Magnificent Gall: Ghost, Haunt

This is a fast paced read by Monteleone, an expansion of his short story "Mister Magister". This book finds Magister and his mysterious shooting gallery in a small Iowa town where the townspeople are entranced by his gallery to the point they don't realize what is happening when the bodies start to turn up. Only young Stella holds the key that might save them all. This is a very well done addition to the genre as well as a nod to Twilight Zone and Bradbury (it is almost a retelling of "Something Wicked This Way Comes", only Monteleone provides more character depth). It's a shame this one, like many of Monteleone's books, is out of print. Not only does it tell a strange story, but it provides insights to the human condition that are rarely found in this type of fiction. The denouement is a bit anticlimatic, though, and the final explanation, while fulfilling, is a bit vague. It is hard to find literary horror fiction, but if you are a fan of Richard Laymon, Jack Ketchum, Al Sarrantonio, Heywood Steele, King, or Joe R. Lansdale, you want to check out Monteleone and this book in particular.