I found Dearest by Peter Loughran literally by accident at my local bookstore—it slipped out and fell on the floor while browsing horror novels by Bentley Little. Its front cover is creepy and its back cover blurb convinced me to give it a try.
The book’s synopsis reads:
“He was a taxi driver with very definite ideas about women. The trouble was that no woman – no matter how much he might love her – could ever live up to his expectations.
Then he met Jacqui. She was a beauty. Really gorgeous. And after she began to carry his unborn child, and he gave her a ring in the prospect of marriage, he knew he had to take certain steps to preserve her and their relationship permanently.”
Dearest is written entirely in first person from the psycho taxi driver’s point of view. The first two chapters of Dearest are made up of the narrator’s rueful, hateful diatribe about what he thinks makes for the ideal woman and relationship.
The narrator’s opinions about women in general are so outlandish and crazy they had me thinking, “Oooooo-KAY!” throughout the entire novel. Additionally, this book was published in 1983, so its content is very dated, and the narrator is super chauvinistic.
The back cover features a quote by New York Daily News, which says that Dearest “wins the prize for weird.” This is appropriate, because this book is certainly very weird.
Dearest is written like a madman’s diary, and its denouement isn’t very climactic or shocking. I’m surprised the main character puts up with Jacqui for as long as he does, given she cheats on him constantly and has an IQ of about 10.
Even the ending of Dearest is disappointing and unexciting. I’m still kicking myself for taking time to read this book from cover to cover. Don’t even waste your time.
Who are your favorite horror novelists? What are your favorite horror books?
Last Updated on November 28, 2025 by Sarah Ann
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