Brief Summary:
We follow our main character Andrew who is living with his wife and they’re expecting a baby. Moving away from his small town upbringing, he is a successful laywer and living the dream. One night he gets a phone call from an old friend and is forced to return back home and face a dark secret he has put aside for many years..

My Thoughts:
I’m absolutely captivated by Malfi’s writing style. This is only my second book by him, but he’s quickly become one of my favourites. His writing is spine-chilling and filled with a creeping dread that’s hard to shake. Malfi takes simple concepts and executes them brilliantly, although there were definitely moments in this book that left me shocked. I highly recommend picking it up—you won’t be disappointed!

I chose to read a free eARC of Small Town Horror but that has in no way influenced my review.

I’m a huge fan of Ronald Malfi’s books. It all started when I read Come With Me back in 2021. Boy, did that book make me sit up and take notice. Since then I’ve made it my mission to read everything Malfi has written. You can find my reviews of some of his other books HERE. There is something about the set-up of the author’s stories, something about the characters, and something about how utterly devastating the denouement tends to be that has, in the short space of a few years, made Ronald Malfi one of my favourite authors. So, of course, I was thrilled to get hold of an early copy of Small Town Horror. The last couple of offerings published here in the UK have been rather excellent short story collections, so I was very much looking forward to getting stuck into a full length novel. And it did not disappoint one jot!

Andrew Larimer is a successful lawyer in New York. His wife, Rebecca, is expecting their first child and things really seem on the up for the couple. So when late at night, an old friend from his hometown of Kingsport calls and tells Andrew he must return to the small fishing town, he reluctantly does exactly that. Leaving heavily pregnant Rebecca alone, telling her he’s going on a business trip rather than the truth. Andrew swore he would never return to Kingsport. The town doesn’t fit in with his life anymore. He managed to escape, the others didn’t. Now all grown up, Andrew, Dale, Eric, Tig and Meach need to confront what happened that night twenty years ago. They need to own up to what they did. Otherwise, it could be the end of everything as they know it…

Superbly written, as I have come to expect from this author. Small Town Horror has a creeping, building sense of foreboding and I gobbled it up with glee. Andrew is a fairly normal guy on first meeting. He’s successful, adores his wife and, understandably, is fairly anxious about becoming a father for the first time. But Andrew’s ‘fairly anxious’ is a little more heightened perhaps than other first time parents. When he receives a call from an old childhood friend that implies he must return to Kingsport, he drops everything and heads home. Enter everything ominous you can possibly think of. On arrival at his late father’s house he’s greeted by turkey vultures sitting on the roof, a smell of death permeating the premises, evidence of a squatter and a pressing sense that there is something seriously wrong with the house. Surrounded by his father’s possessions, having to face his grief head on, Andrew decides the house will do for the short time he plans to stay. But then things get really weird.

Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. Small Town Horror is another stunning read from a skilled storyteller. Malfi’s characters are very believable. You may not particularly like them, but you will become invested in their story. And what a story they have to share! Utterly haunting, creepy, full of atmosphere and with a strong sense of place. I was drawn into the world of Kingsport and the dark history held between these five people. There’s an absolute shocker of a twist in the second half of the book which changed everything for me. Perfectly placed and expertly delivered for maximum effect. I cannot get enough of the author’s writing and I urge all horror readers out there to make sure you have at least one Ronald Malfi book on your shelf. Once you’ve read one and experienced the author’s clever, vivid, emotional, haunting prose I can guarantee you’ll be on the hunt for more! As for THAT ending…*chef’s kiss*. Absolute perfection. I am devastated and I flipping loved it. Highly recommended

I chose to read and review a free eARC of Small Town Horror. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

Small Town Horror by Ronald Malfi is an atmospheric, menacing story that kept me in suspense until the end.
Well-written, with excellent character development. This is a creepy, atmospheric tale, full of suspense.
This book will keep you intrigued to the very end! Written with great care to detail and characterization. Kept me entertained through the whole story. It was so interesting I couldn't put it down. I read the book in one day.

