11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best Jack Ketchum book by far-full of beautiful emotion, December 16, 2000
In my opinion, this is Jack Ketchum's best book. It is full of expressions of humanity and what one will do to avenge the death of a loved one. I identified strongly with Avery and was proud of his moral character and strength and overall sense of DECENCY. This is the first Jack Ketchum book I've read that isn't strictly about horror. This book is about justice being served and basic right and wrong. If you have ever truly loved a pet, I think you will like this book. I read it in one day. I cried at the end. It's beautiful - very differently written than the author's other books because it is full of devotion and the underlying motivation stems from love and honor. JK should write more books like this - it shows his intelligence and his spiritual depth. If you are just looking for horror and gore, try JK's other books, but if you want to be emotionally moved, check this one out.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Ketchum Does It Again, January 20, 2003
Any fan of horror novels quickly recognizes the name Jack Ketchum. Ketchum's most notable work to date is probably "The Girl Next Door," a bleak novel about the torture-murder of a young girl. Also worth mentioning is "Ladies Night," a graphic story about a chemical spill and its subsequent effects on the female population. Ketchum is a master of graphic gore, but his recent books are seeing a receding of the red stuff in favor of suspenseful, character driven stories. "Red" is an excellent example of a kindler, gentler Ketchum (if that is possible!). Oh sure, there is still an unpleasant event at the center of the story that allows a few other unpleasant events to unfold, but "Red"' does not come close to approaching the nihilistic insanity Ketchum usually creates as a matter of habit.
"Red" tells the story of Avery Ludlow, an elderly country gent who runs a little store out in the sticks while living with his trusty dog Red. Avery's wife has long passed away and his daughter lives far away, allowing Avery to do whatever he feels like doing in his spare time. One of his favorite pastimes is fishing, which is where we encounter Avery as the story begins. Unfortunately for Avery, even an activity as mundane as fishing has its own dangers. When three young toughs pay a visit to Avery's fishing hole, an attempted robbery leads to the shotgun killing of Red. What the three kids do not know is that Avery is a Korean War vet with an unpleasant family tragedy that has made him as tough as nails. He is not about to roll over for three snot-nosed punks, and the consequences of his stand slowly escalate tensions between Avery and the family of two of the boys. What starts with veiled threats quickly moves into the realm of broken windows, broken ribs, and armed confrontation with a predictable elegiac outcome.
"Red" is a sad story. Anyone who owns a pet will cringe when Red dies a violent, needless death. In fact, Ketchum is probably counting on this event to instill a killing rage in the reader. Are there any pet owners who would not feel Avery warranted in his quest for justice, any type of justice, for his dead dog? Ketchum wants us to sympathize with Avery right from the start, something that is easy to do when we meet the father of the boys who killed Red. Ketchum garners further sympathy from the reader when Avery's attempt to get redress through legal channels comes to nothing. Even a story about Red on the local news fails to remedy the situation. Ketchum fishes for our empathy at every turn of the story as Avery seeks restitution for the death of Red.
About the only unbelievable element of the story is Avery's relationship with a loud-mouthed New Yorker serving time as a reporter at the local television station. This relationship seems to come out of nowhere, apparently as a means for Avery to tell the reader about the family tragedy that claimed his wife and two sons.
The McCormack family, Avery's nemesis throughout the story (two of the boys are members of the family), suffers from a lack of detailed development. Ketchum continually hints at evil doings within the family but we never see anything concrete until the final showdown between the McCormack clan and Avery. For example, the McCormack's maid has a maimed hand, implying that the McCormack's had something to do with her injury. Regrettably, this chance for an excellent flashback story never appears. Perhaps a longer version of "Red" (it is currently 211 pages in mass market form) would shed light on this aspect of the McCormack family.
Purchasing this copy of "Red" treats you to a bonus short story, entitled "The Passenger." This grim tale of a murderous crime spree and bloody revenge should remind most readers of the Ketchum they know and love.
Janet is a young lawyer defending a scumbag in a murder case. Janet is a little angry that her sometime boyfriend Alan fools around on her every chance he gets. Her personal life quickly becomes insignificant when her car breaks down on the way home, where she gets a lift from Marion, an old high school acquaintance who turns out to be a complete wacko after suffering years of abuse from bad boyfriends. When the two hook up with a trio of vicious thugs on the run from the law the story descends into murder, madness, and mayhem.
Ketchum weaves several independent story threads into a seamless voyage into the dark underbelly of American life. This story should remind Ketchumites of his novel "Joyride," another tale of murder on the highway. The big difference here is the coldly calculated revenge Janet wreaks on her tormentors at the end of the story. The inclusion of this story here is much appreciated, as Ketchum's writings in any form are sometimes difficult to find.
What we find in this mass-market paperback is both the old and the new Jack Ketchum. Prepare yourself for suspense and bloody horror with the purchase of this book. Pick up this edition of "Red" before it goes out of print with the concomitant rise in price that will entail.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A wonderful and disturbing novel, August 27, 2002
"Red" is the kind of book you can't put down once you start it and you will read it to the bittersweet ending. Its the story of an elderly man with a dog named Red he loves more than life. A simple lonely man, he has few good things in his life after losing family members tragically years before. On the day, he takes his dog fishing with him, three boys come along, rob him and shoot his dog for no reason. After this, he tries to seek justic for the murdered dog, but two of the boys are rich and from a powerful family. Each thing he tries is thwarted until he takes matters into his own hand.
This book is depressing and thought-provoking. As a dog lover, I identified with Avery especially with his feelings at the loss of his pet. This book is about how little the law protects animals and as well as showing the problems of class still prevalent in our society. It is not a horror novel, but a classic novel of love and vengeance. Its one of the best books by Ketchum I've read and its great.
Good from beginning to end, Red will stay with you long after the last page. A great, great novel!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
