2.5 stars rounded up. A long, well-researched, and gory overview of Cape Cod serial killer Tony Costa that loses its strength from excessive tangents that draw out the page count and take you out of the narrative.

I think this book will be the book-of-reference for serial killer Tony Costa, just as "Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders" serves that purpose for Charles Manson. I'm surprised that there hasn't been a deep dive on Costa to date, and this book certainly is well-researched, with the extensive page count to prove it. But there was much about this book that was not to my taste, including the completely unnecessary tangents on the Norman Mailer vs. Kurt Vonnegut rivalry, the extensive anecdotes setting the socio-cultural scene of Provincetown, counterculture movements, and crime in the 1970s, and the fabricated conversations between Costa and his victims.

For those who enjoy disturbing nonfiction (myself included), the sections on Tony Costa and descriptions of his crimes might be compelling - they are certainly gruesome and graphic. If you'd like a toned-down overview of Costa, "The Babysitter: My Summers with a Serial Killer" was my first introduction to him and might be a good alternative.

Thank you to Sourcebooks for the ARC via Netgalley.

💭 ᴍʏ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛꜱ:
This was 100% too long for me. I was very intrigued by Tony’s story and the details of the trial, which kept me invested. But I didn’t love the writers sub-story as it made the book incredibly long and I just didn’t find it interesting. I thought the story from Tony’s perspective was incredible done but the trial kinda repeated everything again. Overal I did believe it was interesting, just a bit too long and repetitive. Caution: it describes in very gruesome detail how all these murders were done.
⭐️⭐️

🤓 ʀᴇᴀᴅ ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ʟɪᴋᴇ:
Historical Fiction
True Crime
Detailed crime scenes

ꜱʏɴᴏᴘꜱɪꜱ:
1969: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘦 𝘴𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘷𝘪𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘯. 𝘛𝘰𝘯𝘺 𝘊𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘢 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭. 𝘛𝘰 𝘢 𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘱 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯, 𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘚𝘪𝘳𝘦―𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳-𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘴 𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘶𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘤 𝘥𝘳𝘶𝘨𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘺. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘯 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢 𝘵𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵. 𝘛𝘰𝘯𝘺 𝘊𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘢 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘯 𝘊𝘢𝘱𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦.

𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘳, 𝘊𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘢'𝘴 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘮𝘢 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘴𝘶𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘶𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵. 𝘔𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦, 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘒𝘶𝘳𝘵 𝘝𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘨𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘔𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘪𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴―𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘛𝘰𝘯𝘺 𝘊𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘢 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘳𝘶𝘨-𝘴𝘰𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘦 𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵.

It was an interesting book as it's a true crime but the author did a good job in describing the historical setting and the how famous writers talked about it.
It's not a book for faint of heart as it can be a bit too gruesome.
It was an interesting and gripping read.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

In the late 1960s, Providencetown, Massachusetts attracts hippies and maintains a rather tolerant attitude—until three young women disappear over the course of a year. The first, assumed to be a drifter, was thought to have traveled to California, but the others, in Providencetown for a winter weekend getaway, were looked for by their families who pressured the authorities to launch a search.

Tony Costa—known as Sire to his acolytes and those who bought drugs from him—was not only articulate, he was a confidential informant. At first, no one could imagine him involved in violent crimes. But once the police discovered the mutilated bodies of the women and started tracking their movements, Costa became their prime suspect.

𝘏𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘯 by Casey Sherman recounts the crimes themselves, investigation, and trial, as well as how both Kurt Vonnegut and Norman Mailer, local writers, leveraged Costa’s crimes in a battle to establish their literary legacy. Sherman conducted extensive research, and he doesn’t flinch at including the difficult and gory details of the murders.

Sherman also augmented the account with theoretical characters—particularly three female followers similar to Charles Masons’ family. This enhanced the readability but made it difficult to determine the line between fact and fiction in the book.

For quotes and Costa’s internal dialogue, Sherman relied on an unpublished manuscript Costa wrote in prison. Any autobiography is going to be biased, so I wish this had been presented with more caution. Additionally, Costa didn’t use contractions, and it made the conversations in the book very awkward.

I think most of the material on Vonnegut and Mailer was drawn from published sources, and I was surprised by the history between the authors, but I’m undecided as to whether it added to this particular book.

For inspiration, Sherman cited 𝘖𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘜𝘱𝘰𝘯 𝘢 𝘛𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘺𝘸𝘰𝘰𝘥 by Quentin Tarantino, so if you like what the author calls fact told through fiction, check this out.

I am a lover of true crime and used to watch the ID Channel every day. I started reading true crime novels and found I enjoy it more than watching TV.

