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The Nightmare Club #1
Joy Ride
Mike, a teen who frequently drinks and drives, finds a kindred spirit at The Night Owl Club--the hottest hangout in town--when he meets a mysterious girl who encourages him to drink and drive.
189 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 1, 1993
167 people want to read
About the author
Richard Lee Byers
200 books371 followersA resident of the Tampa Bay area, Richard spends much of his leisure time fencing, playing poker, shooting pool and is a frequent guest at Florida science-fiction conventions. His current projects include new novels set in the Forgotten Realms universe and the eBook post-apocalyptic superhero series The Impostor.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
May 2, 2020
It's hard to give so few stars to a book in which maggots magically clog a clarinet but an insane ghost made me do it.
August 29, 2022
I always discover a good series of books that haven't been relevant in the last thirty years. By the time YA Horror was on its decline, I was just becoming a high schooler and I discovered more adult horror like Stephen King. Now that I am almost 40 years old and reading some of these books again or for the first time on most...I see my tastes haven't really changed.
Also I don't plan to change them any time soon.
I found a very pristine used copy of this first book in The Nightmare Club series on Thriftbooks that still has temporary tattoos inside.
It doesn't beat around the bush by telling you what you are in for on the back blurb and it is right up my alley I can tell you!
Mike Davis and Karen Bradley have been friends forever and they decide to go on a date to check out the new teen hangout, The Night Owl Club. The only thing that can ruin it is Mike having a few beers and deciding to drive...almost crashing his car and possibly killing himself along with Karen.
She isn't happy (can't blame her) and decides to walk home so Mike goes on alone. Once there he meets a girl named Joyce Carrier: pale, a beautiful brunette in an old fashioned red dress. The girl wastes no time in charming Mike and getting him to try some of the "bathtub gin" in a little silver flask she carries by mixing it with his Coke.
It tastes horrible to Mike at first but soon he comes to enjoy the warmth it brings him and its piney sort of smell that clings to Joyce's skin. She talks him into going driving while sauced out of his head and her nickname is Joy so...ha ha a Joyride, get it?
Over the next day, Mike introduces Joy who is new to Cooper Hollow High after moving away for awhile and he dreads running into Karen. Not because of their disastrously abrupt date but because he and Joy are dating now. Karen takes the news better than he hoped but when she asks about Joy, Mike flips out.
Seems everyone has been giving him a hard time about his new girl and his teammates on the basketball team are questioning his skills. Mike meets up with Joy after school and the two of them head off in his Mustang to drive about town.
They keep drinking out of the flask and Mike can't seem to recall all of the recklessness he gets into with Joy and soon days turn into nights and he can't even seem to remember what day it is...
When Karen realizes Mike has blown off school and the basketball team, she goes to see him and the words they exchange are not very pleasant. When Karen leaves, she swears she can see a pale, brunette girl in the window of Mike's living room.
Everyone at school says Mike introduced them to a girl who isn't there...but she saw her plain as day! There's no way because the girl looked just as surprised that Karen noticed her but this isn't a problem to Joy.
You see she's been dead for years and if the boy who caused her terrible accident can't be punished...Joy will make do with someone just like him. Joy will make sure Mike drinks himself to death but on her terms and she isn't about to let Karen stop her from having her revenge.
Can Karen find a way to help Mike be free of this vengeful spirit or will her own life crash and burn along with his?
It's so hard not to give too much away about the plot for anyone who hasn't had the privilege of reading this one but just enough to let you know why I enjoyed it. There was something that kind of kept me from saying this was amazing but it would be such a spoiler since it is so plot based so I won't explain it.
What I can say is that it is something akin to Buffy or Supernatural but also reminds me of Prom Night III in its execution.
If you know what I mean then you just know...
I wasn't able to find a reasonably priced copy of the second book (not yet anyway) but I look forward to reading the third one in the series by the exact same author as this one. BTW, if you can find a physical copy of Joy Ride to read I would highly recommend it and check out the preview for the second book.
It's called The Initiation by Nick Baron and boy if I can get my hands on that one because it was a doozy of a sneak peek!
Also I don't plan to change them any time soon.
I found a very pristine used copy of this first book in The Nightmare Club series on Thriftbooks that still has temporary tattoos inside.
