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Stranglehold
As her husband descends into insanity, Lydia Danse becomes determined to protect her beloved young son from his father, but a possessive Arthur Danse refuses to give up on the boy he considers his property. Original.
247 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 1, 1995
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About the author
Jack Ketchum
198 books2,955 followersDallas William Mayr, better known by his pen name Jack Ketchum, was an American horror fiction author. He was the recipient of four Bram Stoker Awards and three further nominations. His novels included Off Season, Offspring, and Red, which were adapted to film. In 2011, Ketchum received the World Horror Convention Grand Master Award for outstanding contribution to the horror genre.
A onetime actor, teacher, literary agent, lumber salesman, and soda jerk, Ketchum credited his childhood love of Elvis Presley, dinosaurs, and horror for getting him through his formative years. He began making up stories at a young age and explained that he spent much time in his room, or in the woods near his house, down by the brook: "[m]y interests [were] books, comics, movies, rock 'n roll, show tunes, TV, dinosaurs [...] pretty much any activity that didn't demand too much socializing, or where I could easily walk away from socializing." He would make up stories using his plastic soldiers, knights, and dinosaurs as the characters.
Later, in his teen years, Ketchum was befriended by Robert Bloch, author of Psycho, who became his mentor.
Ketchum worked many different jobs before completing his first novel (1980's controversial Off Season), including acting as agent for novelist Henry Miller at Scott Meredith Literary Agency.
His decision to eventually concentrate on novel writing was partly fueled by a preference for work that offered stability and longevity.
Ketchum died of cancer on January 24, 2018, in New York City at the age of 71.
A onetime actor, teacher, literary agent, lumber salesman, and soda jerk, Ketchum credited his childhood love of Elvis Presley, dinosaurs, and horror for getting him through his formative years. He began making up stories at a young age and explained that he spent much time in his room, or in the woods near his house, down by the brook: "[m]y interests [were] books, comics, movies, rock 'n roll, show tunes, TV, dinosaurs [...] pretty much any activity that didn't demand too much socializing, or where I could easily walk away from socializing." He would make up stories using his plastic soldiers, knights, and dinosaurs as the characters.
Later, in his teen years, Ketchum was befriended by Robert Bloch, author of Psycho, who became his mentor.
Ketchum worked many different jobs before completing his first novel (1980's controversial Off Season), including acting as agent for novelist Henry Miller at Scott Meredith Literary Agency.
His decision to eventually concentrate on novel writing was partly fueled by a preference for work that offered stability and longevity.
Ketchum died of cancer on January 24, 2018, in New York City at the age of 71.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 230 reviews
July 24, 2016
A truly disturbing piece from Ketchum. Does he do it any other way? Brutal realism.
Every parents worst nightmare. Makes me sick to my stomach. Every time I read a story like this it makes me want to go to medical school to learn how to keep someone alive long enough to peel all of their skin off and then start lopping off the digits. One by one. Somebody get me a saline drip stat!
Every parents worst nightmare. Makes me sick to my stomach. Every time I read a story like this it makes me want to go to medical school to learn how to keep someone alive long enough to peel all of their skin off and then start lopping off the digits. One by one. Somebody get me a saline drip stat!
February 2, 2025
I've been a big fan of Jack Ketchum’s work ever since I read The Girl Next Door and Off Season, but not much has come close since.
Maybe I’ve seen the best?
Stranglehold is a great book and deserves five stars for the first 80%. It’s shocking, well written, uses the right amount of strong language and taboo subjects to appeal and pack a real punch.
The characters are relatable, realistic and some, even likeable, as you delve into the increasingly sordid and depraved alternative hidden nature of human beings, who lose perspective and push the boundaries too far.
There are some nasty people in this unfair and sometimes corrupt world.
The middle part of the book focuses on a court case with various hearings and is surprisingly believable and seemingly accurate. There’s an intelligence and depth to Jack Ketchum that I hadn’t noticed before.
But, when everything seems perfect, some poor storytelling decisions turn an excellent read into just a very good one. Without giving away any spoilers.
This book reminds me of Gone to See the River Man and how Kristopher Triana turned a decent and shocking book into an amazing one by the end, which is kind of the opposite in Stranglehold.
Don’t treat me like an idiot, Jack, I said to myself as doubts started to creep in for events that wouldn’t/couldn’t feasibly happen.
Stranglehold was printed before widespread internet, CCTV and mobile technology, and sometimes shows it. Criminal actions seemed to exist in a vacuum with no realistic accountability, and law enforcement was all over the place with inconsistent behavior and blundering fools.
I wanted to give this book five stars so badly but there were too many loose ends by the end.
I’m going to keep on reading Jack Ketchum books because of his fearless writing style, in the hope of finding that next horror classic. This one was almost fantastic.
Maybe I’ve seen the best?
Stranglehold is a great book and deserves five stars for the first 80%. It’s shocking, well written, uses the right amount of strong language and taboo subjects to appeal and pack a real punch.
The characters are relatable, realistic and some, even likeable, as you delve into the increasingly sordid and depraved alternative hidden nature of human beings, who lose perspective and push the boundaries too far.
There are some nasty people in this unfair and sometimes corrupt world.
The middle part of the book focuses on a court case with various hearings and is surprisingly believable and seemingly accurate. There’s an intelligence and depth to Jack Ketchum that I hadn’t noticed before.
But, when everything seems perfect, some poor storytelling decisions turn an excellent read into just a very good one. Without giving away any spoilers.
This book reminds me of Gone to See the River Man and how Kristopher Triana turned a decent and shocking book into an amazing one by the end, which is kind of the opposite in Stranglehold.
Don’t treat me like an idiot, Jack, I said to myself as doubts started to creep in for events that wouldn’t/couldn’t feasibly happen.
Stranglehold was printed before widespread internet, CCTV and mobile technology, and sometimes shows it. Criminal actions seemed to exist in a vacuum with no realistic accountability, and law enforcement was all over the place with inconsistent behavior and blundering fools.
