Death Instinct

by Bentley Little

Cathy was six when the man next door killed his wife and himself. She heard the screams. She saw the blood and the bodies. Now, 20 years later, the house is no longer vacant. Someone new has moved in. Something terrible is happening to the neighbors. And Cathy has a secret of her own...

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Thriller, Crime, Mystery, Novels, Splatterpunk

336 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published July 1, 1992

About the author

Bentley Little is an American author of horror fiction. Publishing an average of a novel a year since 1990, Little avoids publicity and rarely does promotional work or interviews for his writing.

Reviews

[Tracy P. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yet another gruesome, suspense filled, and impossible to put down tale of terror from Mr. Bentley. I am consistently in awe at how he is able to wow me every time. Highly recommend.

[Dirk Grobbelaar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to my parents, for allowing me to grow up strange.
- From the author’s Acknowledgments

It’s clear, as early as the prologue, that Bentley Little isn’t afraid to write about things that scratch at the door of your comfort zone. You may argue that some of this is uncalled for. In fact, you wouldn’t be wrong, but in this particular instance there is some method to the madness. So read on.

"I like the dark."

This is a novel about a twisted serial killer. Which is a bit like saying Jason Voorhees has “homicidal tendencies”. The killings in here are uniquely grotesque and macabre. Even though most of it is only described post mortem, it’s still mucho disturbing. If you have a craving for a story that will freak you out a bit, then chances are you’ve come to the right place.

He smelled the nauseous odor of violence.

Suffice to say, this is a frigging uneasy read. Shelve it under Horror and not under something as incongruous as “Thriller” or “Mystery”. It isn’t particularly frenetic, pacing-wise, but Little manages to maintain a level of tension throughout that is just, well, uncomfortable.

The police procedural aspects and investigative techniques described also keep things interesting. This is something that is often lacking in similar novels.

In fact, the whole affair has some good plot development and event progression.

What kind of person would commit a murder like that?
And why?

My wife often asks me why I read books like these (i.e. books that make me squirm a bit). Truth be told, I’m not sure... but I do tend to keep coming back for more.

"What happened?"
"It's bad, sir."
"What happened?"
"It's bad."

I’m not sure just how “politically correct” this book would be deemed to be, given some of the revelations toward the latter end of the story, and I found the bizarre sexual themes somewhat abrasive and messed up. H.o.w.e.v.e.r. this is a Horror novel so it’s not supposed to be an easy read.

The thing with a book like this: it raises a number of questions that I would typically like to speculate on, but I can’t do it here for spoiler reasons. If you read this for the right reasons, and if you are a Horror junkie, there’s no reason not to enjoy it. You could argue there are some flaws in the Author's logic concerning some aspects of the story, but Horror fiction is full of apparently omnipotent baddies that aren't properly explained (Jason Voorhees, Michael Myers et al). At least Little comes up with an explanation of sorts for his antagonist. In the end, when it comes to this kind of thing... it just ain't about the "logic" after all...

There might be a method to this madness as well, but it was still madness, and he did not understand it.

3.5 stars

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Death Instinct was Little's third novel; it was published in 1992 under the pseudonym of Phillip Emmons, which may explain why the title isn't "The" and then a noun. It's a very graphically gory and brutal book, and will appeal more to fans of Ketchum, Laymon, and Lee than to King, Koontz, and Hendrix. The horror is of the mad slasher variety rather than the supernatural kind, and it was a little too much for me at times. It's well-written with believable characters and decent pacing (maybe just a bit too long on the ending), but anyone who thinks about the phrase "trigger warning" should think twice before starting this one.

[Anja Henriksen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't expect this story to be as brutal, nasty, extreme, and grotesque as it was; it was a nice surprise!