It doesn't beat around the bush by telling you what you are in for on the back blurb and it is right up my alley I can tell you!
Mike Davis and Karen Bradley have been friends forever and they decide to go on a date to check out the new teen hangout, The Night Owl Club. The only thing that can ruin it is Mike having a few beers and deciding to drive...almost crashing his car and possibly killing himself along with Karen.
She isn't happy (can't blame her) and decides to walk home so Mike goes on alone. Once there he meets a girl named Joyce Carrier: pale, a beautiful brunette in an old fashioned red dress. The girl wastes no time in charming Mike and getting him to try some of the "bathtub gin" in a little silver flask she carries by mixing it with his Coke.
It tastes horrible to Mike at first but soon he comes to enjoy the warmth it brings him and its piney sort of smell that clings to Joyce's skin. She talks him into going driving while sauced out of his head and her nickname is Joy so...ha ha a Joyride, get it?
Over the next day, Mike introduces Joy who is new to Cooper Hollow High after moving away for awhile and he dreads running into Karen. Not because of their disastrously abrupt date but because he and Joy are dating now. Karen takes the news better than he hoped but when she asks about Joy, Mike flips out.
Seems everyone has been giving him a hard time about his new girl and his teammates on the basketball team are questioning his skills. Mike meets up with Joy after school and the two of them head off in his Mustang to drive about town.
They keep drinking out of the flask and Mike can't seem to recall all of the recklessness he gets into with Joy and soon days turn into nights and he can't even seem to remember what day it is...
When Karen realizes Mike has blown off school and the basketball team, she goes to see him and the words they exchange are not very pleasant. When Karen leaves, she swears she can see a pale, brunette girl in the window of Mike's living room.
Everyone at school says Mike introduced them to a girl who isn't there...but she saw her plain as day! There's no way because the girl looked just as surprised that Karen noticed her but this isn't a problem to Joy.
You see she's been dead for years and if the boy who caused her terrible accident can't be punished...Joy will make do with someone just like him. Joy will make sure Mike drinks himself to death but on her terms and she isn't about to let Karen stop her from having her revenge.
Can Karen find a way to help Mike be free of this vengeful spirit or will her own life crash and burn along with his?
It's so hard not to give too much away about the plot for anyone who hasn't had the privilege of reading this one but just enough to let you know why I enjoyed it. There was something that kind of kept me from saying this was amazing but it would be such a spoiler since it is so plot based so I won't explain it.
What I can say is that it is something akin to Buffy or Supernatural but also reminds me of Prom Night III in its execution.
If you know what I mean then you just know...
I wasn't able to find a reasonably priced copy of the second book (not yet anyway) but I look forward to reading the third one in the series by the exact same author as this one. BTW, if you can find a physical copy of Joy Ride to read I would highly recommend it and check out the preview for the second book.
It's called The Initiation by Nick Baron and boy if I can get my hands on that one because it was a doozy of a sneak peek!
June 23, 2017
Don't drink and drive, kids, or a dead flapper will show up in your car and make matters worse. Like, maggots-in-your-girlfriend's-saxophone levels of worse.
Full review here: https://necromommycon.com/2017/06/20/...
Full review here: https://necromommycon.com/2017/06/20/...
March 12, 2022
THIS BOOK WAS SO BORING, YOU GUYS.
My first Nightmare Club book I've read, and I've heard other books in this series are great, but this one is just a total snooze. Basically Mike likes to drink. Mike likes to drive. His best friend turned love interest Karen is not down with this behavior obvs, but no matter! Because Mike meets some weird chick named Joy who conveniently always has a flask full of "bathtub gin", enabling Mike to drink up and take her for a ride (The DAMN BOOK IS CALLED JOY RIDE....GEDDIT? 😩😩😩)
We find out Joy is a ghost midway through the book but trust, this is not a spoiler. It's in the damn synopsis on the back cover of the book, which honestly, it shouldn't be. Joy was killed by a drunk driver in the 1920's, and has come back seeking revenge. So like, 70% of the book is Joy enabling Mike to drink and drive....lather, rinse and repeat. Can Mike just crash and die and have the book end already?
