Review: Some fun surprises here.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 01 25, 2014
Every town has one. That mysterious person. A recluse. You can’t help but listen to the rumors about him.  His very aloofness invites it.John Coal has been having trouble with a group of teenage boys. They pull pranks, destroy property, and torment him. At first, he’s at a loss, wondering, “Why me?”Then it hits him. He’s that creepy old guy in the creepy house. The odd one that everybody whispers about. People cross the street to avoid contact.The gang of boys continue to plague him so he figures he’ll give them what they believe. He’ll be the monster man.So he sets the bait, making it easy for the boys to get, and adds one more thing to entice them further into the house. Then he springs his trap and the boys end up in his cellar, scared and shaken.Who knows what horrible plans he has in  store for them. They should have minded their own business.John Coal has quite a history. He’s dealt with things we only dreamed about in our nightmares. Drawing on his past experiences, he goes to extremes to teach these boys a lesson.The author threw me for a loop from the moment John trapped those boys. I didn’t have any idea whether John was just a grumpy old loner or something else. I quickly found out. I can see why he’s called the monster man now.I had to stretch my imagination a bit about the elaborate trap John set. But as I learned about his past, it became easier to believe and them I was all in to the end.A good read for a dark and stormy night.