Pressure

Pressure, Jeff Strand. Earthling Publications, 2006. Limited 150. For a limited, this book is what you'd expect. It's attractive and sturdy. As for the novel, the writing is clear, precise, and nothing is wasted. The characters are thoroughly developed (those that count) and the dialogue is exceptional. The plot is driven by a device very similar to the serial killer terror seen in movies like Saw and Saw 2, where people are "pressured" into committing actions that contradict their (and, assumedly, the readers') conscience, forcing a moral dilemma. Strand does this to great effect, too. Best of all, the author takes it one step further and elaborates on the serial killer's intentions, making him into a rather sympathetic mentor to the protagonist. Only two things jumped out as troubling to my ever-pickiness. The tale is narrated through the protagonist in first person and, though it is handled well, the very consistency of the voice stands out because the initial third of the novel is from the protagonist's twelve year-old's perspective. At one point, the twelve year-old notes the irony of locking a quadriplegic in a padded cell. The tone is simply too mature for a child. Later, the voice is spot on. My only other complaint concerns the ease with which a video tape is accepted and played over public television without regard to police procedure etc. Seems shy of credible that a tape would be aired so swiftly without any evidence or investigation or whatever the hell cops/investigators do when a nut job sends a video tape to them. Aside from those two gripes, this was an exciting and devillishly impressive novel.