Cold Moon Over Babylon (Valancourt 20th Century Classics)

Set in the deep south town of Babylon, this tale unfolds with the death of a couple while out fishing, years later their daughter is hideously murdered by a masked man, and thrown into the same river that her parents died, their bodies never found.This is a well told tale, of corruption and madness. I found the writing sometimes rather eccentric, and the southern dialect can be difficult, but it's a good book, and keeps the reader under it's spell.It has possibly the stupidest sheriff ever created, and the township as a whole are far from the brightest people you will ever meet, and this can prove somewhat exasperating from time to time, I found myself shaking my head in disbelief more than once.All in all, an entertaining horror book, and I would read this author again.

One of my all time favourite books

Read this after having loved Gilded Needles by the same author - raced through it and really enjoyed it! Highly recommended.

McDowell is a forgotten but important voice in the world of horror. Great book.

This is an excellent crime story combined with colourful horror overtones! The setting is in the deep south of the US in the small neighbourhood of Babylon. From the beginning I could feel the heat and the tension and the fear that was about to stalk this rural community. The characters came alive especially the hard working Larkin family; Grandma Evelyn, Jerry and Margaret Larkin trying to earn a meagre living by growing blueberries and selling at the local market. One day on the way home from school Margaret Larkin meets a stranger and this encounter has some long lasting repercussions..."A man leapt out of the dense shrubbery. He dashed into the middle of the road. His movement was at first so rapid that she could make out nothing of his appearance but that he was very dark. Then he was still, with his strong legs placed wide apart over the centre line, his long arms rigidly outstretched to halt her. Above his black pants, the hair on his chest was so thick, the skin beneath it so deeply tanned, that she did not immediately realize he wore no shirt. Covering his head was a black leather hood, tight-fitting and fastened on the side, with slits cut out above the eyes."There is a murderer at large in Babylon and the reason he targets the Larkin family becomes apparent as the story develops. As the body count mounts an evil presence makes itself known and will not rest until some form of justice is dispensed. I thought this was a thrilling story combining my two favourite genres crime and fiction, written by an author I have only recently been introduced to and I look forward to reading his remaining works.

I really enjoyed this and I'm going to buy more of his work now. It's both chilling and amusing in its own way. He really was a masterful writer. Such a shame he is not still around to give us more.