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Jeff Strand

Pressure Paperback – April 24, 2021

by Jeff Strand (Author)

4.3 1,097 ratings

Book 1 of 2: Pressure

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“Marvelously creepy reading…the horror in this tale of twisted friendship is relentless.” —Publishers Weekly

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. Alex Fletcher, 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 soulmate.

Book 1 of 2

Pressure
Print length

324 pages
Language

English
Publication date

April 24, 2021
Dimensions

6 x 0.81 x 9 inches
ISBN-13

979-8735336495
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Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B093CKNDSB
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Independently published (April 24, 2021)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 324 pages
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8735336495
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.06 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.81 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,065,105 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #34,365 in Horror Literature & Fiction
- #43,937 in Suspense Thrillers

Customer Reviews:
4.3 1,097 ratings

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Jeff Strand

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Jeff Strand's bio was funnier when he talked about losing the Bram Stoker Award four times, but he's now a Bram Stoker Award WINNER!

His novels are usually classified as horror, but they're really all over the place, almost always with a great big dose of humor. He's written five young adult novels that all fall into the "really goofy comedy" category.

Several of his books are in development as motion pictures, and he's mostly not allowed to blab any details, which he finds MADDENING.

He lives in Chattanooga, Tennessee with his wife and one gigantic freaking cat.

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4.3 out of 5

1,097 global ratings

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Shawna M

Intense

Reviewed in the United States on September 20, 2023

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It was so creepy to see all the times that people could have stood up to Darren, but his charisma and manipulation makes it seem like they have no choice, from when he was in school, to when he was a man. You could see how his version of reality didn't match others, but he was twisted enough to try and make others see what he sees, think what he thinks...

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Something you wouldn't want happening to you, ever

Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2009

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I would classify Pressure as a psychotic thriller, something that agitates more than scares, sure there are terrifying ordeals that end in blood shed but it's not a scary book. The story revolves around Alex, who we meet when he's a shy simple kid. He's somehow on a path of misbehaving due to some peer pressure, which results in his admission to the Branford Academy. Strict rules aren't enough to keep the really bad kids from acting out and still getting away from it, in this case Alex's roommate Darren turns out to be a thorn that never leaves his side. First he ignores pretty much all the roommates but develops a friendship with Alex that borders on unhealthy obsession. For some reason he's infatuated with Alex and follows him from his youth into the adult years, creeping up into his personal life, endangering his relationships with his strange stalking and seemingly innocent behavior. Darren's explanation for his closeness is that Alex is so much like him, so they might as well have fun together, in this case fun means killing people. Alex isn't as thrilled as Darren, in fact he's annoyed that someone would even think of him as a killer, but his friend doesn't take no for an answer and will literally twist all his fingers to get his way.

The beginning was interesting, I was sucked into the story right away and I liked the character development when it came to Alex, he felt pretty real. Unfortunately Alex had a bit of what I call the Hamlet complex, unable to act in a way that would resolve the horrid situations that he was in. If it was me dealing with a psycho I would not go home and relax and wait a few years to the nut to show up again and again. Also the reader gets to know very little about Darren, I felt that I never got to see inside his head and why he was acting in such a weird way, everyone's childhood was covered at least in some minute detail except for the main bad guy, too much ambiguous mystery going on with that character for my liking. The bad guy is most often the most interesting part, and there was some info missing that kept this book from getting a higher rating from me. Overall I enjoyed the story even though it had some bumps in the road but the writing was good and engaging and I will definitely read more of Strand in the future.

- Kasia S.

3 people found this helpful

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Todd Russell

If you only read one by Strand, read this

Reviewed in the United States on July 23, 2012

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Strand plays this broody character study, about two boys who become men with a disturbing bond, as close to straight as he can muster. Told from first person point of view by the protagonist, Alex, who begins with inscribing dates on bullets (the cover art image) with shaky hands and mind: "For a while, the bullets were the only thing keeping me alive." It's the best opening of the Strand books I've read so far because it makes the reader immediately wonder what terrible things have happened? What are those dates on the bullets? Then we realize that we must go back before we can go forward in the story, and Alex takes our hand into the chilly night.

(Curious aside: my #2 to date favorite Strand book DWELLER also mentions ammo in the opening sentence: "We should have brought more ammo.")

On a dare Alex steals some condoms and ends up in a boarding school where he meets Darren and three other boys. Soon, Alex learns that Darren who spends much of his time writing in a journal (*what* is he writing in there?) is stranger than the other boys. Darren is all about temptation and applying pressure (hence the title) to Alex in a wide variety of mental and, later, physical ways. The boys catch Darren in the act of doing something hideous and decide to punish him with a mock hanging. This starts an uglier chain of events. And uglier.

This is Strand's best characterization work, showing Alex and Darren over four different time periods in their lives, each more pressure-filled than the former. Strand hung up his humor gloves to punch this badboy out. If you don't care much for his humor, but do enjoy his horror, you'll love PRESSURE. I am entertained by both, but since I love to be scared more in reading horror than laugh, this has become my #1 favorite book by Jeff Strand so far. Easy to see why it was nominated for a Stoker.