I wanted to give this book five stars so badly but there were too many loose ends by the end.
I’m going to keep on reading Jack Ketchum books because of his fearless writing style, in the hope of finding that next horror classic. This one was almost fantastic.
February 10, 2018
Hardcover Headline UK edition.
Violence in 'Only Child' is extreme and, at times quite graphic.
Violence in 'Only Child' is extreme and, at times quite graphic.
August 4, 2013
Nobody writes sociopaths like Ketchum. There is just such heart pounding immediacy to his writing, such an unflinchingly realistic approach. This book is no exception, Arthur Danse is as frightening as they come, the man is genuinely evil, though not without a hand in his upbringing, nurture (or lack of) is definitely the winner here, no contest. Arthur Danse happens upon Lydia, the way a hurricane happens upon a place, because Lydia's whole life has been a long chain of terrible men happening upon her. Still...there are choices she makes, particularly earlier in the story, that make one question her judgement and intelligence. To me it seems like an educated woman with a large city living experience should have maybe been somewhat more cautious and aware, but then again as a person waist deep in it, she certainly lacked the perspective that readers are offered. But the time Lydia wises up, the legal system enters and...the story just tumbles out of control, toward its inevitable violent resolution and all you can do is just turn the pages. The only time I had this sort of visceral reaction to a book was while reading the author's more famous/notorious story of a child abuse case. Ketchum does draw from real life crime cases for inspiration and in the afterword to this book we find out about the inspiration behind this one. Which really makes it all the more horrifying. The most scary thing in this book is shockingly enough neither violence nor rape, it's the absolutely astonishingly appalling way in which the legal system here failed to help, to intervene and to save lives. Very very scary. Is it fiction? In the afterward Ketchum assures us the legal aspects of the book were very accurate. Scary indeed. This book is very intense, very graphic, emotionally exhausting, alarming and very frightening. Reader beware. It's also very very good, well written and very much worth the read. Recommended.
August 23, 2024
The cycle of abuse and violence. Domestic, psychological and legal horror. Would have been a rough read no matter what, there's a child involved, but Ketchum's blunt, tell-it-like-it-is style makes it even more so. Reading this is like getting a mental beating. It hurts. It's distressing. It makes your blood boil. For those that think highly of The Girl Next Door.
September 12, 2021
Story 5/5
Narration 5/5
This book is, a very well written , sad story, about child abuse.
Narration 5/5
This book is, a very well written , sad story, about child abuse.
April 26, 2011
This may be the best Jack Ketchum book I've read yet. Although other reviews suggest that this book is over the top, he treats the subject of child sexual abuse with considerable sensitivity and honesty. Also, as a lawyer I can say the courtroom scenes are the most accurate representations of trial and the family court system that I've read. He deserves some real praise for the quality of his research. I wish more people could have the stomach to read this one to see how our system utterly fails to serve kids in court.
But back to the storytelling. This book has exactly what you want from Jack Ketchum: real villainous character(s), a strong moral center, and an intensely compelling storyline. There is one character story-line that very closely resembles one in The Lost, but I liked it better here (this book being much better than The Lost, IMO). After the first third of the book, it was a Herculean effort to put it down and parcel the story out to make it last.
I'm glad I bought the Gauntlet limited edition. That was $35 well-spent!
But back to the storytelling. This book has exactly what you want from Jack Ketchum: real villainous character(s), a strong moral center, and an intensely compelling storyline. There is one character story-line that very closely resembles one in The Lost, but I liked it better here (this book being much better than The Lost, IMO). After the first third of the book, it was a Herculean effort to put it down and parcel the story out to make it last.
I'm glad I bought the Gauntlet limited edition. That was $35 well-spent!
August 18, 2014
More disturbing reality horror from Ketchum that could have come straight from yesterday's newspaper (and probably did.)
June 7, 2022
In most instances, reading a Ketchum book is like being in a fight with a much stronger opponent. As soon as the fists start to fly, you know you're going to go down. And you do; rolled up on the floor in the foetal position, clutching your gut.
The problem is...it doesn't stop there. He merely has you where he wants you now.
What follows is a deep stomp in the stomach. You're gasping for breath. Surely this is over? No. How about a kick to the tenders for good measure?
Bleak is the word. He dangles the hope that he'll eventually back off and let you catch a break, only to rush in and snatch that away.
On a more practical note, Stranglehold is a tight novella of about 250 pages, and Ketchum packs so much in. The meat of the story is a court case. Like a certain recent trial (writing this in 2022!), he provides us with the drama without becoming bogged down in the system or jargon. I always say that dread makes a novel horror, and here, its delivered in spades, all tangled up with frustration and feelings of helplessness (and not in a 'tied up and tortured' way either). Shows great writing when you feel right along with the main character.
So why not full five stars? In another Ketchum regular feature, the ending is abrupt and somewhat unsatisfying. Yes, I get that life can be cruel (and as mentioned above the blows keep on coming), but similar to Girl Next Door, with a fantastic villain that you absolutely despise, you're left with blue balls with a 'blink and you'll miss it' finale.
Recommend this one, but I know it won't be for everyone. It's realistic, grounded, and is all the more unsettling for it.
The problem is...it doesn't stop there. He merely has you where he wants you now.
What follows is a deep stomp in the stomach. You're gasping for breath. Surely this is over? No. How about a kick to the tenders for good measure?
Bleak is the word. He dangles the hope that he'll eventually back off and let you catch a break, only to rush in and snatch that away.
On a more practical note, Stranglehold is a tight novella of about 250 pages, and Ketchum packs so much in. The meat of the story is a court case. Like a certain recent trial (writing this in 2022!), he provides us with the drama without becoming bogged down in the system or jargon. I always say that dread makes a novel horror, and here, its delivered in spades, all tangled up with frustration and feelings of helplessness (and not in a 'tied up and tortured' way either). Shows great writing when you feel right along with the main character.
