The Town

This is only the second book I’ve read by Bentley Little, but my reason for this is one ANYBODY could understand. The first book I ever read by him was his debut The Revelation, and I loved it. The whole reason I wasted no time in grabbing The Revelation and rushing to the cashier to pay for it, along with the two other books I had picked out when I found it for sale in a thrift store was because I had previously found what I think was the same book for sale in a Dollar General store. I didn’t know if I would like it; that’s the only reason I didn’t buy it then. But, when I later looked up the author’s books online, I became enthusiastic about the possibility of reading one of his books because of the praise not only from customer reviews on Amazon, but because with every other book I looked at, there were critics who praised Little’s work. So, when I found The Revelation in that thrift store, I wasted no time in snatching it up, determined that this time, I was gonna get the chance to read a book by Bentley Little. Considering that this review is for the SECOND book I read by him, you can guess whether or not I was disappointed with The Revelation. It was awesome, and this book is almost as good! The Town is a terrifying supernatural tale about a haunted town, but it’s also a cautionary tale about fears of the unknown can breed unreasonable hatred and bigotry. When Gregory Tomasov, after winning the lottery, moves his family back to his childhood hometown McGuane, he finds a ghost town, not in the literal sense, but in the discovery that, for years, the town has been the site of hauntings and paranormal activity. Until his arrival in town, the hauntings and supernatural phenomena have been peaceful. For a brief period, things remain the same. It’s too bad, however, that no one warned Greg of the horrifying history of the abandoned farm he has moved his family to. Years ago, a man murdered his family in the house and then made certain that he himself would be the final victim. As a result, the place has been haunted by terrifying ghostly activity ever since. For the rest of McGuane, however, the real horror begins when the other hauntings in town turn malevolent, resulting in many horrifying deaths. The suddenly violent activity coincided with the arrival of Greg and his family. Could that have anything to do with this waking nightmare? Could Greg and his family have brought something evil with them?? Unfortunately, most residents think so. Greg is determined not to do the one cowardly thing some townspeople have clearly indicated that they would LIKE for him to do: He refuses to pack up his family and leave, for unlike most others, he doesn’t believe that it will end the terror. Instead, Greg courageously decides on what could be a smarter solution to the dilemma. He decides to find some way of battling the evil in the hopes ridding the town of its unholy influence once and for all. I really enjoyed this book a lot. The cover for Signet’s paperback edition gives me another reason for being glad that it’s the edition I found for sale in a thrift store. Thank you, Grady Hendrix, for writing and publishing Paperbacks from Hell, a book that clearly praises the old-school covers that all or most paperback horror books used to have, way back in the 70s, 80s, and 90s. No, I haven’t read your book, even though I would like to. But I have read lots of reviews for it on Amazon, so it’s impossible not to easily grasp what the book is about. Bentley Little’s publishers have been giving his books great covers for years, but even though The Town is one of only two books that I own by him, I absolutely think it probably has one of the best covers of any his books. As for the plot, it’s nearly right up there with The Revelation for being one of the best I’ve read by the author so far. The plot has plenty of suspense and tension, the supernatural events that unfold throughout the story are spooky enough to keep it pretty terrifying, it apparently has as much gore as you would expect from Little, according to the fans who have been fortunate enough to have read several of his books. When it comes to being gory and gruesome, this book certainly has enough to please plenty of horror fans. I’ll call it a plus for me. I don’t think a horror story has to be bloody and gory to be scary, but I would be lying if I said I haven’t read some books and seen some movies I thought were made better by being pretty grisly, even if their plots didn’t call for it. Not surprisingly of Bentley Little, according to his other fans, the ending was almost perfect, with the exception of a weak explanation of the supernatural horrors that had been plaguing the town. That’s not the only reason the ending wasn’t perfect for me. I liked it because it was a happy ending for the Arizona town of McGuane, but it’s doesn’t feel like one for the family. I won’t reveal anything more about the ending; I’ve already given you too much of a spoiler. So, nothing more about the outcome, other than a warning to all potential readers that what happens to the family in the end is sort of depressing. But, hey, it’s a small price to pay for an awesome supernatural horror tale! Keep pumping out books this good, Mr. Little, and you have a fan for life!!! This book gets my highest recommendation for horror fans everywhere!