Rating: 
Summary: Ladies Night of the Long Knives
Review: First of all, take the warning on the cover that this book contains upsetting, graphic subject matter seriously. I'm a longtime horror reader, and while I read and enjoy many authors, only a handful of them have disturbed me to the point of giving me nightmares after I read their work. Jack Ketchum, aka Dallas Mayer, is one of them. If you're a JK fan (or have read and finished Off-Season or The Girl Next Door), you'll know what I mean. And if you love JK, pick this up fast if you haven't already. It's one of his best and most memorable. It's also one of his most cold-blooded, which Ketchum readers will know is saying a lot.Ladies Night (great title, by the way) takes place over a short period of time-about 24 hours, actually. The plot reminded me of Cronenberg's "Rabid", Romero's Dead trilogy, and Phillip Nutman's "Wet Work". A virus that the government developed, presumably as a weapon, leaks out and quickly begins to effect females only. The chemical/disease causes women to slowly but completely lose their minds (note: insert PMS joke of your choice here). The main symptoms are women becoming homicidally violent, with their hormones and sex drive also going berserk (and not in any sort of a fun way). The plotline mainly focuses on the residents of one apartment complex, but also carries into the insanity on the streets as well. It's almost a twist on "Night of the Long Knives", with women as the ones who gang up and take over. One of the more upsetting elements of the story is that families are quickly and completely torn apart. Sons, brothers, boyfriends and husbands have no choice but to defend themselves against the woman they love most in the world, and one of them is going to have to die in almost all these cases. Also, a few rare women are immune, so they have to defend themselves against other women and also men who might think they're a threat. I have yet to talk to a male who has read this book. My husband doesn't read fiction, but if he did, I know this would scare the you-know-what out of him. Come to think of it, with all due respect, I can't imagine any man not being disturbed by this book, for obvious reasons. Men who have an especially moody spouse or close family member...maybe they should read a different title instead. I think women readers will also be scared by a whole different element. Every woman has probably felt on the verge of losing it completely and felt a fear that they might lose control and hurt someone. It's a cliche, but especially during one week of the month. Women know they have this inside them, and the book plays on that fear. Before I read this book, there's a couple pieces of information I already knew from my college majors of Women Studies and Deviant Psychology. One is that both PMS and pregnancy have both been used successfully as a legal defense for murder charges. The other is that women as a rule fight more viciously and nastily than men. "They just want to do the most amount of damage in the shortest time possible, and they'll fight dirtier than any man to do it," as a Jerry Springer security guard said in an interview when asked who they were most scared of getting between in fights. These facts seemed amusing to me (though not to any men I told) before I read this book, but now I'm not seeing any humor in it at all. It came to my mind over and over while reading "Ladies Night", and I remember having to shove it to the back of my mind because the book was already scaring the ... out of me enough. If you're a Ketchum fan, this is a must read. It's up there with The Girl Next Door and Off-Season as one of his most disturbing and memorable works. I think that most Ketchum readers will agree that there are scenes or images from these books that have stuck with them and even haunted them for a loooong time. I first read this book years ago, and it still gives me the creeps to think about. Like TGND, I re-read it because the prose and plotline had such a strong, lasting effect on me...and I realized it was just as upsetting, if not more, as the first time. I'll never forget the son fighting desperately for his life against his formerly loving mother, and the ending was one of those that actually jumped out and smacked me in the face. I don't recommend this book for anyone that is easily upset or disturbed, or anyone who is already afraid of women. If you like your horror fast, hard, and nasty, then this is for you. I recommend it strongly for horror fans, both male and female, who want a novel that they'll never forget.
Rating: 
Summary: Zombie Cat Fight gone wild, lock up your sons!
Review: I am a fan of the horror genre, and this is quite an extreme example; but with a refreshing approach. It is the women who are effected by a strange toxic spill, not only causing them to become violent but also loosing their real selves in the process. Kind of like horny, hungry female zombies. They begin to attack all of the men only because they are men, but also when they sense a woman has not changed with them, is not like them, they attack her too. The one thing I felt should have possibly been expanded on is the fact that it is the women who are violent beyond control, in a society where men are suppose to never strike a woman. I wonder how different it would have been in reverse; were the men effected I believe the women would have been even more violent in their defense. Very interesting subject. In a short 166 page story, Ketchum manages to bring his characters to life, and portrays one woman's transformation into something unknown even to her very well. The focus of the story is one man's journey from his neighborhood bar back to his apartment to save his son...from his wife.