[MacWithBooksonMountains Marcus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Death Instinct is terrifying, terrifyingly close to being absurd. Well, obviously I’m not reviewing Sigmund Freud’s work. This is Bentley Little’s horror novel with the same title. However, some may claim to have found similarities between the two authors.
Okay, let’s get serious. This is an odd one out for sans any of the supernatural, Death Instinct is as much crime mystery as it is horror. Even so this, then, seems more grounded in reality, Bentley little does even here walk, write close to a thin line that is merely one step, one mad scratch away from entering the territory of the absurd. However, no matter how preposterous and inane his propositions , and this time he was truly blowing the horn of plenty, he manages never to overstep. I mean seriously, a talent for murder from the the most unlikely suspect. And when I say most unlikely, I mean so unlikely it is borderline absurdity. But then again, Bentley pulls it off, somehow. I really want to say more here but then I would have tick tick spoiler alert. So I will leave it at at.
Death Instinct is amazing and in my humble opinion one of Bentley Little’s best. 😀

[Sarah B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! What a book! This was one intense ride! A real nail biter with danger and action right up until the last few pages!

And did I mention a huge, shocking plot twist?! Yep! It's in here! You won't believe it! I did sort of think it...but then I had automatically dismissed the idea I had because I thought "no way" but I was wrong! Shocking!

This is a bloody book. Lots of deaths, grotesque ones too. Lots of danger. There's a serial killer on the loose and nothing is normal about this killer. The cops are useless. And the killer could be lurking anywhere!

I liked the characters in here, everyone from the main police lieutenant to the main character: a lady who lives with her abusive father and has to take care of him. She's very backwards and mousey but she decides to stay with him because he can't manage on his own. Her heart is in the right place even though it's not so good for her emotionally. There are also some really rotten characters too...

And the killer is closing in.

Great writing and a quick, smooth flowing story. I flew through this book. I literally couldn't put it down as I was too eager to see what would happen next..I didn't even watch YouTube today. I was too busy reading!

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Bentley Little and this was another great book by a great horror author - a must read!

[Debra]

Stephen King recommended author. He says: "BEST OUTRIGHT HORROR NOVELIST. Bentley Little, in a walk. Don't know Bentley Little? You're not alone. He's probably the genre's best-kept secret, but at least 10 of his novels are available in paperback; you can pick up three for the price of that flashy new hardcover you've got your eye on. The best thing about Little is that he can go from zero to surreal in 6.0 seconds. My favorites are The Store (think Wal-Mart run by SAYYY-tan) and Dispatch, in which a young fellow discovers that his letters to the editor actually get things done. Bad things."

[Johann Liebert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uznałem że odejdę trochę od Kinga i poczytam coś od innych pisarzy ale nadal z kategorii horroru. Instynkt śmierci jest idealną pozycją do wyboru jeśli ktoś lubi samemu spekulować i rozgryzać mordercę. Z początku czytanie szło mi wolno, lecz wczoraj po nagłym zintensowaniu akcji przeczytałem 150 praktycznie za jednym zamachem. Polecam tę pozycję każdemu miłośnikowi książek grozy 👀

[Clint Heitz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was, quite possibly, one of the most twisted novels I have ever read. Not only is it freaky because of the situations presented, but to imagine a mind that would think up such a tale is disturbing.

[Kathryn Ford · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was meant to be a horror, but it turned out more to be a detective novel, that's why I've shelved it as such.
There are a lot of things that don't make sense in this book. First of all what did the prologue have to do with the rest of the book? David was hardly brought up during the book, and you never quite get what he did to Cathy to make her hate him so much, or fear him--yes there are a few glimpses, but not enough that I could actually see it influence her personality. She was actually a very bland character. The author never describes her to us, looks wise. All we know is that she thinks Anne is prettier than her. Alan was a so so character, definitely more interesting than Cathy.
The murders were quite graphic and inventive. What I don't understand is if some of the bodies were still warm, how were the murders, which the police agree would take hours to do, have taken place so quickly without any help.
The next part has some spoilers, so please be aware.
How did Randy get out of the house so often if his mother chained him up? How did he get into locked houses to perform those murders? And I know Cathy doesn't want to kknow what happened to Mrs. and Mr. West, but I as the reader do. I mean was Mrs. West involved in the murders, even if she just knew about them. What happened to her? And what consequences did she suffer for stealing a patient?
Just like in The Resort, Little turns sexual things into horror and I really didn't enjoy that, it made me feel unclean. I'll try one more of his books, but if it is the same, I sadly won't read any more from him.

