Shackled

by Ray Garton

Book Overview

The true extent of human evil is revealed in this suspenseful thriller in which children are stolen--and sold online Children disappear all the time--but where do they go? While covering a... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0553298917
• ISBN13: 9780553298918
• Release Date: March 1997
• Publisher: Crimeline
• Length: 550 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 4.2" x 6.9"

Customer Reviews

I'd give it 10 stars if I could

I'm a Ray Garton fan from way back, and pick up just about anything with his name on it. I was browsing through the bookstore a few years ago, where the new PBs were, and BAM! I saw this. At firstI thought it was too good to be true-the cool cover, the title-probably a reprint I thought. Nope. I almost dropped the book on he floor and tripped on it in my haste to get to the cashier.I knew this book would be good, since it was Garton, but it exceeded my expectations, and they were high. The books opens with a great scene-a young teenage runaway is in a bus terminal. A very kindly looking older woman talks to her gently, finds out she's run away from home because of abuse, and finally offers her a ride and a place to stay. When she gets in the car with the woman and her husband, she notices something's wrong...there's an upside-down crucifix hanging from the rearview mirror. Not exactly what you want to see when you're getting in a strange car.The plot concerns a group of Satanists (who of course are the ones trolling for runaways) and the main character's involvement with them. One of them has been entangled with them years before; not only was he lucky to escape with his life, but he became an alcoholic he wasso traumatized by what he found out. He's on the wagon now, but when the group and him threaten to cross paths again, you wonder if he's going to start drinking again...you'll have to read it to find out the rest of the gripping plot.I could NOT put this book down; I think I read it all in one greedy sitting, and this isn't a skimpy book, either. There is also some seriously hardcore horror here, folks. Garton has always impressed me with his ability to shock, but several times during my reading, my jaw dropped open in amazement and disbeleif that some of the scenes made it past a mainstream publisher.This, of course, is not a complaint-I'm not easy to shock, so when an author is skilled enough to do it, I'm pretty impressed. Sadly, I misplaced my copy ... and therefore only got to read it once...but there's nightmarish scenes and images I can remember now as if I had read the book hours ago.If you like horror, you need to discover Ray Garton, and this is a great book to start with. If you're a Garton fan, but never found this title, I can assure you that it is worth tracking down. Probably one of my all-time favorites by him or any other horror author.

The best book I've ever read

This is an incredible book. After I first read it, approximately a year ago, I was stunned. I have since read it again. I've read literally hundreds of books, but none has ever stayed in my mind like this one. Besides containing two of the most evil characters in literature (and I do consider this book literature!), Dr. Corbus and Rex Calisto, it balances out its bleak picture of the dark part of our society with hope and faith. Some of the other reviewers have referred to the theatrical nature of this book. I hope, however, that it is not made into a movie. It would inevitably fall short of the book, and that is a disappointment I couldn't stand. I have since read several other works by this author; although good, they do not even come close to this. Words literally cannot describe the effect this book had on me. I'll just say that I recommend it to anyone who wants a profound reading experience. Does anyone know when he is publishing a new work? I can't wait to read it!

The tuly horrific is when you can feel the truth.

Garton has impressed me before. I want to be absolutely clear in saying that I am not a converted critic. His seminal classic, Live Girls, remains my favourite take on the vampire/adventure genre. Nevertheless, this was something wholly different. Where I have previously been impressed by his ability to weave the supernatural and the actual into a seamless whole, here we see his gift for taking the actual and making it so real it hurts. Though the novel has been critisized for using a number of stock characters (the reporter on the edge, the able diabled etc) this device works as a superb way to have his reader latch onto and care about his characters with utmost speed. That done, he hurls us into a demanding and challenging plot. What I've always considered truly horrific is when a light is shined fully into the shadows. Those suspiscious shapes become illuminated, and what we discover is a reality far more twisted than our imagination can create. Such is the case as Garton takes us by the hand and drags us through the topic of child abuse. All the more terrifying is the increasing feeling as you read the novel that he might just be right. His take on the Internet as a place to market and advertise for victims is just too common-sensical too dismiss. This is the triumph of the novel, this feeling of situations which might be a little close to reality. Read it if you can. But I warn you, you might not be able to. And that is the highest recommendation it is possible to give horror fiction.

Impossible to put down!

I've never read anything by Ray Garton before, but after reading Shackled, I plan to find his other works. Shackled gets off to a quirky start, and at times almost feels like a comedy because of some of the goofy characters. But it doesn't take long for the book to sink its claws into the reader, and then it doesn't let go. The last fifty or sixty pages of this book left me exhausted and I dare anyone not to read them in one sitting! The characters are many cuts above most found in popular fiction, and they really get under your skin, both the good ones and the bad ones. I strongly recommend Shackled. --Melanie

This is Ray Garton's best book so far.

This is a novel that defies genre. It's got enough horror to satisfy the fans of Garton's earlier works, but more than anything, it's a novel of suspense that will most likely get a lot more fans for Garton. And he deserves them. I have been reading his horror novels for years, but this isn't one of them. This is his most commerciall effort yet. His characters in this novel are so likeable that you actually =hurt= when bad things happen to them...and bad things =do= happen them. That's what sets Garton's work apart from other writers..he doesn't hesitate to hurt people we've come to care about. but the best thing about Garton's work is that we =always= care about his characters. They aren't always good, but they're never totally bad. They are always REAL PEOPLE! And thats more than you can say for a lot of the popular fiction out there right now. This is a book you REALLY SHOULD READ! -- Jerr