This book does contain some very graphic gore and splatter, so be prepared. But it is a very fast read in that it moves like a movie through your head. I could see this becoming a horror movie very easily.
Rating:
Summary: Zombie Cat Fight gone wild, lock up your sons!
Review: I am a fan of the horror genre, and this is quite an extreme example; but with a refreshing approach. It is the women who are effected by a strange toxic spill, not only causing them to become violent but also loosing their real selves in the process. Kind of like horny, hungry female zombies. They begin to attack all of the men only because they are men, but also when they sense a woman has not changed with them, is not like them, they attack her too. The one thing I felt should have possibly been expanded on is the fact that it is the women who are violent beyond control, in a society where men are suppose to never strike a woman. I wonder how different it would have been in reverse; were the men effected I believe the women would have been even more violent in their defense. Very interesting subject. In a short 166 page story, Ketchum manages to bring his characters to life, and portrays one woman's transformation into something unknown even to her very well. The focus of the story is one man's journey from his neighborhood bar back to his apartment to save his son...from his wife.
This book does contain some very graphic gore and splatter, so be prepared. But it is a very fast read in that it moves like a movie through your head. I could see this becoming a horror movie very easily.
Rating:
Summary: LITERARY "B" HORROR MOVIE
Review: I don't quite understand the harshness and negativity towards this book. This is, after all, a Jack Ketchum novella. If you grabbed this and meant to get "The Good Earth", I can see your confusion. I enjoyed this book because I believe I took it the way it was intended- as an over-the-top, mindless excursion into a independent horror movie. This is "Night of the Living Dead" with an updated location and a plot twist. This is not Jack Ketchum's deepest, best written, most thought provoking work. It is a fun, wild ride through one night in a city gone to hell. A good time if you allow yourself such indulgence.
Rating:
Summary: Hardcore Horror
Review: I liked this book. I have read "The Lost" by Ketchum as well as one or two of his short stories, and clearly, while the depth of "Ladies Night" is different, I knew what I was getting into, and it met my expectations. Exceeded them. This was an action-horror novel with a satirical twist (and those who live NYC can appreciate it a little more). Ultimately, the author was not out for as much character development as in his other novels (but then again, the foreward fo the version I read said he had cut this book down in size dramatically, probably by a woman). Oooops, mysoginistic! Two ways to look at that one: He is either portraying women as the villians (anti-woman) or saying that women were getting revenge against the men who created the cosmetic (designed to please men) that turned the women into man-killers. Whatever. My only regret was that since the foreward told me he was inspired by the movie Romero flick "Night of the Living Dead" (which I have seen umpteen times), I could see what would happen in one late scene when he started spelling it out for me. This is a short, fun, hardcore horror novel that is meant to thrill. That's about it. I think many authors of the horror and suspense have gone down this road, and I like it when authors do different things. Take the man Joe Lansdale, he knows the deal. All IMHO.
Rating:
Summary: Hardcore Horror
Review: I liked this book. I have read "The Lost" by Ketchum as well as one or two of his short stories, and clearly, while the depth of "Ladies Night" is different, I knew what I was getting into, and it met my expectations. Exceeded them. This was an action-horror novel with a satirical twist (and those who live NYC can appreciate it a little more). Ultimately, the author was not out for as much character development as in his other novels (but then again, the foreward fo the version I read said he had cut this book down in size dramatically, probably by a woman). Oooops, mysoginistic! Two ways to look at that one: He is either portraying women as the villians (anti-woman) or saying that women were getting revenge against the men who created the cosmetic (designed to please men) that turned the women into man-killers. Whatever. My only regret was that since the foreward told me he was inspired by the movie Romero flick "Night of the Living Dead" (which I have seen umpteen times), I could see what would happen in one late scene when he started spelling it out for me. This is a short, fun, hardcore horror novel that is meant to thrill. That's about it. I think many authors of the horror and suspense have gone down this road, and I like it when authors do different things. Take the man Joe Lansdale, he knows the deal. All IMHO.
Rating: 
Summary: horrible
Review: I'm a big fan of extreme horror, but this is the pits. It is invariably poorly written, and I'm amazed this novel made it to the press. What's worse, the text is rife with typos.
Just another indication that just because you get published doesn't mean you can write worth a damn.
Rating:
Summary: THIS IS AN ALL OUT WAR BETWEEN THE SEXES!!!