[Jeff O'Brien · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh. This book was awesome until I finished it. It was a brutal, exciting, suspenseful page-turner. My mind was racing with all the potential endings this book could have had. I had about five different ideas as to what the outcome would be. All of these ideas, except for one, would have been awesome. That one was the ending I was given and it was the simplest most unexciting ending the book could have had. It also made a lot of the back story pointless.

So far I've read five of Bentley Little's books and I've only enjoyed one of them -"The Summoning"- which was in my opinion a masterpiece. For some reason, I'm going to keep giving the guy chances though.

[Robert Reiner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This turned out to be my favorite Bentley Little book. There are no vampires, demons or monsters in this story. In fact there's no "supernatural" element at all. The first three quarters read like your typical mystery/serial killer/whodunit novel. Of course the murders that take place are gruesome and twisted like you'd expect from this author. Once again though I have a hard time throwing in that fifth star to a Bentley Little novel due to its lackluster ending. This dude just doesn't handle the endings of his books very well. But is that going to stop me from picking up and reading another one of his books on the near future?

Nope.

[Stu Corner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thriller/Mystery/Romance?

Scary dicks! Horny dicks! severed dicks!... Bentley Little seems to have some kind of fetish, or fascination with them.

Not a great story by any stretch, but there's something about Bentley's writing style that keeps pushing me to the end of his books, even if I'm not particularly interested in the characters or what happens. I think I'm just morbidly curious as to what he will come up with next.

I couldn't help but laugh at how badly his overuse of the word "retard" (in reference to the mentally challenged kid) had aged.

Definitely not his best, but not bad.

[H3yd00 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was originally written under Bentley Little's pseudonym, Phillip Emmons. Very good suspense/thriller, kept me interested the entire time. It had its moments of unbelievability, but I've come to expect that with Bentley Little. Overall, one of his best.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had I read of copy of this under Little's pen name I would never has guessed he had written it. The writing style overall was different than his usual fare, but I enjoyed the book more than I thought I would.

[Paul Flint · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exceptional book read twice. Really worthy of your time. There's a reason he's the top horror author. Better than King imo.

[Elusive · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘Death Instinct’ is about a string of extremely gruesome yet disgustingly creative murders which appear to be committed by a highly intelligent person. Cathy lives in fear as the murders become more rampant and grow closer to her street. Meanwhile, she’s still haunted by the dark memories regarding her former neighbour as well as one of her brothers.

There was an abundance of gore complete with detailed descriptions which will definitely make the visuals in the reader's head stay long after turning the last page. Despite the murders being incredibly disturbing, it’s hard not to appreciate Little’s creativity which was certainly a successful effort. Plus, every aspect of the story was well done – the police procedural was quite realistic and had the appropriate sense of urgency, the horror lied in knowing that danger lurks around every corner and the romance didn’t feel out of place at all.

The chapters alternated between multiple characters, hence providing different perspectives and giving the reader the brilliant opportunity to get to know each person. The main character Cathy was likeable in a quiet sort of way. She was introspective and her patience towards her demanding father was truly commendable. Her bond with young Jimmy was sweet and their friendship was refreshing. Meanwhile, Allan was a dedicated cop and his budding relationship with Cathy helped to lighten the morbidity present in the story. As for Cathy’s new neighbour, Katrina and her handicapped son, their hostility was convincing.

Little’s writing style was appealing as he knew when to supply details and when to write in a straightforward manner. Overall, ‘Death Instinct’ is undoubtedly one of this author’s best works as the horror and crime aspects were definitely top-notch combined with interesting characters and an intriguing mystery.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Visceral and quite disgusting in places but well put together! Love this author!

[Yusuf · Rating 3 out of 5]

Engrossing but outdated and offensive.

[Mariëtte Whitcomb · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable read albeit a tad unrealistic (especially the ending).

As far as dark psychological thrillers go Death Instinct ticked a number of my boxes, but it fell flat at the end. I won't say more as this will include spoilers.