So why not full five stars? In another Ketchum regular feature, the ending is abrupt and somewhat unsatisfying. Yes, I get that life can be cruel (and as mentioned above the blows keep on coming), but similar to Girl Next Door, with a fantastic villain that you absolutely despise, you're left with blue balls with a 'blink and you'll miss it' finale.
Recommend this one, but I know it won't be for everyone. It's realistic, grounded, and is all the more unsettling for it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 20, 2015
More brutal than The Girl Next Door, but with less heart. The writing is excellent as always, but there's a coldness to the characterization that dulls the overall impact of the tale. Still worthwhile for fans of Ketchum's work.
July 11, 2009
Oy vey! This was a tough one ... boy, Jack Ketchum is definitely not for the faint of heart. He pulls no punches ever and this one is no exception. Just like his other infamous, traumatizing novel --
The Girl Next Door
-- Only Child (previously published as Stranglehold) is inspired by true events -- and what a horrible and depressing story! Give me supernatural horror any day because at least then I don't have to brood about the real consequences for the real people involved. This one does not have a happy ending and left me feeling really shitty (hence, three stars). But it was compelling and well-written.
February 25, 2022
This book is disturbing af! The topics are vile and extremely triggering, and I can’t tell if it’s a fiction or a nonfiction…..now THAT is absolutely terrifying!!
Our world is full of monsters. We hear stories all the time about Domestic abuse, child abuse, and murder. And all we have to “protect” ourselves, our children, is a system that’s so beyond corrupt & fu€ked up.
Our world is full of monsters. We hear stories all the time about Domestic abuse, child abuse, and murder. And all we have to “protect” ourselves, our children, is a system that’s so beyond corrupt & fu€ked up.
January 26, 2022
This is such a devastating read. Humans are the real monsters.
May 16, 2024
2.5 ⭐ // Matko, będę w mniejszości, ale to absolutnie nie była wybitna książka i byłam trochę w szoku widząc później te wszystkie wysokie oceny, ale od samego początku nie miałam pojęcia, czy słucham kryminału, thrillera czy horroru. Im dalej szłam, tym to mocniejsze było to uczucie, a od każdego z tych gatunków wymagam czego innego. Ogólnie w trakcie słuchania czułam się jak podczas czytania podręcznika szkolnego - zero emocji, zero napięci. Zwłaszcza później, początek wziął mnie z zaskoczenia, ale też ten prolog sprawił, że byłam mega zaciekawiona, po czym przychodzi rozdział pierwszy i jest... kompletnie o czym innym. W ogóle ten wątek seryjnego mordercy był tu tak potrzebny...
Nie przeczę, że książka nie porusza trudnych tematów, bo to robi i miała potencjał stać się czymś naprawdę dobrym, o czym będzie się pamiętam po latach, ale ja czuję niesmak i rozczarowanie. Bo dostałam jakiś chaos bez emocji, któremu ani nie kibicowałam i w pewnym momencie było mi już obojętne, co się stanie, a wiem, że tego typu historie na mnie działają. Miało być dobrze, wyszedł przeciętniak na siłę. Tym bardziej boli, że autor inspirował się prawdziwą sprawą.
Nie przeczę, że książka nie porusza trudnych tematów, bo to robi i miała potencjał stać się czymś naprawdę dobrym, o czym będzie się pamiętam po latach, ale ja czuję niesmak i rozczarowanie. Bo dostałam jakiś chaos bez emocji, któremu ani nie kibicowałam i w pewnym momencie było mi już obojętne, co się stanie, a wiem, że tego typu historie na mnie działają. Miało być dobrze, wyszedł przeciętniak na siłę. Tym bardziej boli, że autor inspirował się prawdziwą sprawą.
September 28, 2018
Ketchum throws you down into the muck that is the worst of humanity, pins you there and rubs your face in it. If you haven’t read him before you should know this before jumping in. Stranglehold takes an unflinching look at the kind of real life horror that occurs every day. The kind of horror that trickles down, creating a legacy of pain and torment.
Lydia meets Arthur and falls in love. He’s decent and kind and a respectable business owner. But Arthur is a good actor. He’s a sociopath who believes he’s been put on earth to make people realize the world is an ugly pain-filled place. He has done some terrible things in his past and though he fools Lydia for a while, he can’t hide his true self forever. After they have a baby they name Robert, the cracks begin to show and Arthur’s behavior becomes increasingly abusive towards Lydia. Lydia sticks it out until he crosses a line and she realizes she’s been living with a madman and files for divorce. She allows him visitation for Robert’s sake. He loves Robert after all and even after her own abuse at his hands, she believes he is a good father who would never hurt their son . . .
What happens next is just grueling but it wouldn’t be a Ketchum book if it was all unicorns and rainbows. The book follows Lydia through the injustices of the legal system. Lydia assumes she is doing the right thing by following all the rules but playing by the rules isn’t enough. A nasty, ugly and unfair trial begins. It’s infuriating and sad and the innocents, unfortunately, are the ones who suffer the most. It really makes you understand why some people take their kids and run.
I really felt for Lydia and Robert. Lydia’s own past was one filled with abuse and that was the last thing she wanted for her child. She feels guilty and bravely stands up to Arthur once she realizes what a deranged beast he truly was beneath the respectable façade. But sadly she was helpless once she entered the courtroom and had to depend on other people to do right by her.
This book was suspenseful but it will more than likely make you angry. It was horribly grim and unpleasant but it’s one of those books that you have to see through to the end regardless of the fact that you know you’ll probably be sorry.
Narration Notes: Chet Williamson reads with an intense, serious tone well suited to the bleak material. I think he would do an amazing job with a gumshoe noir type of hero because he has that type of voice. He brings Arthur to life; his voice is menacing, mean and calculated and just what this piece demands. Much of this story is told from Lydia’s point of view, however, and I always think it strange when a male is chosen to read a female character Williamson does a decent enough job with Lydia, forgoing the silly cringe-worthy falsetto that some male narrators use, but I would’ve preferred a woman to voice her thoughts, if I’m being completely honest. He’s not bad by any means, but a woman (at least for Lydia’s parts), would’ve been a better choice. When it comes to Robert I have no complaints. He sounded like the confused, scared kid that he was supposed to be and the other male character were easily discernible from one another.
