The Vanishing

Couldn’t put the book down once I started. Loved this book so much!

I usually read short stories because you can consume them in one bite and you don't waste any time if they don't appeal to you. This novel grabbed me immediately, and I actually could not put it down and read all 300 pages in one go!! Fascinating characters and plot, yet not overly written. It was easy to follow where the author was going, and both the plotting and the pace were really intriguing. I love his short stories and I'm so glad I took a chance with this novel. Huge recommendation.

I am genuinely surprised at the way this work was received here. It may not be his best, but for me, definitely worth the read. Although Little's novels don't fall squarely into any genre, The mood produced by them can only be described as surreal, and this is certainly no exception. They are not "horror" per se, as much as thrillers with dark, fantastic undertones and should be taken with a spoonful of imagination. Recommended for fans of his other works, although probably not a good first.

Bentley Little is a master with horror, digging deep into the dark wells of supernatural terror and coming up with genuine frights. This novel continues a Little's great tradition of scary the crap out of the reader, with monsters up close and characters you hope to high heaven will survive the onslaught. No spoilers here, just kudos for leaving me creeped out and wanting more!

I tore through this book! It was fast-paced, exciting and still managed to convey Mr. Little's total disdain for "captains of industry" and large corporations in general...all the guys who went nuts were wealthy businessmen. It was slyly inferred that power brokers are all basically monsters - literally... I also liked that it touched on the Nephilim theory a bit, if anyone is interested in the stories about them.

This Bram Stoker Award winning author hits it out of the ball park with this latest offering. This is a genuinely creepy horror story by one of the best authors in the genre. I simply could not put the book down, finding myself compulsively turning the pages of this book until the very end. Once again, the author manages to hold fans of the horror genre in his thrall, making the reader believe the unbelievable. Why is it that wealthy men are suddenly running amok and slaughtering their dearest and nearest? What is the meaning of the cryptic messages they are leaving behind? Why are some children that resemble little more than beasts being born? These are some of the mysteries with which reporter Brian Howells and social worker Carrie Daniels grapple. This book is really two stories, each of which takes place in California, one in the nineteenth century and the other in the present. Both are compelling stories that are inextricably interwoven and intertwined. The author seamlessly weaves these two tales together, creating a highly inventive and entertaining story. As the connection between the past and the present is made clear and the two stories meld into one, the reader is kept spellbound. Although the ending is the weak link in the book, as it is with so many of this author's other books, it will not diminish the enjoyment that the reader will get in reading this latest offering. The enjoyment lies in the journey to the end. Fans of the author will especially enjoy the author's sly introduction of his old pen name, Phillip Emmons, as a minor character.

Across the country, strange things are happening. Millionaires--with hidden genetic deformities--are brutally killing their families. Children are being born with the faces of animals. Carrie Daniels, a social worker, and Brian Howells, a reporter, have personal ties to the occurences. Seperately, then together, they begin to investigate what these unexplainable events, trying to put meaning to madness. But things are only getting worse...as the violence mounts, and blood flow escalates, Brian and Carrie will discover that some secrets are best kept hidden, that curses come true, and that all these incidents tie back to 19th-century California, to a prospector named James Marshall who stumbled upon one of the best-kept secrets of the American West... Bentley Little has always managed to entertain me; with this book, he even gets a few genuine scares. "The Vanishing" is hardcore macabre/horror for the die-hard fan; if you are squeamish, if you don't like your horror novels soaked in blood, then skip on; I'm afraid you'll have to avoid the entire Bentley Little library, too, as he is one of the most brutal writers out there. Fortunately, he also one of the best; his novels are laced with potent sarcasm and satire--a Little novel is, in many ways, a thinking man's horror novel. If you're not into higher education and satirical writing, don't worry--you can savor the pure horror bliss that Little obviously delights in dishing out (he even manages to work his old pseudonym, Phillip Emmons, into this one). Little enjoys writing 'em...and we enjoy reading 'em. If you haven't tried Bentley Little yet, "The Vanishing" is as good a place as any to start. Just keep the lights on. Trust me on that.