[Jude · Rating 1 out of 5]

Probably the worst Bentley Little book I've read. I'm not sure how he thought of this concept. It's certainly... unique, but not in a good way. A lot of times his books can be so absurd that they're hilarious, but the subject matter of this one makes it offensive instead of funny. I don't understand how he could sit down and write all ~400 pages of this book without reconsidering. Even if he thought it was passable, I'm not sure how any editor/publisher could read the word "retard" used that many times in one book and think "Hm. Sounds great!"

There were so many disjointed elements in the book that were confusing, not only because they seemed to serve no purpose in the story, but because they could have made for a more interesting (and less offensive) plot. Jimmy's father's weird behavior was never explained at all. The backstory with Cathy's brother could have been removed entirely and it wouldn't have made a difference. I understand that authors will use red herrings, but at least wrap them up in a way that's satisfying. Al (Jimmy's father) was murdered before it could be revealed why he was acting so weird, and his death didn't shed light on the subject either. Cathy's brother who had textbook future serial killer behavior? Oh, he's just out there somewhere. Probably killing people, but oh well. Cathy isn't afraid of him anymore for some reason so who cares, right? Also his weird behavior was apparently only known to Cathy, but her father (who was supposedly loving and caring when she was younger) is completely chill about him running away and never returning. Did her dad just not care about her brother? Did he actually know about his son's behavior and have him locked away somewhere? We don't know because Little decided those plots weren't as interesting, I guess. Sure, they aren't as original, but they would have been far more interesting than reading very uncomfortable descriptions of people with intellectual disability.

The one thing the book had going for it was that I had a hard time putting it down. Mostly because I couldn't believe what I was reading.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stephen King fan? You'll probably like this one. Difficult to rate, as its consistently inconsistent, fluctuating between flashes of brilliant writing and apathetic drivel. Conversations remain unimaginative throughout, but the killing methods are nothing short of wildly spectacular ~ truly twisted, evil genius quality! Gotta give credit where its due: few authors could present such a variety pack of inventive, sadistic murders in one plot~ not the typical, garden variety murderer or slayings. Impressive! lol, on the other hand, this Arizona author presents main character, collage educated Cathy, also AZ born and bred,... as stoooopid enough to gulp water, trying to salvage her Mexican hot salsa-burning tongue... as if its a commonplace practice. YIKES! Oh well, I needed a LMAO moment. Bottom line: Wouldn't want to live next door to real life author with such a gruesome mind, or fictional Cathy, who finally grows a set near the finale.. but doesn't really know what to do with them. Luckily for her, defensive instinct ~ not cojones~ can be life-saving.

[Litio Broie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Relectura: no pierde fuerza al releerlo, al contrario. Los personajes son muy interesantes (buenos y malos). Hay que ceder un poco ("suspension disbelief") en los detalles de los asesinatos, pero puede incluso ayudar a pensar en el "monstruo" como en un monstruo real en una novela de terror sobrenatural.

Me ha recordado a Phenomena (AKA Creepers) de Dario Argento. Me gusta que llamen monstruoso a los monstruos.

[Josh Warfel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is unique as a Bentley book in that it does not have an anonymous generic evil, but has an actual real antagonist. With the exception of the pervasive use of a word that surely should have been on the radar as not to use in 2007 when the novel was written, the book is very well written, enjoyable, and a detour from Littles normal work

[Jerri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review to follow

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a pretty taboo and gory book.

[Elmer Foster · Rating 2 out of 5]

Back in 1992, an unknown (to me) writer gets his book published in the horror genre. Times were different, cancel culture didn't exist, hell, the internet hadn't fully exploded yet either. And Death Instinct hit the shelves. Never heard of it nor its author, Phillip Emmons. Fast forward to 2006, author Bentley Little has successfully had a dozen or more of his horror novels published. Why not republished the older lesser-known works under his actual name for a little cash grab? And here we are because the book had Little's name on it.

