Most of all, it’s packed with incident, and Trevor is a very likeable protagonist. It’s all very linear, but the coming of age elements are well handle for the most part. Trevor encounters natural disasters, snake oil salesmen, teenage outlaws, and the archetypal girl dressed as a boy. The beginning and end of the book are full of the kind of graphic gore that Laymon was renowned for, but the longer middle section is a gently enjoyable western quest. The bulk of it though, is a kind of Boy’s Own adventure which sees Trevor tracking Jack across the USA in an attempt to prevent further bloodshed. There’s an extended, and tense, portion of the book covering their trans-Atlantic voyage. The boy, Trevor, attempts to avenge the death of the Ripper’s last victim and, through a somewhat unlikely series of events, they end up together on a boat to America. It’s a twist on the Jack the Ripper story, with the killer interrupted during his final documented killing by an adolescent boy.

I also recalled it being a gripping ride, and enjoyably original. There’s an immediately obvious difference from his other work, in that it’s set in the 19th rather than the 20th century.

‘Savage’ was one book I remembered fondly though. In particular, my memory of his 1995 novel ‘Island’ was that it was basically a morally dubious, adolescent rape fantasy. His books are certainly full-blooded, but my lasting impression was that of his treatment of female characters, which often leaves a lot to be desired. I read a tonne of Laymon in my teens and twenties and remembered him as being somewhere between early Koontz and UK splatter-meister Shaun Hutson. Richard Laymon seems to be going through a bit of a renaissance at the moment, as the new wave of horror fans seeks out late 20th century tales of terror beyond the immediate comfort zone of King and Koontz.

Savage by richard laymon