Book Review: The Town

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

The Town     Amazon US PB Amazon Canada PB
Bentley Little
Class/Genre:   Fantasy   Ethnic
Signet, May 2000, $6.99, 384 pp.

The Thomas’s are living the American dream. They are Milokans, break away members of the Russian Orthodox Church who moved to the States for religious and cultural freedom. They worked hard to make a new life for themselves and their families. Gregory Tomasov lives in a Milokan community in California when he wins big in the state lottery. He quits his job; sells his home, and moves his wife and three children (Sasha, Teo, and Adam) to McGuane, Arizona because he wants them to grow up in a healthy environment where the old values still apply.

The expedition starts out as an escape into rural suburbia, but turns into hell for the family and townsfolk. The home that Gregory bought harbors evil memories of a man killing his wife and three children before committing suicide. The arrival of the Tomasov clan signals the onset of strange behavior by the local residents and supernatural happenings. Malicious deaths and destruction follow. Only one person understands the malevolent events and how to stop them, but she prefers to not pay the price that evil demands.

Bentley Little’s writing is so colorful and creative, readers will wonder when they entered THE TOWN, and like the Hotel California, find it seemingly impossible to leave. Fans, who enjoy a creepy, frightening horror novel, will definitely relish this work. Mr. Little is a giant who stands along side King, Koontz, and Barker because he can make the audience believe the impossible.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner

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