Serial killers have always fascinated me. I know there are a lot I haven't heard of and Tony Costa is one I know little to nothing about. If you enjoy true crime and serial killers you NEED this one.

It flows and reads like fiction. Really captivating and immersive writing. You get Tony's POV (which is freakish and mind-boggling) AND during this time Kurt Vonnegut was struggling with his writing career and we get to see into his world. We also get snippets into Norman Mailer's realm of craziness which is just wow LOL. I really enjoyed the differing POVs and how the vastly different worlds, collided. You'll have to read to see what I mean.

Tony Costa is one sick puppy and again shows just how "normal" someone may seem but on the inside? A whole other twisted and mangled up world and sense of being. Whew....Horror books and movies don't hold a candle to this type of evil.

This may be a 400+ page book, but it definitely doesn't read like one. Go...grab...this! I sincerely appreciate Sourcebooks and NetGalley for providing me with a review copy. All opinions expressed herein are mine and mine alone.

As chilling as one would expect for a true crime book, while also being readable & gripping, Helltown is a must-read for anyone looking for a shock.

HELLTOWN

MV rating: 7/10
• there are two storylines in this one following the Cape Cod killer, and simultaneously the race of two well known authors to secure the story.
• I am a self-professed true crime junkie, and this books was like reading a favorite podcast.
•Simultaneously informative and engaging, I think this might be the most digestible nonfiction crime book I’ve read - it’s gruesome, and definitely not for the faint of heart, but the borderline fictional way the book is written makes it more palatable IMO.
• This book is full of TW’s and gore that will turn stomachs - be warned in advance that this is not a thriller fiction book.

I haven't read anything by Casey Sherman before, but being a true crime junkie, I had to give Helltown a chance. I was a big Ann Rule fan and have never really found another true crime author that can replace her...

That said, this was an interesting, well-written book. I do think it was overly gruesome, and that's coming from someone who devours books in this genre. That aspect and a little bit of a laggy sensation in parts is what kept this review from being a 5.

If you are someone who likes to read true crime, you should give this a try. Personally I'll be looking forward to more by this author.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and author for an ARC at my request.

I enjoy reading True Crime stories because they are intriguing, but this one was at times confusing to me. I feel that some of the story was fiction and other parts were true. The story was interesting but not sure if I like the way it was done.


I received a complimentary copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Wow! What an absolutely great read this was! Once I started it, it was so hard to put down. This is my first book by this author, and I will definitely be reading more. Great story!!!

A true crime novel set in the turbulent 1960s, Helltown by Casey Sherman kept me turning pages. The author painted a visceral picture of the chaos and horror that evolved in a small community during difficult and emotional times. Fear, violence, drugs, hippies, politics... this novel has it all. A thoroughly disturbing read!

This book is phenomenal! At times it is incredibly cringe-worthy in the descriptions of the murders, however still worth the read. Casey Sherman has done a masterful job of blending non-fiction with fictionalized "recreations" of events centered around Tony Costa, a serial killer on Cape Cod in the late 1960's. He also effectively weaves in Norman Mailer and Kurt Vonnegut who also lived in the Truro/Provincetown area at that time and shows us their well-known quirks and eccentricities. I kept thinking of Macbeth here as well -- there are three witches (or disciples of Tony Costa "Sire" who show up and create tension and drama to great effect. The author stated he was inspired by how Quentin Tarantino took actual events (Manson Murders) and added creative elements to change the ending but to also capture the milieu in "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood." The court proceedings and facts in this book are based on the real crimes and aftermath, and other parts are more fictionalized just as in Tarantino's movie. I could not put this book down I enjoyed it so much (but again be forewarned some of it is gruesome and I had to read quickly through those parts). Definitely worth a read for those interested in true-crime, Cape Cod, and the 1960's./1970's.
Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Holy hell, this is one insane true crime story! Helltown by Casey Sherman tells the story of Tony Costa, a hippie druggie who becomes the focus of a series of murders in town. I'm not going to lie, there was some trigger warning level content that was so gross, I kept reading another chapter trying to get past it, and I could not get past it! This story is of course based on actual events, and the subject is undeniably horrific. It almost ruined the book for me at first. I honestly wasn't sure I would be able to finish it. However, without spoiling anything, this doesn't happen throughout the entire book at all. I was thankful about that, because ewwww. Nightmares.
What really drew me into the book, however, were the other stories going on surrounding Costa's. Sherman paints a very vivid world for the reader. I really loved the tie-ins of the writers Kurt Vonnegut and Norman Mailer, and how this story coincided with their worlds as well as other events in the late sixties that these journalists were covering, such as Apollo 11, the rise of the counterculture, Ted Kennedy's kerfuffle, and also the parallels between what was happening with Costa and his group of hippie followers versus the events soon to take place in California. It was so compelling, and while I have read quite a few books and seen documentaries about the Manson murders, this was a brand new case to me. I was just absolutely intrigued.
There were so many interesting characters, and although some parts were fictionalized, I felt the author stayed true to the proven facts of the case. The coverage of the trial was interesting, as was the follow up years later.
I will look out for more titles by Sherman in the future, if I can stomach them! I've gotten soft in my older years. This was just so well written, I'd say it was worth the discomfort and late nights, and I can't wait for the tv series mentioned in the author's note.
I received an ARC from NetGalley, All opinions expressed here are my own and as always, unbiased. Thank you for allowing me to read your book, Casey Sherman. Wonderful story.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
This is such an odd book, because of the approach it takes. I’m all for making nonfiction more approachable, but it’s so odd in its approach, sometimes fictionalizing conversations to the point where there’s a question of whether you can call it nonfiction, while at other times droning on and on. Does the author want to write a novel or a fairly accurate recounting of events? This book was also super long, and I don’t think it needed to be, especially if the goal with the prose style was to engage the reader.

