Small Town Horror: A Must-Read for Horror Fans

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Small Town Horror by Ronald Malfi A Horror Book Review by Tony Jones

Over the last decade or so Ronald Malfi has been on a seriously hot streak, this run features three exceptional novels; Bone White (2017), Come With Me (2021) and Black Mouth (2022). This is backed up by an ultra-slick interconnected sequence of novellas Ghostwritten (2022), the repackaging of earlier novellas in They Lurk (2023) and We Should Have Left Well Enough Alone (2017) a smart collection of career spanning short stories. If you are new to this author, he undoubtedly has one of the finest back catalogues in horror, which has strengthened with every fresh novel. All of Malfi’s recent work has been published by Titan (in the UK) and it looks like they will be rereleasing more earlier work, watch out for The Narrows, which is out in October 2024 and is another outstanding read. 

His latest, Small Town Horror is another quality supernatural page-turner, with a similar feel to Black Mouth. With the main character returning to his old hometown of Kingsport after many years away. Andrew Larimer has made a new life for himself in the big city and has a successful career as a lawyer. However, a desperate telephone call from an old friend takes him back home and into the orbit of the four former best friends he has not seen for twenty years. Although it was a solid read, the story was not exactly original. When it is revealed they did something incredibly irresponsible twenty years earlier. Which could potentially resurface. This incident is the reason Andrew has never returned, running away from the guilt. And there were few surprises in the direction this story takes, even if there was some suspense regarding the incident itself.

Small Town Horror by Ronald Malfi

The extensive flashbacks to 2003, leading up to the incident were nicely managed. With a convincing coming-of-age vibe with the five teenagers roaming around their small town until their lives are changed forever. Upon his return Andrew finds out that the wife of one of his old friend’s (Dale) has disappeared. He is the prime suspect, however, the water is made even murkier by the fact that the current sheriff (Eric) is also one of the five. There are secrets everywhere and for large parts of the novel the truth is in short supply.

The supernatural element of Small Town Horror by Ronald Malfi is a slow burner. And for the most part lurks too far in the background. It carried limited threat and could have had more bite. I felt this part of the narrative could have been stronger and lacked the intensity that the supernatural narratives had in Bone White, Come With Me and Black Mouth. This was a very readable thriller, but I would rank those other three novels above this. 

As the story advances I was stuck on what I believed to be a potential plot hole, or an aspect of the narrative which deserved further exploration. However, apologies to Ronald Malfi as this was connected to an almighty and very clever plot twist. If ever there was a development which turned a story on its head then this was it. With the reader realising why Andrew has tried to keep his distance from his old friends, beyond shared guilt. 

Life has not been kind to all of the five

Meech, a homeless alcoholic and drug dependant, believes the group has been cursed for the incident from the past, which intensifying as the twentieth anniversary approaches. The dynamics between the five was one of the strongest aspects of the novel, particularly with Tig. A single mother and owner of one of the local bars and secret girlfriend of Andrew when they were teenagers. Although she remained in the background, I also enjoyed the interactions with Andrew’s wife. Who seems to have her own sixth sense and is troubled by nightmares whilst heavily pregnant. The flashback scenes to those featuring Andrew’s late were also very convincing. 

If you have never read Ronald Malfi before Small Town Horror is a solid introduction to his work. Even if it fails to reach the heights of his three other most recent novels. Once you get past the very well-used trope of adults returning to the guilt-ridden location of a silly teenage crime. It was a melancholic dark thriller, full of regret, solid twists and damaged characters unable to escape their past. 

Tony Jones

Small Town Horror by Ronald Malfi

Five childhood friends reunite, 20 years later, in their Chesapeake fishing town and are forced to confront their own dark past. As well as the curse placed upon them in this paranormal horror masterpiece from the bestselling author of Come with Me.

Maybe this is a ghost story…

Andrew Larimer has left his past behind. Rising up the ranks in a New York law firm, and with a heavily pregnant wife. He is settling into a new life far from Kingsport, the town in which he grew up. But when he receives a late-night phone call from an old friend, he has no choice but to return home.

Coming home means returning to his late father’s house, which has seen better days. It means lying to his wife. But it also means reuniting with his friends. Eric, now the town’s deputy sheriff; Dale, a real-estate mogul living in the shadow of a failed career; his childhood sweetheart Tig who never could escape town; and poor Meach, whose ravings about a curse upon the group have driven him to drugs and alcohol.

Together, the five friends will have to confront the memories—and the horror—of a night, years ago, that changed everything for them.

Because Andrew and his friends have a secret. A thing they have kept to themselves for twenty years. Something no one else should know. But the past is not dead, and Kingsport is a town with secrets of its own.

One dark secret…

One small-town horror…

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