Jackals

By: Charles L. Grant

Narrated by: Travis Baldree

Length: 6 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

We've all seen them - the broken-down car by the side of the road, mutely signaling for help from passing drivers...the stubborn tail-gater who follows too close, for too long...the wild driver who weaves through lanes on a crowded highway...the driver who causes accidents but is never a victim of one....

These are the jackals, hunters who follow the nation's highways and byways, preying on the weak and unsuspecting. The jackals are human enough - except for a strangeness about their eyes, and the way their laughter lingers in the night air - but they have no mercy.

Jim Scott's been hunting jackals for some time now. They took someone he loved, once, and he's never forgiven them. And he's never loved again. Love makes you vulnerable.

But love isn't predictable, and when beautiful, battered Rachel turns up on Jim Scott's doorstep with a tale that can only mean she barely escaped a hunting pack, Jim finds that the barricades he built around his heart are not impregnable.

The jackals have come in force for their final showdown with Jim Scott. But Jim no longer fights alone - he leads a group of jackal-killers, each determined to exterminate the hunters or die trying.

©1994 Kathryn Ptacek (P)2018 David N. Wilson

a nice werewolf twist

I wasn't sure what this book would be about and it turns out it's a twist on the werewolf story. The way the antagonists are alluded to makes it seem like it's talking about gangs, which it is, just of the supernatural variety.

I really liked the writing. The word choice and sentences were masterfully done. Sounds weird when it's the story that matters, but it was so well done it actually stuck out to me and made some other books seem worse by comparison.

That said, the story seemed a bit thin and drug on at times. That said, it still would have made a great movie.

I would recommend this if you like supernatural werewolf type stories that also come across as an action Mack Bolan book.

I requested this copy of the audiobook and have voluntarily left this review

Don’t listen while driving on a back road

We have all seen them. A car on the side of the road with a cloth on the window, a person sitting in a vehicle with the hood up, a car up on jack with a wheel off and no one around. Most of us just keep going, some of us may give some small thought to the matter, a rare souls may stop to help. Maybe nothing happens and they go on their way with a good deed done. Maybe something does happen. Maybe it was the jackals. The jackals are a part of the natural order. As is the hunter. This is a chapter in their story in history. And a dark chapter it is, in a darker story. I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

That was fun

I enjoyed this book. Travis Baldree does a great job and not only tells a great story, but helps me keep the characters straight (I got lost once or twice).
The story had just enough twists to keep me coming back. Great story and plot was great too.
This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBoom dot com.

Starts slow, but hang in there.

Jackals starts out slow, so slow in fact that I had to restart a couple times until I could give the story my full attention. I am not biased by Grant’s other works as some reviewers evidently are, so once I got into the story I was pretty much hooked. The premise is basically killers, referred to as jackals, preying on disabled motorists on the highways, but this is far from all you discover as the story unfolds. This is a somewhat chilling horror thriller having much in common with werewolves hunting victims in the night. Our protagonist Jim Scott is a jackal hunter, devoted to this dangerous and mysterious profession because he lost a loved one in this manner. Jim befriends a female traveler who has been attacked and escapes, making her way to his door in the middle of the night. The author reveals this complex plot little-by-little, saving an unexpected twist to expand and pull the story in a new direction. The ending may be a bit underwhelming, but I enjoyed the tale all-in-all. This audiobook was given by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom.

Supernatural creatures, a Hunter, and more!

ackals
By: Charles L. Grant
Narrated by: Travis Baldree
This is an audible book I requested and the review is voluntary.
This is a good fantasy/horror book about started out slow but did pick up.
I like the premise of the story.
The narrator of the story was very good and helped the book a lot. I might have given it a lower rating if I had just read it myself.

Don't break down out in the middle of nowhere

Wow, have to say I liked everything about this book. The plot was unique and the setting was perfectly matched for that, the characters were intriguing, and the narrator was fantastic. His voice for Jim was spot on. So much so that I want to hear that character’s voice in other stories. I was able to picture Jim perfectly based on the gruff voice he used for him and that is exactly the type of guy Jim is and exactly the type of voice he needed. I hope Travis Baldree had a cigar and a glass of whiskey in his hands while narrating. Well done Travis.

The story stands up by itself even without the exceptional narration. The mixture of horror and sci-fi are blended perfectly into a nice thriller. From the very beginning with Rachel crawling to Jim’s house I was hooked and it kept getting better from there. There was a pretty major plot twist in the middle of the book that I didn’t see coming and while not the way I wanted the story to go I’m really glad it did.

On its face this is a hunter becoming the hunted story but it really offers so much more. The jackal aspect was completely unique and very well developed. Even though we learn a lot about them there is one little aspect we don’t fully understand and I appreciated that little bit of mystery.

This was my first book from the late Charles L. Grant and I’m totally on board for more. Now every time I see an abandoned car on the side of the road I’m always going to wonder if the Jackals got them.

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

Action packed and entertaining

I received this book in exchange for an honest review and have left this review willingly.

This is a very action-based horror/magical realism type book with creatures that are sort of shifters but it's handled in a unique way. The main character is a monster hunter, and I felt that he and his friends were well-realized characters, possibly because of the very solid narration. This is going to be a favorite book of mine this year, which was actually quite a surprise. Seeing the world of the hunter fleshed out in the way it was was very welcome to me. I also enjoyed the setting overall. I could see this world fleshed out further in its own movie. A very solid performance and a very intriguing book.

loved this story

I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

This was a great, if a little slow building at first, horror story. It has lots of creep factor and descriptive detail. I liked Jim's character and felt the author did a great job of giving him, and Rachel for that matter, depth. The narration was pretty good as well and made this a fun listen.

Well Done Southern Noir Horror

I wasn't expecting to like this as much as I did, but it was a gripping listen. The plot was unique, mysterious and suspenseful, and I loved the atmosphere. It made me feel like I was in some southern backwood surrounded by trees covered in Spanish moss. The sense of place was so well done it actually brought back some memories for me. I could almost feel the humidity.

The concept of the Jackals was well done and intriguing, and left me wondering what sort of other work Charles L. Grant had done. After looking him up on Amazon and grabbing a few more of his books, I'm surprised I've never heard of him before. He contributed a lot to the quasi-horror and dark fiction genres, back in the days before self publishing. I hope more of his books get done in audio.

The narration of Travis Baldree was excellent.

I received this book for free at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Jackals

This was a good read.It started out slow but evenrually picked up.I liked the premise.A different kind of monster is following people in cars.They stop them and usually kill them.SOme people know about them and will fight them.Travis Baldree was a good narrator. I was given this book by the narrator,author or publisher free for an honest review.