Random notes and observations:
-We learn that Joy is a ghost from the 20's, and she is always in her red flapper dress. Buuuut she's pretending to be a student in high school, so no one notices her super old-school attire? NO ONE GOES TO SCHOOL IN A 20'S FLAPPER DRESS. And also, she looks like a half-faced Alicia Silverstone on the cover, which doesn't strike me as very 1920's either.
- We learn Mike is into "Alternative" music, which is so very 1993! Black Crows' "She Talks to Angels" and Pearl Jam's "Jeremy" both get mentioned. Also....
- Karen's friend Joan is essentially the coolest because she has posters up in her room of Axl Rose, Christian Slater, and Jason Priestley. These pop culture references were seriously the only highlight of the book for me 😅😅
-This book is essentially one long PSA on the dangers of drinking and driving. It's up to you if you want to read 162 pages of this 💀💀
2 out of 5 swigs of bathtub gin before hitting the road in your 65' Mustang. "STAY ALIVE, DON'T DRINK & DRIVE" don't apply here when you got some ghost girl next to you egging you on to drink more. Maybe just crash and get it over with.
My first Nightmare Club book I've read, and I've heard other books in this series are great, but this one is just a total snooze. Basically Mike likes to drink. Mike likes to drive. His best friend turned love interest Karen is not down with this behavior obvs, but no matter! Because Mike meets some weird chick named Joy who conveniently always has a flask full of "bathtub gin", enabling Mike to drink up and take her for a ride (The DAMN BOOK IS CALLED JOY RIDE....GEDDIT? 😩😩😩)
We find out Joy is a ghost midway through the book but trust, this is not a spoiler. It's in the damn synopsis on the back cover of the book, which honestly, it shouldn't be. Joy was killed by a drunk driver in the 1920's, and has come back seeking revenge. So like, 70% of the book is Joy enabling Mike to drink and drive....lather, rinse and repeat. Can Mike just crash and die and have the book end already?
Random notes and observations:
-We learn that Joy is a ghost from the 20's, and she is always in her red flapper dress. Buuuut she's pretending to be a student in high school, so no one notices her super old-school attire? NO ONE GOES TO SCHOOL IN A 20'S FLAPPER DRESS. And also, she looks like a half-faced Alicia Silverstone on the cover, which doesn't strike me as very 1920's either.
- We learn Mike is into "Alternative" music, which is so very 1993! Black Crows' "She Talks to Angels" and Pearl Jam's "Jeremy" both get mentioned. Also....
- Karen's friend Joan is essentially the coolest because she has posters up in her room of Axl Rose, Christian Slater, and Jason Priestley. These pop culture references were seriously the only highlight of the book for me 😅😅
-This book is essentially one long PSA on the dangers of drinking and driving. It's up to you if you want to read 162 pages of this 💀💀
2 out of 5 swigs of bathtub gin before hitting the road in your 65' Mustang. "STAY ALIVE, DON'T DRINK & DRIVE" don't apply here when you got some ghost girl next to you egging you on to drink more. Maybe just crash and get it over with.
August 22, 2019
**1/2
“Joy Ride” was part of a YA thriller series called “The Nightmare Club.” This first book, by prolific author Richard Lee Byers, concerns the ghost of a girl who died in a drunk driving accident. She returns to inhabit the local kids’ spot, The Night Owl Club, and uses her evil powers to influence a young man to drink and drive and hopefully kill himself.
Byers may have been attempting a cautionary tale, with a positive no-DUI message, but man, it all seems a bit silly once the story hits its stride. I picked up a bit of influence from one of my favorite movies, “Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II,” with its presentation of a long-dead high school party girl returning to spread havoc among members of the current high school class. But the ghost’s motivation and overall plan just seem silly.
That said, the book isn’t badly written by any means. The descriptions and narrations are less clunky than in something like R. L. Stine’s “Beach Party” (comparison made only because I just read “Beach Party”), and the characters are fleshed out decently enough.
The Nightmare Club in the title only shows up for a couple scenes. I do like the idea of a series of horror novels connected loosely by a bar or nightclub. But I don’t think I quite liked this book enough to seek out the rest of the series.
“Joy Ride” was part of a YA thriller series called “The Nightmare Club.” This first book, by prolific author Richard Lee Byers, concerns the ghost of a girl who died in a drunk driving accident. She returns to inhabit the local kids’ spot, The Night Owl Club, and uses her evil powers to influence a young man to drink and drive and hopefully kill himself.