Audiobook received for review for Audiobook Jukebox
Lydia meets Arthur and falls in love. He’s decent and kind and a respectable business owner. But Arthur is a good actor. He’s a sociopath who believes he’s been put on earth to make people realize the world is an ugly pain-filled place. He has done some terrible things in his past and though he fools Lydia for a while, he can’t hide his true self forever. After they have a baby they name Robert, the cracks begin to show and Arthur’s behavior becomes increasingly abusive towards Lydia. Lydia sticks it out until he crosses a line and she realizes she’s been living with a madman and files for divorce. She allows him visitation for Robert’s sake. He loves Robert after all and even after her own abuse at his hands, she believes he is a good father who would never hurt their son . . .
What happens next is just grueling but it wouldn’t be a Ketchum book if it was all unicorns and rainbows. The book follows Lydia through the injustices of the legal system. Lydia assumes she is doing the right thing by following all the rules but playing by the rules isn’t enough. A nasty, ugly and unfair trial begins. It’s infuriating and sad and the innocents, unfortunately, are the ones who suffer the most. It really makes you understand why some people take their kids and run.
I really felt for Lydia and Robert. Lydia’s own past was one filled with abuse and that was the last thing she wanted for her child. She feels guilty and bravely stands up to Arthur once she realizes what a deranged beast he truly was beneath the respectable façade. But sadly she was helpless once she entered the courtroom and had to depend on other people to do right by her.
This book was suspenseful but it will more than likely make you angry. It was horribly grim and unpleasant but it’s one of those books that you have to see through to the end regardless of the fact that you know you’ll probably be sorry.
Narration Notes: Chet Williamson reads with an intense, serious tone well suited to the bleak material. I think he would do an amazing job with a gumshoe noir type of hero because he has that type of voice. He brings Arthur to life; his voice is menacing, mean and calculated and just what this piece demands. Much of this story is told from Lydia’s point of view, however, and I always think it strange when a male is chosen to read a female character Williamson does a decent enough job with Lydia, forgoing the silly cringe-worthy falsetto that some male narrators use, but I would’ve preferred a woman to voice her thoughts, if I’m being completely honest. He’s not bad by any means, but a woman (at least for Lydia’s parts), would’ve been a better choice. When it comes to Robert I have no complaints. He sounded like the confused, scared kid that he was supposed to be and the other male character were easily discernible from one another.
Audiobook received for review for Audiobook Jukebox
February 14, 2018
Disturbing and tragic. Ketchum writes with such brutal honesty and sensitivity that leaves even those of us with the toughest hearts in tears. Child abuse is the most horrific act in my opinion. Worse than the child abuse here is how the system continued to fail the child.
Before Stranglehold, I had just finished The Girl Next Door by Ketchum. These two stories have left me emotionally depleted. I must pick something positive for my next read.
Before Stranglehold, I had just finished The Girl Next Door by Ketchum. These two stories have left me emotionally depleted. I must pick something positive for my next read.
December 3, 2023
STRANGLEHOLD [1995] By Jack Ketchum
My Review 5.0 Out Of 5.0 Stars
This paperback tour de force originally appeared in the UK in the mid-nineties and it was originally titled “Only Child.” America’s own King of Horror Stephen King reviewed the British edition of “Only Child” and his observations about the unassuming paperback are chilling:
“This is a devastating novel, perhaps too powerful to be published in the United States.”
He happened to be incorrect about the novel being released in the US. However, King’s brief endorsement of the British Edition of “Only Child” (aka “Stranglehold”) was certainly en pointe:
“Jack Ketchum at his terrifying best!”
The sparse teaser description provided by the publisher tells us generally that a woman (Lydia McCloud) meets a man (Arthur Danse) at a wedding party in Plymouth, N.H., and she think he’s a man she could grow to love. Arthur sees things differently. In Lydia, he sees the sort of woman people always want to protect. He decides he’s going to show her “she wouldn’t always be protected.” The book “Description” elaborates that once she has given birth to their only child, Robert, that Arthur’s behavior worsens. The reader is then warned that when “the courts become involved,” the “nightmare” really begins.
The description does not include the salient fact that the character of Arthur Danse is unquestionably one of the darkest and most horrifying manifestations of evil in the flesh that Ketchum’s ever unleashed from his quiver of impressive hell spawn.
This lesser-known work by Ketchum is one which boldly underscores a truth about his body of work that is quite often overlooked. That is the fact that only a handful of novelists writing in the horror genre have biopsied the hard core of human horror, its exquisite cruelty and its accompanying base nastiness that flows through the human existence and its societal structures like an oily black river. Ketchum rarely penned a page of narrative that could be construed as supernatural, paranormal, or not of this world.
In “Stranglehold” Ketchum strategically sets the stage for the horror he would visit upon us. The storyline spans roughly four decades, from the early 1950s to the mid- ‘90s. The book’s Prologue is genuinely disturbing on a deep level for the likely unprepared reader. It is Easter 1953 and a new mother is undone by the incessant crying of her infant baby:
When she stood up and flushed, the baby screamed. She lifted the toilet seat and took hold of the baby’s feet, turned it upside down and thought, am I really going to do this? Am I? And the answer was damn right I am, I’m up to here with screaming whining sucking drooling pissing shitting I’m up to goddamn here with all of it.
She lowered its head into the water.
And held it there.
Bubbles.
Squirming.
Pathetic, puny.
Coughing.
Weakening.
The baby dying.
Her baby.
Oh jesus oh jesus god of jesus.”
Chapter one jumps forward nine years to New Hampshire 1962, and by page fifty we have quickly arrived at 1987. These years are told over a sequence of flashbacks where we are introduced to Lydia and Arthur as children, teenagers and then as university age adults, before they eventually meet and marry.
