The Breeder

by Ed Kelleher, Harriette Vidal

"It was a quiet resort slumbering in the summer sun, and the perfect place for Janet Young to relax and get to know her new husband and rebellious teenage stepdaughter. But Mount Garde was not what it seemed. Something was wrong...very wrong."

Genres: Horror

384 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published May 1, 1987

Reviews

[Phil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kelleher and Vidal wrote horror on the trashy side, and The Breeder exemplifies that. Fun and fast, the authors seem to never take themselves very seriously. Janet and David Young, a couple of yuppies in Manhattan, along with David's daughter Miranda (age 17), decide one day to head out to Janet's hometown on Long Island. Before they travel there, however, the authors introduce a range of secondary characters that will feature in the story. Also, a brief prologue takes place circa 1944 in Arizona, where some boy finds some 'evil Indian caves', discovers Satan and murders his family, all at the age of 8. You just know he will play a role in the story somewhere.

The authors try to create a spooky vibe around Janet's hometown Mount Garde; it is not on a map, and when they pick up a hitchhiker, he will not cross the town's borders. Further, the cops blockade the town. Once there, Janet finds the locals all seem to be zombies or something, and even people she knew from her past do not seem to recognize her. We also find our evil boy, now grown and the mayor of the town. This is mildly spoilery, but the boy and now mayor, Whitney, works for Satan 'breeding' souls for him. Basically, he kills people in some ceremony and makes the soulless body still function. Hence, the townies are really zombies. He has some master plan and it involves Janet and her family...

Trashy and cheesy, you could do a lot worse. The authors pace this nicely, but the denouement? I would like a bit more closure. 3 Satanic stars!

[Addy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't know what to say about this book because it's very hard to describe what it put me through. At times it was good and other times I wanted to throw it at the wall. I think my overall feelings is that it was a waste of time, but I felt strongly that I had to finish it. So I did, and now I feel like the times when you want to eat a big sugary donut (or two) then feel guilty afterwards asking yourself why?? You know, cause it tasted so good and now you feel bloated and ask yourself why, why did you do that? Anyway, I thought this book looked good and now I just feel defeated. Pointless story and dull characters but don't take my word for it...lol. No really, don't waste your time with this one.

[Wayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again, I have to ask myself how I missed reading books by these authors. Ed Kelleher and Harriette Vidal. This is the third book I've read by the duo, and everyone has been five stars. They have been fast paced with great characters and wonderful storytelling. Perfect 80's horror. Although, I'd classify this as more of a thriller with horror overtones. Either way, five stare all around.

I never read a book where one of the main characters is a crossword puzzle celebrity. This book changed that for me. The husband in the book is a well known puzzler. He even has a board game based on his puzzles. One scene has him walking in his building and has two girls with his game in hand and ask for his autograph.

A couple decide to take a restful holiday in the ladies old home town on Long Island. The place is not what it used to be. There seems to be mindless zombies walking the streets. The buildings seem to move from street to street. The mayor seems pretty creepy at times. They hear chanting from the beach at night. The wife also sees a photo album with no pictures but captions that seem to describe her dead parents in a picture together a few years after their death.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the best book covers from the past I came across in a long time. But what about the content? This is a story about an ancient evil asleep at the desert, impregnating a woman craving for a better sex life. Afterwards a cult of Satanists takes over a little beach town named Mount Garde. Who is mysterious mayor Whitney Lancaster? What about his son Ezra? Can Janet Young, her husband David, step daughter Miranda and her two friends escape this evil town? The story isn't always fully logic, the characters a bit wooden and stereotypical, the descriptions of Satanism and evil the way you'd expect. Also the sex scenes are nothing too extraordinary. Overall an intriguing pulp horror shocker from the golden days of horror. Nothing too refined, at parts even ridiculous but you were held in the story. Books like that stood at the checkout of every supermarket in the 1980s. Recommended but nothing over the top!

[Greg · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty bland. Lifts quite a bit from the movie Dead & Buried but doesn’t manage to craft a single likable character. Spooky small town taken over by Satanists is something to build on. But this book never turns the screws. And ends on a muted epilogue that suggests future sequels. Don’t see any on Goodreads.

[Rebekah · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book had glimpses of potential, but it exhaustingly fell into the “no one believes the clearly-correct person” trope. Would’ve been a better read if they axed the satanism and made Miranda 18: it literally couldn’t just been any cult, and she literally could’ve just been 18.