Review for The Long Walk by Stephen King

The Long Walk
by Stephen King (written as Richard Bachman)

Published: January 1999
Pages: 384
Rating: 5/5

Finally available in a single volume edition under Stephen King's name! In the near future, a young boy has been one of 100 selected to take the Long Walk--a deadly contest of endurance and determination, in which each step can literally be your last. Follow the contestants' tortured footsteps as they struggle with each other, and themselves, to survive the race. Includes the Introduction "The Importance of Being Bachman". Vintage King, this harrowing tale was originally published under the Richard Bachman pseudonym.

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I read this book about 5 years ago and since then, I would occasionally think about it in passing. I saw it at the library and I had to check it out and re-read it.

The simplicity of this story just adds to the horror of it all. A young teenage boy is chosen as one out of 100 to compete in the Long Walk. The contestants have to walk until only one is still standing. No breaks, three warnings before they "buy a ticket", and they have to keep up a 4 mph, or better, pace.

After the third warning, the contestant is shot. Therefore, there is much more than the Prize on the line. The Prize is everything you want for the rest of your life. Enough to entice these young men to risk the chance of dying.

I'm going to count this as my futuristic thriller in the 08/09 Suspense & Thriller Challenge.

Review for Blood Ties by Lori G Armstrong

Blood Ties
by Lori G Armstrong

Published: May 2005
Pages: 373
Rating: 4.5/5

Julie Collins is stuck in a dead-end secretarial job with the Bear Butte County Sheriff’s office, and still grieving over the unsolved murder of her Lakota half-brother. Lack of public interest in finding his murderer, or the killer of several other transient Native American men, has left Julie with a bone-deep cynicism she counters with tequila, cigarettes, and dangerous men. The one bright spot in her mundane life is the time she spends working part-time as a PI with her childhood friend, Kevin Wells. When the body of a sixteen-year old white girl is discovered in nearby Rapid Creek, Julie believes this victim will receive the attention others were denied. Then she learns Kevin has been hired, mysteriously, to find out where the murdered girl spent her last few days. Julie finds herself drawn into the case against her better judgment, and discovers not only the ugly reality of the young girl’s tragic life and brutal death, but ties to her and Kevin’s past that she is increasingly reluctant to revisit. On the surface the situation is eerily familiar. But the parallels end when Julie realizes some family secrets are best kept buried deep. Especially those serious enough to kill for.

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This is actually the first book in a series, so I'll keep that in mind as I review it.

I loved this book! I will definitely be reading the rest of the series. The heroine is feisty and has a take-charge attitude. I love books where the women are not just simply damsels in distress.

Kevin is the only other character we really get to know well in this debut novel. There are a few other characters that I'm sure we will get to know more as the series goes on.

Since this is the first book in a series, there are a few questions left unanswered at the end of the novel, but if all questions were answered, there wouldn't be much left for the rest of the series!

Overall: I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys thrillers and isn't afraid of a bit of a gritty story.

This is my Amateur Detective Mystery for the 08/09 Suspense & Thriller Challenge.