Ketchum never uses any misdirection or any sleight of hand that would mitigate how obviously remorseless and ruthless that the successful businessman Arthur Danse happens to be. In fact, it is within the reader’s purview to actually make a calculated guess as to how dangerous a man he is likely to be. There is an open police investigation into multiple homicides of young women, all exhibiting the same victim profile, method of murder and maiming, but also a signature for the serial killer. The violent sexual predator savagely rapes, sodomizes, and tortures his victims before mutilating them by the use of his signature nailing and stabbing. As in real life, the character of Arthur Danse lives an ostensibly normal life and goes about his daily routine which involves running a successful bar. Arthur is a sadistic murderous beast masquerading successfully as a normal adult man. Sociopaths are truly consummate masters at concealing their identities and Arthur is no exception. Art removes the mask only when he wants his companion to see his true self. In several instances it was my impression that dropping the mask was largely saved for his murder victims.
It is not long before long Arthur delights in showing his true face to his unsuspecting wife. In particular he had maintained “radio silence” on his sexual proclivities. Lydia is destined to find out not only what he likes to do to women but also that she has been living with a complete and utter stranger. Ketchum’s depiction of sexual acts is explicit and graphic, but as a reader it was never considered exploitative or gratuitous. In the same vein I would have to say that the extreme violence occurred off screen and the reader is spared the pain.
The details of the marriage from hell are difficult to stomach at times, particularly considering Ketchum’s unflinching iron grip on the narrative. The plot line morphs into the divorce from hell at approximately the halfway point of the novel. Ketchum’s writing is strong in this book, and unyielding. He is at the height of his game with this one.
More than half the book entails what happens in and out of court when Lydia files for full custody of her 8-year-old son subjected to aggravated sexual assault by his father. This is where the novel is firing on all cylinders and “Stranglehold” is an apt title because it is impossible to turn away from the action and the horror in and out of the courtroom.
Lydia is stressed to the point of breaking and she is a registered nurse not a lawyer or a law scholar. She makes mistakes that the reader knows will not go well for her in the proceedings, but this reader found it impossible to cast criticisms at her for her foibles. The boy Robert and his initial failure to comply with the authorities and admit that it was his father who hurt him made me crazy even when I knew the “why.” Lydia is far from perfect herself and a few key decisions she makes are so unwittingly damning and able to be turned on her by the defense it makes you want to throw things.
The author does a bang-up job with keeping the reader fully informed of what is happening legally and I liked how that the narrative was reliable in explaining the negative outcomes to Lydia. Arthur has a strong legal team battling his case for him; thus, it was a little surprising to see Arthur's psyche devolving as stressors escalated in and out of the courtroom. The seventh targeted victim of the violent sexual predator being hunted escaped. Along the way the book asks many questions about family, the long-term effects of abuse and examines the difficulties in breaking this cycle.
Ketchum is writing on all cylinders and not missing a beat, but this unflinching realism about sexual abuse of a minor and the haunted mother’s destiny and her son’s future being decided by the court system in “Stranglehold” is gut-wrenching and heart-wrenching. You could not walk away from the book, at least not for long, and it is so close to the headlines or to even a person you know personally that it is just an absolute heartbreak.
This was in the ‘90s that the trial was taking place. It would be my hope that Ketchum exaggerated how awful it was at that time. Then, there is the ending which could not be bleaker if it tried. Again, it is a fact that Ketchum was making a point about failures in the American judicial systems, but whether he was exaggerating is debatable. I do know that Ketchum did use news accounts, true crime stories, etc. as the foundation for his work. This fictional case was approximately 35 years ago, so we can breathe a little easier because of the length of time and how forensic science has advanced.
Finally, I have read the “instant name recognition” novels by Ketchum, notably Offseason, Offspring, The Woman, and The Girl Next Door. That said, “Stranglehold” may not be ranked among his best, or certainly not his most talked about, but this 247-page novel and its unflinching account of violent domestic abuse and that of a wife and young son caught in a sadist’s brutal web is second to none for my money, and 35 years after it was released it can punch you in the solar plexus 10 out of 10 times. This book bothered me a lot, and it was second only to The Girl Next Door narrowing it down to Ketchum’s works.
SECOND ONLY TO ‘THE GIRL NEXT DOOR” IN EMOTIONAL WRECKING POWER
My Review 5.0 Out Of 5.0 Stars
This paperback tour de force originally appeared in the UK in the mid-nineties and it was originally titled “Only Child.” America’s own King of Horror Stephen King reviewed the British edition of “Only Child” and his observations about the unassuming paperback are chilling:
“This is a devastating novel, perhaps too powerful to be published in the United States.”
He happened to be incorrect about the novel being released in the US. However, King’s brief endorsement of the British Edition of “Only Child” (aka “Stranglehold”) was certainly en pointe:
“Jack Ketchum at his terrifying best!”
The sparse teaser description provided by the publisher tells us generally that a woman (Lydia McCloud) meets a man (Arthur Danse) at a wedding party in Plymouth, N.H., and she think he’s a man she could grow to love. Arthur sees things differently. In Lydia, he sees the sort of woman people always want to protect. He decides he’s going to show her “she wouldn’t always be protected.” The book “Description” elaborates that once she has given birth to their only child, Robert, that Arthur’s behavior worsens. The reader is then warned that when “the courts become involved,” the “nightmare” really begins.
The description does not include the salient fact that the character of Arthur Danse is unquestionably one of the darkest and most horrifying manifestations of evil in the flesh that Ketchum’s ever unleashed from his quiver of impressive hell spawn.
This lesser-known work by Ketchum is one which boldly underscores a truth about his body of work that is quite often overlooked. That is the fact that only a handful of novelists writing in the horror genre have biopsied the hard core of human horror, its exquisite cruelty and its accompanying base nastiness that flows through the human existence and its societal structures like an oily black river. Ketchum rarely penned a page of narrative that could be construed as supernatural, paranormal, or not of this world.
