Deadly Vision

Rick R. Reed
Quest Books (2008)
ISBN 9781932300963
Reviewed by Tyler R. Tichelaar for Reader Views (2/08)


Rick R. Reed’s new novel “Deadly Vision” is another page-turner from this masterly horror writer. The novel opens with Cass, a single mother, who also happens to be a lesbian, simply trying to make a life for herself and her son by working as a waitress in a diner. One day, she gets hit on the head by a tree branch during a storm, and when she wakes up, she begins to see strange visions, which she realizes are related to the recent cases of missing girls within the community. Cass is reluctant to be in the public light, but she knows she must use her knowledge to save lives. She has a difficult time trying to get help from the authorities and media, but eventually, she convinces them and one of the girls’ bodies is found. When Cass’s name appears in the paper for having helped the media find the missing girl’s body, the killer decides he must stop Cass from revealing more. His revenge leads to an exciting showdown.

Unlike many horror, thriller and detective novelists who center the plot around a detective character searching for an unknown killer, Reed eliminates the mystery behind who the murderer is, and instead depicts the killer in alternate chapters. Reed did an exceptional job in his previous novel “IM” of getting into the killer’s mind, and by doing so, while the mystery is absent, the excitement and adrenaline flow all the more. In “Deadly Vision” Reed writes in third person, so we do not understand as well what causes the villain, Ian, to act as he does; instead we view the action from the eyes of Ian’s girlfriend, Myra. Ian is obviously crazy, talking about how he must sacrifice people to The Beast, yet Reed fully makes the reader understand why Myra remains with Ian for so long, first because he is gorgeous, secondly because he taught her how to lose weight and make herself attractive, and finally out of confused loyalty and eventually fear of Ian. Myra is forced into the role of accomplice to Ian while she continually tries to manipulate him to stop the crimes, and yet helps him out of fear. I personally thought Myra the most developed and interesting character in the novel.

Reed’s characters are often homosexual, and in past books his characters’ sexual orientation has added to the novels’ plots. However, while the back cover includes Lesbian with Fiction/Mystery/Thriller as one of its genres, I didn’t see any reason why Cass or Dani, her reporter friend, were depicted as lesbians. It was clear they were going to become a couple, but their sexual orientation was not detailed enough to advance the plot or motivate their actions, unlike the detective in “IM” who is himself homosexual and seeking to save his male lover from a killer bent on murdering gay men.

I would gladly welcome a sequel to “Deadly Vision” where Reed further develops the relationship between Dani and Cass so their sexual orientations are more integrated into the plot. The two women make a great team, and I can definitely see possibilities for further adventures as Cass learns better how to use her psychic abilities. I would also like to know more about what became of Myra. I hope another Rick R. Reed book will soon roll off the presses.

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