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The Killing Kind
The classic ultra-splatter roadtrip in the spirit of Natural Born Killers and The Devil's Rejects. Roxie is the goth girl of your dreams. There's just one problem- she's batshit crazy and has a fetish for murder. After a petty insult at a gas station, she goes on a murder spree, hunting down those that pissed her off. But she's not the only monster on the road. There are others out there killing and raping. And everyone's headed to the same beach house. A desolate vacation getaway with no neighbors and no one to hear the screams. Deadite Press is proud to bring back Bryan Smith's nasty novel of murder, torture, and the darkest side of human nature-The Killing Kind
321 pages, Paperback
First published June 29, 2010
69 people are currently reading
1389 people want to read
About the author
Bryan Smith
103 books759 followersBryan Smith is the Splatterpunk Award-winning author of more than forty horror and crime books, including 68 Kill, the cult classic Depraved and its sequels, as well as The Killing Kind, Slowly We Rot, The Freakshow, and many more. Bestselling horror author Brian Keene called Slowly We Rot, "The best zombie novel I've ever read."
68 Kill was adapted into a motion picture directed by Trent Haaga and starring Matthew Gray Gubler of the long-running CBS series Criminal Minds. 68 Kill won the Midnighters Award at the SXSW film festival in 2017 and was released to wide acclaim, including positive reviews in The New York Times and Bloody Disgusting.
Bryan also co-scripted an original Harley Quinn story for the House of Horrors anthology from DC Comics. He has worked with renowned horror publishers in both the mass market and small press spheres, including Leisure Books, Samhain Publishing, Grindhouse Press, Death’s Head Press, and more. His works are available wherever books are sold, with select titles also available in German and Italian.
68 Kill was adapted into a motion picture directed by Trent Haaga and starring Matthew Gray Gubler of the long-running CBS series Criminal Minds. 68 Kill won the Midnighters Award at the SXSW film festival in 2017 and was released to wide acclaim, including positive reviews in The New York Times and Bloody Disgusting.
Bryan also co-scripted an original Harley Quinn story for the House of Horrors anthology from DC Comics. He has worked with renowned horror publishers in both the mass market and small press spheres, including Leisure Books, Samhain Publishing, Grindhouse Press, Death’s Head Press, and more. His works are available wherever books are sold, with select titles also available in German and Italian.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 125 reviews
July 24, 2019
alright young lady, all you wanna do is KILL KILL KILL because you're free you're free, free to be yourself if you're a psychotic young lady and if you're a second psychotic young lady and if you're a third psychotic young lady and if all of the above are of the so-called "Killing Kind" and all they wanna do is KILL KILL KILL to get their blood pumping their adrenaline rushing which gets the narrative hurtling which gets the reader turning those pages, what next what next, wondering what will happen what will happen to those rich college kids all coupled out in their Myrtle Beach house, what atrocities will happen to them what what what will happen when three psychotic young ladies are calling the shots, like literally, and all it takes is some KILL KILL KILL for some men to show their true mettle, for some men to go soft and for some men to go hard, I think you know what I mean, some men will show what they've got inside of them, some quite literally, but it isn't about those guys it's about the ladies, the psychotic suicidegirl deadeyed coldblooded ladies and all it takes is some KILL KILL KILL for all of the juices and I mean all of the juices to get to flowing, this is a very wet book, and a very straight book, and it's Gay Pride weekend and now it's time to get out there and get my Gay Pride on and I surely do hope I don't run into any creepy straight people because it sounds like all they wanna do is, well, it rhymes with "goodwill" but sorta means the opposite
October 9, 2019
Bloody good!
MYRTLE BEACH OR BUST!
You may think twice of not treating kind to some stranger in a mall...
...since you never know how resentful that stranger can become...
...specially if that stranger is a psycho killer girl with no remorse of murdering anybody whom she thinks that treating her in a awful way.
A tale not for the faint of heart, where evil meets evil, or at least you will have trouble to find any decent enough character in a dark rollercoaster, where everybody is going to a beach house where you can be that thing won't end well...
...not for a long shot... or cut!
Since I knew about this book, I fell in love with its cover, and gladly I was finally able to read it.
A solid option to any fan of gore and/or splatterpunk.
MYRTLE BEACH OR BUST!
You may think twice of not treating kind to some stranger in a mall...
...since you never know how resentful that stranger can become...
...specially if that stranger is a psycho killer girl with no remorse of murdering anybody whom she thinks that treating her in a awful way.
A tale not for the faint of heart, where evil meets evil, or at least you will have trouble to find any decent enough character in a dark rollercoaster, where everybody is going to a beach house where you can be that thing won't end well...
...not for a long shot... or cut!
Since I knew about this book, I fell in love with its cover, and gladly I was finally able to read it.
A solid option to any fan of gore and/or splatterpunk.
January 21, 2016
I felt like I should get down on my knees and pray for my twisted soul after reading The Killing Kind, and I'm not the least bit religious. That's just how disturbed I was while reading. Not just because of WHAT I was reading, but the fact that I was enjoying it so much.
It has two main converging plotlines. The first is about a group of spoiled rich kids on their way to Myrtle Beach for a week of partying while on spring break. The second is about Roxie, a super-sexy goth chick who also happens to be a psycho serial killer. She wants to get even with the preppy rich kids who were mean to her at the mall, and she knows where they are headed. Twenty-something slacker Rob has no idea what he's in for when he gets carjacked by Roxie and told to follow the van full of teens. Needless to say, it's one twisted roadtrip.
Now, I read fiction in general to feel some kind of emotion, and I read horror to feel scared and/or disturbed. Well, this kept me absolutely mortified the entire time I was reading it, and yet it was impossible to put down. As opposed to Laymon and Edward Lee, the two writers he's most often compared with, Smith creates actual relatable characters (instead of characters you wish would just die already), so it's all the more horrific when the "bad stuff" happens. And it WILL happen. It's like watching a car crash, you just can't look away.
Any self-respecting fan of extreme horror and splatterpunk owes it to him or herself to read The Killing Kind, and proceed to be enlightened. Smith really takes it to another level here. And if you've never read this sort of thing before, prepare to be appalled.
4.0 Stars
It has two main converging plotlines. The first is about a group of spoiled rich kids on their way to Myrtle Beach for a week of partying while on spring break. The second is about Roxie, a super-sexy goth chick who also happens to be a psycho serial killer. She wants to get even with the preppy rich kids who were mean to her at the mall, and she knows where they are headed. Twenty-something slacker Rob has no idea what he's in for when he gets carjacked by Roxie and told to follow the van full of teens. Needless to say, it's one twisted roadtrip.
Now, I read fiction in general to feel some kind of emotion, and I read horror to feel scared and/or disturbed. Well, this kept me absolutely mortified the entire time I was reading it, and yet it was impossible to put down. As opposed to Laymon and Edward Lee, the two writers he's most often compared with, Smith creates actual relatable characters (instead of characters you wish would just die already), so it's all the more horrific when the "bad stuff" happens. And it WILL happen. It's like watching a car crash, you just can't look away.
