From reading the synopsis you’d be forgiven for thinking Black Mouth is just a clone of Stephen King’s IT. After all it features a group of friends reuniting to take on an evil they faced as teens, but rest assured despite those general similarities that’s all they are…general similarities. Ronald Malfi’s Black Mouth is an incredible tale with an identity all it’s own. Not sure what this says about me, but I’ve always loved books that feature coming-of-age horror, featuring kids that have been traumatized. And our four friends all experienced rough childhoods even before encountering the Magician aka ’the big bad’ of the story. Black Mouth features an excellent cast of characters and a wonderfully twisted storyline. I only discovered Malfi a few years ago, but he quickly became one of my favorite horror writers, and this is one of his best. I’ve listened to many books narrated by Joe Hempel over the years, but I think this might be his best work yet. He does an absolutely phenomenal job of bringing this story and these characters to life. Thanks so much to Tantor Audio and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to listen to an advanced audio copy of Black Mouth.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R16B0M1EH8TW0H/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

I give this four stars⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
And Audible arc provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review thank you!

Do you wanna see a magic trick?
It’s greedy, it’s downright manipulative and the innocent get caught in the crosshairs!

This is my fourth Ronald Malfi book.
The influences are there but it doesn’t take away from the book let the Reader decide who I mean!

Main characters Jamie Warren he into other friends Clay and Mia and Jamie’s special needs brother Dennis. The whole premise is about some horrific episode that fell upon the kids and not until 10 years later they almost confront this evil.

OK so that is the only resemblance to Stephen King it has in my opinion though you Sci-King fans you already know the book I’m talking about!

I connected to each of these kids/adults they’re good they have their shortcomings and they have their issues.
Also this was a Audible version provided by NetGalley and Joe Hempel is the narrator he does such a good job and I give him four stars to the book as well!

Malfi has woven a complex story where every character has an important role to play. The plot changes between current day and the past. Some of it is in first person and some in third. The book is a bit longer than it should have been, but it is as still an enthralling tale.
At the beginning of “Black Mouth” we meet a current day 35ish year old Jamie Warren. He is a recovering alcoholic that has just finished a stent in rehab. He gives us a teeny glimpse of his past and it is obvious he is dealing with quite a bit of trauma.
Jamie is barely hanging onto sobriety when he learns his mother has died and he now needs to retrieve his neurodivergent brother, Dennis.
Shortly after this Jamie reunites with his childhood friends Mia and Clay. We come to learn that when they were 11 something catastrophic happened to them. That summer they met the Magician in the woods and he greatly influenced them to commit a crime.
After over a decade Mia has spotted the Magician except it seems as if he has not aged. She enlists Clay and Jamie to track him down. With Dennis in tow the group takes off to find this man. At this point they have learned that they have not been the Magician’s only victims. Every victim is a preteen misfit, and at the urging of the Magician has committed horrific crimes. After speaking to the most recent victim’s family they are certain it was the work of the Magician…. Or was it someone else.


The most horrifying part of this book is it could really happen.

This was a tough one to get through.
I was intrigued by the idea of 3 friends brought back together to deal with the demons of their past but I felt like it all played a little cliche. None of these characters had any depth to them.
I liked the backstory of this mysterious man who grooms these children until they do something heinous. Those scenes were interesting. The current day scenes were a slog. I wish we had just gotten a more straight forward book just with the past.
More than anything, my issues were with the characters. The main character is the same old, tired cliche of the man who drinks to deal with his demons. The female character was just there to push the story along since she believed they had to 'fulfill their destiny'. Then there was his black best friend who had Vitiligo. The way his skin was constantly described was pretty offensive. The first time, it seemed like that was the point but it just kept happening. Every time his character showed up the author would come up with some new degrading metaphor to describe his skin condition. And lastly, we have the main character's brother, whose disability was also treated weirdly and used as a plot device.
Don't even get me started on the ending
This book had a lot of pages but did very little.
I do not recommend it

When the past haunt you...

