• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
FanFiAddict

FanFiAddict

A gaggle of nerds talking about Fantasy, Science Fiction, and everything in-between. They also occasionally write reviews about said books. 2x Stabby Award-Nominated and home to the Stabby Award-Winning TBRCon.

  • Home
  • About
    • Reviewers
    • Review Policy
    • Stance on AI
    • Contact
    • Friends of FFA
  • Blog
    • Reviews
      • Children’s / Middle Grade Books
      • Comics / Graphic Novels
      • Fantasy
        • Alt History
        • Epic Fantasy
        • Fairy Tales
        • Grimdark
        • Heroic Fantasy
        • LitRPG
        • Paranormal Fantasy
        • Romantic Fantasy
        • Steampunk
        • Superheroes
        • Sword and Sorcery
        • Urban Fantasy
      • Fear For All
        • Demons
        • Ghosts
        • Gothic
        • Lovecraftian
        • Monsters
        • Occult
        • Psychological
        • Slasher
        • Vampires
        • Werewolves
        • Witches
        • Zombies
      • Fiction
      • Science Fiction
        • Aliens
        • Artificial Intelligence
        • Alt History
        • Cyberpunk
        • Dystopian
        • Hard SciFi
        • Mechs/Robots
        • Military SF
        • Space Opera
        • Steampunk
        • Time Travel
      • Thriller
    • Neurodivergence in Fiction
    • Interviews
      • Book Tube
      • Authorly Writing Advice
  • SFF Addicts
    • SFF Addicts Clips
    • SFF Addicts (Episode Archive)
  • TBRCon
    • TBRCon2025
    • TBRCon2024
    • TBRCon2023
    • TBRCon2022
  • FFA Book Club
  • FFA TBR Toppers
    • Advertise Your Book on FFA!
  • Writer Resources
    • Artists
    • Cartographers
    • Editing/Formatting/Proofing

Review: Killer On The Road by Stephen Graham Jones

June 21, 2025 by George Dunn Leave a Comment

Rating: 7.5/10

Synopsis:

Sixteen-year-old Harper has decided to run away from home after she has another blow-out argument with her mother. However, her two best friends, little sister, and ex-boyfriend all stop her from hitchhiking her way up Route 80 in Wyoming by joining her on an intervention disguised as a road trip. What they don’t realize is that Harper has been marked by a very unique serial killer who’s been trolling the highway for the past three years, and now the killer is after all of them in this fast-paced and deadly chase novel that will have your heart racing well above the speed limit as the interstate becomes a graveyard.

Review:

An oily, high-velocity serial-killer novel that reeks of burnt rubber, transmission fluid and… cinnamon, “Killer on the Road,” is a blood-slicked fast-paced chase through Wyoming. A gritty road-side story in which things go from bad to worse to worse again, “Killer on The Road,” features a stellar (really quite charismatic) antagonist, an awkward but tender dynamic between its two leads, and a whole bunch of angry truckers. With Stephen putting pedal to the metal (with a full tank) and throwing us into gear from the very first chapter, and a total page count of only 250, this one makes for an easy (yet stressful) read. Needless to say, I’m thrilled that this pulpy, poetic, propulsive pressure cooker of a novel is finally in print, ready for the out-stretched, grease-streaked hands of readers everywhere. 

We follow Harper, who after an argument with her mother has found herself wandering the side of Route 80, looking for a ride. Whilst she’s given warnings and a bottle of water, she has no luck until her pals Jam and Kissy, accompanied by Harper’s ex Dillon pull up in a borrowed car and insist she hop in. She does so, just before her mom drives past, and the group just about avoid being spotted. What they don’t clock is that Harper’s little sister, Meg, is now in their backseat. Harper’s straight-forward escape becomes messier yet however when, marked by “Bucketmouth,” the group are chased down the interstate, leaving bloody, flaming messes in their wake. 

“Killer On The Road,” is an excellent slasher, and for the most part, that’s down to Harper. She is an embodiment of teenage defiance and rebellion, fiercely protective of those that she loves, as well as quick with a quip- the perfect final girl. A slasher does, of course, need an iconic antagonist to go with, and Jones absolutely achieves this with “Bucketmouth.” As far as villains go, Bucketmouth is a unique one, for reasons (I’ll keep secret) beyond his charisma. It’s a slasher that is different enough to warrant being written, and of high enough quality to sit proudly next to SGJ’s revolutionary work in the sub-genre: whilst retaining the bones of a classic slasher, Jones has created something mean, lean, lethal and original.

It will come as no surprise to anyone even orbiting the horror genre that “Killer On The Road,” a slasher from Stephen Graham Jones, (the greatest thing that has happened to the slasher in recent memory) is pretty damn good, but that didn’t stop me from being shocked at just how damn good it was. It’s got grit and guts and I for one, wouldn’t mind a sequel…  High-horsepower, roadside Americana, vehicular horror, “Killer On The Road,” is a story you will feel in your bones and your brake pads, and a reminder as to why SGJ is our reigning slasher laureate.

Filed Under: Creature Feature, Fear For All, Indigenous, Reviews, Serial Killers, Slasher Tagged With: Killer On The Road, SGJ, Stephen Graham Jones, Titan, Titan Books

About George Dunn

George is a UK-based book reviewer, who greedily consumes every form of horror he can get his grubby little hands on, although he particularly enjoys indie and vintage horror.

Other Reviews You Might Like

Review: The Triggernometry Series by Stark Holborn

Review: Outer Universe (Inner Universe #2) by Natalie Kelda

Review: King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Sponsored By

Use Discount Code FANFI For 5% Off!

FFA Newsletter!

Sign up for updates and get FREE stories from Michael R. Fletcher and Richard Ford!

What Would You Like To See?(Required)
Please select the type of content you want to receive from FanFi Addict. You can even mix and match if you want!

FFA Author Hub

Read A.J. Calvin
Read Andy Peloquin
Read C.J. Daily
Read C.M. Caplan
Read D.A. Smith
Read DB Rook
Read Francisca Liliana
Read Frasier Armitage
Read Josh Hanson
Read Krystle Matar
Read M.J. Kuhn

Recent Reviews

Recent Comments

  1. Mark Matthews on COVER REVEAL: To Those Willing to Drown by Mark MatthewsJanuary 7, 2025
  2. Basra Myeba on Worth reading Jack Reacher books by Lee Child?January 5, 2025
  3. Ali on Review: Sleeping Worlds Have No Memory by Yaroslav BarsukovJanuary 5, 2025
  4. Carter on So you want to start reading Warhammer 40,000? Here’s where to start!January 4, 2025
  5. M. Zaugg on Bender’s Best LitRPG reads of 2024January 3, 2025

Archive

Copyright © 2025 · Powered by ModFarm Sites · Log In