Night Driver

by Marcelle Perks

[zooloo1983]

Wow, what did I just read? I am not sure how to classify this book, it was one thrill-seeking intense crazy crazy, did I say crazy?! ride.
Putting it plainly in my terms, this book was blinking mental!

I want to start with the cute end of chapters pictures and bottom of the page pictures. I thought they were an amazing addition to the book and a constant reminder of the darkness in this book and the horror to come.
I also spent a bit of the book, being in the dark like Frannie with conversations happening as they were speaking in German, a good thing for google!! I loved all the small details like this.

So on to the story….

You have a woman who’s moved to Germany for her husband and is heavily pregnant. She can not speak the language and she is trying to learn to drive. Frannie is trying to be a dutiful wife and mother to be, her husband Kurt is withdrawing from her and is angry all the time. He has zero redeeming features whatsoever and thank god I don’t have to worry about him anymore.

We then meet Lars, the big (not so) friendly giant, a gay serial killer truck driver trying to sedate his compulsions. You have Hans his sadistic lover who runs a club and has a VIP room locked off from everyone apart from Lars. The room is there to help Lars, and to feed Hans Secret fetish.

You have Dorcas, a prostitute who is in love with Hans, and best friends to Lars. The perfect wife for Lars, if he could do normal. Dorcas befriends (putting it lightly) Frannie, who is looking for a missing guy Tomek, who she met one random night when our driving.

Frannie tries to drive at night so she can learn to drive around with her baby and not be dependant on her controlling husband. Meeting Tomek, whose searching for his sister, changes the course of her life. Whilst Frannie is out playing detective, involved in things she shouldn’t be, she is also heavily pregnant, ready to drop in fact! I spent a lot of the book worried when it was Frannie’s turn in the story. I was worried about the baby! She gets caught up in everything dark and horrifying whilst carrying something so pure and innocent in her belly.

The book flits between the main characters of Lars, Frannie, Dorcas and occasionally Hans. It was intense when you were changing characters as it left you hanging with the other characters wanting to get back them, to make sure they are ok! I had my heart in my throat a lot of the time, and I felt like I was wired up like a snake ready to attack, there was no release, it was horrifying.

This book has everything terrifying in it and the things you hear about happening! Missing people, drug abuse, sex-trafficking and organ harvesting, I mean one maybe two is awful but all four, Jesus!! It was hard who to believe was a bad guy and who was a good guy, the lines become really REALLY blurry, the bad guy crosses the line over to the good guy, but they jump back way over the line, yet you felt at times you should cheer in a way for them.

This book was dark and gritty and damn right shocking, if I bit my nails I would! But within the story with the pregnancy, you are constantly reminded of the innocent and the purity in this world and the hope for something better.

Remind me never to go Germany on my own!!!