeff Strand (Author)

Book Description

Series: Leisure Fiction | Publication Date: June 2009

Alex stared at the red pocketknife shown to him by his daughter. A pocketknife owned by somebody he hadn’t seen in years...

-Children-

They met first in boarding school at age twelve. AlexFletcher, shy and scared. Darren Rust, always furiously scribbling away in a private journal. It was not an immediate friendship, but then one night Darren convinced his roommate to sneak off school grounds to see something glorious. There was a sleazy strip club, you see, and every once in a while the back door opened just long enough to maybe catch a quick glimpse... Though a bond was formed from their pre-pubescent interest in naked women, Darren had another interest. A morbid curiosity about death. A curiosity that turned into something much more sinister.

-Friends-

They crossed paths again in college and became the best of friends. But Darren wasn’t just looking for a friend. He had dark, ghastly urges squirming around in his head, and he believed he saw the same things — the urge to hurt, the urge to kill — in Alex. He was looking for somebody who understood. A partner. But Alex could never become a monster. Not even when Darren tried to bring out his friend’s most deeply buried feelings of rage. Not even when Darren tried to show him the euphoria of having that much power over another human being. It just couldn’t happen...right?

-Enemies-

Now Alex has a wife and a daughter. And Darren is back. He’s hiding. He’s patient. His mind is twisted in the worst possible way.

And he’s seeking a soul mate.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Murdering sociopaths make lousy friends but marvelously creepy reading, as shown in this wicked thriller from Strand (Mandibles). After stealing condoms on a dare, Alex Fletcher is shipped off to Branford Academy, a boarding school for misfits. Of his four roommates, Darren Rust seems the most peculiar, but Alex becomes uneasy buddies with the little monster-in-the-making after Darren introduces him to the joys of spying on strippers. Unfortunately, Darren also enjoys cutting up dead things, including their roommate's dog, Killer Fang. Although Alex and his friends try to get even with Darren by stringing him up for a good scare, Darren retaliates by going to the headmaster, protesting his innocence and getting two of the boys kicked out of Branford. Their lives diverge until Darren pops up at Alex's college campus. When Alex falls in love with a girl, Darren gets jealous and shows his truly insane colors-to violent effect. The horror in this tale of twisted friendship is relentless, and the choices Alex makes to rescue himself from Darren's web of depravity might be morbid, but Strand's wide-eyed narrator makes the implausible almost believable.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

"PRESSURE is a masterpiece. 5 out of 5 Mugs O’ Blood." -- The Horror Channel --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 323 pages
• Publisher: Leisure Books; Original edition (June 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0843962534
• ISBN-13: 978-0843962536
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #980,829 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jeff Strand was born in Baltimore, Maryland, but moved to Fairbanks, Alaska when he was six months old, so his memories of Baltimore are hazy. He grew up in the cold, where he desperately wanted to be a cartoonist. Then he wanted to make video games. Then he wanted to write movies. Actually, he still wants to do all of those things, but for now he's quite happy writing lots of demented novels.

He was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award in 2006, 2008, and 2010. His novel PRESSURE has been optioned for film; he's hoping the movie will be made soon so he can scream "My baby! What have you done to my precious baby?!?"

His novels are usually classified as horror, but they're really all over the place, from comedies to thrillers to drama to, yes, even a fairy tale (FANGBOY).

Because he doesn't do cold weather anymore, he lives in Tampa, Florida with his wife and two cats,

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Relentlessly Intense!, May 15, 2009

By 

Elizabeth A. White (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pressure (Leisure Fiction) (Mass Market Paperback)

If you've not previously read anything by Jeff Strand there couldn't possibly be a better place for you to start than with his new release, Pressure. Though Strand is the author of over a dozen books, including the outstanding Andrew Mayhem series, with the publication of Pressure Strand has taken his already incredible talent to another level entirely.

What would you do if your best friend turned out to be a sociopathic killer? One who was obsessed with you and everything about your life? That's the situation Alex faces when his friend Darren becomes increasingly manipulative and violent over the course of their relationship. Starting when they meet at boarding school, Pressure follows the twisted relationship between Alex and Darren as it builds from kids being cruel, to young men pushing boundaries, to adults who end up in the fight of their lives, figuratively and literally, against each other.

Pressure is very aptly titled because the pressure in this book builds relentlessly... almost to the point of uncomfortableness at times it is so skillfully written. Strand pushes Alex to the brink over and over, seeing just how much he and the reader can take, before finally pushing him over the edge for a climactic showdown that will leave you both stunned and impressed at its unflinching, uncompromising resolution.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Strand's Best, August 30, 2006

By 

J. A. KONRATH "Thriller Author" (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Pressure (Hardcover)

Like the best of Jack Ketchum, Ed Lee, or Richard Laymon, PRESSURE has some scenes that will make you wince and squirm. But it also makes you think, makes you feel, and most of all, makes you keep reading.

Nerve-wracking, well-written, and deceptively touching, this is an exhilarating, jaw-dropping thrillride that you'll remember for a long, long time.

Yeah, I liked it a lot. Here are some other appropriate modifiers: scary, funny, creepy, and fast-paced.

What's it about? Two childhood friends, and their relationship on into adulthood. The main problem is that one of them is a stone cold psychopath, and bent on destroying the other, body and soul. Think Fatal Attraction meets Stand By Me.

Strand's earlier Andrew Mayhem novels were a clever mix of gruesome and amusing. This has its light touches, but overall it is a much darker work than Strand has ever attempted. In fact, it's darker than most books I've ever read.

Pick up a copy. You won't be disappointed.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Intense Novel, July 21, 2008

By 

Jason E. Berry - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pressure (Hardcover)

Jeff is sort-of a cross between Jack Ketchum and Ted Dekker, yet with his own unique style - amidst the intensity of this novel, he is still able to inject just enough humor to keep your heart from bursting from the anticipation of what is going to happen next. This book was outstanding!

myspace.com/horror_reviews