Quick read based upon the Starkweather/Fugate crime spree. Narrator is the title character and the chapters are short. Chatty, conversational style as she’s dictating her story into a recorder for an unnamed author who is clearly Stephen King.
Characters are complex and the narrator, Marjorie Standiford, draws you in. Despite the enormity of her crimes there is something sympathetic about her.

Stewart O'Nan is one of my favorite authors, and one of the things I love about him is how he can write so well in different genres. This one is described as American noir, and I'm not usually a huge noir fan, but I trust O'Nan to tell me a good story. And once again he delivers.

The book is structured as a series of answers to a bunch of questions sent to a death row inmate, Margie, to answer before her execution. Her story has been sold to a big-time author (as is revealed early on, it's O'Nan's real life buddy Stephen King), who wants to write a novel based on her life and crimes.

I don't want to give away a lot, but Margie slowly unspools the story of her life and what happened to land her on death row. There is some humor here, some pathos, and a lot of bad decisions. As in all his books (or at least the several I've read), O'Nan humanizes his characters and brings them to life through the small, mundane details that anyone can relate to. In Margie, he's drawn a complex character and one that will stay with me.

I don't think The Speed Queen is for everyone, but it took me on quite a ride, so if it sounds intriguing to you, buckle up! ( )

Well written but wasn't able to feel much empathy for any of the characters. Downright chilling. ( )

I have not read such a creepily compelling first-person narrative in a long time as Stewart O'Nan's noir novel, THE SPEED QUEEN. It's a book that's been around for over fifteen years now. The fact that it's stayed in print has to tell you something.

If you want to read this, you'd better clear a good-sized chunk of time, because this is one of those rare books you'll want to read in one sitting. Narrator Marjorie Standiford, a convicted murderer spending her last night on Death Row, is a piece of work, and a character that will hang around in your consciousness for some time. And it's not a 'spoiler' when I tell you she is dictating - and dedicating - her story to her favorite writer: "For my dear Stephen King." I'm not a King fan myself, but I have a feeling that Marjorie's natural, unfiltered voice has got to be scarier than anything King ever invented.

Drugs, kinky sex, robbery, murder, fast cars - you name it; all that stuff is in here. You will be reminded of IN COLD BLOOD, Thelma and Louise, Badlands, and there's maybe even a tiny taste of Tony Hillerman in there. Stewart O'Nan is a writer with an unparalleled and powerful imagination, but he does his groundwork too, and the result, this time, is THE SPEED QUEEN. This is a book that will grab you by the scruff of the neck early on and thrust you forward into one of the most unbelievably ugly, sad and fascinating reads in contemporary noir fiction since Jim Thompson. If you like that kind of stuff, I recommend this book highly. ( )

An easy read told by Marjorie Standiford, a Death Row inmate, answering 114 questions fictitiously from Stephen King, who will be writing a book about her life and the crimes she and her husband, as well as her female lover Natalie, committed while on a drug binge gone horribly wrong.
I liked the first person narrative, in which Marjorie's naivety and resentment for Natalie's book, already released and on the best seller list, creates a sort of love/hate feeling for the character. Of course, she avidly professes her innocence, while some holes are left in details when certain people are killed. Will she get a stay from her execution? Worth reading to find out.
On a side note, the book was originally titled "For My Dear Stephen King" even up until press time. Allegedly Kings lawyers stepped in and stopped it, even though the binding was already pressed. First printings have a white bar imprint on the spine which purportedly covers the original title.
I'm still trying to figure out how then King and O'Nan possibly could have got together to co-author "Faithful" in 2004? Seams bizarre. ( )