In “Stranglehold” Ketchum strategically sets the stage for the horror he would visit upon us. The storyline spans roughly four decades, from the early 1950s to the mid- ‘90s. The book’s Prologue is genuinely disturbing on a deep level for the likely unprepared reader. It is Easter 1953 and a new mother is undone by the incessant crying of her infant baby:
When she stood up and flushed, the baby screamed. She lifted the toilet seat and took hold of the baby’s feet, turned it upside down and thought, am I really going to do this? Am I? And the answer was damn right I am, I’m up to here with screaming whining sucking drooling pissing shitting I’m up to goddamn here with all of it.
She lowered its head into the water.
And held it there.
Bubbles.
Squirming.
Pathetic, puny.
Coughing.
Weakening.
The baby dying.
Her baby.
Oh jesus oh jesus god of jesus.”
Chapter one jumps forward nine years to New Hampshire 1962, and by page fifty we have quickly arrived at 1987. These years are told over a sequence of flashbacks where we are introduced to Lydia and Arthur as children, teenagers and then as university age adults, before they eventually meet and marry.
Ketchum never uses any misdirection or any sleight of hand that would mitigate how obviously remorseless and ruthless that the successful businessman Arthur Danse happens to be. In fact, it is within the reader’s purview to actually make a calculated guess as to how dangerous a man he is likely to be. There is an open police investigation into multiple homicides of young women, all exhibiting the same victim profile, method of murder and maiming, but also a signature for the serial killer. The violent sexual predator savagely rapes, sodomizes, and tortures his victims before mutilating them by the use of his signature nailing and stabbing. As in real life, the character of Arthur Danse lives an ostensibly normal life and goes about his daily routine which involves running a successful bar. Arthur is a sadistic murderous beast masquerading successfully as a normal adult man. Sociopaths are truly consummate masters at concealing their identities and Arthur is no exception. Art removes the mask only when he wants his companion to see his true self. In several instances it was my impression that dropping the mask was largely saved for his murder victims.
It is not long before long Arthur delights in showing his true face to his unsuspecting wife. In particular he had maintained “radio silence” on his sexual proclivities. Lydia is destined to find out not only what he likes to do to women but also that she has been living with a complete and utter stranger. Ketchum’s depiction of sexual acts is explicit and graphic, but as a reader it was never considered exploitative or gratuitous. In the same vein I would have to say that the extreme violence occurred off screen and the reader is spared the pain.
The details of the marriage from hell are difficult to stomach at times, particularly considering Ketchum’s unflinching iron grip on the narrative. The plot line morphs into the divorce from hell at approximately the halfway point of the novel. Ketchum’s writing is strong in this book, and unyielding. He is at the height of his game with this one.
More than half the book entails what happens in and out of court when Lydia files for full custody of her 8-year-old son subjected to aggravated sexual assault by his father. This is where the novel is firing on all cylinders and “Stranglehold” is an apt title because it is impossible to turn away from the action and the horror in and out of the courtroom.
Lydia is stressed to the point of breaking and she is a registered nurse not a lawyer or a law scholar. She makes mistakes that the reader knows will not go well for her in the proceedings, but this reader found it impossible to cast criticisms at her for her foibles. The boy Robert and his initial failure to comply with the authorities and admit that it was his father who hurt him made me crazy even when I knew the “why.” Lydia is far from perfect herself and a few key decisions she makes are so unwittingly damning and able to be turned on her by the defense it makes you want to throw things.
The author does a bang-up job with keeping the reader fully informed of what is happening legally and I liked how that the narrative was reliable in explaining the negative outcomes to Lydia. Arthur has a strong legal team battling his case for him; thus, it was a little surprising to see Arthur's psyche devolving as stressors escalated in and out of the courtroom. The seventh targeted victim of the violent sexual predator being hunted escaped. Along the way the book asks many questions about family, the long-term effects of abuse and examines the difficulties in breaking this cycle.
Ketchum is writing on all cylinders and not missing a beat, but this unflinching realism about sexual abuse of a minor and the haunted mother’s destiny and her son’s future being decided by the court system in “Stranglehold” is gut-wrenching and heart-wrenching. You could not walk away from the book, at least not for long, and it is so close to the headlines or to even a person you know personally that it is just an absolute heartbreak.
This was in the ‘90s that the trial was taking place. It would be my hope that Ketchum exaggerated how awful it was at that time. Then, there is the ending which could not be bleaker if it tried. Again, it is a fact that Ketchum was making a point about failures in the American judicial systems, but whether he was exaggerating is debatable. I do know that Ketchum did use news accounts, true crime stories, etc. as the foundation for his work. This fictional case was approximately 35 years ago, so we can breathe a little easier because of the length of time and how forensic science has advanced.
Finally, I have read the “instant name recognition” novels by Ketchum, notably Offseason, Offspring, The Woman, and The Girl Next Door. That said, “Stranglehold” may not be ranked among his best, or certainly not his most talked about, but this 247-page novel and its unflinching account of violent domestic abuse and that of a wife and young son caught in a sadist’s brutal web is second to none for my money, and 35 years after it was released it can punch you in the solar plexus 10 out of 10 times. This book bothered me a lot, and it was second only to The Girl Next Door narrowing it down to Ketchum’s works.
SECOND ONLY TO ‘THE GIRL NEXT DOOR” IN EMOTIONAL WRECKING POWER
July 16, 2012
This is the tale of two books. The first book, which lasted up until the epilogue, was an excellent read, a gripping and horrifying tale of a woman suffering through a marriage to a psychopath who discovers after her divorce that he was, among other things, raping their young son. The story moved at a rapid pace, was well-written and had you caring about the fate of the mom and son. I was well prepared to give this book 5 stars.
