What is wrong with Wayne? Since the purpose of this class is to focus on psychos then we must place our attention on him and what sets him apart from the other characters we've discussed up to now.
As I read his character, Wayne is a thrill seeking killer motivated by that purpose alone. We don't really know how he got that way and neither does he, except of course for the mommy issues, but that seems par for the course among crazies. Killing is an itch he longs to scratch. But it isn't just killing, it's killing humans. When he witnesses a murder after nearly surrendering to the urge of killing his own girlfriend, Wayne thinks he's found kindred spirits who, at the very least, might share the rush of the kill along with him. Wayne kidnaps them and thus begins the joyride.
I found the title interesting to me even if I didn't find the subject matter thought provoking. The idea of a joyride when compared to the pacing of the writing is an appropriate match. The story is fast paced from the beginning. The initial setup is short with little time to dwell on how our two kidnapped ride alongs got to be in their situation. We know enough and we know it quickly then it's pedal to medal as we careening down the streets of crazyland with Wayne.
Wayne was not obsessed with death. His obsession was with killing. The common theme, at least among the villains we've studied, is their killings were ways of gaining control. Wayne was no different.
This book reminded me of a very bad Steven Seagal movie call Out for Justice where a doped up thug goes on a rampage driving through the streets of a big city killing people he thought of as his enemies. That's where the comparison ends. This book is so much better.
While I didn't like this book, I must admit it only took me two days to read it. So, the author does have that going for him. But I agree with your statement that our villains in the course are more interested in the killing itself rather than the death. And it is so interesting that it's about control. Once the victim is dead the killer loses interest. Very interesting insight.
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