Any self-respecting fan of extreme horror and splatterpunk owes it to him or herself to read The Killing Kind, and proceed to be enlightened. Smith really takes it to another level here. And if you've never read this sort of thing before, prepare to be appalled.
4.0 Stars
December 29, 2021
This is something like a mixture of Natural Born Killers and Girls Gone Wild if you can even imagine that; something like an over the top horror/slasher flick from the 80s. Edward Lee gives a gushing blurb on the cover and I can see why given the stunning amount of sex, gore and sociopathic depravity featured here.
The story features several story arcs that you know will be converging somewhere, and when they meet, it will not be for a tea party. We start off with a sexy goth gal (Roxie) carjacking and kidnapping the male driver (Rob) and heading off to Myrtle Beach in March. Why? Roxie said some rich frat boy pissed her off and she is going to teach him a lesson. Then we have three couples heading to Myrtle Beach for spring break, one of them guilty of insulting Roxie. Then we have a couple of mental hospital escapees killing and torturing some people on the side of I-40 in Tennessee. It is a little hard to keep track of all the sociopaths in this book; lets just say there are more than a few.
TKK moves at a rapid pace, shunting between various POVs effortlessly, with a few flashbacks from the main protagonists to further flesh them out as characters. Smith does a nice job with characters here, although almost all of them are pretty deplorable human beings. Rather than rooting for the victims, you are more rooting for the villains, like in The Devil's Rejects. This is kinda a hard trick to pull off, but Smith does it well. It is not like you want to be friends with Roxie, but you do come to respect her depravity after a while.
I should also say that this features a lot of steamy sex scenes as well as some truly nasty 'sex' scenes that made me think of Edward Lee. If Smith and Lee are not buddies I would be very surprised! There is definitely more than a hint of Lee in this, but Smith has his own unique voice. Filled with all kinds of triggers, gore and mayhem, Smith's TKK serves up a tasty horror treat. My only faults are that some of the characters were just too over the top-- the escaped lunatics for example. 3.5 stars, rounding up as Smith did a great job of building the tension throughout the novel.
The story features several story arcs that you know will be converging somewhere, and when they meet, it will not be for a tea party. We start off with a sexy goth gal (Roxie) carjacking and kidnapping the male driver (Rob) and heading off to Myrtle Beach in March. Why? Roxie said some rich frat boy pissed her off and she is going to teach him a lesson. Then we have three couples heading to Myrtle Beach for spring break, one of them guilty of insulting Roxie. Then we have a couple of mental hospital escapees killing and torturing some people on the side of I-40 in Tennessee. It is a little hard to keep track of all the sociopaths in this book; lets just say there are more than a few.
TKK moves at a rapid pace, shunting between various POVs effortlessly, with a few flashbacks from the main protagonists to further flesh them out as characters. Smith does a nice job with characters here, although almost all of them are pretty deplorable human beings. Rather than rooting for the victims, you are more rooting for the villains, like in The Devil's Rejects. This is kinda a hard trick to pull off, but Smith does it well. It is not like you want to be friends with Roxie, but you do come to respect her depravity after a while.
I should also say that this features a lot of steamy sex scenes as well as some truly nasty 'sex' scenes that made me think of Edward Lee. If Smith and Lee are not buddies I would be very surprised! There is definitely more than a hint of Lee in this, but Smith has his own unique voice. Filled with all kinds of triggers, gore and mayhem, Smith's TKK serves up a tasty horror treat. My only faults are that some of the characters were just too over the top-- the escaped lunatics for example. 3.5 stars, rounding up as Smith did a great job of building the tension throughout the novel.
May 21, 2025
Get ready for the most killer road trip ever! The story follows many different characters and timelines that do eventually meet up. This book has a lot of torture, death,sex and insane characters. The story was entertaining I do think the amount of sexual partner swapping was a little much😂.
Rob Scott first sees tattooed and sexy Roxie Wallace heading his way, he thinks he's met the girl of his dreams, a Bettie Page dead ringer with a gothic twist. Then Roxie shows him her gun and the next thing he knows he's road-tripping with a psychopath hellbent on paying back the preppy spring breakers who insulted her at a coffee shop. Before long he's hopelessly caught up in a whirlwind of frenzied, shocking violence, with no way out. After a while, he's not even totally sure he wants out.
To the spoiled rich kids on spring break, the rented beach house seemed like the perfect setting for an extended party, but the unhinged killers about to crash the party think the house is perfect too-the neighbors are too far away to hear the screams that will soon fill the night.
Rob Scott first sees tattooed and sexy Roxie Wallace heading his way, he thinks he's met the girl of his dreams, a Bettie Page dead ringer with a gothic twist. Then Roxie shows him her gun and the next thing he knows he's road-tripping with a psychopath hellbent on paying back the preppy spring breakers who insulted her at a coffee shop. Before long he's hopelessly caught up in a whirlwind of frenzied, shocking violence, with no way out. After a while, he's not even totally sure he wants out.
To the spoiled rich kids on spring break, the rented beach house seemed like the perfect setting for an extended party, but the unhinged killers about to crash the party think the house is perfect too-the neighbors are too far away to hear the screams that will soon fill the night.
March 30, 2014
More of the same from Bryan Smith, The Killing Kind is another bold, brash and highly entertaining kill fest. If you’re looking for deep character development, wonderful prose or something that really makes you think, then go look somewhere else, The Killing Kind isn’t that kind of read. What this is a juggernaut paced barrel of violent fun that plays out like a movie with characters that more often than not have violent or sexual tendency’s and that’s it in a nutshell.
This book tells the story of some college kids heading out to Myrtle Beach for spring break, staying in a beach house owned by one of the parents, none of these kids are likeable in any way in fact they’re the kind you just love to hate. There’s the normal frivolities going on with drugs, booze, sex and some pretty devious & deceitful goings on behind the scenes but these kids are completely unaware of what’s heading there way.
You see, what is following them out to Myrtle Beach is a wave of violence and brutality none of them have ever seen before and this wave is about to crash right over the top of them in the form of the psychotic Roxie.
Roxie is the character that captures all the attention, there’s no stereotype here as with some of the others, she is a killer who takes what she wants when she wants and f*ck anyone who gets in the way, she is remorseless and ruthless in equal measure.
All in all this is an exciting & engrossing horror, plots fast, violence escalates to a brutal conclusion and there’s a couple of decent characters along the way. Not everyone dies and on the kindle version there is a few chapters from the proposed sequel of which I would definitely read.
This book tells the story of some college kids heading out to Myrtle Beach for spring break, staying in a beach house owned by one of the parents, none of these kids are likeable in any way in fact they’re the kind you just love to hate. There’s the normal frivolities going on with drugs, booze, sex and some pretty devious & deceitful goings on behind the scenes but these kids are completely unaware of what’s heading there way.
You see, what is following them out to Myrtle Beach is a wave of violence and brutality none of them have ever seen before and this wave is about to crash right over the top of them in the form of the psychotic Roxie.