Growing up in Black Mouth, the site of a collapsed mine was less than ideal. But Jamie, Mia, Clay and Jamie's learning-disabled brother, Dennis form a tight friendship. After an encounter with The Magician, things will never be the same for them. He shows them some magic tricks and offers to show them how to do magic tricks as well. They will serve as his apprentices, well, he has an issue with Dennis, but being his apprentice comes with a price.

After learning of his mother's suicide and of his brother walking for miles in his underwear, Jamie has come home. Jamie now has a bit of a drinking problem and has not been home for years. Mia is a movie director, horror of course, and Clay is a social worker. They have come back together after so many years apart due to interesting circumstances. Who said you can never go home again?

Together they must face their past, their shared secret, and confront their own personal demon.


I had not read a Ronald Malfi book before and enjoyed this. I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed the narrator. They blurb wasn't kidding; this does give strong Stephen King "IT" vibes. I appreciated how he showed Jamie's reaction to his childhood trauma by distancing himself and self-medicating with booze. I also enjoyed the use of two timelines which provided readers with glimpses into the past, while also showing the present. I found this to be nicely done.

I loved Dennis and he stole the show for me!

The book got a little drawn out in parts, but overall, I found this to be enjoyable and look forward to more of Malfi's books in the future.

#BlackMouth #NetGalley

Thank you to Tantor Audio and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

A friend group with a creepy past. A mysterious magician. Plenty of trauma to overcome!

Black Mouth was a chilling story from beginning to end, and I love his Malfi develops his characters. The plot was a bit convoluted and long winded at times, but when it was good it was GOOD (and kept me up late reading).

This is my second book that I have read by Ronald Malfi and I really enjoyed it. This definitely had an IT like feel to it but it seemed a little deeper. I loved the carnival/magician creep factor throughout. It definitely set the tone. It really had strong themes of friendship, brotherhood, and self forgiveness.

I can’t wait to read more from this author!

Format: audiobook
Author: Ronald Malfi ~ Title: Black Mouth ~ Narrator: Joe Hempel
Content: 4 stars ~ Narration: 5 stars

After many years, Jamie returns to his childhood home. His mother suddenly died, and he reunites with his disabled brother Dennis after a long time. At the same time, his two childhood best friends, Clay and Mia, are back in town. They are following the lead that is connected to some events from their youth. Events they will never forget.

I enjoyed Black Mouth, but I would only change some minor details in the last quarter of the novel. Not going into details because those are spoilers, of course. Otherwise, this novel is a very good read that will keep you on the edge, and you will want to know more.

Black Mouth is my second novel by Ronald Malfi. Last year I read his Come With Me and enjoyed it as well. Although I’m not a regular horror reader, I like his writing, that builds up the creepy atmosphere.

Thanks to Tantor Audio for the ALC and this opportunity! This is a voluntary review and all opinions are my own.

Black Mouth by Ronald Malfi is a well written love letter to Stephen King's IT.
The story is about a group of adults coming back to their childhood town to face their tragic past. Like IT the book jumps from the past to present day and we see how this all started.
There were some truly scary and upsetting moments. The author made me love all the characters right off the bat especially Dennis.
I listen to the audio book narrated by Joe Hempel and he was great.
He was able to give each character their voice so you had no issues understanding who was talking.
This was my first Malfi novel and I can't say without a doubt it won't be my last.

My first book by Ronald Malfi and it did not disappoint! I love a good dual timeline book and enjoyed learning more about the kids' past while they are trying to figure out their present. Super dark and creepy. The audio book was done well, voices and pacing were great. I look forward to reading more of his books!

Black Mouth is my first novel by Ronald Malfi and it did not disappoint. I thoroughly enjoyed Black Mouth. Even though it dives into heavy subject matter it never made me feel depressed or like it was too much. The book is also a chonker! It is a multi-POV story that delves deep into our main character’s lives without feeling excessive or going off on endless tangents

Black Mouth is reminiscent of IT by Stephen King sans the racial and homophobic slurs.
We have a group of friends returning back to their hometown as adults to confront an evil that took root in their formative years. In particular we follow four childhood friends: Mia, Clay, Jamie, Dennis. The story begins in modern day with Jaime and Dennis who are brothers. Jaime has just been through 90 days of rehab when he gets a call that his mother has passed and he must now come care for his younger brother Dennis.