Thank You NetGalley and Titan Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

An atmospheric, deliciously creepy, and haunting story of revenge. This dark tale is told mostly from the perspective of Andrew Larimer, although the story surrounds him as well as his four friends in a dual timeline. He's forced to return to his small hometown of Kingsport to deal with the ramifications of a tragic incident in the past that threatens to upend his happy life. With the pacing of a thriller and the darkness of a horror tale, this was a dream read for me. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I have to admit Malfi is becoming a favourite author of mine but I was a tad worried when the trope of returning back to the small town was mentioned. I shouldn’t have been when I knew Malfi was writing it. Some aspects of course did follow the tried and true trope but others created enough interest to keep me engaged through out.

I obviously won’t go too far into details on the plot in fear of spoilers but I will say that I really enjoyed this one. Once again Malfi is great at creating atmosphere and keeping you hooked. You don’t always know what is going on but that isn’t a bad thing at all. I do have to admit some of the characters I didn’t like but that was on me and also a testament to Malfi’s ability at creating believable characters so it is not something I would consider a negative.

Despite the length I quickly got through tis one since I needed to know what happened next. If you enjoy horror you need to read this one.

As always thank you to Titan Books and Netgalley for the copy to review. My review is honest and truthful.

I just finished reading Small Town Horror by Ronald Malfi and wanted to write my review. Its. April 16th here, but by the time you read this, it will be June. I was asked to hold this review until the month the book came out. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for letting me read this one

Small Town Horror is five friends who did something when they were kids. Something bad. And now, as adults, they're paying the price. The main character goes back to the small town where his friends are to help one of them and gets much more than he bargained for. And thats all I'll tell you about the book's plot.

This is a really scary book. It does take some time to get going but once it gets going, oh my god. This book is so scary and so intense. There are a lot of surprises in this book. If you think you know where its headed, you're likely very wrong.

Small Town Horror is not a comfort read. It will give you the shivers. And the book is very well written. I did feel like, at the start, there was almost too much description but once you get into the horror of the book, the description adds to it and makes things even scarier than it could've been. The plot is Stephen King like, the writing is totally different

I liked this book a bunch. I'm pretty sure it'll stay with me awhile. Small Town Horror is one of the scariest books I've ever read. Yes, I'd put it up there with Ghost Eaters by Clay McCleaod Chapman. Thats major praise from me. Ghost Eaters was a terrifying read. Both books are well worth checking out.

If you are looking for something scary to read, I highly recommend Small Town Horror. Just keep all the lights on and after you're done with the book, hug your loved ones.

Small Town Horror by Ronald Malfi comes out on June 4th, 2024. Thank you to Net Galley and Titan Books for letting me review this book

Thank you Netgalley & Titan Books Publishing for an eARC ♥️♥️♥️

I just finished reading Ronald Malfi's latest novel, and I'm still trying to process the experience. I mean, I thought I knew what I was getting myself into - a small-town horror story about a group of friends haunted by a dark secret from their past. But Malfi had other plans.

At first, the book seems like a classic horror tale. You've got your group of friends, your creepy setting, your ominous warnings... it's all there. But then, Malfi starts to expertly weave in these subtle twists and turns that make you question everything. You think you know what's going on, but trust me, you don't.

And then, BAM! The revelation hits you like a ton of bricks. I'm not going to spoil it for you, but let's just say that it's a game changer. Suddenly, the whole story takes on a new light, and you're left scrambling to piece together the clues.

From there, the book becomes a wild and terrifying ride. Malfi's writing is so vivid and immersive that you feel like you're right there with the characters, experiencing their fear and panic. It's like you're trapped in a never-ending nightmare, and you can't wake up.

What I love about Malfi's writing is that he's not afraid to push boundaries. He takes risks and challenges his readers to confront their deepest fears. This book is not for the faint of heart, folks. It's a true horror story that will leave you sleeping with the lights on.

So if you're a fan of horror, or just looking for a book that will keep you up all night, then this is the one for you. Trust me, you won't regret it🔥

Ronald Malfi is one of my favorite writers. So when I saw this book on Netgalley, I immediately requested it without reading the synopsis. Unfortunately, I feel like this particular horror trope has been overdone and I was disappointed in it. The first half was very slow going and I found the characters unsympathetic. And I found the finale of the story to fall a little flat.
I will read Malfi again but this particular book just wasn't for me.

Thanks to Netgalley for the free arc. I am leaving a review voluntarily.

Andrew Larimer is in his mid thirties when he gets summoned to the small town he grew up in, to face his childhood sins. Sins that were meant to stay buried..