Roxie is the character that captures all the attention, there’s no stereotype here as with some of the others, she is a killer who takes what she wants when she wants and f*ck anyone who gets in the way, she is remorseless and ruthless in equal measure.
All in all this is an exciting & engrossing horror, plots fast, violence escalates to a brutal conclusion and there’s a couple of decent characters along the way. Not everyone dies and on the kindle version there is a few chapters from the proposed sequel of which I would definitely read.
May 17, 2025
THE KILLING KIND [2012] By Bryan Smith
My Review 4.0 Stars
This hard-hitting selection by Bryan Smith was hosted as a Buddy Read by HGW Horror Book Club this month. The novel “The Killing Kind” was published by Grindhouse Press on the 1st of August in 2012. It is also to be noted that this new edition available in 2024 contained updated text. Deadite Press had become Smith’s primary publisher in late 2010. It is fair to say that his bevy of mass market horror novels from Leisure Books had gradually rolled to a stop, and he enjoyed a new audience for “Depraved” and “The Killing Kind”.
Bryan Smith has distinguished his horror fiction by Splatterpunk Nominations in various categories of fiction and his winning Splatterpunk Awards in the categories of short story compilations and the novella. It was my pleasure to read his cult classic “Depraved” [2012] earlier this year, and it would spawn the release of at least four sequels at time of this note. In a similar vein, “The Killing Kind” [2012] has grown in popularity and now boasts a total of four novels in all.
A big thanks to both HGW and its members who hosted Buddy Reads for these two immensely entertaining “blasts from the past”. This was a propulsive page-turner, and ridiculously readable right from the starter pistol “shot”. The author starts out by mixing a recipe of ingredients that were sure to please even the most discriminating connoisseur of Splatterpunk/extreme horror. Our main protagonist Rob, a handsome young guy with a “classic” vintage red Ford Galaxie (and a hot-blooded interest in the opposite sex) looks over at the Kwik-Mart and sees a stunning and oh so sexy “gothy rocker chick” approaching him. In seconds the gorgeous goth girl has commandeered the car and its google eyed and slack-jawed driver Ron with a display of dominant force and a handgun made out of steel.
It was noted that prior to the abduction and carjacking a group of young people in the Kwik-Mart had made disparaging remarks to the beautiful goth girl in close proximity to them. The storyline seamlessly shifts to this group of college kids all traveling together to vacation at Myrtle Beach. There are three couples, and the author uses third person, limited for us to see the details of the unfolding plot through the eyes of the six young people who comprise the group. This was such an entertaining read, and the hijinks of these college kids provide the reader with a smorgasbord of sex, action, betrayal, conceit, and a master class on the machinations of a manipulative malignant narcissist who flits among them unseen.
Smith does not rely on simply the intrigue of an innocent guy snatched out of his normal life and taken on a wild trip of “spree killing” across the landscape en route to Myrtle Lake. This story alone had its heart stopping moments, sex scenes, and extreme gore/violence. I really liked the technique Smith used with the extreme elements. The scenes were not dissected into “moment by moment” graphic descriptions to play like a slideshow behind your eyelids. The author does not throw the visceral violence and sick sexual deviance in the reader’s face to make a point, but rather he allows the reader's imagination to flesh it out.
The sick shenanigans that play out among the college kids are alternated with the exploits of main character Roxie, a sadistic sociopath (and play toy Rob), but those characters alone were insufficient to fuel Smith’s wild imagination and creation of colorful yet improbable villains. Soon a card-carrying murderous psychopath (Zebulon Elias Geddy) joins the cast of characters. Zeb is plagued by domineering auditory hallucinations which are clearly delusional. He is accompanied by a filthy fruitcake called Luke who joins Zeb in his raping, pillaging, and remorseless slaughter of every human being the pair encounter.
However, to mix things up, during one of Zeb and Luke’s excursions into an occupied family home to rape, slaughter, and mutilate the occupants prior to cannibalizing them, there is a glitch. Zeb encounters a problem. Zeb would leave the house that day with a different partner in crime, a young remorseless sociopath who would rattle his cage just for her sick amusement and unflinchingly test his boundaries.
These interwoven separate plot lines ensure that readers are never bored. The ruthless, manipulative, and totally unpredictable acts of sex and violence elevate the character of Roxie to the main attraction. But author Bryan Smith never allows the reader to “get comfortable” and the dynamics are not only constantly changing in this narrative but doing so in a radical unpredictable way. Is three company? The duo of dominated Rob and his murderous dominatrix morph into a tantalizing terrible trio before the ink ends.
It is a proverbial “bloodbath” and survival of the fittest by the point in the narrative where all plotlines converge. The ruthless 17-year-old sociopath is murdering every potential victim in sight while one of the six college students had “a secret” which works as a plot twist. The dynamic changes again when another young homicidal sociopath is unleashed in crowded quarters. The climax of the storyline, and the ending of the Stockholm’s Syndrome romance between Roxie and Rob was strangely not disappointing.
I loved the author’s “final touches” on the surviving victims, including one we thought had been dispatched but was still alive. I especially enjoyed Roxie’s surveillance of the victims, her self-serving voyeurism, interventions, and final solution.
There was impressive character development in this murder madness which flies under the radar until the author’s closing narratives about several key players. Character enrichment is not really on a reader’s mind until reading the last lines of the narrative. Smith also smoothly juggles multiple characters in multiple timelines with relative ease.
This was incredibly fast-moving, entertaining, and also surprisingly memorable storyline. I will make it a point to read more of Bryan Smith’s works.
A SEXY SPREE KILLER’S ROADTRIP ACROSS COUNTRY STILL BRINGS THE CHILLS OVER A DECADE LATER
My Review 4.0 Stars
This hard-hitting selection by Bryan Smith was hosted as a Buddy Read by HGW Horror Book Club this month. The novel “The Killing Kind” was published by Grindhouse Press on the 1st of August in 2012. It is also to be noted that this new edition available in 2024 contained updated text. Deadite Press had become Smith’s primary publisher in late 2010. It is fair to say that his bevy of mass market horror novels from Leisure Books had gradually rolled to a stop, and he enjoyed a new audience for “Depraved” and “The Killing Kind”.
Bryan Smith has distinguished his horror fiction by Splatterpunk Nominations in various categories of fiction and his winning Splatterpunk Awards in the categories of short story compilations and the novella. It was my pleasure to read his cult classic “Depraved” [2012] earlier this year, and it would spawn the release of at least four sequels at time of this note. In a similar vein, “The Killing Kind” [2012] has grown in popularity and now boasts a total of four novels in all.
A big thanks to both HGW and its members who hosted Buddy Reads for these two immensely entertaining “blasts from the past”. This was a propulsive page-turner, and ridiculously readable right from the starter pistol “shot”. The author starts out by mixing a recipe of ingredients that were sure to please even the most discriminating connoisseur of Splatterpunk/extreme horror. Our main protagonist Rob, a handsome young guy with a “classic” vintage red Ford Galaxie (and a hot-blooded interest in the opposite sex) looks over at the Kwik-Mart and sees a stunning and oh so sexy “gothy rocker chick” approaching him. In seconds the gorgeous goth girl has commandeered the car and its google eyed and slack-jawed driver Ron with a display of dominant force and a handgun made out of steel.
