Whenever I start a Jack Ketchum novel I am quickly reminded of an old Vincent Price commercial from the 1980s for bug zappers. Vincent is sitting on his back porch looking up at the bug zapper in delightful anticipation then he chuckles heartily as a bug meets its fiery fate. That being said ONLY CHILD is a delightfully disturbing novel that takes the reader through the lives of two people, Lydia, a perpetual victim, and Arthur, a chronic abuser. We experience their lives through a variety of actions culminating in their meeting, falling in love, having a child, and suffering divorce with a totally surprising outcome. The book is shear genius!

What is particularly astounding about this book is that it was written in the 1980s and published in Great Britain in 1985. No one in the United States would touch it back then because it was so disturbing.

What made the novel a success in England back then still holds true for today. The book is very disturbing although the subject matter may seem a little dated. Over the years we have become educated to the facts about child abuse and spousal abuse. There have been countless television specials and documentaries about it. Every talk show host has had numerous victims on their shows and, the real problem is that we may have actually become desensitized to the fact that child abuse and spousal abuse is a real problem.

ONLY CHILD brings a sobering reality to that fact. It throws cold water on us to wake us up. It slaps us in the face and cries, "It's still here!"

If you can make it through the disturbing Prologue, you're in for one hell of a violent, twisting, turning, ride that will not only shake you up but may leave you a little queasy inside. You may even feel a tinge of guilt for having experienced this book you may have realized you've seen some of Arthur in someone you know. Read this book, but read it with caution because it is very real. Jack spent a long time doing his research. He got it right, and the sad fact is that his material is still right more than twenty years later.

I give this baby two claws up!

THE BUNKER a film written and directed by Joe Monks. Running time 81 minutes. Available now through Chanting Monks.

THE BUNKER is a disturbing suspense filled movie with a surprise ending that will catch the most vigilant movie fan by surprise. The terror begins when runaway Julia Jennings is abducted by a sadistic mad man who holds her for ransom. Her father, a popular Congressman must weigh the grueling task of running for re-election with bargaining for his daughter's release. Julia, trapped in an underground cell must formulate her own plan of escape during the painfully long negotiations and threat of pending torture. One of the thrills of this movie is not in what happens but in what can happen as the kidnapper, played by Terry West of FLESH FOR THE BEAST fame, formulates his plan to terminate the beautiful Julia. The cast includes newcomer Saskia Gonzalez as Julia and Ron Sheppard and LAW & ORDER SUV's Teresa Vicario as Julia's parents.

For years Joe Monks has thrilled us with books and stories bizarre and diabolical. He even published the short lived but critically acclaimed Zacherley's Midnite Terrors. And the amazing thing about all of this is that Joe is blind. Blindness doesn't stop Joe from telling us stories that frighten and disturb. For Joe blindness is just another way of seeing because you are seeing terror through his eyes and experiencing something new at the same time.

This film comes in regular DVD or deluxe. The deluxe version features a bonus disc about the making of the film and video commentaries by a number of celebrities and Joe's friends. Get the deluxe version. It is a must for anyone who wants to watch a good movie, have nightmares, or simply share a disturbing moment. This baby comes with two claws up!