However, the second book, the epilogue, completely shot that notion out of the water and, sadly, reduced it to a three-star read. I understand that Ketchum intended the book to be a scathing indictment of the family court justice system. However, the ending went needlessly way over the top in that mission. It was ridiculous, implausible and laughable, designed solely to outrage and disgust without any thought as to, say, credibility, even for a thriller. To someone with real knowledge of the court system, I was unable to buy it for a second, even as outrageous as that system can be at times. It's a shame Ketchum felt the need to end it the way he did. He could have, with just a bit more effort, used a plausible ending that still made you feel the effects of legal injustice. Instead, he chose the easier way, an ending designed to cause the most anger in the reader but that really makes no sense once you stop and think about it.
However, the second book, the epilogue, completely shot that notion out of the water and, sadly, reduced it to a three-star read. I understand that Ketchum intended the book to be a scathing indictment of the family court justice system. However, the ending went needlessly way over the top in that mission. It was ridiculous, implausible and laughable, designed solely to outrage and disgust without any thought as to, say, credibility, even for a thriller. To someone with real knowledge of the court system, I was unable to buy it for a second, even as outrageous as that system can be at times. It's a shame Ketchum felt the need to end it the way he did. He could have, with just a bit more effort, used a plausible ending that still made you feel the effects of legal injustice. Instead, he chose the easier way, an ending designed to cause the most anger in the reader but that really makes no sense once you stop and think about it.
August 7, 2019
We have to accept that violence, rape, incest, and child abuse are all a part of life, and we need to face that fact. While reading ‘Stranglehold’, I got the impression that, for this book, violence, rape, incest, and child abuse are pretty much all there is in life. Every chapter seemed to contain some heinous act. It soon got tedious, and then the tedium changed to curiosity about why people write this stuff and the real reasons behind why people read it, and then to just plodding on to see if the author could get though the whole book without a single violence free chapter. I really didn’t enjoy the experience, and was deciding between one and two stars, when along came that rather surprising end, and my considerable effort to stay with it had been rewarded.
August 20, 2014
Stranglehold is a serious piece of fiction. If you’ve not read anything by Jack Ketchum before, it’s important to understand that this is pretty extreme stuff, and not for the faint of heart. But of equal importance, it’s clear that the subject matter is just as horrifying to the writer as it is to the reader. Some horror writers seem to take a perverse pleasure in publishing the most extreme thing they can comprehend, giggling and grinning as they imagine their readers squirm. Jack Ketchum is NOT one of those writers. And as horrifying as this story is, Ketchum’s approach is sensitive and nuanced.
I found myself in almost constant anxiety throughout this book, pretty much from beginning to end. There were moments where I had to actually pause to remind myself that these characters were fictional, though deep down I knew better. While characters Lydia and Robert and Arthur were made up, the roles they represent are no doubt very real, and I’m sure the system this story so vehemently criticizes is just as cold and flawed as it is portrayed to be.
This story is stressful, frustrating, harrowing, and is one of the most powerful I’ve read in my entire life.
Everything about it rang true to me (the characters, their actions/inactions, and in particular, the legal procedures and courtroom scenes), and I have absolute faith that Ketchum conducted his research with meticulous care and precision. Remember the Hemingway quote about nine tenths of an iceberg being underwater? It’s those nine tenths that are still eating away at me now, and Ketchum knows it. He did that on purpose!
As hard as this was to read (and believe me, this is an eye-opening, if not life-changing experience), I would heartily recommend it to anyone and everyone. It is a shocking indictment of the family court system and how it can catastrophically fail the needs of a child, and his mother.
I found myself in almost constant anxiety throughout this book, pretty much from beginning to end. There were moments where I had to actually pause to remind myself that these characters were fictional, though deep down I knew better. While characters Lydia and Robert and Arthur were made up, the roles they represent are no doubt very real, and I’m sure the system this story so vehemently criticizes is just as cold and flawed as it is portrayed to be.
This story is stressful, frustrating, harrowing, and is one of the most powerful I’ve read in my entire life.
Everything about it rang true to me (the characters, their actions/inactions, and in particular, the legal procedures and courtroom scenes), and I have absolute faith that Ketchum conducted his research with meticulous care and precision. Remember the Hemingway quote about nine tenths of an iceberg being underwater? It’s those nine tenths that are still eating away at me now, and Ketchum knows it. He did that on purpose!
As hard as this was to read (and believe me, this is an eye-opening, if not life-changing experience), I would heartily recommend it to anyone and everyone. It is a shocking indictment of the family court system and how it can catastrophically fail the needs of a child, and his mother.
August 4, 2013
Nobody can make me so angry reading a book that I want to flip through the pages to see the end just to be done with it because of severe uneasiness the story is causing me.
Only Child is a realistic portrayal of the price women pay when they choose a violent sociopath as a partner, knowingly or otherwise, and then bring a child into the mess. It's also about how parents cover and make excuses for their little sociopaths.
I thought the ending was a bummer, though, because I came to care for Lydia and Robert, and was heartbroken at the abuse Robert was subjected to by his violent father. Although I was bummed about the ending, there have been true life cases where justice wasn't fairly dealt and the victim became the punished.
Only Child is a realistic portrayal of the price women pay when they choose a violent sociopath as a partner, knowingly or otherwise, and then bring a child into the mess. It's also about how parents cover and make excuses for their little sociopaths.
I thought the ending was a bummer, though, because I came to care for Lydia and Robert, and was heartbroken at the abuse Robert was subjected to by his violent father. Although I was bummed about the ending, there have been true life cases where justice wasn't fairly dealt and the victim became the punished.
March 28, 2017
Ketchum is a new author to me & while this is not horror as such it's certainly an horrific tale - that of an evil man who inflicts the worse kind of pain & torture on his family.
This harrowing tale - despite making me shudder at times & at others making me feel sick to my stomach - had me gripped, as disgusted & horrified as I felt at times it was really hard to put down. A really good read - although "enjoyed " seems an inappropriate word to use about it!
This harrowing tale - despite making me shudder at times & at others making me feel sick to my stomach - had me gripped, as disgusted & horrified as I felt at times it was really hard to put down. A really good read - although "enjoyed " seems an inappropriate word to use about it!