Black Mouth also has a similar atmospheric feel to The Book of Accidents by Chuck Wendig. If you liked that one you should check this one out !

TW: Addiction, Alcoholism , Abuse

This was my first book by Ronald Malfi. I have "Come with Me" on my TBR so when I saw "Black Mouth" on NG, I certainly didn't want to miss it.

1998 Suttons Quay, West Virginia. Eleven-year-old Jamie woke up from a bad dream seeing his brother Dennis staring out the window. Outside in the storm, he saw a flickering light inside their huge barn across the fields. His mother's asleep and his dad's not home, why was the light on? Jamie decides to go out and have a look. Dun Dun Dun...

Inside the barn was a homeless-looking man with an eye patch who said he'll be on his way if Jamie can give him some food and drink. He showed Jamie a card trick. Later that summer Jamie met the mysterious man again, this time while with his friends in the woods.

"Do you want to see a magic trick?"

C'mon I haven't seen any kids who don't want to see a magic trick. I--- want to see a magic trick!

Everyone in this town appears to carry some kind of pain. Told by Jamie in present-day alternating with flashbacks from twenty years ago, readers learn how The Magician befriend children and manipulates the innocent.

This is a dark and gritty kind of horror with all sorts of triggers that may be sensitive to some readers. I wouldn't say this is scary but it is somewhat creepy while the abandoned mine gives me the chills. Overall, a balanced book with complex characters and an engaging plot. Highly satisfying!

I enjoy the audiobook with Joe Hempel. I'm excited that he is also the narrator of "Come with Me" which I'll definitely be listening to.

“Friendship too, is a certain kind of magic.”

Three childhood outcasts return home to Sutton’s Key to an area called Black Mouth, named after an old mining site. Jamie, Mia, and Clay are now adults and haunted by childhood memories of a man that forever changed their lives. The Magic Man preyed on their innocence and set into motion a series of events that led Jamie to a dark place. Now, this man might be responsible for another murder, and they are determined to find him.

With the help of Jamie’s brother, Dennis, who has special needs, the group sets out on an adventure to solve the mystery of the The Magic Man.

With Stephen King vibes and parallels to The Slender Man murder case, Black Mouth is a creepy Horror thriller that is sure to spook you!

The audiobook is read by Joe Hempel, who does a terrific job voicing the characters. The Magic Man is especially sinister!

I am a huge fan of Ronald Malfi since I read Come with Me. This book is filled with excellent character development, creepiness, and dread. He explores the depths of friendship, the lengths one will go to protect the ones they love, and the power of revenge. I enjoyed Black Mouth, but it took a long time to grab my interest and was very long-winded. This could book could benefit from another edit. I also didn’t love the open ending and wish more answers were provided.

Overall, I would recommend this book to those who aren’t squeamish and enjoy a creepy carnival!

Trigger warnings: suicide, alcoholism

3.5/5 stars rounded up

Expected publication date: 7/26/22

Thank you to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the ARC of Black Mouth in exchange for an honest review.

EXCERPT: In the summer of my eleventh year, a monster came to Black Mouth. It came in the night, slinking below the sightline of normal folks, destined to arrive at the threshold of my youth. Perhaps it sought me out the way a bloodhound tracks a scent. Or perhaps it was sheer happenstance, a flip of a coin, a flutter of distant butterfly wings. Events in our lives often have meaning because we choose to give them meaning. Whatever the case, it arrived in the way monsters sometimes do; as a creature in need.

A clash of thunder, a deluge of rain. Some indistinct sense of wrongness roused me from a fitful sleep. I rolled over in a bed damp with sweat just as a flash of lightning pulsed against the bedroom window. Briefly, Dennis's silhouette stood in sharp relief against the dazzle of a storm-churned sky. It was the hottest summer in a hundred years, or so the old-timers at the Quay attested, and Dennis and I had taken to sleeping with our bedroom window open because the old farmhouse's HVAC unit was on the fritz. Again.