Small Town Horror is my first Ronald Malfi novel and I’m instantly a big fan and want to read all of his novels. I only wish I had the right words to do this book justice in my review, because it’s top-notch in my opinion and I truly hope it’s going to be made into a movie. 🙏🏻🤩

This novel is a well written atmospheric slow burn which crawls right under your skin. The events that happen are really disturbing and eerie and all characters are very realistic and intense, I enjoyed everyone of them! The setting of Kingsport is brimming with dark secrets, lies and a haunted past and perfectly shaped by the author, it felt as if I was a citizen too. Small Town Horror is a big mystery with multiple jaw-dropping twists and will leave you with an unsettling feeling and a book hangover for a long while.

Thanks so much @netgalley and @titanbooks for this wonderful e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. 🫶🏼

Normally when reviewing books I tend to give immediate thoughts within a day of reading but at the request of the publisher I have waited until the month of release. Luckily, Small Town Horror was both enjoyable and memorable enough to stay in my thoughts even after a few months since reading.

In this book Malfi employs a well used trope of having a group of young friends who are reunited years later as adults following returning consequences of dark events that occurred in the previous time line. This may now be something that has been overdone, especially in the horror genre but if this is a trope that you enjoy or are looking for, it was executed fairly well and the characters, friendships and their development over time was well written.

Having read and previously enjoyed Come With Me, I was hoping to read something next from Ronald Malfi that had more horror and supernatural elements and Small Town Horror certainly delivered this without going too over the top - we get a slow burn of increasing creep that can initially written off or rationally explained away (think early episodes of the X-Files). In fact, the first half of the book is very much a slow burn mystery and the reader is slowly piecing together why our main character has been called urgently back to his childhood town, questioning why he is lying to his wife about his whereabouts and figuring out what is really going on and who to trust.

Things do ultimately ramp up towards the end and Malfi does a great job of flipping what you thought you knew upside down and back again regarding the motivations and reliability of each of the group of friends and there is one particular jaw dropping WTF twist that I totally did not see coming that made this book so memorable.

I am now "two for two" with Malfi books and feel like this is the author that I've been looking for in terms of a modern day alternative to Stephen King, I like how his books are paced and plotted and his character work is solid. I'll certainly be checking out any future releases and will be picking up his back catalogue of work on the strength of Come With Me and Small Town Horror.

Many thanks to Titan Books and NetGalley for providing an eArc in exchange for an honest review. Small Town Horror will be published 4th June 2024.

This is my first book of Malfi's, and it certainly will not be my last. The man has a knack for writing great scenes with believable dialogue and characters. The ending did not leave me wanting. It felt right. It felt natural. I can't wait to read more of his book. Five star read for sure!

I'm still a relative newcomer to Ronald Malfi, and havin loved 'Bone White', was keen to see what he'd come up with next.

What caught me first is the atmosphere in this book - it's just excellent. I'm from a small seaside town (albeit in the UK) and understood the mood right from the off. The town is a character in its own right, and that's as it should be.

The trouble was, I couldn't get on with any of the characters. This was a particularly 'male' book, and the way the women were treated grated hard at times. The protagonists are as well-drawn as I'd expected, but their human failings also made them hard to like.

Plus I'm not a fan of this particular trope - returning to an old town to face childhood sins. I felt myself getting frustrated more than I liked.

Sadly this is a DNF for me. But I'm still here for more Malfi, and already have some of his older titles on the TBR pile, so it'll be interesting to compare them with this.

A great writer; this book just wasn't for me.

This book was phenomenal. The imagery combined with Malfi's master storytelling kept me awake at night.

The trauma this group of friends face is tremendous and the consequences of the past they have tried tirelessly to bury has finally come to light.

If you want a book that will make you feel deeply uncomfortable and wanting more all in one go, this is the book for you.

I will never not read a Ronald Malfi book.

5/5

I have read and enjoyed Ronald Malfi's novels before and really enjoyed them, but unfortunately this one felt a little too slow.

Small Town Horror is the 5th Ronald Malfi book I have read and it did not disappoint! A slow burn read packed with atmospheric horror. If you are into ghost stories, haunted pasts, plot twists, decisions that come back to bite, give this book a read!

