Richard Laymon writes like Stephen King with fewer scruples and a good editor. Fast-paced and about as sleazy as I was expecting, but with a few surprisingly lovable characters. Massive content warnings for sexual assault, child abuse, and misogyny, so read with caution. As a huge fan of video nasties and specifically Stuart Gordon's movies, though, this feels like Castle Freak in novel form - would recommend to anyone else with extreme horror brain rot.