'Dennis,' I said, sitting up in bed. My sheets were soggy with dream-sweat, and the breeze coming through the open window on the storm felt good against my hot, sticky flesh. 'What are you doing over there? Get back in bed.'

Dennis didn't answer, didn't get back in bed. That was Dennis's way. He only pressed his face against the screen. Rainwater rushed in, sprinkling against his face and chest, raindrops rapping along the windowsill. I climbed out of bed and joined my nine-year-old brother at the window. The floorboards were wet beneath my feet.

'It's just a thunderstorm,' I told him, a half-whisper. Maybe the storm had frightened him. Maybe something else had. 'Go back to bed.'

Dennis was staring out into the yard, across the dark field of dessicated alfalfa toward the edge of our property. It was where the black crest of trees rose up like something massive and prehistoric and deceivingly alive.

I saw it - a flicker of tangerine light dancing between the warped slats of the barn at the edge of our property. Firelight.

Someone was in there.

ABOUT 'BLACK MOUTH': For nearly two decades, Jamie Warren has been running from darkness. He's haunted by a traumatic childhood and the guilt at having disappeared from his disabled brother's life. But then a series of unusual events reunites him with his estranged brother and their childhood friends, and none of them can deny the sense of fate that has seemingly drawn them back together.

Nor can they deny the memories of that summer, so long ago – the strange magic taught to them by an even stranger man, and the terrible act that has followed them all into adulthood. In the light of new danger, they must confront their past by facing their futures, and hunting down a man who may very well be a monster.

MY THOUGHTS: Another book that started out brilliantly, but eventually left me feeling a tad disappointed.

Malfi starts by setting a wonderfully atmospheric scene. The Magician is a delightfully creepy character. So what went wrong?

In a nutshell - Jamie the main character. He is a weak man who repeatedly takes refuge in a bottle of whatever comes to hand. I was fed up with his constant drinking, puking and dodging responsibility. Although he does have one particularly touching moment of redemption. Dennis, his younger Down's Syndrome brother, is the star of this book. He is incredibly perceptive.

I did a read/listen of Black Mouth, and I must admit to much preferring the read to the audiobook. I didn't enjoy the narration by Joe Hempel, finding his delivery very flat.

I have read and really enjoyed other books by this author and was disappointed by this merely okay read. Shivers and chills? Sadly, no.

⭐⭐⭐.3

#BlackMouth #NetGalley

I: @ronaldmalfi @titanbooks @tantoraudio

T: @RonaldMalfi @TitanBooks @TantorAudio

#contemporaryfiction #friendship #horror #mystery #paranormal

THE AUTHOR: Ronald Malfi was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1977, the eldest of four children, and eventually relocated to Maryland, where he and his wife, Debra, currently reside along the Chesapeake Bay with their two daughters.

When he's not writing, he's performing with the rock back VEER.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Titan Books and Tantor Audio for respectively providing digital and audio ARCs of Black Mouth by Ronald Malfi for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review is also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage

Audiobook Review

Fair warning, like most horror books, there are things in here that require you to be able to handle - such as child abuse, child murders, PTSD, alcoholism, child grooming, and animal torture.

So this was a story about a group of childhood friends who lived near a place that everyone around them looked down upon. Most of them were either abused on purpose or by neglect, but none of them were living a happy childhood. Then they met the magician and that's when everything spiraled into the badness that later follows them into adulthood.

I read this in audio so I did not have the chance to flip back a page or two to figure out the confusing parts, of which there were many, because the story was done in two timelines, the past when they were children and the present, when they were all adults.

We have here Jamie, Clay, Mia, and Jamie's brother Dennis, who is described as slow but I did not remember any sort of diagnosis given for how he was. I am not going to lie, Dennis was the only one I thought was good and I was so upset with how he was treated/portrayed in here. Everyone but Dennis leaves the area but all end up coming back after Jamie's mother dies.

Things happen and the big bad was taken down, but man, I am going to complain about that ending. I felt like I was robbed. After listening to this for hours, that is what I get? The only person who should have gotten an HEA was the only one who didn't.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC. I loved this book. I literally bought the book while I was reading it. It is a horror think It or Doctor Sleep .

