“Marvelously creepy reading…the horror in this tale of twisted friendship is relentless.” —Publishers WeeklyAlex stared at the red pocketknife shown to him by his daughter. A pocketknife owned by somebody he hadn’t seen in years… 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.
more
Glad I didn’t quit on this one.
Around 20-30% of the way through, I almost dropped Pressure and moved on, but I stuck around long enough for it to get interesting…and did it ever. Once the main villain took charge, the conflict ramped up and the story developed into something agonizingly unpredictable. Jeff Strand pulls no punches here, and I’m thankful for it.
Do yourself a favor and go into this one blind. The less you know, the better.
One of the best books I’ve read in ages!
I’m in the process of trying to finish this story. It started out great, but I eventually got frustrated by the main character continually putting himself back into the same type of situation. It was like observing a lesson never learned. By the last portion of the story, I was forcing myself to continue. I put it down, read something else for a bit, now I’m hoping I can find some salvation to the story by reading the end.
awful. page after page of what happens when you crack a skull open. sick book.
“The gods were not, in fact, smiling upon me. I at least hoped they weren’t laughing at me.”
What do you want me to say?
I loved it.
Pressure is divided into three parts: Alex as a tween in some sort of hard-ass military-type school; Alex in college; and adult Alex living his best life as a husband and father. Each section becomes a little more hardcore, and Jeff Strand ratchets up the tension effortlessly, like the horror genius he is. The final section is horrifying in the very best way. I was honestly shocked. Not so much by the conclusion, but how often he dared to go there.
You know that line that authors seldom cross, because it’s too taboo? Well, Jeff kicked that line in the balls and went on his merry way, much to the delight of this reader.
You need to read this…BUT:
There is a scene that contains animal death and mutilation, which is why I’m ultimately not giving a full five stars.
4.5 stars
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