Shock Radio [Paperback]

Leigh Clark (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1998

As a verbal terrorist, DJ Sunset Scott rules the dog-eat-dog world of Los Angeles radio. He angers producers, sponsors and callers with his rude antics. But when he hangs up on "Mr. X", he just might have made a big mistake--if "Mr. X" really is the serial killer known as "The Phantom", who has the city in panic.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In the vitriolic tradition of Howard Stern and Don Imus, Porsche-driving, Rolex-wearing Aaron "Sunset" Scott exults in berating those who call in to his L.A. radio talk show. One day, he gets a call from a man who purports to be The Phantom, a serial killer haunting the city. After the Phantom threatens Scott's mother, the shock jock and his companion, Pam, a TV field reporter, find their own lives in jeopardy as they pursue the killer through a succession of grim urban landscapes hemorrhaging with bloody victims. Slaughters at a movie theater, a strip club and Scott's radio station include acts of "torture, burning, and mutilation" that will test the nerves and perhaps stomachs of readers. Meanwhile, an important backstory about Scott's father and his employment in the defunct Panopticon Studios takes Scott, Pam and an entourage of pursuers and investigators to a ghost town/film location to dig out significant information about Scott's past. Clark (Evil Reincarnate, 1994) is particularly adept at re-creating the fog-shrouded atmosphere of Sunset Strip and its various denizens of the night. Astute readers may catch on quickly to the Phantom's identity, but even so they will be thrilled by the high-speed car chase in a driving rain that draws this nail-biting suspenser to its wicked conclusion.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

One would be hard pressed to find a more rude, obnoxious, and scurrilous individual, on or off the air, than Sunset Scott. An obscene serial killer called the Phantom has been terrorizing Los Angeles, and when he calls into Scott's morning radio show, Scott's life takes a bizarre turn. After several calls, the Phantom's grisly butcherings become increasingly personal, and he seems to have developed a kind of twisted relationship with Scott, who finds himself drawn into a nightmare of bloodshed and human mutilation. To complicate matters, Scott is looking for information about the father he never knew. As Scott becomes the Phantom's primary target, he strikes out on his own to bring an end to the reign of terror. The subject matter of this novel by Clark (Evil Reincarnate, Tor, 1994) is extremely offensive, the plot is run-of-the-mill, and the descriptions of the murders are downright revolting. Not recommended.?Maria A. Perez-Stable, Western Michigan Univ. Libs., Kalamazoo
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Tom Doherty Assoc Llc (January 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812523725
• ISBN-13: 978-0812523720
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,280,678 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Mayhem and Nonstop Profanity, November 14, 2004

By 

Peter Kenney (Birmingham, Alabama, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Shock Radio (Hardcover)

Sunset Scott is a successful Los Angeles disc jockey who has climbed to the top by using some of the foulest language on talk radio. His ratings rise even further after he starts to receive calls from a man claiming to be a serial killer known locally as the "Phanton."

Scott fails to take the caller seriously until he makes an accurate prediction about the location of the Phantom's next murder.Scott then realizes that the caller really is the Phantom. For an encore the Phantom calls the station and threatens to kill Scott's mother at Steinberg's Deli. How does the Phantom know about Steinberg's Deli and its connection with Sunset Scott? Scott is always careful to keep his real identity secret on the air.

When the Phantom gets personal with his threats, Scott decides to find the Phantom before the Phantom kills him and his mother.

Scott is not the most likeable protagonist and the author relies heavily on mayhem and nonstop profanity. The book's appeal may be greatest for readers who like horror stories.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Worst Murder Mystery Book Ever Written!!!!, February 28, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Shock Radio (Hardcover)

The only thing shocking about "Shock Radio"is how horrible it is. It is poorly written, predictable, full of excessive gore and has no decent characters! I managed to read the whole novel, but I had to force myself to do it. The main character is so rude and stupid that 50 pages into the book I was hoping the serial killer would kill him! Don't waste your time on this one, you'll regret it! Overall- Pathetic!!

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not worth the time to read, January 25, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Shock Radio (Hardcover)

I recently read this book. I enjoy most good crime and/or spy novels. I read a great many. I just finished this. I think a more appropriate title would have been "Shock Paperback." It is seldom I have read a book that I could literally call "trash." This was. The violence, which most such books have, due to the subject matter; was completely "off the chart." I simply cannot imagine what type mind it takes to come up with anything this gross and sickening. I've an extremely strong stomach, and this book sickened me. I am ashamed to admit that I didn't toss it after the first 50 pages. At least it was consistently bad from beginning to end. Utter trash.