Pressure

By: Jeff Strand

Narrated by: Scott Thomas

"Marvelously creepy...the horror in this tale of twisted friendship is relentless." (Publishers Weekly)

Alex stared at the red pocketknife shown to him by his daughter. A pocketknife owned by somebody he hadn't seen in years.

Children

They met first in boarding school at age 12. Alex Fletcher, shy and scared. Darren Rust, always furiously scribbling away in a private journal. It was not an immediate friendship, but then one night Darren convinced his roommate to sneak off school grounds to see something glorious. There was a sleazy strip club, you see, and every once in a while the back door opened just long enough to maybe catch a quick glimpse.

Though a bond was formed from their prepubescent interest in naked women, Darren had another interest. A morbid curiosity about death. A curiosity that turned into something much more sinister.

Friends

They crossed paths again in college and became the best of friends. But Darren wasn't just looking for a friend. He had dark, ghastly urges squirming around in his head, and he believed he saw the same things - the urge to hurt, the urge to kill - in Alex. He was looking for somebody who understood. A partner.

But Alex could never become a monster. Not even when Darren tried to bring out his friend's most deeply buried feelings of rage. Not even when Darren tried to show him the euphoria of having that much power over another human being. It just couldn't happen...right?

Enemies

Now Alex has a wife and a daughter. And Darren is back. He's hiding. He's patient. His mind is twisted in the worst possible way.

And he's seeking a soul mate.

©2005 Jeff Strand (P)2016 Scott Thomas

Torturous "Pressure" -indeed, pretty good

Where does Pressure rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

middle of the road, gruesome, well performed

Would you be willing to try another book from Jeff Strand? Why or why not?

yes, good writing, he ran the gammet of someones mind, but story seemed familiar

Which scene was your favorite?

When Darren took Alex to lunch right after they met up again

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

"Don't be that guys friend"

Any additional comments?

I am torn! It was partly predictable, partly torturous, partly hard to swallow but held my attention like a Train wreck. Alex seemed very smart sometimes and very dumb sometimes so it was hard to fathom all that he did. I did like how the author described the characters inner thoughts so well, that made for some humorous and ghastly experience. This audiobook was given by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom.”.

Best Novel in forever!

Jeff Strand is the man. The banter between the characters makes me laugh. The plotting is amazing. Please write more. Big fan here dude!

Twisted!

Jeff Strand writes some absolutely twisted stories. And I mean that in the best way possible. After a childhood infraction, Alex Fletcher’s parents send him off to boarding school…where he meets his three roommates, one of whom ends haunting him, showing up again and again throughout his life, bring with him terror and misery.

It always feels odd, almost wrong, to say I enjoyed a horror novel, even though horror is one of my favorite genres. I mean is it appropriate to ‘enjoy’ something so twisted? And that is exactly what Darren (the kid that becomes Alex’s nemesis) is, very sick and very twisted whose actions are abhorrent, and yet Jeff Strand’s Pressure was totally engaging, dang near mesmerizing…and if I’m honest also mentally exhausting (in a good way). I don’t want to include any spoilers here, but Jeff does a great job of messing with your emotions. And Scott Thomas does a phenomenal job with the narration.

Different from most of his others

I really liked it tho some parts were bit disturbing and quite sad. Was really hoping for different outcome in some parts but it all came together in the end. If you like strand’s work I definitely recommend giving it try. You won’t be disappointed. I was given this audio in exchange for honest and voluntary review.

Amazing!

I was so surprised by how incredible Pressure is, especially because I was hesitant at first to pick this book. I burned through it in a matter of days. It is so well written and captivating right from the start, and it certainly has re-listen value.

The protagonist, Alex, is very relatable because he is just so normal. Darren, the psychopath that relentlessly preys on Alex, is a very disturbing and callous character, and there is a real uneasiness evoked throughout Pressure especially in regards to Darren. I do not want to give any spoilers, but what I can say is that if you love psychological thrillers and stories involving brutal psychopaths, then you should not hesitate to pick up this book. However, Pressure is definitely not for the faint of heart!

As for the narration, I can’t even express how flawless it is. The performance is absolutely outstanding, and I am now a huge fan of Scott Thomas after listening to this one title!

This audiobook was given by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom- Thank you so much! I am sincerely overjoyed to have have had the opportunity to discover this brilliant author along with a remarkably talented narrator!