June 28, 2023
Naprawdę mocne
February 10, 2022
I wish I could rate this higher, but I just couldn't do it. It was a decent read for the most part but the pace/timing was annoying. Skipped ahead a lot. The beginning was very slow starting with the main characters as kids. This was not needed as they could have just summed things up later. Or maybe covered more of those years if they wanted. Just seemed like it really messed with the overall story. It then skipped ahead to high school and then again to college before the main characters meet and marry. Again, none of this was really important other than giving them a backstory, but I feel there are better ways than wasting a third of the book on it. It leaves you wondering where the story is going and what is the points. We get that the guy is a creep and twisted man, and the woman has had a hard life up until then but going about over a third of the book was too much for me. Then when you get to the main part of the story it's about their son and what the father is doing to him, you already are annoyed with how they book gets there. I did like how it showed how flawed our legal system can be, sadly too much truth there. Also, the fact the father is a serial killer just sort of pops up over halfway through the book. And the ending felt rushed. Overall, these feels more like an outline or rough draft of a book rather than a finished product.
September 10, 2019
Great story teller. A sad story of a mothers fight against her ex husband over their son.i love the way that this story cuts in to parts of the past to clear up how and why people do things they do now. The husband being a self made business man also a self made pervert ,abusive man will not be told what to do.he is determined to have things his way no matter what.along with the struggle of divorce and life matters a killer is abducting women and brutally rapping,torturing and killing them.
March 26, 2025
Loved this book. A very tense final 50 pages. This is Ketchum at his finest.
Just did a reread and wow!!! What a book. I miss Jack Ketchum. This book held up so well and it still kept me on the edge of my seat.
Just did a reread and wow!!! What a book. I miss Jack Ketchum. This book held up so well and it still kept me on the edge of my seat.
April 15, 2019
A vulgar account of rapist and sodomite Arthur Danse. Mr. Ketchum pulls no punches. Timid readers need not apply.
4/5 Skulls
☠️☠️☠️☠️
4/5 Skulls
☠️☠️☠️☠️
June 7, 2023
Prolog mnie dosłownie zmiótł. Jest to bardzo mocne wprowadzenie do historii i jest to swego rodzaju przestroga - czytaj dalej albo w tym momencie odłóż książkę na bok. Decydując się przeczytać tę historię trzeba się zaopatrzyć w antyemocjonalną zbroję, a i tak nie daję Wam gwarancji, że ta książka nie dobrowadzi Was do wrzenia.
Ta historia jest brudna, surowa, bezpośrednia i dosadna. Dawno nie czytałem podobnego thrilleru. Z jednej strony miałem obawy, jak odnajdę się w powieści napisanej prawie 30 lat temu, jak bardzo realia tamtych czasów utrudnią mi zaangażowanie się w treść książki, czy styl autora nie będzie być może zbyt toporny. Żadne z tych obaw nie miało racji bytu.
To co mnie dodatkowo zaskoczyło to wprowadzenie do fabuły motywu sprawy sądowej. Ta książka uświadomiła mi, jak bardzo uwielbiam ten motyw - to jak prawnicy przerzucają się oskarżeniami, jak efektownie prowadzą przesłuchania, jak potrafią manipulować i wyprowadzać z równowagi - to wszystko dostarcza mi takiego ładunku wrażeń, że często kipię z frustracji, ale to jest to co sprawia, że chcę czytać takich scen więcej.
To było moje pierwsze spotkanie z twórczością Ketchuma i jestem na tak. Myślę, że jeszcze się spotkamy, bo takie thrillery lubię najbardziej.
Ta historia jest brudna, surowa, bezpośrednia i dosadna. Dawno nie czytałem podobnego thrilleru. Z jednej strony miałem obawy, jak odnajdę się w powieści napisanej prawie 30 lat temu, jak bardzo realia tamtych czasów utrudnią mi zaangażowanie się w treść książki, czy styl autora nie będzie być może zbyt toporny. Żadne z tych obaw nie miało racji bytu.
To co mnie dodatkowo zaskoczyło to wprowadzenie do fabuły motywu sprawy sądowej. Ta książka uświadomiła mi, jak bardzo uwielbiam ten motyw - to jak prawnicy przerzucają się oskarżeniami, jak efektownie prowadzą przesłuchania, jak potrafią manipulować i wyprowadzać z równowagi - to wszystko dostarcza mi takiego ładunku wrażeń, że często kipię z frustracji, ale to jest to co sprawia, że chcę czytać takich scen więcej.
To było moje pierwsze spotkanie z twórczością Ketchuma i jestem na tak. Myślę, że jeszcze się spotkamy, bo takie thrillery lubię najbardziej.
February 15, 2024
Ksiazka zdecydowanie 18+
Czytałem już różne mocne książki ale ta to całkiem inny poziom.
Od początku ma się wrażenie że ogląda się stara kronikę kryminalna. A przecież nawet u nas zdarzają się takie historie. To jest chyba najgorsze w tym wszystkim-ta realność przedstawionych wydarzen.
Bardzo podoba mi się oszczędny styl autora, zbędne ozdobniki mogły by tyło odwracać uwagę.
Czytałem już różne mocne książki ale ta to całkiem inny poziom.
Od początku ma się wrażenie że ogląda się stara kronikę kryminalna. A przecież nawet u nas zdarzają się takie historie. To jest chyba najgorsze w tym wszystkim-ta realność przedstawionych wydarzen.
Bardzo podoba mi się oszczędny styl autora, zbędne ozdobniki mogły by tyło odwracać uwagę.
August 25, 2019
Four stars for punching me in the gut! I was angered and disgusted by Arthur, his parents, and the "anti-justice" system. I kept waiting for a turn to the good and it never came. Psycho-thriller it was indeed. I don't think I can read another Ketchum book. But who knows - we all need a little taste of the dark and deranged side every so often.
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