Title: A Stalker’s Journey
Author: John C. Lukegord
Publisher: John C. Lukegord
ISBN: 978-1490930213
Pages: 108
Genre: Action-Thriller
Reviewed by: Tiffany Ezuma
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Pacific Book Review
With “A Stalker’s Journey,” author John C. Lukegord has created an unforgettable character with Curtis Evan Ware, a sociopath if there ever was one. The book chronicles his attempts to stalk and terrorize his targets.
The action of the book begins in 1983 when Curtis is involved with in a drug robbery gone horribly wrong, and he loses an eye. He’s locked up for a year as a result of the robbery. After he gets out Curtis wanders from his home state of Iowa to Riverside, Maine, the location of most of the book’s action. The novella also jumps forward in time with most of the plot unfolding in the 1990s. In particular, Curtis targets Ace Gordon, a young paperboy he has an obsession with after Ace and his friends broke into a shack on his property.
Lukegord writes in a style that is very straightforward and uncomplicated, which makes the writing easy to digest. The novella comes in at a brisk 108 pages, which is both the story’s blessing and curse. It’s nice that the plot moves forward but a times a reader might want a little more time to let some of Curtis’ actions sink in. Going from event to event so quickly will leave the reader with some unanswered questions.
The novella does contain some graphic scenes of violence, so readers should keep that in mind if they are sensitive to things of that nature. Otherwise, this book will fit nicely into the collection of someone who loves this type of thriller. The cover of the book does a great job letting the reader know what kind of story this is.
This book will appeal to those who like everyday horror—horror that does not come from a supernatural force but rather the inner workings of the human mind. Curtis Evan Ware is an eerie character, which most readers will not be able to identify with but his actions will fascinate them much like a Hannibal Lecter type. The danger with this kind of character is that it is never clear what he will do next, which offers readers a surprise on every page. And Lukegord does not necessarily explain what is going on in the mind of Curtis, which makes everything that much more of a mystery.
