Prey

by C. Terry Cline Jr.

Soon after Brad Taylor assumes his late father's position as sheriff of Thomas County, his children are kidnapped by a psychopathic killer who has a score to settle with the Taylor family

Genres: Horror, Thriller

368 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

C. Terry Cline Jr. had an extensive career, producing works that included a number of suspense novels, a children’s play and an unconventional late project titled “The Return of Edgar Cayce,” which he presented as a channeled communication from the spirit of the early 20th-century psychic.

C. Terry Cline was born in Birmingham, Alabama, "on a train going out," he always said, because his family moved often during his youth. He was married to author, Judith Richards. They lived in Fairhope, Alabama.

Reviews

[Phil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tense thriller by Cline, with a southern gothic flair. Prey centers on the Taylor family, and kicks off with the death of the family's patriarch-- Bo Taylor. Bo was the sheriff of a small Georgia town for four decades and his youngest son Brad starts the novel working homicide in Mobile. Returning home for the funeral, he gets an offer to be the sheriff to fill in Bo's last two years. Turns out his oldest brother is the mayor of the town and his other brother owns the local rag, which Brad's wife, a journalist, could work for. Seems like happy days for the Taylors, reunited and secure. That is, until mother Taylor starts receiving phone calls from someone, demanding to talk to Bo...

Alongside introducing the Taylors, Cline switches POVs to a guy named Truman; Truman Taylor. We quickly learn he is also the son of Bo Taylor from a previous marriage, and he is a stone cold killer. We never really get much backstory on Truman until the very end, but we are introduced to him killing the owner of a country store, robbing the place, and shortly thereafter, killing his wife and kid. WTF? Turns out he is pretty sick of life and wants some revenge on old Bo. Why? Long story I will not spoil.

It becomes apparent early on that Truman and the Taylors are going to clash, but the devil is in the details. Brad starts getting settled in, new house and all, while Truman is building a stash of cash one body at a time to finance his plans, and they are not very nice plans.

The heart of the novel, however, addresses the potential good and evil in everyone and the role of the family in cultivating either. As far as thrillers go, this one was pretty predictable, unfortunately. All in all, a decent read if you stumble across it, but I would not actively recommend seeking it out. 2.5 Southern stars!

[Ceeceereads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book in a thrift store and fell in love with the vintage cover, my copy of which features little retro 80s-looking faces of scared children on. I thought it was a horror but is actually more of a crime/ psychological thriller. I really enjoyed it. It was fun to take a step back in time into small town America with dusty dirt roads and a slightly lawless feeling. I thought the story was really well crafted and it kept me reading.

[Filippo Santaniello · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oggi una boiata simile non la pubblicherebbe nemmeno il più becero degli editori a pagamento, no aspetta, quelli pubblicherebbero pure una striscia di carta igienica smerdata

[Paco Serrano · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thriller sureño norteamericano cuyo protagonista, un veterano de la guerra de Corea y Vietnam, revolver en mano busca vengarse de la gente que desprecia. Plagado de diálogos y escenas de tensión, el libro te lleva en un viaje cinematográfico.

[Dane Dallas · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 out of 5

Not as graphic or disturbing as Damon, which I appreciated. That one was maybe the most disturbing book I’ve ever read. That being said, this was a wild ride. Cline does great with straight suspense, although I found some of the dialogue and psychological aspects to feel a little dated. No spoilers, but the story tries to excuse some terrible behavior by saying that certain characters learned from their mistakes and became better people. Some of those aspects rubbed me the wrong way.

I will say that the main strength of this novel is the villain, Truman. He’s one of the best villains I’ve read recently. Although he was a sociopath, I could understand where his rage was coming from even though I didn’t condone his actions. He felt very fleshed out and being in his head was quite interesting.

All in all, I’ve enjoyed both books I’ve read by C Terry Cline Jr. He’s an underrated/overlooked author for sure. Will definitely be reading the rest of his catalogue.

[Aurelio Guerra · Rating 3 out of 5]

A well-written novel (it's realistic, smart, entertaining). An ingenious dilema. A bit pathetic about child rearing and simplistic about the consequences of arrested development. But as a novel, as narrative, as story, it is very compelling. The construction or set up phase is a bit slow, but starting around the second half, as the plot goes into its resolution, the novel picks up speed (to continue with the metaphor) creating momentum in the imperative need to finish the novel to find out what happens at the end. It did not disappoint me.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read again in 1993. 5 Stars.