"The past is never dead." This phrase is repeated throughout Small Town Horror, a theme that once again lends itself to the story of childhood friends reuniting to fight evil in their hometown years after a horrific event. Despite this being a well-used trope, this novel proves itself a welcome addition to the genre.
"Maybe we were doomed from the start." There is a feeling of inevitability in this story, a constant oppression and claustrophobia for the characters that remind them they have not escaped their fates, merely postponed them.
This was my favourite read of Ronald Malfi's work so far, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is a fan of epic, classic horror - despite the characters' insistence that this "isn't a ghost story," it sure feels like one.

Andrew Larimer has managed to escape his small town origins, leaving Kingsport, Maryland for New York City. Happily married and with a baby on the way, he’s living his best life … until he gets a call from Dale Walls, one of his oldest friends, telling him to come home. Since the two share a bad patch of history together, Andrew is interested in learning why this sounds more like an order or threat than a request.

The old homestead hasn’t changed much. And the four best friends he had as a teen who did not manage to escape the town have wound up in a bad way. Sure, Antigone “Tig” Mayronne owns her parents bar, The Wharf Rat, but she’s a single mom trying to provide for her daughter against bad odds. The son of the former sheriff, Eric Kelly is now a deputy sheriff, but he’s seems always on guard to protect his own interests before those of his constituents. Matthew “Meach” Meachum has wound up homeless, drunk, and an addict—three strikes and he’s out. And Dale is married with a real estate career, but he’s also on the slippery slope into despair and self-destruction, which would be a bad thing for all involved since he’s responsible for that bad patch of history that drove a spike between them. It has something to do with Robert Graves, the son of the local witch Ruth Graves, and quite a few of the friends have seen an apparition that could only be him. Dale believes the old friend circle is cursed, and all but Eric seem to agree. Ever the hardheaded skeptic, Eric sees coincidence and superstition where the others find truth.

Andrew’s arrival seems to presage some terrible cosmic alignment. Possible supernatural incidents or simple homicidal ones are on the rise, cycling in to expose the terrible secret crime the group was a part of all those years ago. Sanities are fraying, haunts are walking, and strange situations are mounting. Can Andrew bring some real world perspective on these incidents, or is he also doomed to be a victim of the ramping up hostilities? Ronald Malfi weaves some of the dark magic found in vintage horror paperbacks along with his own personal slant on fright fiction for his latest novel length offering, Small Town Horror.

That title is a little too on the nose to sit easily. It’s an evocation of a style, a mood, a quality of dark storytelling. It’s a promise that we will venture back into the heyday of 1970s and 1980s horror fiction storytelling. Is it meant to be taken seriously, or is it a looser invocation like Pulp Fiction, which gave us a stylish yet contemporary riff on the subject matter it tipped its hat to? Taken all by itself, Small Town Horror could be a smirk or it could be on the level.

Ronald Malfi might not want to be compared with contemporary horror fiction’s old guard—few horror authors do—but the kinds of fright stories he has been spinning throughout his career show no small amount of affection for the kinds of works that those giants made so memorable. The easiest point of comparison for many is the appearance of tight knit communities and the personal terrors found within that populate Stephen King’s works ranging from Carrie on through Needful Things. However, Malfi’s strength is most evident when repurposing the techniques of terror, the characterizations, and the chronicler’s eye for setting and detail for his own purposes. So, books like Black Mouth, Ghostwritten, and now Small Town Horror sing similar songs in slightly unfamiliar and personal ways. Part of the difference is in avoiding King’s literal and figurative stomping grounds: Malfi’s best works invoke the southern gothic school of heavy atmosphere fiction, wisely eschewing Maine, Colorado, and Floridian locales. Malfi’s attention to location and personality is terrific, and the way the author draws us into the psychology of these characters is immersive, allowing us to step into gloomy and moody storylines peopled by troubled folks who are on a collision course with destruction. Here is where we find the biggest deviation from King’s work. The writing style is not quite as chummy, a little more layered, the sentences more meticulous. Malfi’s newest shares a literary style akin to Peter Straub’s, particularly found in works like Ghost Story, Shadowland, or Floating Dragon rather than King’s oeuvre at the time. Then again, Straub moved from the eerie, surreal ghost novels of Julia and If You Could See Me Now and into the realm of bestselling page turners by studying the way King put his works together, so it is no surprise to see a little of both authors’ interests at play in Malfi’s book. However, he nevertheless filters the methods and motifs of both authors through his own personal vision. So, Small Town Horror reads like an evolution and never a simple regurgitation.

