Blaze

This book was apparently written ages ago, back before Carrie came out, and given the choice between publishing this or Salem’s Lot, the publishers chose the latter and this became a “trunk novel”. Many years went by, and eventually Blaze was published in 2007 as a Richard Bachman book with a foreword by Stephen King.

The brief synopsis is this. A mentally slow, very large man – Blaze – who is also a career criminal is getting ready to pull the “big job” with his smaller more intelligent partner George. This is the final job that puts them on easy street and gets them out of (additional) crime for good. They are to kidnap the infant son of a very wealthy family. Everything is planned out and foolproof. There’s just one hitch in the plan as we enter the story: George is recently deceased. Blaze, hearing and encouraged by the voice of George ultimately decides to proceed with the plan.

The plot itself is decent. Nothing overwhelming or unusual to it, and it’s engaging enough to pull you in. Where this book shines is the character development. Throughout the course of the story, both in present time and through flashbacks we get a really solid characterization of Blaze. Overall, it’s a pretty good story and an engaging read. I’d recommend it.