This would be an excellent first read for a newcomer to Strand, because it shows a little bit of his humor (to ease tension in spots) and a lot of his dialogue, characterization and pacing skill. Jeff Strand is a lean, no frills writer. His paragraphs are often short and punchy and his books often read extremely fast. With that said, PRESSURE is still a bit of a slow cooker, horror-wise, like readers are being dropped lobster-style into his boiling pot and there's no way out until you get to the final page.

If you haven't read this book yet, and you love character-driven macabre tales, push this to the top of your to-be-read list, ASAP.

6 people found this helpful

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Alan James Crawley

Romp

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 7, 2023

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Tore through it. Really enjoyed it and would definitely recommend it. My only complaint, and its common with this kind of device, is the beginning kind of gives away the end.

R T Twinem

What a difference a few years can make!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 8, 2011

Verified Purchase

This is my original review....from Jan 2011

As a long time reader of horror I have always been fascinated by this particular genre depicting as it does, when well presented, a dark and fearful world and a journey into the evil realms of the human condition. The works in particular of James Herbert and Stephen King familiar and multi-layered have never cease to amaze me and feed my addiction. Sadly it appears to me that most modern horror writers are unable to engage the reader for any length of time or indeed reach the dizzy heights of their renowned predecessors. Perhaps this is a result of many so called aspiring authors now having the facility to store and publish books online and thus able to reach a wider audience. By this I mean that we, the reader, now have a never ending source of digital ebook material to read and in my opinion this abundance of "literary" material is destroying the quality of the printed word...put simply anyone can now write a book and whether that book holds merit is a matter of personal taste!

Pressure by Jeff Strand, on one level, is a simple story of a small boy's obsession with evil and the effect that this has on his best friend.... thereby lies the problem. This book is written only on one level, it is not multi-layered or complicated, it does not task the reader or treat him with any level of intelligence. It tells a simple story, in simple language and could only be described as boring in the extreme. It is written in a style that is reminiscent of a high school student, and holds no literary merit whatsoever. I find most modern horror writers ( there are a very few exceptions ) are a sad reflection of what has gone before, and if this is an example of the future of this genre then those culpable should hang their heads in shame! It is little wonder that few book stores in the United Kingdom stock quality horror books, indeed few retain a horror section at all and if this book is purported as a example of this genre frankly I am not surprised!

I'm not sure why I thought so badly off this book in 2011 but having just reread this time I really enjoyed. The obsessive psychotic Darren and his friendship or association with Alex, his attempt to control and be a part of Alex's life is almost stalker like in its execution. Alex will regret the day he ever made the acquaintance of Darren, it will almost destroy his life and make him question every value that he has ever believed in. This is a quiet and very easy to read horror story one man's psychotic lifestyle and the effect it has on those around him...Great little story from Jeff Strand and my apologies that it has taken me so long to realize this :)

One person found this helpful

Victoria

Great characters, great read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 27, 2022

Verified Purchase

This book becomes more menacing and dark as the story goes on. The first couple of chapters I was still glancing longingly at my TBR shelves (yes shelves, I’m one of those bookworms) but that quickly changed. Characters had depth, story was morally thought provoking (afterwards), writing was excellent and I actually laughed out loud at some points. A couple of great psycho one liners. An excellent gory thriller! Also I kind of had the hots for the bad guy 😳

fluffyredfox

The hatchet vs cactus, The pit and the Gallery of Horrors - lots of fun to be had

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 2, 2013

Verified Purchase

A very harrowing start to the book, but wow was I gripped.

It is written as a narrative which works very well later in the book when things are merely eluded too, really builds the tension.

Split into three very distinctive parts of Alex's life, with a finale and, my favourite, an epilogue (tying up those loose, niggley end).

The story of a basically happy man Jeff Strands takes you through those angst ridden, who will like me/my parents hate me/what's wrong or right teenage years, to college life and then on into adulthood.

However, on his tail is Darren, who is just a little bit weird.

The first part is set in a boarding school which brings its own horrors as to the treatment of children and then expecting them to grow up to be nice, productive, socially acceptable people! The issues with Darren come to an alarming conclusion as Alex and his two friends discover their own version of the Law.

As Alex looks forward to the mayhem of college and a chance to be his own man, his life turns into a type of hell with a cat and mouse game of terror.

Life it seems, becomes perfect later on, all trauma is forgotten, but the hatchet vs cactus, the pit and Gallery of Horrors soon come into play; the lovely Alex is soon considering his kangeroo court again.

Whilst I really enjoyed how this was written and the basic story was great, I was irritated by the lead character Alex for mostly being a wimp, but I suppose that IS reality, how would we all react to strange, non socially conforming behaviour?

Having previously only read Wolf Hunt I was also surprised by the lack of humour, other than HeeHee, HawHaw and HoHo which did make me giggle a bit; that said this deals with some seriously disgusting stuff so comedy would probably have been out of place.

Really looking forward to reading all the other novels by Jeff Strand.

2 people found this helpful

kelkel

could have been better

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 23, 2022

Verified Purchase

I was really looking forward to reading this, I was told Jeff Strand is similar to Richard Laymon, he isn’t I’m afraid. I just expected more from this, overall it was a good read, not sure I’ll bother with any more of his books though in the future

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