Hands down, this is Garton's greatest accomplishment to date. And judging by the thickness of the sucker, he's earned it!

The 500+ pages fly like the bullets within its pages, starting off as a suspense thriller and winding down as a bitter, satyrical legal drama. Garton's characters are quirky and unique, the kind of people Quentin Tarantino or Oliver Stone would have a field day with on screen. Sometimes they're serious, sometimes they're touching, sometimes they're humorous. But they're ALWAYS dangerous.

Garton paints a mean picture of the LA/Hollywood scene, with just enough spice to nail the pop culture phenomenon and America's enamoration with it as well. The book's labeled a horror novel, but it's not the events themselves that make it so.

No, it's the fact that these things could happen tomorrow is what scares the crap out of me.

I read some of Garton's horror novels and they were good, but "Sex and Violence in Hollywood" tops them all, and its not a horror novel. Its the funniest, sexiest book I've read in a long time. He's left horror behind to invade Jackie Collins territory, and she's got some real competition in Garton now! The story follows Adam Julian whose dad is a Hollywood screenwriter -- a bad one but he's successful, and he's also a real jerk. Adam is convinced his dad killed his mom, and now he's decided to kill his dad. It sounds simple, but the plot is like a twisty turny rollercoaster that just keeps picking up speed as it goes along for a length of 506 jam-packed pages all the way to a shocking ending that made my jaw drop. There's plenty of sex and violence, especially sex, but its Garton's characters that make the book the great reading experience it is. From Adam and his best friend Carter to a hilarious celebrity attorney named Rona Horowitz and everyone in between, including a sexy devious vixen named Rain, this is a big cast of fascinating funny and naughty people. It goes from the story of a murder plot to a gripping trial that rivals the trial of O.J. Simpson. Even some real life celebrities make appearances in the book! Garton's mix of sex and violence tops the glitzy Hollywood novels of Jackie Collins, and with more meat on its bones than a few of hers all combined. This hardcover is a little pricey but its well worth the cost for all the entertainment you'll get out of it. If this doesn't make Garton's name a household word nothing will. If you want a book to get lost in that will make you laugh and keep you on the edge of your seat, this is the book for you! Don't miss it!

Garton fans rejoice: Sex and Violence in Hollywood will not let you down. Never a dull moment in this book, it jumps from one scene to the next in a mix of action, sex, and fun. The Publishers Weekly review gave WAY too much information about the goings on, so I'll skip that bit. Suffice it to say that this is the best kind of read: it's fun, it's fast and just slightly sleazy.

This is one of Ray Garton's best, and one of his more ambitious novels. It has to do with a woman who is used pretty much as a lab rat by her evil husband for a scientific experiment to develop biological warfare. As you can probably guess, this backfires just a tad. On a grand scale. This book is full of the things I absolutely love Garton for, such as well-developed characters that you really care about, some other nasty characters that you want to see come to a terrible end who do, shocking plot twists, and startling originality. I waited over 2 years for this book, and I can honestly say it was worth it. One of Garton's best--I wish he didn't have to do so many cruddy novelazations and teen books to pay the rent (though the teen horror book "Game Over" was actually pretty good) and could focus more on his horror thrillers. If I had the money (I don't) I'd track down everything he's ever written. Highly recommended-- if you haven't read Garton before this is a good place to start, and if you have, then you'll love reading this and enjoying what he does best.

Ray Garton raised eyebrows in the horror community when he came onto the scene with SEDUCTIONS and DARKLINGS (a favorite of mine) but it was his third novel LIVE GIRLS that earned him cult status among fans and it is still reverred as one of the most frightening vampire novels ever written. CRUCIFAX was his paperback follow up to that novel and it proved him to be a leader among a new generation of horror authors. His work set a new standard in the genre, mainly involving in-your-face horror and gore (which later became known as the Splatterpunk movement, I believe.) CRUCIFAX is a kind of play on The Pied Piper story in a modern setting, but infinitely darker and more terrifying. The Piper in this case is a dark and dangerous man who insinuates himself in with all the bored and jaded and runaway teenagers in a CA town. A young man (who has a very complicated relationship with his little sister,) begins to worry about her when she joins what has become a cult of personality around the dark man. But the young man has no idea what is in store for him when he decides to rescue her. The man who holds her is evil incarnate. And not only does he have the power of psychic domination over the cult members, he commands a pack of wolverine-rat-like creatures that he uses on those who try to fight him... Garton's strengths are his characters and his passion. It burns in a clear, crisp writing style that makes for compelling reading. Keep in mind, however, CRUCIFAX is unapolgetic horror and things get very bloody. (In fact, there is an infamous chapter missing from this mass market paperback that apparently didn't make it past the editor and was later included in a small press "writer's cut" edition called CRUCIFAX AUTUMN.) When Garton does horror, (and he doesn't write enough of them for my tastes) there are few out there that can match him. Highly recommended.

