Suspect Zero: A Short Story

by Richard Kadrey, Wil Wheaton (Reading)

In this terrifying tale by New York Times bestselling author Richard Kadrey, a young aspiring serial killer goes in search of a mentor—the supreme, the ultimate killer. What he finds is much greater and much worse than he ever could have imagined.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Fiction, Urban Fantasy, Audiobook, Crime, Fantasy

Audiobook

First published April 16, 2013

About the author

Richard Kadrey is a writer and freelance musician living in Pittsburgh, best known for his Sandman Slim novels. His work has been nominated for the Locus and BSFA awards. Kadrey's newest books are The Secrets of Insects, released in August 2023; The Dead Take the A Train (with Cassandra Khaw), released in September 2023; The Pale House Devil, released in September 2023.

Reviews

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting thing here. I listened to this as an audiobook, but it wasn't book length. It was only an hour long.

But I liked it quite a bit. A lot of times when I'm picking a new audiobook to read, I see that it's between 13 and 20 hours long, and find myself reluctant to make that sort of commitment. It was easier to know that I was only signing on for an hour's time.

Another selling point of this one is that it was narrated by Wil Wheaton, who is a great narrator and a good friend. So really, this was an easy buy for me once I saw it.

The story itself? Excellent. Those of you who haven't read Kadrey yet might take this as an easy introduction to his work. It's a little reminiscent of American Gods, but with a darker tinge.

Fair warning: There's a lot of violence in here. Nothing hugely grotesque, but a lot of killing and blood. So if that's not your jam, you might want to steer clear.

[Dr. Appu Sasidharan (Dasfill) · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a story about an aspiring killer who is searching for a mentor who helps him become better at what he does. The topic and blurb were promising enough for me to pick this one up to read. But the story was sadly disappointing and didn’t reach up to my expectations.

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[Amy Bruestle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely makes you think, that’s for sure....and it took a twist at the end that I certainly wasn’t expecting. The movie was better...which is crazy, cause I almost always think the book is way better than the movie.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a pretty good short story about a boy who is a killer who is searching for the ultimate serial killer named Suspect Zero to teach him how to kill but gets more than he bargains for. Want to read more? Look for this short story at your local library and wherever books are sold.

[Jerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good and creepy short story.

[The Girl with the Sagittarius Tattoo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hmm. The problem I always have with novelettes/short stories is the lack of runway. Particularly with mysteries or horror, I think it's harder to incorporate the exposition required to keep the story from being ludicrous. Suspect Zero has an incredible premise - a young, hitchhiking, wannabe serial killer desperately wishes he could meet his idol... SO GUESS WHO RANDOMLY PULLS UP IN A SEMI?! - which made me want to check out how smoothly the author set that up.

It was disappointing. So was the rest of the story, which leaves the reader with more questions than answers.

[ReadingTilTheBreakOfDawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading the synopsis of Suspect Zero had me quite intrigued. I like something a bit darker and unique. A killer looking for a mentor sounded interesting in theory, but I feel the length did not do the story justice. A lot of potential was there, but didn't get it fully formed in this very little taste of a short story. I would call it more of an appetizer. Something to whet the appetite, but not curb the hunger of what you need. BUT, the narration by Wil Wheaton was phenomenal. A great voice actor that gave enough of the characters. Just wish the story were a bit longer so the characters could've been fleshed out more.

[Regina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Give away I received from Harper Audio featuring Wil Wheaton narrating the story.

A young hitchhiker is picked up by the original serial killer that he has been searching for. A rather intense but great story.

[Supriya · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's exactly as the blurb. Just a small twist at the end about who suspect zero can possibly be.

[Caedin · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75

[Katrine Austin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great creepy little short story found on audio. Wil Wheaton narrated and production of the audio was excellent.

[Christian · Rating 2 out of 5]

A young aspiring serial killer seeks out an older serial killer so he can be mentored.

It's fine. I never felt particularly involved, and I certainly never felt frightened. The characters chat as they wander around and kill people which could have worked if it was longer and made you feel like people were dying. Mostly I felt indifferent to the carnage they were inflicting. The twist happened at such a rate as well that by the time it was being confirmed I hadn't entirely noticed that it hadn't been revealed yet.

I didn't realize going in that this was about serial killers. I'm really not interested in reading stories about them, and am kind of tired of the obsession with the "genius serial killer" and with "understanding" them.

It kind of reminded me of the Cereal Convention in The Sandman: The Doll's House although this was lacking the satirical edge that that story had.

I listened to the audio book version, which was read by Will Wheaton. I wasn't sure what to expect from him, but he did a great job.

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short story from Richard Kadrey, of 'Sandman Slim' fame. A decent exercise in writing short fiction with a dark edge.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now unlike the last book I commented on the sandman slim title this is a standalone title and for that I enjoyed it just as much but was able to place it far mor easily . That said once you have read it you will recognise a tried and tested storyline but it is told with a different twist and with an interesting few extra details so much so that there is room there for more tales around that world or even a sequel or two I think as an experimental short story it was great and shows so interesting potential

[Rachel (TheShadesofOrange) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.0 Stars
A well-written dark short story. Interesting, yet possibly forgettable.
I listened to this on audio, which had excellent narration by Wil Wheaton.

[Max · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice!! A good fast reading!

[Magali · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short, weird and to the point. I really liked it. Also I listened to Wil Wheaton's version and it was really good.

[Sandra Mendonça · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book did not do it for me. I actually got disappointed when i found out who suspect zero was. The killing didn't amaze much, but in the end i understood why it was done like that, and let it slip.
Not my kind of book, didn't find it thrilling or twisted.
This was my first kadrey book and having in mind sandman slim preview available in it, you'll love his stories if you're a Buffy /Angel kind of fan.

[Matt Fourman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really liked “The Pale House Devil” so I had an easy choice checking out this short story. It was good enough that it ended up being a little too short, even with the smaller length I could still have used just a hair more fleshing out of the whole story, but Kadrey definitely has a solid style and I will be lookin forward to my next read by him

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars - Good little, quick read with some tension buildup and lots of killing.

Didn’t entirely understand what was going on with the twist and felt like things could have been better explained. But I don’t really need to understand the entirety of the plot to enjoy the horror aspect. Especially in a short story. Not gory or scary, but still horror/thriller.

[Armando Duran · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this short story. The puddles of blood, the creepy banter between master and protege, and the final sit down in the netherworld all came together perfectly. Definitely recommend for fans of Richard Kadrey.

[River (Caitlyn) · Rating 2 out of 5]

An intriguing short story about an aspiring serial killer who is on the search for a mentor to teach him everything he needs to know to become the next legend in killer history.

A quick read with an easy to follow plot.

[Roy · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Audible short story at 4.5 stars.
Kadrey has a wonderful talent for creating atmosphere in his stories even when the subject involves going around and killing people with an almost religious relish at perfecting their craft. Wonderfully done with a nice ending.

[Jay Daily Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very well written, and the short story is very unique about a boy who finds a "legend" serial killer?? But the ending was a bit odd... yet it had an very odd moral of the story... hmmm... still thinking of how i feel about it.

[Joshua · Rating 5 out of 5]

creepy as all get out.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

A murderous story with a twist.

[Joel Call · Rating 3 out of 5]

not badly written just not my jam

[Leandro Cordobez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una historia corta y entretenida. Buen giro al final.

[Abhishek Shrivastava · Rating 5 out of 5]

Satisfyingly macabre.

[Autumn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and leaves you wanting more...listened to it and also really enjoyed Will Wheaten as narrator