At a carnival spook ride, young women vanish, never to be seen again. On a dark Texas road, women disappear after being stranded and then saved by friendly Texans. Alice is one of the women who have been shackled and hand cuffed in a basement where she and her new friends are tortured physically and emotionally to force them into compliance with their new family. Deciding to fight the brainwashing and misery, Alice uses her own smarts to hold on to her sanity, but as her friends go upstairs with the men and never return, she is forced to concede that she might not make it out alive. While the rapes, mutilation, and beatings are bad, Alice discovers that there is something far worse awaiting her. As a tribute to the writing of Richard Laymon, Alice and Friends is the story of human survival, the depth of insanity, and festering secrets. If you think you know what's going on with Alice, you had better guess again because even Alice is finding out secrets about herself...ones that mean the difference between saving herself and vanishing into nothingness. (note from author)Alice is a highly unusual novel. I somehow touched a few genres. There is a mystery here for sure, a psychological aspect (okay, it's chilling, who are we kidding), blatant horror, a cannibal or two, family ties, a nod to horror master Richard Laymon, a snicker and hint about the Z is for Zombie series (but is not part of the series at all but fans of the series will find a HUGE clue to the series mysteries embedded in this book) and it's a thriller. I feel this is a book that once you read, you'll want to go back and read again just to see all the clues given all along as to where this was headed. It's a rollercoaster and I never, ever lie, but ummm...well, I may not tell the reader everything up front...hee hee. What is more fun than those first sharp turns and spins on a coaster? It's having them at the end...one after another...wham, wham, wham....blinding speed and plunging falls...and what's at at the end? A slam into an ice cold pool...that's what's fun!I think you'll enjoy this one. What I wrote is terrifying, but what you will think about after you've read it? Much worse. I think you'll be haunted and have chills every time you see a dark road, a smoke house, family photos, a basement. a fair,.....(you get the idea).
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