Thursday, January 26, 2012

Act of Love by Joe R. Lansdale (1981): Feel the Knife Pierce You Intensely

Why oh why did I not keep my brand-new copy of Joe R. Lansdale's debut novel, Act of Love? It was 1991, I'd just flipped out over The Nightrunners, and got my hands on all his books that were in print at the time (which were mostly crime and westerns back then). Well, as I read the reviews on Amazon, I was reminded this was about cops hunting a serial killer of women - not really my horror thing back then. Ah well.... Still wonder if a strawberry really figures in the story.

But wait! Check out this cover, also from Zebra, the very same year! Hmmm.

7 comments:

A. Louise said...

That first one is the grossest cover you have ever posted.

Mac Campbell said...

An eighties cover that foretold the arrival of Fruit Ninja.

Ron Clinton said...

There's a new hardcover edition due out soon from Subterranean Press...and damned if those piercing knives aren't still present: four of them, in fact, acting like pins in a heart-shaped pincushion. You can see it here: http://www.subterraneanpress.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=SP&Product_Code=lansdale34

wormface said...

On the cover of this early Edward Lee book, a cherry gets stabbed... Night Lust!

Will Errickson said...

Thanks wormface - I was idly wondering if any cover featured a much-more-obvious cherry stabbing.

MikeGibbonz said...

"Act of Love" is an extremely terrifying book. I couldn't finish it. I gave up early because it was just so intensely dark and frightening! I didn't expect something so gnarly from Lansdale. I will pick it up again in the future when I am ready for it.

Will Errickson said...

Woah, all right!