Hate - Kill - Repeat

by Jason Arnopp

Review by James R.Cain

'Hate - Kill - Repeat' is a Friday the 13th novel, and the first novel of author Jason Arnopp.  For a first novel, this book certainly held its own.

In 'Hate - Kill - Repeat', Arnopp weaves a bloody tapestry of entwining storylines that propels us to a slaughterhouse ending.  

Halo Harlan finds that life has taken her down an unfortunate road.  She's young and pregnant to her violent, redneck boyfriend and  haunted by the words of a psychic that warns her of a man-child that's "evil personified" and tells her to "Beware the mask".  She's dragged along to Crystal Lake on a camping weekend with her boyfriend and his drunken mates.  

But Jason Vorhees isn't all there is to fear in the wilderness.  Crystal Lake has a new batch of serial killers when Norwood and Penelope Thawn seek Jason Vorhees believing he'll join them on a crusade to cleanse America of sin.   Vorhees doesn't welcome allies however, and the psychopaths end up pitted against the child-like murderer.

Then there's Ed Daimler, a drunken FBI profiler on the trail of the Thawn killers.    He's stuck with a new partner, van Stadt, who might be sexy, but is she more than he can handle in his degenerating state of mind? Will the FBI agents be able to catch the Thawn's and end their killing spree?  Can they stop Jason Vorhees in his tracks? 

It's very much Halo's storyline that drives the novel.  I found the book an uncompromising addition to the genre, and in many ways reminded me in style - rightly or wrongly - to the 'Friday the 13th Part 2' movie.  It's a solid work: slasher-suspense, not for the faint hearted. 

Publisher: Black Flame

ISBN: 1-84416-271-0 - Paperback (415 pages)