It was noted that prior to the abduction and carjacking a group of young people in the Kwik-Mart had made disparaging remarks to the beautiful goth girl in close proximity to them. The storyline seamlessly shifts to this group of college kids all traveling together to vacation at Myrtle Beach. There are three couples, and the author uses third person, limited for us to see the details of the unfolding plot through the eyes of the six young people who comprise the group. This was such an entertaining read, and the hijinks of these college kids provide the reader with a smorgasbord of sex, action, betrayal, conceit, and a master class on the machinations of a manipulative malignant narcissist who flits among them unseen.
Smith does not rely on simply the intrigue of an innocent guy snatched out of his normal life and taken on a wild trip of “spree killing” across the landscape en route to Myrtle Lake. This story alone had its heart stopping moments, sex scenes, and extreme gore/violence. I really liked the technique Smith used with the extreme elements. The scenes were not dissected into “moment by moment” graphic descriptions to play like a slideshow behind your eyelids. The author does not throw the visceral violence and sick sexual deviance in the reader’s face to make a point, but rather he allows the reader's imagination to flesh it out.
The sick shenanigans that play out among the college kids are alternated with the exploits of main character Roxie, a sadistic sociopath (and play toy Rob), but those characters alone were insufficient to fuel Smith’s wild imagination and creation of colorful yet improbable villains. Soon a card-carrying murderous psychopath (Zebulon Elias Geddy) joins the cast of characters. Zeb is plagued by domineering auditory hallucinations which are clearly delusional. He is accompanied by a filthy fruitcake called Luke who joins Zeb in his raping, pillaging, and remorseless slaughter of every human being the pair encounter.
However, to mix things up, during one of Zeb and Luke’s excursions into an occupied family home to rape, slaughter, and mutilate the occupants prior to cannibalizing them, there is a glitch. Zeb encounters a problem. Zeb would leave the house that day with a different partner in crime, a young remorseless sociopath who would rattle his cage just for her sick amusement and unflinchingly test his boundaries.
These interwoven separate plot lines ensure that readers are never bored. The ruthless, manipulative, and totally unpredictable acts of sex and violence elevate the character of Roxie to the main attraction. But author Bryan Smith never allows the reader to “get comfortable” and the dynamics are not only constantly changing in this narrative but doing so in a radical unpredictable way. Is three company? The duo of dominated Rob and his murderous dominatrix morph into a tantalizing terrible trio before the ink ends.
It is a proverbial “bloodbath” and survival of the fittest by the point in the narrative where all plotlines converge. The ruthless 17-year-old sociopath is murdering every potential victim in sight while one of the six college students had “a secret” which works as a plot twist. The dynamic changes again when another young homicidal sociopath is unleashed in crowded quarters. The climax of the storyline, and the ending of the Stockholm’s Syndrome romance between Roxie and Rob was strangely not disappointing.
I loved the author’s “final touches” on the surviving victims, including one we thought had been dispatched but was still alive. I especially enjoyed Roxie’s surveillance of the victims, her self-serving voyeurism, interventions, and final solution.
There was impressive character development in this murder madness which flies under the radar until the author’s closing narratives about several key players. Character enrichment is not really on a reader’s mind until reading the last lines of the narrative. Smith also smoothly juggles multiple characters in multiple timelines with relative ease.
This was incredibly fast-moving, entertaining, and also surprisingly memorable storyline. I will make it a point to read more of Bryan Smith’s works.
A SEXY SPREE KILLER’S ROADTRIP ACROSS COUNTRY STILL BRINGS THE CHILLS OVER A DECADE LATER
November 23, 2013
A proper review will come soon...
Until I get it written, here's a few thoughts -
I really enjoyed this book :) even better than the one of Bryan Smith's that I read just before this, (The Dark Ones) and that was pretty good, too!
What I enjoyed the most was that it could be real. Could have happened as I read it, might happen tomorrow. Point is - the only monsters are the human kind. The Killing Kind. I admit, seeing things through my eyes might give normal people nightmares, but Roxie is a bad-ass (she's also batshit crazy with a fetish for murder) and I was rooting for her all the way. A hot little 'goth chick' on a spree with a purpose, taking out anyone who gets in her way. Or anyone who looks at her sideways.
She's not the only killer on the run in this book. Great 'side stories', with everything & everyone coming together in the end.
Violent, torture, rape, murder, a touch of necrophilia with a severed head... fun times to be had by all!
I had a hard time choosing what to read next, because I want more of the same kind of story! (I picked BORN TO BLEED if you're interested.) I also watched AMERICAN MARY on Netflix the night I finished, and was very happy. It has my girl-crush from Ginger Snaps with a Roxie kind of look... excellent movie. Catch it, and tell me if you love it!!
P, L, & N <3
~sg
Until I get it written, here's a few thoughts -
I really enjoyed this book :) even better than the one of Bryan Smith's that I read just before this, (The Dark Ones) and that was pretty good, too!
What I enjoyed the most was that it could be real. Could have happened as I read it, might happen tomorrow. Point is - the only monsters are the human kind. The Killing Kind. I admit, seeing things through my eyes might give normal people nightmares, but Roxie is a bad-ass (she's also batshit crazy with a fetish for murder) and I was rooting for her all the way. A hot little 'goth chick' on a spree with a purpose, taking out anyone who gets in her way. Or anyone who looks at her sideways.
She's not the only killer on the run in this book. Great 'side stories', with everything & everyone coming together in the end.
Violent, torture, rape, murder, a touch of necrophilia with a severed head... fun times to be had by all!
I had a hard time choosing what to read next, because I want more of the same kind of story! (I picked BORN TO BLEED if you're interested.) I also watched AMERICAN MARY on Netflix the night I finished, and was very happy. It has my girl-crush from Ginger Snaps with a Roxie kind of look... excellent movie. Catch it, and tell me if you love it!!
P, L, & N <3
~sg
March 31, 2011
Bryan smith can come across as a disturbed individual. This is fortunate for those of us who are huge fans of his madness.
March 21, 2017
This was very cinematographic. Easy to imagine as a movie. Actually, it reminded me a bunch of movies - a motif from here, a scene from there. Another thing is that you usually spend an hour and a half watching a movie versus eight or so hours reading a book. Was it a bit too long? Maybe.
But I did like it. There were unexpected turns, and pleasantly anticipated turns, and cynicism deliciously prevailed over romantic. There were no good guys and even those very few who were supposed to be "good" (Zoe, Annelisa) were unlikable as fyck. Okay, I think I maybe liked Chuck somewhat, even though he was behaving like a bumbling horror movie character during the final fight.