I am a fan of the so-called splatter-punk genre. This is by far the best example of this genre out on the market today. The plot itself is a twisted take on the old fairy tale "The Pied Piper of Hamlin." I loved this book!!!!

Warlock Is the age old tale of good aginst evil, with the classic fish out of water part perfectly thrown in. Ray Garton Fabricates a novel from a screenplay. Even if you hated the movie, This book is worth reading.

Starting in the late seventeeth century our hero,(Redfern), Chases the warlock to present day Los Angeles, then all across america. The violence in this book is somewhat shadowed by Garton's love for explicid sex. This, however, does not take away from the book but, it may offend some readers. If you can get your hands on this out of print book, expecet to be pleased.(The only book I've read that was better was Jurassic Park). Don't expect the movie. Much like everything Hollywood does, It loses alot, even though Warlock was written from the screenplay.

It was overall a okay book. It was somewhat funny. But if you have seen the movie can't hardly wait don't buy the book it is word for word the same

This book is really great and it really explains the movie and the characters in the movie. If you haven't seen the movie, it was great! And even if you have seen the movie you should read this book.

This book was great! You're always hearing about what happened during the high school years, but never what happened after the graduation. You never hear about the intense plots, the funnies, the occasional tears. Not until this book anyway. It was great, and I loved it. The movie was pretty good too.

This is a novel that defies genre. It's got enough horror to satisfy the fans of Garton's earlier works, but more than anything, it's a novel of suspense that will most likely get a lot more fans for Garton. And he deserves them. I have been reading his horror novels for years, but this isn't one of them. This is his most commerciall effort yet. His characters in this novel are so likeable that you actually =hurt= when bad things happen to them...and bad things =do= happen them. That's what sets Garton's work apart from other writers..he doesn't hesitate to hurt people we've come to care about. but the best thing about Garton's work is that we =always= care about his characters. They aren't always good, but they're never totally bad. They are always REAL PEOPLE! And thats more than you can say for a lot of the popular fiction out there right now. This is a book you REALLY SHOULD READ! -- Jerr

I've never read anything by Ray Garton before, but after reading Shackled, I plan to find his other works. Shackled gets off to a quirky start, and at times almost feels like a comedy because of some of the goofy characters. But it doesn't take long for the book to sink its claws into the reader, and then it doesn't let go. The last fifty or sixty pages of this book left me exhausted and I dare anyone not to read them in one sitting! The characters are many cuts above most found in popular fiction, and they really get under your skin, both the good ones and the bad ones. I strongly recommend Shackled. --Melanie

I'm a Ray Garton fan from way back, and pick up just about anything with his name on it. I was browsing through the bookstore a few years ago, where the new PBs were, and BAM! I saw this. At firstI thought it was too good to be true-the cool cover, the title-probably a reprint I thought. Nope. I almost dropped the book on he floor and tripped on it in my haste to get to the cashier.

I knew this book would be good, since it was Garton, but it exceeded my expectations, and they were high. The books opens with a great scene-a young teenage runaway is in a bus terminal. A very kindly looking older woman talks to her gently, finds out she's run away from home because of abuse, and finally offers her a ride and a place to stay. When she gets in the car with the woman and her husband, she notices something's wrong...there's an upside-down crucifix hanging from the rearview mirror. Not exactly what you want to see when you're getting in a strange car.

The plot concerns a group of Satanists (who of course are the ones trolling for runaways) and the main character's involvement with them. One of them has been entangled with them years before; not only was he lucky to escape with his life, but he became an alcoholic he wasso traumatized by what he found out. He's on the wagon now, but when the group and him threaten to cross paths again, you wonder if he's going to start drinking again...you'll have to read it to find out the rest of the gripping plot.

I could NOT put this book down; I think I read it all in one greedy sitting, and this isn't a skimpy book, either. There is also some seriously hardcore horror here, folks. Garton has always impressed me with his ability to shock, but several times during my reading, my jaw dropped open in amazement and disbeleif that some of the scenes made it past a mainstream publisher.

This, of course, is not a complaint-I'm not easy to shock, so when an author is skilled enough to do it, I'm pretty impressed. Sadly, I misplaced my copy ... and therefore only got to read it once...but there's nightmarish scenes and images I can remember now as if I had read the book hours ago.

If you like horror, you need to discover Ray Garton, and this is a great book to start with. If you're a Garton fan, but never found this title, I can assure you that it is worth tracking down. Probably one of my all-time favorites by him or any other horror author.

