There's Something Wrong with Joey

by S. Lee Glick

He was never the same after the first kill.
Teenager Joey spends part of his summer at the County fair with his cousins. Following a terrifying incident, they notice that he’s changed. When he receives a creepy mask as a gift from his father, his disturbing behaviour escalates to the point of no return.
He embarks on a horrifying journey of self-discovery as his mental state exacerbates his emerging characters. Joey must find himself . . . or lose everything.
Violence, and his inner struggle, have a far-reaching effect when the cousins are pulled into his mania and the line between right and wrong is blurred. Can Joey’s influence ever be stopped?
One of the best horror stories of its time, a psychological blend of nostalgia, horror and the supernatural.

256 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 5, 2022

About the author

Stephen was born in Illinois and lived many years on a cattle farm. His mother, Mae, and father, Floyd, were supportive and down-to-earth. Stephen has one sister, Jonnie, who lives on the East Coast. Steve has a love of fast cars still today. He and his wife, Pam, have two children, both adults now. He became a writer after suffering a stroke in 2016. He has published two non-fiction books. Two middle school age books plus five horror novels. Stephen has sold thousands of copies in the US and abroad..

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set in small-town America of the 1970s and told from the first-person perspective of Joey’s 13-year-old cousin Simon, this story revolves around the large Luchks family and how the ‘tender-hearted and honest’ Joey turns into a monster after the boys and their friend Willie are bullied and set-upon by the older Vinnie, Terry and their crowd on a day out at the County Fair. Forced to defend himself, 10-year-old Joey tastes the flesh and blood of the enemy in the ensuing fight, which seems to awaken something dark inside him, as evinced by the horror story he tells afterwards and which he claims to have been real in his head and more than just a dream. That’s just the beginning, and life in the Luchks family will never be the same.

Author S Lee Glick builds a well-paced narrative set in well-painted scenery of provincial country life peopled with believable characters who speak and act as might be expected, initially. Against such an everyday background, the horror is intensified through the cold and almost matter-of-fact manner in which atrocious actions are carried out by seemingly ordinary folks. When and where will it end?

[Terry · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a convoluted mess!

Was this book supposed to be a thriller, a ghost story, a gangster tale? It missed every mark. I almost stopped reading half way thru but felt invested at that point so I kept on going. How much worse could it get? Turns out ... a lot. Toward the end I was praying for it to end and each additional chapter became laughable. This was a torturous read and not only was the storyline ridiculous, it just wasn't well written. The one star was being generous.

[Lucas W Mayberry · Rating 5 out of 5]

A chilling and scary read

This is a truly chilling read. It starts off with 13 year old Simon his cousin Joey and some friends at the country fair and they get set upon by some bullies. It ends in a massive brawl and Joey gets his first taste of blood when he bites the ear of one of the bullies. Once such a nice, peaceful lad, Joey descends into a psychological black hole of craziness and murder. It doesn’t even end when he dies (or when you think he dies) He continues to torment his family and friends beyond the grave and it all ends on a spine tingling note that makes you wonder what the hell is going on. The story was a brilliant work of art that would make the likes of Stephen King envious.

[Lucas W Mayberry · Rating 5 out of 5]

A chilling and scary read

This is a truly chilling read. It starts off with 13 year old Simon his cousin Joey and some friends at the country fair and they get set upon by some bullies. It ends in a massive brawl and Joey gets his first taste of blood when he bites the ear of one of the bullies. Once such a nice, peaceful lad, Joey descends into a psychological black hole of craziness and murder. It doesn’t even end when he dies (or when you think he dies) He continues to torment his family and friends beyond the grave and it all ends on a spine tingling note that makes you wonder what the hell is going on. The story was a brilliant work of art that would make the likes of Stephen King envious.

[Steve · Rating 1 out of 5]

… Duh … What Is This Book Supposed To Be About … ?!?

I got thru The Author’s boring but very personal Introduction, then began and inched my way through his first chapter … but, WHY the heck am I reading this book?!? It’s garbage (or, at least, its beginning stinks).

[Carol Bosselman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Needs more editing

Good but needs to be tightened up a lot, gets very repetitive. Also some inconsistencies, dates or info chance from page to page. There were a lot of typos as well, but holds your interest.

[S. Glick]

A master of horror. The mundane and commonplace turn to horror on the dark side of the veil.

[Lisa Neveitt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would like to thank Mr. Glick and Goodreads for the opportunity to read this book. I enjoyed the story. The twist at the end got me.