I didn't like Roxie, or Rob, or Julie, or Emily... huh, you can say I'm not supposed to like them. But isn't it an integral part of fun when reading books like that: being charmed with evil, happily going on the ride with it? I've read in another review about a possibility of a sequel - and I'm not sure I'm all that excited about it. There is no character here I would like to read more about. There's something keeping me from giving this book five stars and saying I enjoyed it as much as I usually do with splatterpunk. I dunno; maybe I just don't like YA/NA books in any genre - or rather, I don't like YA/NA books that make me think about them as such, and The Killing Kind did.
But the story was fun, and it kept rolling until everything was covered. I enjoyed it.
But I did like it. There were unexpected turns, and pleasantly anticipated turns, and cynicism deliciously prevailed over romantic. There were no good guys and even those very few who were supposed to be "good" (Zoe, Annelisa) were unlikable as fyck. Okay, I think I maybe liked Chuck somewhat, even though he was behaving like a bumbling horror movie character during the final fight.
I didn't like Roxie, or Rob, or Julie, or Emily... huh, you can say I'm not supposed to like them. But isn't it an integral part of fun when reading books like that: being charmed with evil, happily going on the ride with it? I've read in another review about a possibility of a sequel - and I'm not sure I'm all that excited about it. There is no character here I would like to read more about. There's something keeping me from giving this book five stars and saying I enjoyed it as much as I usually do with splatterpunk. I dunno; maybe I just don't like YA/NA books in any genre - or rather, I don't like YA/NA books that make me think about them as such, and The Killing Kind did.
But the story was fun, and it kept rolling until everything was covered. I enjoyed it.
May 12, 2012
The youth is wasted on the young indeed. Appalingly selfish self absorbed nihilistic oversexed and plain demented youngsters have sex with and torture/murder each other in a variety of creative ways. This is a no brainer, almost no particularly sympathetic characters no deeper meaning, no hidden metaphors, just a straight up lightning paced slasher. You gotta be in the mood for this sort of thing.But if you are, I recommend it.
May 16, 2025
A darkly disturbing road trip adventure involving a host of psychopaths, lots of killing, drugs on tap and plenty explicit carnal sexual activity. Well, what is there not to like?
A few scenes in all this madness will long be remembered, being genuinely, shockingly horrifying - absolutely terrific, just loved them!
Overall, very enjoyable but lots did seem to happen to the main protagonists in such a short space of time that it did come across as more than a little mind-blowing. Also found it hard to keep up with the amount of times people kept changing their choice of sexual partner, even though most characters were supposed to be close 'friends'. On the plus side, great non-stop action and a conclusion that throughly satisfies.
Finally, the clutch of resident psychos all deserve a special mention - all were thoroughly entertaining, scary as hell and absolutely 'top notch'. They will all long be remembered, won't you Zeb? Just pure, nasty evilness...personified!
Highly recommended to readers of road trip horror that seek and thirst for heaps of wickedly, vile depravity.
A shared read executed with some of the special guys from the HGW (Horror Gore Whores) reading group -as always, thank you kind sirs for your company...it was a blast!
Rating: 4.4 gloriously black stars of outright malicious sinfulness. Fantastic!
A few scenes in all this madness will long be remembered, being genuinely, shockingly horrifying - absolutely terrific, just loved them!
Overall, very enjoyable but lots did seem to happen to the main protagonists in such a short space of time that it did come across as more than a little mind-blowing. Also found it hard to keep up with the amount of times people kept changing their choice of sexual partner, even though most characters were supposed to be close 'friends'. On the plus side, great non-stop action and a conclusion that throughly satisfies.
Finally, the clutch of resident psychos all deserve a special mention - all were thoroughly entertaining, scary as hell and absolutely 'top notch'. They will all long be remembered, won't you Zeb? Just pure, nasty evilness...personified!
Highly recommended to readers of road trip horror that seek and thirst for heaps of wickedly, vile depravity.
A shared read executed with some of the special guys from the HGW (Horror Gore Whores) reading group -as always, thank you kind sirs for your company...it was a blast!
Rating: 4.4 gloriously black stars of outright malicious sinfulness. Fantastic!
April 30, 2014
oh my god, I totally loved this book, really enjoyed it, action all the way through,
May 13, 2025
Buddy read with the HGW Goodreads group. Breezy, fast and action packed murder road trip with some memorable characters. The character "Roxie" was especially fun. Some of the middle section became a little repetitive but otherwise very strong novel with a clear resemblance to some of Richard Laymons stories. In Laymons fashion there are several storylines going on that all end up crashing together in a final showdown in Myrtle Beach. A lot of violence is implied and not always shown though there are some gory scenes in here. Well recommended.
September 10, 2022
OK, but it goes on too long. So long that some of the characters seems to blur into each other. Roxie and Rob tho, they were like Hart to Hart.
June 29, 2011
3 AND 1/2 STARS
This is definitely one of Bryan Smith's better horror novels. Visceral and highly charged, the first half reminded me a lot of the late, great Richard Laymon. Smith focuses on a select group of characters and their rather graphic killing spree, mainly set over a week of rampant slaughter. There are quite a few scenes of violence that will make even most jaded reader uncomfortable. Although most of the characters, on the surface, are not very likable, the female killer, Roxie, is written with meticulous care. The author nicely balances her violent acts with just enough eroticism that you find yourself ashamed to be so attracted to her.
I did feel the motivations for a lot of the killings were questionable, at best. But you can ignore those details because it is clear this book is meant for pure entertainment and to shock and keep the reader, along with the characters, constantly guessing as to what will happen next. One element that hurt the story for me was that the plot was too dependent on coincidence; not a single witness around during the violent outbreaks, people being at the wrong place at exactly the wrong time, and random violence happening outside of the main story arc (the bar beating, etc.). What are the chances all this would happen over the course of a week?
I will admit really enjoying this book until the scene at the Walgreens store, about 60 pages from the end. It was here that I felt the story's reality begin to slip into the absurd and lose a little credibility. Author Smith still manages to tie things up nicely with an effective, if gratuitous, climax. The aftermath seemed a touch pedestrian and rather expected, but, even with its flaws, I can still confidently say this novel remains a very good read.
This is definitely one of Bryan Smith's better horror novels. Visceral and highly charged, the first half reminded me a lot of the late, great Richard Laymon. Smith focuses on a select group of characters and their rather graphic killing spree, mainly set over a week of rampant slaughter. There are quite a few scenes of violence that will make even most jaded reader uncomfortable. Although most of the characters, on the surface, are not very likable, the female killer, Roxie, is written with meticulous care. The author nicely balances her violent acts with just enough eroticism that you find yourself ashamed to be so attracted to her.
I did feel the motivations for a lot of the killings were questionable, at best. But you can ignore those details because it is clear this book is meant for pure entertainment and to shock and keep the reader, along with the characters, constantly guessing as to what will happen next. One element that hurt the story for me was that the plot was too dependent on coincidence; not a single witness around during the violent outbreaks, people being at the wrong place at exactly the wrong time, and random violence happening outside of the main story arc (the bar beating, etc.). What are the chances all this would happen over the course of a week?