This book was so incredibly hard to get through. While I believe this story is important, I felt some parts were dragging on and on and were so unnecessary that they didn’t really contribute the overall story. Not a favorite, but still okay!

A well researched and disturbing read which blends fact with fiction. It is unlike any true crime book I have read in the past. The exploration of Kurt Vonnegut's Jr.'s and Normal Mailer's reactions to the murders was uninteresting and should have been excluded.

A true story about a very sick person in the 60's that was probably sicker than Manson but we just didn't hear anything about him. If you like true crime murder books you will really like this one!

A gruesome, nonfiction, true crime book about a serial killer on Cape Cod in the late 1960s. It also contains a storyline about the rivalry between two of Provincetown's most famous residents back then, Norman Mailer and Kurt Vonnegut. Also peppered throughout the story are the highlights of the news headline stories of the time; the assassinations of Bobby Kennedy and MLK, Neil Armstrong's walk on the moon, Vietnam, Chappaquiddick and Charles Manson, to name a few.

There is no denying that this book is well researched. The exploration into how the killer was traced and found and the details of his trial were the most interesting parts of this book. However, the oft repeated gory details and graphic descriptions of the murders, as well as unsubstantiated thoughts and conversations of some of the characters, went beyond good reporting and read more like fiction or tabloid journalism. Mailer and Vonnegut came across as mean, vindictive and narcissistic and the acrimony between them did nothing, in my opinion, to improve the story.

I enjoy a good True Crime novel now and then, but this one was just too grotesque for me to be able to recommend it to anyone. Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the digital ARC of this book.

A true crime novel with some fictional elements--the true story of serial killer Antone ‘Tony’ Costa, who gruesomely murdered at least five young women, and changed the perception of small town Cape Cod forever.

Most people think of Cape Cod as a summer destination with beautiful beaches, slow living, and eclectic shops. This is especially true of Provincetown, where Tony Costa lived. These crimes took place in the late 60's, and shook Provincetown, and the whole Cape, to the core.

I found the premise of this novel fascinating, as I grew up on Cape Cod and had never heard about this. Granted, I was born a bit after the crimes occurred, but I had never heard ANYTHING about these crimes. I liked being able to picture many of the areas and places the author described since I have seen them myself. I think that the author is also from Cape Cod helped give the book an authenticity that a non-Cape 'Codder might now have been able to give.

Be aware that there is graphic descriptions and information about the murders. The first night I was reading this book, I had a hard time sleeping.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I would have preferred to have less time given to Vonnegut and Mailer, and more background information about the victims. The author's theory about The Lady in the Dunes is interesting, and I wonder if we will ever really know who she was, and who actually killed her.

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for the ARC!

This book was not for me - too disturbing, with many graphic details that I could not get out of my head.
The writing was good, but I felt the narrative suffered when it switched back and forth between Vonnegut and Mailer's perspectives.
I think there could have been two books - one with all the gory details of Tony Costa's life & his killings, just touching on Vonnegut's and Mailer's interest, and one about the rivalry of the two authors who lived nearby, just touching on the killings.

I've been reevaluating my relationship with true crime lately, and I'm consciously trying to read books that are more sensitive to victims. This didn't fit the bill.