Rovers

By: Richard Lange

Narrated by: Marc Vietor, Wayne Carr

Two immortal brothers crisscross the American Southwest to elude a murderous biker gang and protect a young woman in this “utter triumph and delight” from award-winning author Richard Lange (Jonathan Ames, author of A Man Named Doll).

Summer, 1976. Jesse and his brother, Edgar, are on the road in search of victims. They’re rovers, nearly indestructible nocturnal beings who must consume human blood in order to survive. For 70 years they’ve lurked on the fringes of society, roaming from town to town, dingy motel to dingy motel, stalking the transients, addicts, and prostitutes they feed on.

This hard-boiled supernatural hell ride kicks off when the brothers encounter a young woman who disrupts their grim routine, forcing Jesse to confront his past and plunging his present into deadly chaos as he finds himself scrambling to save her life. The story plays out through the eyes of the brothers, a grieving father searching for his son’s murderer, and a violent gang of rover bikers, coming to a shattering conclusion in Las Vegas on the eve of America’s Bicentennial.

Gripping, relentless, and ferocious, Rovers demonstrates once again why Richard Lange has been hailed as an “expert writer, his prose exact, his narrative tightly controlled” (Steph Cha, Los Angeles Times).

©2021 Richard Lange (P)2021 Mulholland Books

Critic reviews

“A swift, delicious novel that’s firing on all cylinders.... The book has a lot going on, with as many settings as characters, propelled by the jet fuel of resentments, assassinations-for-hire, mistakes, and love affairs. Lange balances it all perfectly. There are a few amazing fights too.” (Carolyn Kellogg, Los Angeles Times)

"Outstanding supernatural noir.... Evocative prose illuminates the neon-lit world of small-town 1970s America. Lange succeeds brilliantly at combining the vampire and noir traditions.” (Publishers Weekly, starred review)

"Rovers is a lean, mean pulp masterpiece of American horror. I was blown away. Richard Lange is the real deal." (Joe Hill, author of Locke & Key and Nos4a2)

Lange Provides the Alternative Modern Vampire

There has long been a fascination by horror fans for finding the stories of the monsters that may live among us. Rovers are just such monsters. Modern day vampires that are not seemingly as hard to kill as they are hard to find. They live in plain sight at the is horrific when you think about it. The narrators do a great job - Marc Vietor and Wayne Carr of steering the narrative between the three main characters as a different voice. The two Rover brothers will remind you of "Mice and Men" somewhat or maybe the main character in Stephen King's Bachman book "Blaze." But the true horror is one that is, what happens when a Rover is mentally disabled and must rely on a brother to help feed. The setting around the American bicentennial could have been played up more, but this was a good story. I love the fact at the very end when the narrators lend their character voices to the minutiae at the end of each Audible book. I almost expected to hear "Audible Hopes You Have Enjoyed this Program," in their voice. Fun listening to it.

Dramatic and bleak without being bitter..

One of the best vamp stories I've read.The subtle supernatural origins aren't really covered,I could say nearly ignored but that only keeps the focus of the group of people trying to make a living.From a biker gang with frayed alliances, to a pair of doomed brothers who cant catch a break- and the faithfully vengeful father who just needs to accomplish Something to quell his rage...a terrific book.Im hoping the ending leaves a chance of a sequel?(somehow!)

Great Story!

A twist on the vampire genre. I really enjoyed the book. Great character development and plot. I look forward to more from Mr. Lange. Narration was very good

100% Good

Narration was done really well and it was a enjoyable listen all the way through.

Loved It

A fresh take on the vampire genre. Not too long but hits all the right notes. Very well crafted between mainly 3 different characters/groups and their POVs.

Darkness collides and cannibalizes

I agree with another reviewer: this is like Mice and Men… with vampires. I would also say this had a Reservoir Dogs viciousness. It was entertaining and set a gritty 70s mood, but I felt like there was little light to chase the dark. Told from multiple POVs, there are no good people, just varying degrees of monster or victim.

We're just like you, kinda.

Ann Rice would approve of this vampire tale. They eat, they potty, they love. And they kill.

Amazing

Great performance and a great read. Loved every second, even the funny voice used for the end credits.

Fresh take on vampires

Lange is a great crime novelist, usually setting his novels in the deserts of Southern California. Here he turns his eyes towards the supernatural and comes up with a novel that is a real treat. Vampires aren't suave and sophisticated here, they are dirty bikers, and bar denizens.

Okay tale

A different slant to vampires in modern times. No elegant or sparkly vampires here. I enjoyed the plot and how segments were joined. It wasn’t perfect but still pretty good.