The Cadillac Man

by John Wayne Comunale

Good does not exist. There is only the ever-swirling chaos of evil lurking just beyond the veil of our perception waiting to strike arbitrarily without purpose or reason. When evil throws its wiry tentacles out into our world leaving an inky black sludge of death, sadness, and destruction in their wake it’s done not out of maliciousness but at random with no forethought, no agenda. There is no prayer you can say, no spell to cast, no totem, no god benevolent or otherwise to provide protection from the denizens of evil who walk among us to carry out an agenda the same as they have for a thousand millennia.
The Cadillac Man is one of these denizens, an extension of evil, a collector of sorts. He picks up people and moves them around like pieces on a chessboard vampirically gaining strength through the deeds and situations into which they’ve been placed. There’s no bargaining, no favor to curry, no chance of altering your fate. When the long black Cadillac pulls up alongside all you can do is get in, but you won’t enjoy the ride.

Genres: Horror

417 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 18, 2021

Reviews

[Horror Bookworm Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Horror Bookworm Reviews
https://horrorbookwormreviews.com/

What really exists on that long stretch of lonesome highway? Truck stops, diners and remote family homes tucked away safely beyond the empty two-lane black top. Among these mile markers of the macabre dwells disturbing images of brutality, hellish fates of destiny and twisted evil forces at work. Your ride to these horrific localities of chaos has arrived in the form of a vintage black Cadillac. The driver has an unsettling nonhuman presence and is known to his casualties as, The Cadillac Man.

Accompanied by his faithful imp “helper”, the Cadillac Man absorbs as much energy as possible from his victims by having them perform sadistic duties in exchange for favors of ultimate sacrifices. By dangling these motivational carrots while moving laterally through time, an evil of repulsive glamour feeds on the darkness within humanity. Spread across three sections, author John Wayne Comunale focuses his extraordinary creativity on his main character of carnage called, The Cadillac Man.

Comunale is a master of combining unique flavor and unnatural chaos while choreographing a well told story. Through his twisted words of the weird he unleashes a villain with no conscious and no allegiance. Think of an extreme version of Stephen King’s Needful Things and you have a 400 plus page novel that savors the John Wayne flavor.

If you like a tension filled story that has no rules or boundaries, readers ought to consider a ride down this menacing two-lane highway, it could be your last. Torment has a new face…allow John Wayne Comunale to show it to you. A strong Horror Bookworm Recommendation.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my 5th book I read by JWC. This is published by one of my favorite publishers Death's Head Press, and the cover artwork is so cool. The story is split into 3 parts which works well for the story told. This book has some very gory parts. The Cadillac Man is not someone you would wanna meet. The climax is super bloody and action packed. This is JWC's darkest book so far. If you haven't read JWC you're missing out.

[Andrew Schultheis · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up!

[myreadingescapism · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun read. The only complaint I do have (which seems to be a common complaint of mine) definitely could have been shorter. A bit repetitive at points..

[Delia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really fun read. I love how each section was written from different perspectives and jumped timelines every so often. It really helped build suspense. And Jacobi has my heart forever.

[Tobias · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story explores unmotivated evil and those that are affected by the Cadalac man. In the first act The atmosphere was thick and mysterious with a big pay off. The second act is full of deep character conflicts and motivations explored. The third act ties up the story with an epic climax and all the other elements mentioned before.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a trip.



Evil for the sake of being evil. No hang ups, no hesitation, just pure evil. And of course tons of entertainment seeing people rethink/renege or just plain try to scheme their way out of their situation when their time comes to an end. And yet, there were some infuriating moments when the person gets off way too easily for what they've done.

The characters were horrible people that do horrible things all because of the strings being pulled by The Cadillac Man. There's is nothing redeemable about them. And yet I couldn't stop reading. It's amazing how seemly easily these people are willing to destroy/murder others when they know they won't get caught. Also the concept that these "hidden" murders end up appearing to be accidents/tragedies is a creepy thought. Talk about messing with your head if you spiral into that thought.

[Josh Hitch · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a interesting tale of a dark entity, known only as the Cadillac man. He is able to cross time and distance at a whim, he uses his victims to work for him by killing others. He is able to feed on this energy of the hunger and lust of the kill his helpers have, while they kill who he tells them too. The book is written in three parts, basically novellas with the same big bad. Parts one and two are pretty similar in that he is gathering up his followers to deserted places to deal with them. However the third part is quite different he gathers a few of the helpers, along with a impish creature named Jacobi who is basically his main assistant, to go after a certain family. This family has been fighting his helpers for a long time, and Cadillac man decided it was time for a showdown.

Highly recommended, its well written and kept my interest throughout.

[Tabatha Shipley · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I Did Like:
+The descriptions and word choice are impeccable. Everything is so well described and it’s all intermingled with the meat of the story in a way that really helps the pacing. This was obvious within ten pages too, which is always nice!
+The points of the story where other characters pop into someone’s POV are delightful. I always enjoy when something feels like disconnected storylines and then CLICKS into place.
+The concept works well and is interesting. Even though similar things may have been done before, this brings an interesting twist to the story that works.

Who Should Read This One:
-Horror fans who don’t mind gore and want a complex, well told story.

My Rating: 4 Stars

For Full Review: https://alltherightreads.com/2025/12/...

[Lucas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good creepy moments. I thought the book divided into parts was a cool idea as they felt like their own story but yet connected not just by the Cadillac Man, but places too. I liked Part 3 a bit more for the action and fighting. Part 1 gave me some chills though and was a good opening to meet the Cadillac Man. Part 2 expanded on what his he was capable of doing. Was a very good book that I enjoyed reading.

[Spike Creamer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one was a thrill ride. It's a vampire tale of sorts, but instead of blood, the entity lives off the bad deeds of his followers. I thought this was a unique twist and different take on an old trope. Of course its also a story only the depraved mind of John Wayne Comunale could conjure. He never disappoints this horror hound...and the damn ending wasn't what I was expecting.

[Philip Bailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

The minus one star is because this book can be a bit redundant and drag on at points. But if you’ve ever read a John Wayne book before, the more the better… even if he’s being long winded.

[Joshua Welch · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very fun read each portion complimentary of the other while being it’s very own tale. Part three was a surprising delight.