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The Lost
 
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The Lost (Mass Market Paperback)

by Jack Ketchum (Author)
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)

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2 new from CDN$ 38.18 20 used from CDN$ 2.98

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Product Details


Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

This prose equivalent of an X-rated slasher flick is the sort of nasty book that gives horror a bad name which is a pity, since Ketchum (the pseudonym of Dallas Mayr) writes with genuine skill; he knows precisely what he wants and can manipulate his readers as easily as he does his characters. Ketchum's 1996 novel, The Girl Next Door, gained him deserved fame and notoriety. Its subtext of inhumanity on a larger, national scale beyond that of the novel's punk protagonists was felt, and gave an unpleasant story a special significance. In subsequent books, such as 1999's The Right to Life, the subtext has all but vanished, while the violence level has gone way up. Take the prologue to the present novel. In June 1965, in the northwest New Jersey lakes area, sick teenager Ray Pye satisfies his need for a new thrill by shooting two young women campers because they appear to be "lesbos." ("The one still standing had given him a clean head-shot and he'd taken her out with a single shot to the eye.") The police suspect Ray committed the crime, leaving one victim dead and the other on life support, but can't prove his guilt. Retribution comes four years later. After a m‚lange of sex, drugs, foul language and every clich‚ associated with human weakness as well as the Vietnam War era, a host of relentlessly wafer-thin characters die in a climactic maelstrom of blood. Ketchum pulls in the Manson-Tate murders in an attempt at relevance, allowing one of the more sensitive characters to muse, "basically, the world sucked." That's about as deep as this book gets.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.


From the Publisher

It was the summer of 1965. Ray, Tim, and Jennifer were just three teenage friends hanging out in the campgrounds, drinking a little. But Tim and Jennifer didn't know what their friend Ray had in mind. And if they'd known, they wouldn't have thought he was serious. Then they saw what he did to the two girls at the neighboring campsite--and knew he was dead serious.

Four years later, the 60s were drawing to a close. No one ever charged Ray with the murders in the campgrounds, but there was one cop determined to make him pay. Ray figured he was in the clear. Tim and Jennifer thought the worst was behind them, that the horrors were all in the past. They were wrong. The worst was yet to come.


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Customer Reviews

30 Reviews
5 star:
 (12)
4 star:
 (11)
3 star:
 (3)
2 star:
 (3)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.0 out of 5 stars (30 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most helpful customer reviews

 
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Misleading Marketing, Feb 12 2004
By J. R Weaver "A simple man." (SF, CA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Disquieting. Uncomfortable. Honest.

Those are the three words I think best sum up this novel. I'd never read anything by Ketchum before and was hesitant to shell out [money] for an unknown quantity, but I'm very glad I did.

The book centers around the inhabitants of a sleepy New Jersey town in the summer of 1969. You've got Ray Pye, an unconvicted sociopathic murderer. There's Tim and Jennifer, his unhappy lackeys. There's Schilling, the cop who knows Ray killed two girls in a park four years ago, but can't prove it. And Katherine, the new girl in town, strangely fascinated by Ray.

The Lost is an especially apt title. Every character, from the afore-mentioned leading cast, right down to the supporting characters, is lacking one essential: happiness. Now, that makes the book seem like a tedious bore that you might use to prep yourself to commit suicide, but trust me, The Lost is excellent.

Ketchum makes you feel and understand every character's motivations and emotions, including Ray (one of the 'best' villains I've seen). Every character is well-drawn; while you may not like some of them much (I know I didn't), you'll definitely see where each one is coming from.

The ending is suitably bittersweet and has a well-measured dose of poetic justice. My only gripe with the book is the marketing. The Lost is not really a horror novel; the closest I can come to describing it is to call it a pyschological thriller, but even that doesn't sum it up. Despite a previous reviewer's comments, there is very little graphic description of violence or sex; what there is, is essential, in my opinion, to the telling of the story.

Highly recommended.

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2.0 out of 5 stars Booooring, Oct 28 2003
By Ryan Thomas "Magazine Editor" (San Diego, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
After the energy of Off Season, anything is bound to be a dissapointment, but this is just boring. I didn't care about the characters, except maybe the cat, the writing is typically conventional, the plot was weak, I wouldn't say there's a whole lot of developmet going on--i certainly didn't buy that the "bad guy" would kill people because he got turned down for a date and isn't as tall as he'd like to be--and i really had to struggle to finish it. It starts well, and ends well, but if you're like me, and want to read this because you like ketchum and/or horror stories just read the beginnign and then skip to the end because a whole bunch of nothing happens inbetween. If you're interested in character development and loss of inocence, read The Bottoms by Joe Lansdale.
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5.0 out of 5 stars He never disappoints, Oct 4 2003
By b b (Alberta Canada) - See all my reviews
This is the 3rd novel I've read by him, and I must say that he never disappoints me. He's just as good as, if not even a bit better than, Stephen King, James A Moore, Richard Laymon, and Simon Clark.
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Most recent customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars engrossing
I just wanna strangle Ray, and give Jen a good boot in the ass.
Published on Sep 30 2003

4.0 out of 5 stars Summer of 69'
Jack Ketchum is known to many as one who writes from the gut and pulls no punches. This statement definitely applies to "The Lost"

The opening chapter is set in 1965 when 3... Read more

Published on Jun 7 2003 by Matthew King

4.0 out of 5 stars Better than it sounds
I won't go into the plot or story line , there are plenty of other reviews that do that, I'll just say that this is a very good book. Read more
Published on May 12 2003 by Kenneth Epstein

4.0 out of 5 stars It wasn't trully horror, but it was a nice book.
This book is about a young male named Ray, who basically has friends name Tim and Jennifer (who he is sleeping with)who are afraid of him because of the murders that he did in the... Read more
Published on April 1 2003 by Phadra Elana Lewis

4.0 out of 5 stars Honest Review
What made me notice this book was simply its title, ive never read anything by him but i decided to pick this one up, he is amazing in making you see and know the characters. Read more
Published on Mar 28 2003

5.0 out of 5 stars The Ray not Associated with Light
The reality of the world is stark and cold, and especially so when witnessed as Ray Pye sees it. In fact, according to him, its doing what one wants to do, what one likes to do,... Read more
Published on Mar 13 2003 by TastyBabySyndrome

4.0 out of 5 stars First time Ketchum reader fascinated....
by this writer's skillful prose about three friends who are involved in a murder in the 1960's.

Ketchum displays solid storytelling ability with an ability to shock and dismay... Read more

Published on Nov 21 2002 by Darren Jacks

3.0 out of 5 stars Uneven Thriller
I was excited to read this Bram Stoker Nominee by Jack Ketchum. This is my first time reading this author and although I was slightly disappointed, I will give his work another... Read more
Published on Oct 13 2002 by William M Miller

4.0 out of 5 stars Ketchum Does Suspense, Too
After having read several Jack Ketchum books recently, I've finally discovered the secret to his success; he opens a book about true-life serial killers, picks out some psycho,... Read more
Published on Sep 20 2002 by Jeffrey Leach

3.0 out of 5 stars If you're looking for a horror book, skip this one
Though 'The Lost' was listed under horror, its catagory should actually be suspense or thriller.
I gave it three stars because the story kept my interest to a degree, but Mr... Read more
Published on Jun 19 2002 by Toni R. Tippin

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