Oh these were good. These were so good.

Killer on the Road was gross and brutal and just pure chaos the entire time. It was not what I was expecting, not a traditional serial killer story, but I loved it all the more for that reason. This was a solid 4.25 stars for me. Enthralling in the way all of SGJ's work is, with a lot of punches packed in to such a short story. It never stopped. The character work in this was really great too, the group of friends at the start is such a fun cast.

Babysitter Lives *may* be my favorite of the two, but just by a little bit, with a 4.5 star rating. I think what's giving it the slight bump for me is that this one genuinely spooked me at times. This sort of horror, with confusing realities and time loops and the like, will always terrify me and fill me with dread. So thanks, Stephen, you scared me.

Stephen Graham Jones is a master of horror and doesn't disappoint with these two stories! Killer on the Road is a fast paced short story that takes us on the road with Harper as she's running away from her mom and meets up with her friends on an adventure filled night that includes running away from a shape-shifting serial killer.

The Babysitter Lives takes us into the world of Charlotte who only wants to have a chill night babysitting where she hopes she gets enough downtime to study for the SATs that are tomorrow, but instead gets sucked into a supernatural hell in which there may be someone else in the house with them.

I loved both stories. They were both so fast-paced yet engaging and the characters were all relatable and felt real. I'll for sure be thinking about all of these characters for a while and justice for Dylan 😭.

Stephen Graham Jones's next book is part of Sagapress Books's new set of "Saga Doubles." This one being a pairing of The Babysitter Lives, which was previously an audiobook only, and a new novel: Killer On The Road.

I've read Babysitter twice before, so this review will just be for Killer On The Road, which I finished the other night and man... this one is WILD

You know what I'm about to say... I say it every time I review SGJ's work... because it's true. Cmon kids, say it with me:
SGJ DOES NOT MISS

Now, I will say, Killer was definitely not my favorite of his books. Was it bad? Absolutely not. Again: he doesn't miss. It just wasn't a favorite. I think this story would have almost worked better shrunken down. Make it a longer short story, like After The People Lights Have Gone Off, or novella length; something along the lines of Mapping The Interior or Night Of The Mannequins. There was an amazing story in there that had some external, we'll call it "fluff," that could have been trimmed, IMO.

That's honestly my biggest gripe. Otherwise, Killer On The Road was a blast. It felt like Don't Fear The Reaper in how chaotic and brutal it was and Harper was like Jade-lite. Killer On The Road is pure chaos machine and filled with some extremely gnarly kills and descriptions. It's a slasher and a chase story wrapped into one, all taking place on the desolate, 18-wheeler-owned highways.

Bucketmouth, who I won't go into too much for fear of spoilers, was an awesome antagonist and such a cool idea. It has SGJ's grisly flair all over it. Though, it was fun to see SGJ shoutout Stephen King's The Outsider. You'll see why when you read it.

Overall, Killer On The Road was an extremely solid 4.25/5 for me. It's badass, it's nasty, gnarly, chaotic and brutal. It's got heart, as all SGJ stories do. It has compelling characters and it's just a great story. A little too long-winded, for my liking, but otherwise it's GOOD and one I definitely recommend you check out.

Killer On The Road is already available in the UK, but it and its partner, The Babysitter Lives, hit shelves in the US on July 15th. 20 days.

So full disclosure: I pre-ordered this months ago with SGJ’s other new title, The Buffalo Hunter Hunter. I listened to The Babysitter Lives on audio nearly 2 years ago and my final comment in the review was: “Hope it gets released in print so I can grab a physical copy for the shelf.” And here we are! But first…

The Killer on the Road

Harper is done. After a huge fight with her mother, she walks out with the clothes on her back and wanders toward the interstate. She doesn’t have a plan, but she’s 18 and she can do what she wants. While looking for a ride, she is approached by a couple in an old T-bird. Harper grabs a few sandwiches and waters, but passes on the religion and they leave. A little while later Harper’s friends, who are supposed to be working in Yellowstone Park, pull off the road for her. The kids get moving after pissing off some truck drivers and begin rolling down the interstate. Attempting to show the dangers of hitchhiking, they tell the story of Bucketmouth: a serial killer who hunts on the highway. Little do they know that he is real. And he’s stalking them.

This was wild. The very first chapter left me mouth gaping and speechless. What a way to start! I don’t know how much research went into all the truck driver talk, but it was impressive. (Of course, that’s only by my minimal knowledge of truck driving…) The story was fast-paced and not at all what I expected. This is not a stereotypical highway killer, murdering hapless motorists along the Wyoming interstate. This is way more interesting. 4 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Babysitter Lives

Charlotte is planning on spending her babysitting shift studying for her SATs. However her babysitting charges, twins Ron and Desi, have another plan, starting with the trip on the "secret staircase..." Slowly, Charlotte begins to realize that things are not quite what they seem in the house. And by the way, isn't this the same house where a woman drowned her kids in the bathtub then hung herself the night before Halloween exactly 11 years ago...?

This book was just weird and I loved it. There are other dimensions, time travel, body horror, and creepy kids. I feel like I wasn't 100% sure what was going on half the time, so it was easy to empathize with Charlotte when she didn't know which side was up either.

Upon reread I decided this needs 5 stars. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Great story.

STARS FOR BOOK: 4 1/2

Stephen Graham Jones does not miss and these two stories, The Babysitter Lives and Killer on the Road are no exception. Two different but fantastic stories. I love the flipped two book style for the physical book with both stories (although I read the eARC) I already have my pre-order in for my hard copy. Two more winners from SGJ. Five stars, no notes!

Thank you to Netgalley and Saga Press for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. Both stories were five-star stories for me, but I will review them separately for organizational sake.

Killer on the Road: Wow, what a wild ride of a story! Harper is the life breath of this novel, and I thought she was a fantastic main character to base the story around. Despite never having been a teenage girl, SGJ really knows how to bring them to life on the page. The kills in this are particularly gruesome while also making the reader feel extremely sad for what Harper is experiencing. The fact that the killer could be anyone at any time really elevates this novel that in the end becomes one of the best cat and mouse novels I have ever read. Something else that really stood out to me was how Harper and her friends interacted with each other. It felt true to all the characters and how they would act at their ages. And like with any SGJ story, it goes much deeper than just a killer chasing a girl who was running away from home. Totally recommend this one for fans of gruesome stories that are character-driven but still have a heavy plot, and also to anyone who loves the interstate.


The Babysitter Lives: This was my third time consuming this story, but the first that wasn't in an audiobook format. Like always, I think reading the words SGJ puts on the page with my eyeballs elevates the story to a new level. I always liked this story, but I think now it might be one of my favorite SGJ stories of all time. It also pairs extremely well with Killer on the Road since they both center around a badass teenage girl. Who doesn't love a good horror story centering around a babysitter? Charlotte thinks she knows what her night will be like, but that all changes when it seems that the kids can move around the house in ways that should be impossible. And the house is really the shining star here. It's a haunted house of new proportions and on an even bigger scale than just a ghostly haunting. There are so many layers to this story and that is one of the most impressive things about it. I recommend this one for people who want to read a haunted house story around Halloween time, but want something that goes above just being about a ghost.

And of course, the acknowledgements for both stories made me absolutely tear up and want to hear an autobiography of SGJ's life from start to finish.

Thank you to Netgalley and Saga Press for this ARC.

I LOVE the double feature aspect of this book! It reminds me of being a kid and going to the drive in and getting to see TWO movies. I went into these blind and I highly recommend that route, but if you're a SGJ lover, you already know it'll be worth the shot in the dark!

This was an absolutely wild (and horrifying) ride. A double-header from horror master Stephen Graham Jones, this two-in-one book delivers fresh takes on classic tropes, making them feel simultaneously familiar and entirely new. I read the eGalley version (thank you NetGalley and Sage Press for the ARC!), but I need this on my shelf in physical form.

🩸 The Killer on the Road: What starts as a reimagining of the hitchhiker mythos becomes a haunting, surprising, and strangely joyful horror story. The open-ended finale had me smiling all day, chilling in the moment, but deeply satisfying the more I reflected on it.

👻 The Babysitter Lives: A Halloween babysitting gig gone wrong? Yes, please. This story turns the “haunted house” idea on its head with a smart, disorienting time loop that’s as compelling as it is unsettling. The final pages left me rattled in the best way.

📓 Author’s Notes: The bonus treasure? The acknowledgements. They read like mini-masterclasses, an honest, intimate reflections from Jones on his creative process. You finish the stories asking, “Who thinks like this?” and then he tells you. It’s a gift.

💬 Final Take:
A must-read for horror fans and storytelling nerds alike. Dual narratives, dual terrors, and one unforgettable voice. Stephen Graham Jones doesn’t just tell stories... he builds traps with words and then dares you to walk into them.

Great set of Stephen Graham Jones horror books. These are both scary and fun bringing back to old urban legends.

I have been on a Stephen Graham Jones binge lately and it's nice to have a new one. Killer on the Road might just be a modern masterpiece, the way it thrills and stuns you. I wish I'd enjoyed The Babysitter Lives more but it didn't do much for me. The circular narrative got really

4.5 stars

Is there anything the SGJ can’t do? This is perfect, putting 2 novellas together like this. I’ve already listened to Babysitter before but I get so much more out of reading it.
As far as Killer goes, it was just as great. He is a master at his craft.

Stephen Graham Jones has done it again—twice over—with this brilliantly twisted double feature that blends heart-pounding horror, cultural subtext, and razor-sharp psychological suspense. The Babysitter Lives and The Killer on the Road are two distinct yet thematically connected stories that showcase everything I love about Jones’s writing: bold storytelling, visceral emotion, and a willingness to stare into the darkest corners of the human (and inhuman) psyche.

That said—whew. The man does not make it easy on the reader.

Jones’s style, as always, is a ride unto itself: fragmented, feverish, and intentionally disorienting. The narrative voice spins you around until you’re not sure what’s real, what’s memory, and what’s coming for you from just out of frame. And I love that. But I’d be lying if I said it didn’t also slow me down. It’s a familiar challenge for me with his work: I’m all in emotionally, but I often have to re-read entire sections just to stay grounded.

In The Babysitter Lives, Charlotte’s one-night babysitting gig turns into a psychological and supernatural gauntlet of trauma, inherited memory, and something much darker than just Halloween tricks. There’s such a vivid tension in how the story unfolds—it’s eerie, intimate, and deeply haunted by both history and identity. The way Jones weaves in Native experience and anxiety around assimilation and safety is powerful and often chilling in ways that go beyond the literal ghosts.

Then The Killer on the Road hits like a punch to the chest. It's faster, louder, and drenched in teenage defiance and dread. Harper's road trip-turned-nightmare delivers on the slasher thrills while also twisting the knife emotionally. There’s a strange tenderness in the way Jones writes terror—he gives his characters so much heart, even when he's putting them through hell.

Together, these two stories feel like they’re in conversation with one another: about girlhood, danger, escape, and the stories we tell ourselves to survive.

So yes, I loved this book. But like all of Stephen Graham Jones’s work, it’s not a breezy read for me. His prose forces you to work—and sometimes fight—for clarity. And while that can be frustrating in the moment, it’s also what makes his stories stick with me long after the lights are off.

Highly recommended for readers who don’t mind getting a little lost in the dark—because what you find in there is always worth it.

I love the idea of packaging a couple of longer novellas/shorter novels together, almost like a drive-in double feature in book form. And what better author to do that with than one of the modern masters of the genre, Stephen Graham Jones? Here we have two older stories - the first written in 2018 but so far unreleased, due to Jones turning out at least one full-length novel every year so far this decade that took precedent, the other only previously released in audiobook format. Two very different, but complimentary, stories, each a take on a popular horror sub-genre.

The Killer On The Road has been sadly gathering dust on the shelf since before Covid, which is understandable. When the author writes a full slasher trilogy and follows it up with a slasher origin story the next year, maybe publishers get a little nervous about releasing another one so quickly. While there are comparisons to those - Harper, a Native American final girl, will no doubt get held up against Jade Daniels despite being a very different character - this book is unique enough that it more than stands on its own two feet. Taking place in and alongside 18-wheelers, the story follows a young woman leaving home and trying to hitch a ride - maybe catch up with her trucker father, who left a few years before and never came back. There's another hitch-hiker out there, though, with very different motives. With a brutal prologue, some great characters, and a vibe that is somewhere between road movies like Joy Ride and Stephen King's The Outsider, I can see this book becoming a cult favourite amongst horror fans. I already know I'll re-read it soon.

The 'b-side' to the book is The Babysitter Lives, a story that Jones obsessives will no doubt have already consumed in audio format, here in print for the first time. While Charlotte, our protagonist, has a lot in common with the author's other final girls, this is much more his take on the haunted house genre than another slasher. The elements are all here - first time babysitting for this family, finding out that there was a murder of the previous family living in the house, a creepy dad and on-edge mother - but by now, I never expect SGJ to take the obvious route. There are some frequent descriptions of the house layout early on, which pays off massively as the story takes a supernatural and disorientating turn. Think influences of The Haunting Of Hill House meets We Used To Live Here, but very much its own thing. For me, this was the weaker of the two collected stories, but I was still excited to revisit in print format, and enjoyed it as much as my first listen.

Overall, this is a great pairing of books, and while neither lives up to the incredibly high bar Jones has set with his recent run of novels, there is a lot of fun to be found for fans of the author. Killer is a 4.5* read for me, Babysitter maybe a 3.5*, balancing out to a well-deserved 4* overall. I highly recommend anyone with a SGJ itch that still needs scratching after a prolific decade-to-date picks this up on its July 15th release.

excellent pair of novellas that I found quite interestingly written. Killers on the Road was far more straightforward as a road-based horror with a lot of cinematic action. The Babysitter Lives was a lot more psychological and strange. I found Killers a 4 star and the Babysitter Lives a 5 star, so together they come to a 4.5, rounded up. tysm for the arc.

Thank you Saga for my free ARC of Killer on the Road by Stephen Graham Jones — available Jul 15!

» READ IF YOU «
🔪 can't resist a badass final girl
🛣️ love a slasher story set on a desolate stretch of highway
👁️ would do anything for the people you love

» SYNOPSIS «
Harper is running away again, determined to hitch up the interstate to get away from her crazy mom. But her plans are instantly foiled by her besties and baby sister, who snatch her off the side of the road to talk sense into her. As they drive though, they realize something sinister is after them, and leaving bodies in its wake—but there's nowhere to hide on the remote Route 80, so they'll just have to push their little truck as fast as it can handle to stay ahead of the danger.

» REVIEW «
I know this might seem crazy to some of you, but Harper might be my favorite final girl?! It's a toss up between her and Laurie from Del Rio, honestly. She just has so much grit, and heart, and courage—I love her to bits. Stephen, I hope you write the sequel I know you're angling to! Trust me, you'll be drooling after a second book too, once you get to the ending of KOTR.

"Get her into a corner, I mean, she'll show her teeth, fight her way out, and then fight the whole world while she's at it, just because. These are the kind of people I prefer to believe in. They're also where I keep my heart."

So yeah, another slasher novel from the King of Slashers—lucky us, right? It's a beautiful ride down a treacherous highway, to be sure. Tears at the end for me, which is becoming the norm with SGJ books. And? I know reading this gore-filled horror story wasn't supposed to make me itch to head up to Wyoming so I can drive I-80 myself, but alas, here we are. I just want to pull into all the rest stops, look around for a teenage girl with a fire in her eyes...

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

(I'll post my Babysitter Lives review separately)

Killer On the Road:

4 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

More action pact than scary, but I was still on the edge of my seat and anxious the whole ride. Honestly, I couldn't stop reading for even a second, dying to know what was going to happen next.

Very much reminiscent of The Hitcher. Southern / Midwest horror just hits different.

Thank You, Stephen for dedicating this to all the girls with mommy issues. Thanks! I cried!

The Babysitter Lives:

3.5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I can't tell you why this one made me so nostalgic but it felt like reading one of those old horror stories, or even watching tales from the crypt. Just weird, anxiety inducing and all out creepy.

Truly think this had my heart racing more Killer on the Road. Part of me wishes this was longer, but at the same time it was the perfect length for the story needed to be.

The end became a little disjointed for me and I got a bit lost, but overall it held up and was fantastic.

Stephen can be kind of hit or miss (at least for me) but this was soooo good.

Thank you to netgalley and publishers for the arc!

Thank you to Netgalley and Saga Press for this ARC. This book is two novellas put into one book, the first book being "Kller on the Road" and the second book being "The Babysitter Lives."

Killer on the Road:

After an argument with her mom, Harper decides to run away at 16 years old and hitch hike from Wyoming to the West coast. The first couple who picked her up were very friendly and gave her food and water. She then gets picked up by a close friend, but what none of them are aware of is Bucketmouth, the serial killer who uses this highway as his hunting grounds. Can they outrun this serial killer who's set his eyes on them? Or will they die trying to get away? How far will Harper go to save the people she loves?

This book was very fast-paced and drew me in early on. By the middle of the book, I couldn't put it down, and by the end, I was speechless. This book had it all, including: cannibalism, torture, arson, murder, and much more.


The Babysitter Lives:

Charlotte is a high school student who babysits on occasion to make some money. Tonight, she is going over to the Wilbanks house to babysit their six year old twins from 7pm-midnight. It's supposed to be an easy night of feeding the kids, putting them to bed by 9 pm and having the rest of the night to study for the SAT's the following day.

Charlotte comes to find out that this house has a tragic history and the house makes strange noises, and the twins often talk about a grey mommy. She quickly realizes that things aren't as they seem.

This book was much slower than Killer on the Road, but it was still a good book. However, I did find most of the book to be confusing and hard to follow due to the "rules" of the house being made up by six year old children. That made me have to work to piece things together. The ending was definitely left open for a potential sequel? Or it was just left without a true ending or answer to what happened to Charlotte.

A double-dose of dread? Don’t mind if I do.

This spooky little collector’s item serves up two tightly wound tales from Stephen Graham Jones—one haunted house babysitting gig gone horribly wrong, and one cross-country road trip straight into the jaws of a serial killer. So yeah… pack snacks.

🕯 The Babysitter Lives
We’ve got creaky houses, ominous twins, Halloween night, and a babysitter who really just wants to study for the SATs. Charlotte’s night starts with costumes and cartoons but spirals into a paranormal panic when she realizes the house is holding onto more than just old memories. There’s a slow, spiraling dread to this one that really creeps under your skin—and while the twins are adorable, I will be thinking about their eerie little one-liners forever. This one feels like a classic 90s horror flick that forgot how to blink.

🚗 The Killer on the Road
What’s worse than running away from home? Running into a serial killer. Harper’s spontaneous escape plan gets hijacked by her ex, her friends, and her little sister—and then absolutely demolished by a nightmare driving Route 80. It’s got slasher vibes, bestie banter, and a killer who is… horrifyingly creative. It’s like The Hills Have Eyes met up with Booksmart and said, “Let’s go feral.”

Overall:
Both stories are punchy, fast-paced, and absolutely unputdownable. If you love your horror with a side of adrenaline and a sprinkle of emotional gut punches, this one’s for you. It’s not the deepest dive into character, but it is a fun, freaky read that’ll leave you sleeping with one eye open.

💀 Perfect for: horror girlies, fans of final girls, and anyone who knows the babysitter never gets paid enough for this nonsense.

Reading *Killer on the Road / The Babysitter Lives* felt like stepping into a horror labyrinth built by someone who knows every twist of the genre—and exactly how to make you squirm in all the right places. Stephen Graham Jones doesn’t just write horror; he *dissects* it, warps it, and breathes strange, electric life into it.

This dual-novella collection is a punch to the gut and a jolt to the brain. *Killer on the Road* is a brutal, surreal descent into violence and identity—part road trip, part nightmare, and wholly disturbing. It felt like chasing a phantom across state lines while never quite knowing if the real monster is behind you or under your skin. It’s messy, mind-bending, and unforgettable.

Then there's *The Babysitter Lives*—which starts with a premise you think you know, and then mutates into something far weirder and more claustrophobic than I ever expected. It’s not just eerie—it’s *relentlessly* tense. Jones plays with space, memory, and perception in a way that made me question everything the narrator saw (and everything I thought I understood about what was happening). And beneath all that supernatural terror, there’s something painfully human—loneliness, responsibility, the weight of survival.

Both stories are brutal in their own way, but also poetic and strangely tender at times. Jones has this uncanny ability to take horror tropes and turn them inside out—never for shock alone, but to get at something deeper.

*Killer on the Road / The Babysitter Lives* is for readers who want their horror layered, unpredictable, and sharp as a knife in the dark. It left me disoriented, disturbed, and completely in awe.

"A must-have collector's item for horror fans, comprised of two novels, The Babysitters Lives and The Killer on the Road, from the new master of horror Stephen Graham Jones.

The Babysitter Lives

When high school senior Charlotte agrees to babysit the Wilbanks twins, she plans to put the six-year-olds to bed early and spend a quiet night studying: the SATs are tomorrow, and checking the Native American/Alaskan Native box on all the forms won't help if she chokes on test day. But tomorrow is also Halloween, and the twins are eager to show off their costumes.

Charlotte's last babysitting gig almost ended in tragedy when her young charge sleepwalked unnoticed into the middle of the street, only to be found unharmed by Charlotte's mother. Charlotte vows to be extra careful this time. But the house is filled with mysterious noises and secrets that only the twins understand, echoes of horrors that Charlotte gradually realizes took place in the house eleven years ago. Soon Charlotte has to admit that every babysitter's worse nightmare has come true: they're not alone in the house.

The Killer on the Road

Sixteen-year-old Harper has decided to run away from home after she has another blow-out argument with her mother. However, her two best friends, little sister, and ex-boyfriend all stop her from hitchhiking her way up Route 80 in Wyoming by joining her on an intervention disguised as a road trip. What they don't realize is that Harper has been marked by a very unique serial killer who's been trolling the highway for the past three years, and now the killer is after all of them in this fast-paced and deadly chase novel that will have your heart racing well above the speed limit as the interstate becomes a graveyard."

The summer slasher double feature for those hot July nights.