I loved how the main characters in the novel were all imperfect and flawed in different ways. It added so much dimension to the story! I was fascinated with the Magician in the story, but Dennis was by far my favorite character. This novel was even better than Come With Me. I really enjoyed the story!

I receive this book from the publisher through netgalley.com I am voluntarily leaving this review.

If Stephen King's books It and The Stand had a baby this is what I would imagine it would be. Part horror part mystery this was a creepy wild ride. Jamie Warren was involved in a fire that killed 2 people when he was a child and he has been haunted and running from it ever since. A committed alcoholic Jamie is trying to get clean but when he finds out his mother has passed away and his disabled brother was alone in the house with her for 5 days after she passed he knows he has to go back home.

He falls off the wagon again on the way back home and things only continue to go downhill from there. His brother keeps talking about waking dreams, he is being haunted by the two people who died in the fire and his childhood friends who were with him that night have all shown up again with a photo of a man Jamie wishes to never see again.

Through present and past narrative we discover that a magician traveling with the Carnaval who squatted in Jamies barn when he was a kid and taught him and his friends magic tricks may have been way more than what he seemed and none of it good. Now a young girl is facing murder charges for killing her best friend, but swears that a one eyed magician told her to do it.

This is a creepy thrill ride, about acceptance of yourself, coming to terms with the evil inside us all and learning to live with it. Can Jamie and his friends find the Magician and put an end to this? Well written and paced, there were several scenes that just sent a shiver up my spine. I am definitely adding this author to my list to look for other titles.

"Do you wanna see a magic trick?"

Jamie is called back to is childhood home due to a family tragedy. There he is reunited with his disabled brother & childhood friends, as they are haunted by an incident that effected them when they were younger, as it seems their nightmares have come back to Black Mouth.

The story is told over two time lines. We start in the present with Jamie being called back home & the second time line when Jamie was younger & he & his friends encounter a man that would become to be known as The Magician. Loved the slow build of events in the past & the parallels it is now having to them as adults.
Ronald Malfi has crafted a creepy, suspenseful mystery coming of age nightmare & how it stays with you into adulthood, but all you need is second chance to face your fear & change things.
Loved all the characters & the way the supported each other even after time apart. There is one scene with Mia that I loved that was so kicka** & showed how she would be a final girl.

I listened to the audiobook version, the narrator Joe Hempel does an amazing job bring this story to life.

Thank you to Netgalley, Titan Books & Tantor Audio for the chance to listen / read.

Black Mouth
By Ronald Malfi
⭐⭐⭐⭐🌑 (3.5/5)

[Blurb]For nearly two decades, Jamie Warren has been running from darkness. He's haunted by a traumatic childhood and the guilt at having disappeared from his disabled brother's life. But then a series of unusual events reunites him with his estranged brother and their childhood friends, and none of them can deny the sense of fate that has seemingly drawn them back together.

[Content Warning] Animal Abuse and Murder

[Review] I was so engrossed in this book that I didn't take many notes. I have notes like “Random Dude? Hard pass. Nope, the eff out of there!” and “then you add in magic. Noooopeeee!”.

And then I have notes like “GO NINJA GO!” which honestly makes me smile. Dennis really made this book for me. I know he's not the main character. But he had main character energy! Team Dennis forever.

What brought this book down for me was the egregious pet abuse. That was unnecessary to the plot and unnecessary to the character. There were so many other terrible things that the character could have done that were awful. And the fact that the story was a slow build.

But I rounded up because it was a fantastic book, and it sucked you in and really made you want to know what happened next. What was around the next corner (or tunnel as it were).

I'm not saying don't read this book if you're really against pet abuse, it's such a small portion (not even a whole chapter) but It is really graphic, and I think it needs to be addressed.

I am however saying that this book is creepy and twisted and so incredibly excellent!

Thank you Netgalley and Tantor Audio for allowing me the ARC audiobook copy to review.
Thank you Ronald Malifi for this twisted book
Thank you Joe Hempel for voicing these characters, even though I might have yelled at you through them. I apologize!