Review: I'm now starting to get into what I call "Splatter" novels (that's "horror" and "suspense" fiction with excessive violence and gore, not mention a strong sexual content). I've already purchased several books by Jack Ketchum, Edward Lee, and Simon Clark, to name a few. I've also quickly discovered that sometimes too much violence and sex disrupts the flow of the book, while at other times it seems to be just the right amount, moving the story along at a break-necking speed. Such is the case with Jack Ketchum's LADIES' NIGHT. This is a relatively short novel, running at a 167 pages. It's fast paced, tense, and definitely not for the squeamish. The story begins when a tanker truck is involved in a traffic accident in the middle of New York City's West Side. The unknown contents of the truck spills out into the streets, and its cloy, sweet cherry scent spreads throughout the inner city, infecting most of the female population. By nightfall, the women of NYC have become sexually aroused with a powerful blood lust that leads them to want to kill every man in the city. When Tom Braun and his wife notice a beautiful dancer masturbating herself with a broken wine bottle during a roof party at the top of their apartment building, it's the first sign that the night is going to get even stranger. After the party is over and the demented dancer has been subdued by security, Tom decides to visit the local bar for a nightcap. Within a couple of hours, the women in the bar are brutally murdering as many of the men as possible, while Tom and the bartender, Phil, fight their way outside to the street, stepping out of the frying pan and into the fire. The sounds of the night are filled with the screams of dying men and the demonic laughter of vengeful females. Tom realizes that the women in the city have gone totally crazy and that his young son, Andy, may be in danger back at the apartment. It's going to be a battle to the death as he and other men fight their way through the streets in an effort to save Andy...a boy who may already be dead at the hands of his mother. LADIES' NIGHT is one of those fun reads that reminded me of movies like Night of the Living Dead and Halloween. It's popcorn entertainment that thrills and makes you jump in all of the right places. Mr. Ketchum doesn't hold back on the blood and gore in his descriptions of men and women being killed in the streets of New York City; yet, rather than being a turnoff, it actually works for me. There is no in-depth character development here, but who cares? Most of the characters in this novel are going to be dead by the end of it. This is a short roller-coaster ride of death and destruction that's to be enjoyed for its pacing and intensity. I liked LADIES' NIGHT enough that I intend to purchase some of Jack Ketchum's other novels, THE LOST, HIDE & SEEK, OPEN SEASON, and THE GIRL NEXT DOOR. Naturally, this novel isn't for everyone. If you're not into "splatter" fiction, then save your money for something else. If, however, you want to read some dark, violent, sexually oriented fiction that can make you laugh at different times, then give this novel a shot!
Rating: 
Summary: Over The Top
Review: Intrigued by what I had read about the author, inspired by the reviews contained on this website, I couldn't wait to read LADIES NIGHT. And the first of the book doesn't disappoint, as Ketchum masterfully sets the stage for pending disaster, develops the plot and inserts interesting sub-plots of tension and conflict among all of his characters. The table is set for a grand seat-squirmer... ...and then the book goes over the top. Do you remember the scene from the movie, "The Shining," the scene where the elevator doors open and a river of blood comes cascading out to bathe the lobby with gallons and gallons of crimson? Such is the case with LADIES NIGHT, as horror and suspense are carelessly cast aside in favor of mindless gore, gore, and more gore. Halfway through the book the reader becomes so desensitized to all the blood and guts it is impossible to care what happens to the characters. Instead of being wrapped in the story, I found myself chuckling after each grisly scene, asking myself, "OK, what kind of mutilation are we going to see next?" Ketchum is, if nothing else, imaginative when it comes to chopping, stabbing, smashing, cleaving (insert any verb you want) people to pieces. I take back my earlier statement: this is a seat-squirmer, but only because of the discomfort caused by all the glaring typos and inept editing. (It would appear that the copy editors at Gauntlet have never heard of a comma, colon, or semi-colon.) Save your money if you're wanting a nailbiter: LADIES NIGHT starts off with much promise then fizzles into a bloodsoaked whimper.
Rating: 
Summary: Ladies' Night Indeed....
Review: Ketchum pretty much re-hashes "Night of the Living Dead," except it's women who are transformed into homicidal, cannibalistic, zombie-like killing machines (although the Z-word never appears in the book) who are out to kill everything with a pair of testicles after a strange chemical spill in midtown Manhattan. Nothing special, except the gore factor is especially high in this novel, even for Ketchum. Lots of splattery goodness for indiscriminating gorehounds looking for a quick hardcore horror read. Definitely recommended for fans!
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