On a cold winter's day in New York City, Jake does what he always does: watches the pay phone across the street from his third-floor apartment. He scans the passersby, hoping that one of them will answer the ringing phone, that when someone does answer -- and he knows they will -- that he can convince him or her to come up to his apartment to help quell his loneliness. And once the apartment door closes behind them, only then can he let loose his true desire...with the help of a sharp blade.

But on this particular day, after waiting almost too long, a woman answers the phone who reminds him of another special woman in his life. He pours on the charm trying to lure her to his apartment, but she manages to slip away, disappearing into the crowd. But he can't let her get away that easily and will stop at nothing until he finds her....

How many times have you walked by a ringing pay phone and resisted the temptation to pick it up, just to find out who would be calling a pay phone? Brandon Ford's "Pay Phone" answers that question and twists it into a bloody psychological thriller. I give him much credit for the character of Jake. That is one sick individual, not simply because of his murderous intentions but when you learn of his special relationship with the character Susan, you understand just how far off the deep end he is.

I did have trouble with two of the characters. Chelsea, the woman who got away, seems to fall head over heels for the voice on the other end of the phone, believing that he could be the one after one very brief conversation. I know it fits the purpose of the story, but for me, it didn't feel realistic. The other character is Gladys, Jake's representative at the Unemployment Office. I liked her until, out of the blue, she seemed to think the Jake wanted her. That threw me for a loop and threw off the pacing for a moment.

In spite of that, I still enjoyed the book and found myself staying up until the wee hours of the morning to read one more chapter. ( )