December Park

I don’t know how Ronald Malfi does it – this is the second book that had me in tears by the end alongside <i>Come With Me</i> (2021) published seven years after this, nor did I think it was particularly strong going into the showdown chapter, but by the end I changed my mind again.

If you like horror and thrillers and haven’t read any Ronald Malfi yet then what are you waiting for?

December Park is a lengthy book at over 600 pages and sometimes feels even longer with its excessive amount of chatter and character development, but as with most good things it takes a bit of percolating to get a good brew going.

And brew this book does.

The police are unable or too incompetent to solve a serial killer crime wave of adolescent murders, which is a bit unrealistic and far-fetched to be fair and probably the book’s only flaw as conveniently placing the murder mystery in the hands of five boys hell bent on getting to the bottom of things, but besides the overly detailed and sometimes repetitive dialogue, it’s pretty much a perfect book.

It surprised me, again.

It ramps up into more adult and viscous action as the story reels in its spool, emotionally wiggling and gasping for air as it falls to shore and becomes a great storytelling experience.

By the time you finally get conclusive answers you pretty much know everyone in and out, including the extended family, and that’s the mark of a great novelist - sometimes a bit too wordy - but making you care enough to be manipulated by whatever befalls your favorite characters.

It's also one of those books that will benefit from a re-read rather than being spoiled by knowing what's coming next, another mark of careful and meticulous storytelling talent.

It also begs the question, why relatively so few ratings and reviews for this book on Goodreads? My guess, as more and more people ‘discover’ Ronald Malfi, his back catalogue will get greater exposure and that’s a good thing.