“This book is made up of four short stories, and one additional very short bonus story which was included in the second Hodder edition. All the stories are what I consider true Stephen King style, dark and keeps you reading until the end. In short, the title of this book is very fitting.
1922 ~ Wilfred and his wife has not come to an agreement about their land, Arlette wants to sell the lot and move to the city while Wilfred wants to stay. Wilf finds a way to silence his wife and makes his son an accomplice, but the freedom and happiness they wanted is not so easily achieved. This is a very intense and gory story, King does not spare you any of the details.
Big Driver ~ Tessa is a cosy mystery author, and one night after driving back home from a guest appearance she finds herself in a mystery of her own. After being left for dead, she wants revenge and she has decided that she is going to do it by herself. Full of suspense and gripping, there is also a little twist in the end which I never saw coming.
When I finished the two stories above, I was wondering why I found myself sympathizing and rooting for the 'villain'. I think that has only happened before while reading Jeff Lindsay's Dexter series.
Fair Extension ~ Harry Streeter only has a few months to live, when he is given the opportunity to cure his illness and extend his life. However this comes at a price, that of shifting his misery to his rival since childhood. I really got into this story and couldn't stop reading, until I turned the page and found that it has ended abruptly. My first though was, "WHAT?!" This story left too many questions and in my mind it's still not finished, it needs some closure!
A Good Marriage ~ Darcy and Bob has always has a good marriage. That is until Darcy uncovers Bob's dark secret and from then on things can never be the same. Her dilemma is whether to report her husband to the policy, or should she take matters in her own hands? Bob seemed very creepy to me, and felt both disgusted and sorry for him in the end. I thought this was the most realistic of the stories in this book, something about it makes it very believable.
Under the Weather ~ In this final bonus story, Brad's wife Ellen is under the weather, or so Brad likes to believe. Her situation might be a little worse however, as you find out by the end of the story. This was very disturbing, although a nice touch for an ending to this intense book.”
Arielle wrote this review Monday, January 23, 2012.
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