Byers may have been attempting a cautionary tale, with a positive no-DUI message, but man, it all seems a bit silly once the story hits its stride. I picked up a bit of influence from one of my favorite movies, “Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II,” with its presentation of a long-dead high school party girl returning to spread havoc among members of the current high school class. But the ghost’s motivation and overall plan just seem silly.
That said, the book isn’t badly written by any means. The descriptions and narrations are less clunky than in something like R. L. Stine’s “Beach Party” (comparison made only because I just read “Beach Party”), and the characters are fleshed out decently enough.
The Nightmare Club in the title only shows up for a couple scenes. I do like the idea of a series of horror novels connected loosely by a bar or nightclub. But I don’t think I quite liked this book enough to seek out the rest of the series.
March 8, 2023
The Night Owl Club, nicknamed by the teens who go there to the Nightmare Club, is where Mike meets a beautfiful girl named Joy Carrier. She wears a slinky red dress and she doesn't mind if Mike drinks alcohol. Not like the girl from school, Karen, who objects to it strongly. Mike doesn't see anything wrong with drinking and driving. In fact, Joy encourages it. Mike is oblivious to the fact that Joy is not what she seems. Karen tries to help him see the light, but Joy is not going to let that happen.
Karen cried to much in the book. Mike is an offensive lush. Joy is just mean.
My daughter and I read this together aloud. We had to make ourselves finish it. The book was awful. If I had read it as a teen, I would have thought it was awful. Not a keeper on our shelves.
Karen cried to much in the book. Mike is an offensive lush. Joy is just mean.
My daughter and I read this together aloud. We had to make ourselves finish it. The book was awful. If I had read it as a teen, I would have thought it was awful. Not a keeper on our shelves.
January 17, 2024
My plan for 2024 is to read all the zfave ya horror books. So starting from the beginning with nightmare club. Not sure if I’m gonna read the scream books in between so to read in publication order or not.
Anyways onto the book. For a 90’s ya horror book it was pretty predictable. I didn’t feel any sense of real danger for the main characters. Although there were some pretty disgusting imagery like the maggots in the clarinet scene. The other thing that stood out to me was the really heavy drinking. I mean obviously that’s mainly what the book was about. But I don’t recall many other books around this time tackling such a deep subject. Overall 3.5 out of 5
Anyways onto the book. For a 90’s ya horror book it was pretty predictable. I didn’t feel any sense of real danger for the main characters. Although there were some pretty disgusting imagery like the maggots in the clarinet scene. The other thing that stood out to me was the really heavy drinking. I mean obviously that’s mainly what the book was about. But I don’t recall many other books around this time tackling such a deep subject. Overall 3.5 out of 5
September 23, 2018
A quick and entertaining ghost story. Im gining it 3 stars because I felt it was generic and a little on the surface. I also had problems with the rules of the ghost. The ghost of was physical and you could punch it in the face or bash it over the back with a chair. Sometimes it was invisible to the people around it sometimes it wasn't. Other than that its a good read for those who want something quick to pass the time on a plane or bustation or something.
March 23, 2021
It is a good book for teenagers that are just getting started into reading. However, maybe because I'm 19 years old, I didn't really find it to be interesting. The plot is a little too basic and dull and the author's writing style is a bit boring and the book doesn't really show any emotion, it's rather more plot-focused. Overall, it's not that terrible.
January 4, 2026
Mike is a teen alcoholic who picks up a hot ghost at The Nightmare Club. The ghost becomes his girlfriend and enables his addiction, encouraging him to drink and drive and constantly shoves a flask full of bathtub gin in his face. His friend, Karen, is the only one wise to the situation and tries to save him before he meets his demise.
What a weird book.
What a weird book.
October 24, 2025
Bah! The first 5 chapters felt like a PSA on not drinking and driving. The rest of the book subtly carried that same tone, but with a ghost girl running the rest of the show? Not the best book, but I’ll keep going with the series
March 7, 2023
If only Goodreads would allow us to give books negative ratings. Because this sucked. So bad!
April 11, 2016
Is missing do to a recent move.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews