Rideshare by Timothy King and James Kaine is a novel that connects four short stories through a rideshare driver. Charlie the driver is our entry point into the stories. Once he picks up a passenger there is some banter back and forth, then we get the story of the passenger and why they are taking the ride.
This is a dual author novel, with each writer contributing two stories to Rideshare. You can feel the enthusiasm of two horror writers trying to outdo each other. When the characters make a sadistic smile you can almost imagine the authors making the same smile as they gleefully write the mayhem and gore.
The horror covers a lot of ground because the stories are based on the seven deadly sins. There is body horror, supernatural horror, grief horror, and psychological horror. The trigger warnings are addressed up front and basically say all of them. The material is graphic and disturbing.
The best way I would describe Rideshare is like the anthology films Tales from the Crypt and Creepshow, where the stories are loosely tied together until the end and there are small vignettes between each story.
The pace changes depending on the story, but the book as a whole moves at a steady pace. I did consider The Life and Times of Edward Callahan the slowest paced story, but it was also the best.
The authors did something fun with the best story by letting the audience choose. At the end of the book there is discussion about which story might be the best, along with a QR code that readers can scan to vote. The authors plan to reveal the winner in a year.
The stories tend to jump quickly into the horror and skip over some of the psychological elements that I enjoy. The book is not very interested in exploring what makes these characters commit such depraved acts. There are no gradual levels of depravity. The book immediately jumps to the extreme.
The ending of the book is devilishly fun. The characters talk in a very tongue in cheek way about all the horrible events. The tone manages to be both horrifying and hilarious.
Rideshare will be published on March 15, 2026 by Horror House Publishing.
Why did I read Rideshare by Timothy King and James Kaine?
I am part of the Haunted Minds Book Club run by horror author Nick Roberts. Both Timothy King and James Kaine are members of the group. They made a call for street team members to read Rideshare early.
I was already familiar with James Kaine because of his book My Pet Werewolf. I was not familiar with Timothy King’s work before this.
I had also already bought tickets to AuthorCon VI where both authors were attending. I was not able to read the book before the event, but I did take a picture with them and bought a book from each author.
Favorite to least favorite stories
The Life and Times of Edward Callahan is The Picture of Dorian Gray mixed with The Fall of the House of Usher. The story follows the older Edward Callahan as he considers what to do with his will while surrounded by children he hates. The story starts slow but delivers some brutal twists that kept me captivated. The ending was great.
Arioch follows a man getting very drunk in a bar. It happens to be the same bar where a drunk driver had his last drink before destroying the man’s family. This story is full of adrenaline and tension. It reminded me of the panic filled chaos of Uncut Gems. The ending was probably my favorite of all the stories. It was brutal and deeply messed up.
Hunger is about a rich food connoisseur who cannot find satisfaction in anything he eats. The story is simple and extremely gross. I can see people ranking this as their favorite simply because of how depraved it gets, but I personally wanted more story. The ending went in the direction I expected, but it was still wild to read.
Sugar Baby follows a young woman who is fed up with the lack of power she has in life. She decides to reclaim some control by becoming a liaison for wealthy clients. She is shocked by who one of those clients turns out to be. I thought this story had a lot of potential, but I did not love the way it was told. Much of the story is told from a male point of view even though the central theme is about her empowerment. There are some strong twists and the story makes a powerful statement about lust. Because the story involves sex work there are also some spicy scenes.
Watch a short video summary of Rideshare review.
Recommendation
Rideshare is horror at its most entertaining. The stories feel like two friends trying to one up each other with shocking and gruesome ideas. I enjoyed my time with the book.
I would have liked the stories more if they explored the psychological side of the characters and what drives them toward depravity, but the book is clearly more interested in the chaos and horror itself.
Rating
Rideshare by Timothy King and James Kaine
3.5 out of 5 stars
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