Dynamic, gripping, and wonderfully sinister, The Rat Lab King and Other Stories by new author Doug Alderman is an intriguing look at some dark and unusual characters and situations. This debut collection includes eleven pieces of short fiction with titles such as “Death Lake,” “The Twenty-First Century Maecenas,” and “The Hazards of Social Psychology Research.” Alderman’s stories have more twists and sucker punches than a lightweight prizefight. In one tale, a man vacationing at a resort lake with his wife encounters another man who may be trying to kill him. In another, a starving writer finds an eccentric patroness, and in still another, a young woman is stalked by a psychotic geek. The title story shows how a biological psychology professor is king of his rat lab, but a pawn in an indifferent and hostile society. Not to be missed, this compilation is rewarding on a number of levels, especially the author’s knack to enthrall and disturb his readers.
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