Turn on a light and check all your locks. You'll need that sense of security while reading this novel. We're so numb to serial killer fiction at this point that it's difficult to remember a time when this genre was relatively unknown. ACT is one of the first, and Lansdale adds his incredible touch to make it a unique and chilling novel of a horrific killer and the men trying to catch him.
Lansdale doesn't ease into this subject: the first few pages describe a grotesque murder, the first of the "Houston Hacker", a self-proclaimed hunter of women. Enter Marvin Hanson and Joe Clark as the cops assigned to solve the series of grisly murders. Hanson is a unique character for horror fiction: he's a black cop in the South. He's disgusted by the murders and takes on a personal vendetta against the Hacker. Lansdale leads the reader on to various possibilities as to the identity of the killer without totally giving away anything until near the end. Do not doubt: this novel is not for the squeamish. Lansdale never pulls any punches in his novels; these murders are grotesque. The novel is packed with scenes depicting racial and gender hatred so prevalent in society; there are loads of racial slurs between some of the characters. If you can read this without cringing, check your pulse.
Lansdale is always worth the read. He's a master storyteller. This edition is especially worth it for the intro written by Andrew Vachss as well as the afterword written by Lansdale himself; he explains how the novel came into being, and it's an interesting saga.