Readers looking for a bit of levity will be disappointed. Small Town Horror’s gloomy atmosphere is thicker than a fogbank, and it pervades the narrative almost from page one. There are occasional lighter bits, but humor is not one of the author’s essential components. Malfi’s works read like the end of a day. The sun is just about setting as the book opens, and the night only intensifies as the story moves along. The protagonist might see a sunrise in the final pages, but most of the characters will not. Despite the July period, these characters are October people trapped in a dark country, sometimes of their own making and sometimes provided by the fickle finger of fate or bad luck.

Small Town Horror finds plenty of bad luck, a supernatural level of inevitability, and bad decision making skills at play in the mounting darkness. However, there are also hopes on display as well. These characters are not shambling with slumped shoulders into oblivion. They struggle, they fight for what is important, and they yearn for a way out. They carry guilts and secrets aplenty, their spirits are poisoned, but they are trying to wrest normalcy from the jaws of abnormality. Some will succeed, some will not, but Malfi’s storyline and storytelling make these journeys compulsive reading.

Andrew as a protagonist is not without his flaws. He has secrets of his own, including a reluctance to admit he’s married and expecting his first child. He is not upfront with his wife Rebecca about where he’s going or why. His old friend group is rife with people not telling each other the whole truth, and some readers will find Andrew an intriguing enigma, the one who got away and yet is pulled back in, who starts to spin deceptions almost immediately after the call to come home comes through. Other readers will find the protagonist’s inability to come clean with those he claims are important to him as a turn off. Andrew is a complicated and complex character, but one of his biggest flaws is a Shakespearian level inability to talk with people. The rationales are made clear later on, and they make sense as far as the character goes, but in the beginning, we are asked to follow him blindly. Some readers will have difficulty doing so. However, he is hoisted by his own petard a few times and is never wholly right in how he comports himself.

The supernatural element is lovingly vague, as well. Some of the characters are certain of its existence. Others don’t believe at all. Andrew is on the fence, and by the end of the book, Malfi does not offer a definitive answer. We are left to believe what we wish, and possibly debate the matter with our fellow readers. It’s the kind of conundrum that pretty much demands we press this book upon another just so we can have the “What do you think?” conversation.

Small Town Horror is a wonderful excursion into twilight lands. Although set in the height of summer (much of the action occurs around the July 4th holiday on a couple of different years), it is a book that is nevertheless no stranger to the chills of autumn. Summer heat is no match for fright’s chills in Malfi’s capable storytelling. This author’s books are always enjoyable, and Small Town Horror is one more example of his clever approach to familiar material for horror fiction fans and his enviable storytelling chops.
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A special thank you to Titan Books and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest appraisal.

DNF at 27%

This one was too much of a slow burn for me that ultimately I just couldn't get into it.

I don’t read horror very often, but when I do, I want it to be like this! Small Town Horror was such a well written horror novel.

This was a wonderfully written slow burn. The past and present intertwine to create the most heavy and terrifying sense of dread for all the characters until things start going more and more sideways until the end. That ending still has me shook.
I got feelings of I Know What You Did Last Summer and It, and there were several scenes where I could see exactly how they would play out if it was a film, which is amazingly well done because I have zero imagination 😂
I did sense something off with one of the characters and my intuition turned out to be spot on, which was disappointing for the other characters.
I liked how the sense of ambiguity around a certain plot point remains at the end.
I could have done without a lot of the gratuitous graphic descriptions but I do understand it comes with the territory with horror and that’s more a me problem than the book itself.

This isn’t an action packed, hardcore horror novel by any means, it’s definitely a read that builds as it goes until things are so tense it seems unbearable, which was great for me. It was my first Ronald Malfi novel and I’m eager to check out more of his work now.

Thank you to NetGalley, Titan Books, and the author for this ARC.
Publication date 6/4/24

I love Ronald Malfi, so I knew I had to read 𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗧𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗛𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗼𝗿 without even reading the synopsis.

It’s a slow burn at first, but the writing is so well done that I would have continued reading it for another 100 pages or more, it didn’t lose my attention at all. This was a bit reminiscent of IT and was everything I love and expect from Malfi. Atmospheric and haunting, I couldn’t pull myself away from the story. And let me tell you the ending had me completely reeling!

If you enjoy small town stories, coming of age horror or Ronald Malfi in general, you need to read this. This is by far my favorite of his yet. Many thanks to Titan Books for my eARC. 𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗧𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗛𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗼𝗿 will be published 6/4.