I will admit really enjoying this book until the scene at the Walgreens store, about 60 pages from the end. It was here that I felt the story's reality begin to slip into the absurd and lose a little credibility. Author Smith still manages to tie things up nicely with an effective, if gratuitous, climax. The aftermath seemed a touch pedestrian and rather expected, but, even with its flaws, I can still confidently say this novel remains a very good read.
July 7, 2010
Bryan Smith serves up his most unapologetically gruesome, sleazy, disgusting book yet with 'The Killing Kind'. You can probably tell from the opening sentence of my review that Smith's books aren't for everyone. If you are a horror fan with a billy-goatish constitution you will most likely be able to handle this book, and if you're twisted as hell to boot, you might enjoy it. This is one, dark, nasty book that starts at a gallop and then races into a sprint. I would rate it higher, but I thought the ending was a bit of a letdown. I wouldn't want to give anything away, but I felt one of the major plot twists towards the end was kind of corny. There were a few other things about the ending I didn't like, as well. That said, this book is recommended for hardcore horror fans. As a hardened horror fan myself, I was even amazed at just how disgusting this book is. Smith really lays it on thick here. If you like Bryan Smith, or just extra pulpy horror in general, pick this book up.
July 24, 2013
I don't understand how this has a 4.10 average rating.
It wasn't much of a horror novel, it was more like bad smut.
This was my first Bryan Smith novel and, judging from other reviews, it is one of his best. If that's true than I don't think I'll be reading more of his books.
It wasn't much of a horror novel, it was more like bad smut.
This was my first Bryan Smith novel and, judging from other reviews, it is one of his best. If that's true than I don't think I'll be reading more of his books.
November 17, 2016
Classic bryan smith, just what I was in the mood for! Narration on audible was terrible though.
August 24, 2012
Zum Buch
Rob steht gerade an der Tankstelle um seinen Chevrolet vollzutanken als er Roxie sieht. Ein Gothic Girl auf der anderen Straßenseite, die auch noch genau auf ihn zusteuert. Während sie vorhat ihn zu entführen, ist er zu sehr in Gedanken und merkt daher nicht, welche Gefahr ihm droht. Erst als sie ihm eine Pistole in die Rippen drückt, wird ihm klar, was geschieht.
Mit Handschellen ans Lenkrad gefesselt, starten sie ihre skurrile Tour nach Myrtal Beach.
Zeitgleich ist eine Gruppe Jugendlicher unterwegs. Einer von ihnen ist dem Gothic Girl in einem Supermarkt begegnet und hat sie dumm von der Seite angemacht. Die Gruppe setzt ihre Reise nach Myrtal Beach fort und ahnt nicht, dass ihnen bald ein bekanntes Gesicht ganz dicht auf den Fersen ist.
Auch liest man die Geschichte vom Serienkiller-Duo Zeb und Clyde, die wahllos Opfer abschlachten und sie nach ihrem Tod sexuell Missbrauchen. Als Julie, die Babysitterin der von dem Duo ermordeten Familie, die beiden Killer dabei erwischt, wie diese sich an der Familie vergehen, keimen ungeahnte Gedanken und Gefühle in ihrem Kopf auf.
Wird Rob den Horrortrip mit Roxie überleben? Was passiert mit den Jugendlichen und erreichen sie Myrtal Beach? Welche Gedanken sind es, die Julie durch den Kopf gehen und was passiert mit ihr?
Meine Meinung
In diesem Buch ist genau das drin, was draufsteht. Nämlich Horror vom Anfang bis zum Ende! Bis auf ein paar kleine Verschnaufpausen, ist das Buch voller Szenen der Quälerei und Grausamkeiten. Allerdings im positiven Sinne, denn die Szenen sind teilweise so detailliert erzählt, dass ich (wie erhofft) eine Gänsehaut bekommen habe.
Durch den Schreibstil des Autors konnte ich mir die Szenen bildlich vorstellen, was meinem Magen ehrlich gesagt manchmal gar nicht so gut getan hat. Man lernt die grausamste Seite des Menschen auf eine realistische Art und Weise kennen und ich bin überzeugt, dass es auf der Welt wirklich so kranke Menschen gibt. Der Rahmen der Story, nämlich das alle Darsteller (aus verschiedenen Gründen) auf dem Weg nach Myrtal Beach sind, ist eher schlicht, doch durch die kaum abreißende Spannung störte mich das kein bisschen. Ganz im Gegenteil, denn wenn die Story umfangreicher gewesen wäre, hätte ich sicherlich Schwierigkeiten bekommen, alles nachzuvollziehen.
Was mir nicht so gut gefallen hat, ist die Szene, nachdem Roxie auf Zeb getroffen ist. Julie, seine „Begleitung“, ist nach dem Kampf widerspruchslos mit Rob und Roxie mitgefahren. An dieser Stelle im Buch, hatte ich noch einen Kampf zwischen den Frauen erwartet, da Julie ja zu dem Zeitpunkt bereits ihren „Spaß“ am Morden gefunden hatte. Ein weiterer kleiner Kritikpunkt ist, dass das Ende vorhersehbar war. Ich wusste eigentlich schon 20 Seiten vor dem Ende wie es ausgeht. Da hätte ich mir noch einen kleinen Kick gewünscht.
Dieses Buch ist auf jeden Fall nichts für Personen mit schwachen Nerven (und schwachem Magen). Aber alle die Horror mögen, werden meiner Meinung nach mit diesem Buch eine richtige Wahl treffen.
Copyright © 2012 by Rebecca Humpert
Rob steht gerade an der Tankstelle um seinen Chevrolet vollzutanken als er Roxie sieht. Ein Gothic Girl auf der anderen Straßenseite, die auch noch genau auf ihn zusteuert. Während sie vorhat ihn zu entführen, ist er zu sehr in Gedanken und merkt daher nicht, welche Gefahr ihm droht. Erst als sie ihm eine Pistole in die Rippen drückt, wird ihm klar, was geschieht.
Mit Handschellen ans Lenkrad gefesselt, starten sie ihre skurrile Tour nach Myrtal Beach.
Zeitgleich ist eine Gruppe Jugendlicher unterwegs. Einer von ihnen ist dem Gothic Girl in einem Supermarkt begegnet und hat sie dumm von der Seite angemacht. Die Gruppe setzt ihre Reise nach Myrtal Beach fort und ahnt nicht, dass ihnen bald ein bekanntes Gesicht ganz dicht auf den Fersen ist.
Auch liest man die Geschichte vom Serienkiller-Duo Zeb und Clyde, die wahllos Opfer abschlachten und sie nach ihrem Tod sexuell Missbrauchen. Als Julie, die Babysitterin der von dem Duo ermordeten Familie, die beiden Killer dabei erwischt, wie diese sich an der Familie vergehen, keimen ungeahnte Gedanken und Gefühle in ihrem Kopf auf.
Wird Rob den Horrortrip mit Roxie überleben? Was passiert mit den Jugendlichen und erreichen sie Myrtal Beach? Welche Gedanken sind es, die Julie durch den Kopf gehen und was passiert mit ihr?
