A pair of disaffected Midwestern youths meet, fall in love, and light out on a cross-country killing spree Jimmie John Hall wasn't anything until he was a killer, and Betty Dienhardt wasn't anything until she met Jimmie John Hall. When they get together, sparks fly and bullets follow. The first to go are Betty's parents, but Betty isn't bothered. She only wants to be with her man—the first person to ever make her feel special. They set off on a cross-country spree, killing for gas money and food, killing to swap their car for one the police aren't looking for. As the dragnet draws tighter they only grow closer, riding a road that leads to death because death has surrounded them all the time. Taking inspiration from the true story of Charles Starkweather and Caril Ann Fugate—the murderous teenage couple whose rampage inspired the film Badlands—Lawrence Block has crafted a pulsating narrative, as enthralling and terrifying as only young love can be.

This ebook features an illustrated biography of Lawrence Block, including rare photos and never-before-seen documents from his personal collection, and a new afterword written by the author.