Journey Into Terror

by Peter Rabe

There was a robbery that went bad and a girl was accidentally shot dead. Just an accident. But to John Bunting, it was the end of all his hopes. The girl was his fiance. What could he do? The cops weren’t looking. He had to find the killers himself. And that’s when he ran into Linda. She had lost her husband, had stopped caring. But she knew the men responsible for the killing. She could get Bunting close to them while he figured out who fired the actual shot. They were two wounded souls, one filled with hate, the other trying to find a reason to live. It’s funny how much they needed each other . . .

Genres: Crime

196 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1957

About the author

Peter Rabe aka Peter Rabinowitsch, was a German American writer who also used the nom de plumes Marco Malaponte and J.T. MacCargo (though not all of the latter's books were by him). Rabe was the author of over 30 books, mostly of crime fiction, published between 1955 and 1975.

Reviews

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Journey Into Terror, Rabe gives us a crime novel that has murder, crime syndicates, gambling machines, brothels, and revenge. But it's different from most other crime novels because it isn't really about shootings and mobsters so much as it's a psychological study of two awkward people who don't really fit in and have been emotionally wounded to the point where they are walking zombies. The characters are odd and a bit off putting and the lead character is just so awkward that he can't even have a pleasant conversation.

[Still · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the original paperback published in October 1957.

The main character is John Bunting. His fiancée is shot in the forehead & dies at the hands of rival gangs fighting over the electronics blueprints for crooked pinball machines. This never makes sense. In fact, not much of this unpleasant, confusing novel makes much sense.

Bunting is an extremely unlikeable character. Apparently his mind’s gotten twisted over the senseless murder of his fiancée. His plan of vengeance?
Infiltrate the gang & pick ‘em off one by one.

Promising premise but the novel’s unpleasantness ruins the affair. His abusiveness towards the widow of a former member of the gang he teams up with is just so depressing. Naturally she begins to fall for him but his bitterness, his anger at the world just makes him another shit-heel like the guys he’s tracking.

Unpleasant and unsatisfying.

Well written but when you finish the read it leaves a nasty taste.

3 stars because it’s by Rabe. For completists only.

[Tim · Rating 2 out of 5]

John Bunting is a man who goes on a revenge trip fueled by extreme anger after the death of his fiancé who was caught in the middle of a mob shootout. JOURNEY INTO TERROR was the least favorite book I've read by author Peter Rabe, and suffers from having a main character who is unlikeable & seems to have no redeeming qualities while using anyone he can to gain revenge on the shooter of his girl. Next book by Peter Rabe I'll be reading is Murder Me For Nickels.