weak. Their weaknesses, in the Shakespearean tragic tradition, lead to bad results.

The first story in the collection, “The Life and Times of Edward Callahan,” is the longest and best in the book. Callahan is an 80-year-old ailing industrialist whose recent birthday party did not go well. Four of his five children followed their lifelong pattern of disappointing him in various ways, while only his youngest daughter showed Edward the love and attention he sought. As a result, he consults his financial advisor about changing his will to leave everything to his youngest daughter. (Why his lawyer isn’t involved is one of life’s great mysteries.)

As the story progresses, Edward learns more about his children. Each subsequent revelation calls into question what Edward thought he knew about them. The authors do a brilliant job of using dialogue in ways that can misdirect Edward (and the readers). This story is as carefully crafted as an Agatha Christie mystery, leading to a fitting conclusion. “Edward Callahan” has supernatural elements, as do all the stories in Rideshare. Although the story would have worked without the supernatural element, the occult events power the story and give it a bit of a Twilight Zone feel.

“Arioch” is the story of Max, a grieving widower, who lost his wife and daughter when their car was struck by a drunk driver. Unfortunately, through a series of prosecutorial blunders and technicalities, the killer was only convicted of reckless driving and given a one-year sentence. As the story begins, the killer’s formal sentencing is the next day, and Max is in a bar, drowning his sorrows. There, Max meets the title character, a defense attorney who befriends him. Before the night is over, Ari provides Max with a gun and sneaks him into the courthouse. There, Max waits in hiding in a room right behind the courtroom where the sentencing will occur. The immediate results of Max’s trip to the courthouse are predictable; the story’s twist ending is not. Reader sympathy is automatically on Max’s side, but the authors give his character even greater depth by examining his grief and despair in detail. This added attention to character makes the story’s ending even more poignant.

“Sugar Baby” is the weakest story in Rideshare. The title character is Sarah, an attractive young woman who signs up for a website for women to act as companions for wealthy men. Of course, that companionship usually involves more than just going out to dinner. In return, the men often lavish gifts on their sugar babies. Sarah’s usual “date” is not what you might expect to find on this type of website. Instead, he’s a rugged, handsome man who knows how to please Sarah in bed. Sarah eventually discovers she has a previously unrevealed mean streak. Sarah’s newfound sadistic nature leads to a bad ending for some of the other men she knows. The story has a surprise ending, but it’s pretty much borrowed from a popular 60-year-old thriller. I thought the authors spent too much time discussing Sarah’s sexual activities in graphic detail, and not enough on explaining the changes in her character to make them fully plausible.

The last story in Rideshare is the simplest, but it’s gruesomely compelling. The story’s perfectly apt title is “Hunger,” and it’s about a wealthy recluse named Terry Lawrence. Terry’s favorite pastime is gourmet dining, and he indulges himself as much as he can. However, one morning, he wakes up with an insatiable appetite. He soon consumed all the food in his luxury apartment, but was still hungry. So, Terry eats some rather disgusting, rotten meat from the trash (you won’t want to read this story if you’ve just eaten), followed by other items not intended as food. This is the type of story that people are ashamed to admit they enjoy reading, because it’s quite disgusting… but fascinating in its own way.

Rideshare contains an epilogue after the fourth story. That epilogue ties the four stories together and explains some previous events that readers will probably have guessed, anyway. I found this epilogue to be overly silly and completely ineffective. Unfortunately, I can’t discuss it in any greater detail without revealing some spoilers. However, the book ended on a sour note for me.

I also wanted to comment on the sex (in “Sugar Baby”) and violence in Rideshare. Each story contains multiple gruesome murders described in graphic detail. I have no problem with graphic violence, but these descriptions seem unnecessary here. The gratuitous descriptions of sex and violence cheapen the book to appeal to hardcore gore fans. Further, those who are more squeamish about the descriptions of sex and violence might be advised to select some other reading material.

Rideshare is a tough book to rate. Three stories in the collection range from very good to excellent, and all three depend on some brilliantly precise plotting and language selection. Much modern horror eschews such care in writing in favor of cheap shocks. I applaud the authors here for some excellent writing. On the other hand, “Sugar Baby” is a dud with an unoriginal ending, and the epilogue is a big letdown. Viewing the book as a whole, I’m giving Rideshare a solid four-star (B+) rating. Despite a few bumps along the journey, I really enjoyed being taken for a ride by these authors.

NOTE: The publisher graciously provided me with a copy of this book through BookSirens. However, the decision to review the book and the contents of this review are entirely my own.