HEART-SHAPED BOX

by Joe Hill

ISBN-10: 006114794X

ISBN-13: 978-0061147944

published by Harper

reviewed by Adam Armstrong

04.06.2008

Like father, like son? In some ways…

Jude Coyne is settling into retirement from his days as the head of a heavy metal band. Jude started collecting macabre things in recent years: a noose used to hang a man, a snuff film from Mexico, and a cookbook for cannibals. When his assistant finds a ghost for sale on an ebay clone, Jude can’t resist. He begins to regret his purchase when he finds that the suit of the dead man he purchased really is haunted by the dead man’s ghost. It’s not just any ghost either; it’s a ghost that knows Jude and wants to see him dead.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from the son of Stephen King. Apples sometimes do fall far from the tree, not in this case. Joe Hill has captured his father’s ability to create realistic characters the reader can feel for. However, he has found an updated and slightly different style than his father. For a debut novel, this book is extremely impressive. The level of suspense is held high and runs constant throughout. Hill does an excellent job of keeping you reading way later than you planned.

I can’t wait to see what he comes out with next: 5 out of 5

Purchase this book at Amazon.com: Heart-Shaped Box