The Importance Of Suspense In Night Drive

In Night Drive, a short story packed with suspense and mystery, the author does an incredible job of misdirecting the reader. It is not until the very end that the real killer is revealed and keeps the audience guessing throughout the entire gripping story. Each detail is revealed in such a crucial order that reinforces the misdirection. This approach is an excellent way of building suspense. Obviously, the real killer is Bob the gas station attendant, who is really a werewolf! Clues leading to this conclusion are littered like breadcrumbs throughout the story. The first big clue the audience gets is when Madge says she mentioned to Bob that she was driving to Colchester to pick up her husband. Although the relevance of this is not revealed

The sense of danger and mystery is heightened again and again as Eunice begins speaking of werewolves and the accursed people. When Eunice says “I've Studied them. I wanted to understand”, important details are revealed here that link to the two murders mentioned earlier in the story. The fact that they had occurred 6months apart and both stopped at the same gas station Bob worked at. When Eunice describes the lifestyle of one of the cursed, the reader begins to associate the details with Bob. Not too prosperous, averting their eyes, never living in one place very long. It is no surprise to the reader when Bob is found in the road injured in a supposed motorcycle accident. Eunice reveals himself to be Mr. Tabor, and that he orchestrated the entire ride to confront Bob, who turns into a werewolf right before Madge speeds off. Mr. Tabor also reveals that he had seen Bob's eyes glowing, like he had six months ago, right before the unknown girl was murdered. The audience is then left wondering what became of the two until Madge's husband tells her Bob had left and Mr. Tabor was at the mill. One can infer that Mr. Tabor was successful in avenging his wife's