Meine Meinung
In diesem Buch ist genau das drin, was draufsteht. Nämlich Horror vom Anfang bis zum Ende! Bis auf ein paar kleine Verschnaufpausen, ist das Buch voller Szenen der Quälerei und Grausamkeiten. Allerdings im positiven Sinne, denn die Szenen sind teilweise so detailliert erzählt, dass ich (wie erhofft) eine Gänsehaut bekommen habe.
Durch den Schreibstil des Autors konnte ich mir die Szenen bildlich vorstellen, was meinem Magen ehrlich gesagt manchmal gar nicht so gut getan hat. Man lernt die grausamste Seite des Menschen auf eine realistische Art und Weise kennen und ich bin überzeugt, dass es auf der Welt wirklich so kranke Menschen gibt. Der Rahmen der Story, nämlich das alle Darsteller (aus verschiedenen Gründen) auf dem Weg nach Myrtal Beach sind, ist eher schlicht, doch durch die kaum abreißende Spannung störte mich das kein bisschen. Ganz im Gegenteil, denn wenn die Story umfangreicher gewesen wäre, hätte ich sicherlich Schwierigkeiten bekommen, alles nachzuvollziehen.
Was mir nicht so gut gefallen hat, ist die Szene, nachdem Roxie auf Zeb getroffen ist. Julie, seine „Begleitung“, ist nach dem Kampf widerspruchslos mit Rob und Roxie mitgefahren. An dieser Stelle im Buch, hatte ich noch einen Kampf zwischen den Frauen erwartet, da Julie ja zu dem Zeitpunkt bereits ihren „Spaß“ am Morden gefunden hatte. Ein weiterer kleiner Kritikpunkt ist, dass das Ende vorhersehbar war. Ich wusste eigentlich schon 20 Seiten vor dem Ende wie es ausgeht. Da hätte ich mir noch einen kleinen Kick gewünscht.
Dieses Buch ist auf jeden Fall nichts für Personen mit schwachen Nerven (und schwachem Magen). Aber alle die Horror mögen, werden meiner Meinung nach mit diesem Buch eine richtige Wahl treffen.
Copyright © 2012 by Rebecca Humpert
October 15, 2010
Rob Scott has a penchant for the bad girl, goth-type ... and he has just seen the woman of his dreams. A dark angel fallen from the heavens saunters towards him as he pumps gas on another mundane day in an equally mundane life. It’s too good to be true…until she pulls the gun, presses it against his belly and turns his life and his future upside down.
Six very spoiled rich kids, on a road trip to a beach vacation with not a care in the world are about to learn that they have a predestined date with Rob and his new found 'friend', Roxie. The result is a bloody collision course that leaves no one unscathed.
Bryan Smith writes bad girls like nobody's business. In a genre where women all too often are the victims of the murderous psychopaths, Bryan introduces you to a new generation of the female in ultimate control. This is one of Bryan's best yet, and it is guaranteed to have you frantically turning pages until late in the night to see what insanity lies around the next corner. Highly recommended.
Contains: Rape, explicit gore, explicit language
Review by: Rhonda Walton
We have a second look at The Killing Kind by a second Rhonda, here is Rhonda Wilson's take on Bryan Smith's book.
Rob Scott thought he was having a typical day, pumping gas at the local Kwik Mart, until Roxie, the goth chick he was ogling from across the street decides to hijack both him and his car for a psychotic road trip to Myrtle Beach in order to hunt down a group of rich college kids that happened to have made fun of the wrong girl that day. Of course, Rob would be lucky if Roxie were the least of his worries. Unfortunately, she’s not the ONLY psychopath out there nowadays and she’s even in for a few surprises along the way as they head towards the beach.
Known for his fast-paced and gory storylines, Bryan Smith doesn’t disappoint his fans with this madcap road trip adventure. Filled with psycho hillbillies with a few mental instabilities, insane chicks, snobby co-eds, and even a good ol’ boy, Smith sets the scene for ANYTHING to happen! Anything you think WON’T happen, does, and anything you think WILL happen, for the most part, doesn’t. The Killing Kind is one surprise after another and leaves the reader both cringing and peeking through their fingers, not wanting to miss what is going to happen next. Highly recommended to any horror fans that can handle the nastiness which comes with a gory novel.
Contains: Adult language, Adult Situations, Sex, Violence, Gore
Review by Rhonda Wilson
Six very spoiled rich kids, on a road trip to a beach vacation with not a care in the world are about to learn that they have a predestined date with Rob and his new found 'friend', Roxie. The result is a bloody collision course that leaves no one unscathed.
Bryan Smith writes bad girls like nobody's business. In a genre where women all too often are the victims of the murderous psychopaths, Bryan introduces you to a new generation of the female in ultimate control. This is one of Bryan's best yet, and it is guaranteed to have you frantically turning pages until late in the night to see what insanity lies around the next corner. Highly recommended.
Contains: Rape, explicit gore, explicit language
Review by: Rhonda Walton
We have a second look at The Killing Kind by a second Rhonda, here is Rhonda Wilson's take on Bryan Smith's book.
Rob Scott thought he was having a typical day, pumping gas at the local Kwik Mart, until Roxie, the goth chick he was ogling from across the street decides to hijack both him and his car for a psychotic road trip to Myrtle Beach in order to hunt down a group of rich college kids that happened to have made fun of the wrong girl that day. Of course, Rob would be lucky if Roxie were the least of his worries. Unfortunately, she’s not the ONLY psychopath out there nowadays and she’s even in for a few surprises along the way as they head towards the beach.
Known for his fast-paced and gory storylines, Bryan Smith doesn’t disappoint his fans with this madcap road trip adventure. Filled with psycho hillbillies with a few mental instabilities, insane chicks, snobby co-eds, and even a good ol’ boy, Smith sets the scene for ANYTHING to happen! Anything you think WON’T happen, does, and anything you think WILL happen, for the most part, doesn’t. The Killing Kind is one surprise after another and leaves the reader both cringing and peeking through their fingers, not wanting to miss what is going to happen next. Highly recommended to any horror fans that can handle the nastiness which comes with a gory novel.
Contains: Adult language, Adult Situations, Sex, Violence, Gore
Review by Rhonda Wilson
October 27, 2011
Without putting a value judgment on this, I think this book definitely falls in the exploitation category. It's the kind of book that you feel like you shouldn't enjoy, yet you can't stop reading it because it's so morbidly compelling. Now, to return to the comment about the "exploitation" label, whether intentionally or not, I think exploitation fiction/movies in general provide their own unique kind of insights. These works exist because people like them. And I don't think (most) people like them out of misanthropy or lack of compassion for others, either. In school, I once commented to a professor that German studies people tend strongly toward an interest in dark or morbid things. I asked him his opinion on why that might be, and he said, "Because they're honest people." It was, of course, a semi-facetious and consciously reductive comment, but I think there's something to it. Things like death, the id, and violence are universally interesting topics, but I think we often avoid them because they're unpleasant (which is, of course, an understandable course of action). Because most of the history of what is now Germany was brutal and shitty, German literature has a much higher than average focus on themes like death and violence. (Goethe's "Erlkönig"? About a child dying. The Grimms' fairy tales? Abusive stepparents and lots of people dying and/or being tortured. Kleist? Unbelievably violent - the body count in his stuff rivals a George Romero movie.) They're legitimate, important themes. And being interested in them doesn't mean you would ever actually be eager to commit violence against someone in real life.
