''Act of Love'' is a 1981

serial killer A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A * * * * with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. While most authorities set a threshold of three ...

horror novel written by American author

Joe R. Lansdale Joe Richard Lansdale (born October 28, 1951) is an American writer and martial arts instructor. A prose writer in a variety of genres - Western, horror, science fiction, mystery, and suspense - he's also written comic books and screenplays. Se ...

. This is Lansdale's first full-length novel.

Plot summary

Set in

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

this novel tells the story of a vicious serial killer terrorizing the entire city and the police officers' desperation to stop him. Police lieutenant Marvin Hanson leads the investigation. The killer has chosen the poor seedy side of town as his hunting grounds. As the killings become more and more gruesome, the entire city becomes under siege.

Editions

Originally published in 1981 by a small publishing house called Zebra Books, this novel has been re-issued as both a

limited edition The terms special edition, limited edition, and variants such as deluxe edition, or collector's edition, are used as a marketing incentive for various kinds of products, originally published products related to the arts, such as books, prints, r ...

and as a trade hardcover. It was first re-issued by Cemetery Dance Publications (1992) and then by

Subterranean Press Subterranean Press is a small press publisher in Burton, Michigan. Subterranean is best known for publishing genre fiction, primarily horror, suspense and dark mystery, fantasy, and science fiction. In addition to publishing novels, short stor ...

http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-59606-417-1 Publishers Weekly Review retrieved 8 November 2012 (2012). It was also published as a

paperback A paperback (softcover, softback) book is one with a thick paper or paperboard cover, and often held together with adhesive, glue rather than stitch (textile arts), stitches or Staple (fastener), staples. In contrast, hardcover (hardback) book ...

Carroll and Graf Carroll & Graf Publishers was an American publishing company based in New York City, New York, known for publishing a wide range of fiction and non-fiction by both new and established authors, as well as issuing reprints of previously hard-to ...

in 1995.

References

External links

Author's Official Website

Subterranean Press Website

CD Publications Website
Novels by Joe R. Lansdale American mystery novels American horror novels 1981 American novels Novels set in Houston {{1980s-horror-novel-stub