Title: Cape Fear (formerly The Executioners)
Author: John D. MacDonald
Genre: thriller
When Stephen King wrote a column for Entertainment Weekly, he wrote one about his Top 10 Villains in literature. That list made me want to read every book he mentioned. I’ve read No Country For Old Men, Sanctuary, 1984 (my all-time favorite book), Harry Potter (Voldemort), and Lord of the Rings (Sauron). The other villains include Dracula, Pazazu from The Exorcist, Rhoda Penmark from The Bad Seed, Harry Powell from Night of the Hunter, and Max Cady from Cape Fear. I’ve never seen the movies, so this was all new to me.
From Goodreads: An insane criminal threatens to destroy a family, and the police are powerless to protect them.
For fourteen years, convicted rapist Max Cady nursed his hatred for Sam Bowden into an insane passion for revenge. He lived only for the day he would be free—free to track down and destroy the man who had put him behind bars.
Murder was merciful compared to what Cady had in mind—and what Cady had in mind was Bowden’s innocent and lovely teenaged daughter….
This short book starts out with Cady terrorizing the family. It takes no time at all to get to the suspense. Sam is a good guy who did nothing wrong, but Cady doesn’t see it that way. He’s out for revenge and will stop at nothing to kill each and every Bowden. Written in 1957, this book is definitely dated (Sam and wife Carol sleep in different beds), but it’s a fun way to look at the past when life was so simple. And the story definitely holds up. I say this is a must-read for any thriller fan. Books like this just aren’t written anymore.
Pleasant Nights 