Now, the book at hand approaches these themes in a significantly more lowbrow mode. But even that serves a purpose - it makes you think about why this stuff is so compelling, and whether it's compelling because you're perverse and deviant, or because it's natural to be interested in this sort of thing.
In addition, the whole "What does a person's behavior in a life-threatening situation reveal about their character?" thing isn't new, but it interests me, at least, anyway.
Now, the book at hand approaches these themes in a significantly more lowbrow mode. But even that serves a purpose - it makes you think about why this stuff is so compelling, and whether it's compelling because you're perverse and deviant, or because it's natural to be interested in this sort of thing.
In addition, the whole "What does a person's behavior in a life-threatening situation reveal about their character?" thing isn't new, but it interests me, at least, anyway.
October 1, 2013
The Killing Kind is a difficult one to review. I really liked some of the ideas here, but in contrast, other aspects didn't quite grab me. For instance, the concept of "Lulu" was intriguing and could easily have been expanded into a book of its own. But I struggled with not having a single character - at least initially - to identify with, since almost everyone here seems to be a killer, a wimp, or overly mean and horrible when it comes to their supposed friends. In fact, this aspect reminded me of some of Richard Laymon's works, where seemingly every character introduced has a nasty, darker side lurking just beneath their seemingly normal exterior. The not-identifying made the opening third a bit of a struggle to wade through, but I persisted, knowing Bryan Smith would bring it together in some inventive way ... and did he ever.
For fear of spoilers, I won't go into specifics here. But there were two twists that I didn't see coming which I really enjoyed, and the disparate threads converging for the gory final act was handled well. Mostly though, I like Smith's writing style. His words fly off the page for me and I blasted through the final two-thirds of this in a little over 24 hours.
Recommended for fans of Smith or hardcore horror who don't mind an unlikeable cast of protagonists getting put through the grinder (err, not quite literally - just in case you were wondering).
3.5 Shrieking Victims for The Killing Kind.
For fear of spoilers, I won't go into specifics here. But there were two twists that I didn't see coming which I really enjoyed, and the disparate threads converging for the gory final act was handled well. Mostly though, I like Smith's writing style. His words fly off the page for me and I blasted through the final two-thirds of this in a little over 24 hours.
Recommended for fans of Smith or hardcore horror who don't mind an unlikeable cast of protagonists getting put through the grinder (err, not quite literally - just in case you were wondering).
3.5 Shrieking Victims for The Killing Kind.
August 29, 2014
This book was not what I was expecting at all; it made me feel dirty, it made me sick, and honestly I wouldn't recommend it to anyone unless they have a really strong stomach and a love for feeling first person murder. *shudder* definitely wasn't for me
March 29, 2015
Interesting road trip involving a female serial killer and her path of destruction. A little confusing at times, but a good solid read once the dust settles and the blood dries. Not for the squeamish. Highly recommended.
July 11, 2013
Non-stop action mixed with a strong narrative certainly make THE KILLING KIND a cool ride. I look forward to reading more of his work.
May 31, 2017
Definitely recommend this to any fans of Richard Laymon. Bryan Smith definitely nails the whole "this is so freaking disturbing, but I can't stop reading" thing. Love it!
March 24, 2024
So I'm a little conflicted with this one. I love Smith's work, but the characters in this one were too difficult for me to get into. None of them were likeable. None of them had anything in them I could easily identify with. I couldn't root for any of them. Even Zoe? Yes, even Zoe. She suffers the exact same thing everyone else in this book suffers from: an inability to stand up for themselves and say no to their own weaknesses. Inability, not hey, I want to say no and I sometimes do but I just didn't do it this one time. Oddly, the only one this doesn't apply to is Roxie, who never lies about who she is and doesn't change herself to fit others' viewpoints. But she's still an awful person.
Ordinarily I wouldn't be into this kind of story, but I think the point of the book is that a lot of people think they don't have killing in them actually do. They just haven't been driven to the extremes that would reveal that. And there are a lot of extremes in this book. Kind of like Joker in The Killing Joke saying that everyone is one bad day away from being him.
The deaths are fun, even though the one person I wanted to die did not. Some characters had a few surprises in them near the end, like one of these insufferable people suddenly develops a backbone and realizes that giving just an inch to the killers means that your own death is that much more impending. And there was even a surprise from Roxie near the end. Not the epilogue, although the epilogue is pretty funny in some ways. And just when you think you've found a sympathetic character, it turns out that this character is awful, too.
I prefer it when characters I love, identify with or feel for get killed in fiction, and none of these characters apply. It was still fun, though.
Ordinarily I wouldn't be into this kind of story, but I think the point of the book is that a lot of people think they don't have killing in them actually do. They just haven't been driven to the extremes that would reveal that. And there are a lot of extremes in this book. Kind of like Joker in The Killing Joke saying that everyone is one bad day away from being him.
The deaths are fun, even though the one person I wanted to die did not. Some characters had a few surprises in them near the end, like one of these insufferable people suddenly develops a backbone and realizes that giving just an inch to the killers means that your own death is that much more impending. And there was even a surprise from Roxie near the end. Not the epilogue, although the epilogue is pretty funny in some ways. And just when you think you've found a sympathetic character, it turns out that this character is awful, too.
I prefer it when characters I love, identify with or feel for get killed in fiction, and none of these characters apply. It was still fun, though.
November 21, 2018
I know I've read a few of Bryan Smith's other books when Dorchester paperbacks still existed. I knew what to expect with the depravity and gore stuff. This one started off really strong, as Rob gets kidnapped by Roxie and is forced to follow a group of snotty college kids to some rich dad's cabin in Myrtle Beach. She has a gun and a knife and people on the road get killed. In music you have the theory of dynamics, with crescendos and diminuendos. In this book everything is turned to 10, it's all fortissimo, which quickly becomes static. Everything is batshit crazy and hyperviolent without any dynamics. This means that tension and suspense are lost in the din. The writing is fine, the dialog is fine, the scenes are described well, but the heartbeat of the plot is missing. There are no arcs to any of the characters. They run into the book, kill each other and screw each other and torture each other and then it's over, with a sequel around the bend.
October 15, 2024
I wasn't sure how the different stories of killing came together until the end. This is a pretty quick read with some very shady characters. There's alot of killing happening in these pages. Rob is taken hostage by Roxie and learns a new path in life. Julie is running away from home looking to experiment with her urges. The group of friends going to Myrtle Beach just want to have some fun and sleep with each other until one of them doesn't. Mix in a couple insane guys who just kill at will and you get a very bloody soup of carnage. It took me 3 nights to read this book and never once had an issue with it keeping my attention. My only compliant was I'd get tired and couldn't keep reading.
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