Live Girls is really nothing more than an exploitation movie on paper, albeit a tightly written one. Filled with gross out violence, assorted nasty monsters, black humor, and all kinds of sexual activity it certainly will not bore you. For nasty cotton candy thrills you could do a great deal worse than Live Girls, believe me. Recommended.

Ray Garton rocked on with this one, and still does. It is legendary among horror fans, and a must-own for true afficianados of the 'dark' genre. Mr. Garton was, and is a master. In fact the only new "pulp" author who can hold his own with Garton is "Night of the Beast" author Harry Shannon. The continuing popularity of this novel clearly shows that there is still a market for sleek, cool pulp fiction. This one you gotta own.

Back in 1987, before vampire fiction became it's own genre of a sort, Ray Garton gave us one of the most terrifying, erotic horror vampire novels ever published... A frustrated and depressed journalist finds himself drawn to a run down peep show in NYC's Time Square. It's out of character for him, but he is lonely and confused, having lost his fiance to another man. What he finds in the darkness of the club called "Live Girls" however, is like a terrifying wetdream. The woman who dances for him is hypnotically beautiful and alluring but what she demands of him will change his life forever. The woman is part of a cabal of vampires, working in the sex trade, and the secrets they hide inside "Live Girls", and in the basement of the club, are the stuff of nightmares... Garton was at the top of his game with this novel and horror fans still talk about it today, more than a decade later. It's one of my all time favorites and I still pick it up about once a year and reread it. The "things" in the basement of the club still gives me chills. If you're a horror or vampire fan, your book collection has a huge gaping hole in it if you don't own a copy of this book. Highest recommendation.

The only problem with the storyline in this book is that its basically the same as a previous one. If you've read'Lotsa Luck' you will know what I mean. Apart from that its resonably good. Sabrina loses an illegal pouch of witch dust around school which even mortals can use. When Mr Craft wishes to himself that Sabrina would tell the truth about herself and spreading wish dust unknowingly, she blurts out her secret!!!

like the others have said this book realy is great its an average sabrina book but isnt as good as others like showdown at the mall and prisoner of cabin 13 i realy enjoyed it though and advise you to read it.

Sabrina gets this witchdust from a flea market for witches and it cause a havoc in school. A great book , all Sabrina fans must definitely read this !

THIS BOOK WAS VERY SCARY AND I ENJOYED IT ALOT, BUT THERE WAS ALOT OF THINGS I FOUND UNBELIEVABLE, IF YOUR HOUSE WAS HAUNTED BY A DEMON WOULDNT YOU FIND A WAY TO MOVE TO A SAFER PLACE FOR YOUR FAMILY? AND AS FAR AS THE DAD (AL) GETTING RAPED IN THE REAR BY THE DEMON WAS A BIT TO MUCH. THERE WAS A SHOW ON DISCOVERY ABOUT IT LAST NIGHT CALLED "A HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT" THAY WERE CALLED THE PARKERS IN THIS SHOW BUT IT WAS DEFINATELY THE SNEDDECKER STORY ( IF THATS EVEN THERE REAL LAST NAME)
I WENT TO SEE THE HOUSE A FEW YEARS AGO AND I SPOKE TO NEIGHBORS AND THEY TOLD ME ALOT WENT ON IN THAT HOUSE WHEN IT WAS A FUNERAL HOME. BUT THEY DIDNT KNOW MUCH ABOUT THE SNEDDECKERS STORY. I BELIEVE THE HOUSE WAS HAUNTED BY SOMETHING BUT IM SURE NOT TO THE EXTREME THE SNEDDECKERS SAY IT WAS.

Okay, so maybe you've never heard of IN A DARK PLACE; but believe me: if you like horror mixed with the struggles that a family goes through in the never-ending saga known as life, read it. One of the only books that have ever sent shivers down my spine. I was, cautiously, racing through the book, having finished it in two or three days. Words cannot describe (well, obviously they can if they're in the book) the atmosphere that this book presents, the way its pages reach out with their hands and grab you, not releasing its grip until the very last page is read. Although I'm not really sure if this book was ENTIRELY true I think it was still a very dark, entertaining journey into the realms of the Unknown. Do read it!

This book, In A Dark Place, is, without a doubt, the best book I have ever read. It's exceptionally written, terrifying, and unsettling: just to think that such a thing could really happen to a family like the Snedekers. The most frightening thing, for me, was Stephen's transformation from a happy, normal boy into the dark, brooding, evil person he became, as he was, in essence, posessed by these demons and spirits in the house. I still wonder if he's ok now. The description in the book is so vivid, and I felt as though I was there. With the spirits in the basement, the voices that were heard, all of it. Stephen, Carmen, and the whole Snedeker family, I wish you the best of luck in the future. I highly recommend this book to anyone, who, like me, is an unofficial, though truly dedicated, ghosthunter.