2007: #76 – Body Rides (Richard Laymon)
Book #76 was Body Rides by Richard Laymon. The back of the book reads:
Neal has been carrying a gun in his car lately — just to be safe. And it looks like it’s a good thing he has. When he spots a woman tied naked to a tree and a man ready to kill her, he has no choice but to shoot the attacker. As a reward, the woman gives Neal something unimaginable.
Neal’s reward is a bracelet. A very special bracelet. It enables the wearer to step inside other people, to see through their eyes, to feel whatever they feel. To take “body rides”. But Neal has a bit problem. The man he shot isn’t dead. And he wants revenge. First he’s going to finish what he started with the woman. Then he’s going after Neal…
This was more entertaining than I expected. Some parts are somewhat unbelievable (I rolled my eyes when Marta accepts Sue into their lives so easily), but since the concept of “body rides” itself is so unbelievable, you just have to roll with it. The end is somewhat predictable, especially since one of the characters gives it away (worst foreshadowing evah).
Page count: 534 | Approximate word count: 146,850
2006 – Dragonfly in Amber (Diana Gabaldon)
2005 – We Need To Talk About Kevin (Lionel Shriver)
I love Laymon. His books are pretty much the equivalent of cheesy b-movie slasher flicks but they’re still entertaining. Island is still my favorite.
Body Rides was one of the best books I have read in years. I was captivated from the first few lines!!