Up front, the story felt 1992-ish. Three scoops of vanilla suburbia for Little to offer up before the toppings were added. Scoop 1: Cathy works at a bookstore, supports her abusive father, and lives across the street from the "house", every town has one, hers is across the street. She had a weird yet probable kid story involving her brother's erection being seen. Somehow that was supposed to lead somewhere but didn't. She is one of the three POVs for the story, the other two are...
Scoop 2: Little Jimmy Goldstein, elementary school aged kid, lives a few doors down from Cathy. Jimmy is the target of bullies at school. Stop me if you've heard this before. He lives with his dad who cares less about him than the bullies do. Scoop 3: Lt Allan Grant, Phoenix PD, is every detective in every television show where the chief rants 24/7, they can't solve the most basic of crimes, and are always worried about/ or are being scooped by the press. Allan and Cathy end up an item. Like I said vanilla suburbia.

Little does a quality job at the mundane, everyday stuff, boringly so. The horror never got built or had any tension, we just keep getting crimes scenes that were superb horror snapshots, like flavorful Skittles topping the vanilla scoops of ice cream. Bursts of blood and gore forced upon the palette of the vanilla city of innocence and boredom, no clue how it happened, whodunit, or why, just "Here you go, deal with this!"

This goes on for about thirty chapters, building interest in Cathy's love life, home life, work life, etc., rooting for Jimmy to outsmart the bullies and make it home safely, and empathizing with Lt Grant for the grief of unsolved murders on his shoulders. All while knowing the newly arrived neighbors across the street surely have something to do with the happenings. The single Mom, Katrina West, has a handicapped, Down Syndrome son, Randy, who is never without his soccer ball or monosyllabic speech pattern. Randy is supposedly near Jimmy's age, so yay, Jimmy!

But chapter thirty is the "AHA!" chapter where Little dumps sauerkraut on top of the vanilla scoops and Skittles. Yuck, you might think, and you would be correct because Little has been writing an entirely different plot across the street. Granted, it is unexpected, more so because of the immense improbability/impossibility of it all. By now you have probably seen the movies The Orphan or The Boy where something so innocent clearly isn't, but you are not sure what you are seeing. Ergo, you keep watching to find out, or keep reading because you are past the halfway mark and you came for horror, so game on!

The premise, once revealed, is subject to critical thinking on my part and doesn't jive. I see where Little wanted to go but he didn't build out the tools nor skill set for it to actually work. Being a murder master Rain Man in theory might work on paper but that was a highway-sized brush stroke to make that connective leap for such an underdeveloped character. Not to mention the plot holes of how the villain got out to commit the crimes, knew where to find the requisite murder tools/ items, build murderous traps, or use the necessary items effectively, or at all, beyond blunt force trauma, etc. Given that the killer had murderous tendencies akin to a silverback gorilla, he surely wouldn't have the patience, self-restraint, nor impulse control to acupuncture anyone, for instance.

So, the horror aspect is subjective to reader application and tolerance. For me, my pulse never went above 85. (wink)

The random shock value of saying penis or erection, in 1992, might have been the bar. Today, it becomes anatomical and forgotten. The broad use of the word "retard" was initially shocking and curious but seems to paint the image Little was going for. The maltreatment of the residents within the West home was more shocking than the deaths (Chapter 30). Be wary of the erections around the house. Like I said, Little was writing an entirely different story within those walls.

An incredibly high number of deaths by an impossible villain didn't elevate the story, nor did the resolution (what there was of it). Nearly every second level character is killed, save Randy's folks, who end up, who knows where... guarantee there is prison time with psychotherapy involved.

Beyond seeing this as the early writing of highly touted Mr. Little, I can't recommend this effort.
Thanks for reading.

[Caleb · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have an affinity for Bentley Little because he was one of the first non-Stephen King horror authors that got me into the genre as an impressionable 14 year old. Although I will be the first to admit that at his best his books are just alright and never good or great.

Death instinct was the first Bentley Little book I’ve read in over a decade at this point. Overall I’d say it’s about on par for what I remember although it’s far less ridiculous than his paranormal books.

There’s some gore but it’s far more tame than the other extreme horror authors from the 90s. The characters are fine, albeit a little bland and the plot mostly goes along at a decent pace.

The biggest problem with the book is its main villain. It’s just ridiculous to imagine a mentally challenged child that is capable of killing multiple people, including several police officers, without leaving any evidence behind and that nobody is seemingly able to fight back against him. I got the feeling that Little finds handicapped people creepy and that he decided to write a whole book about it. It makes you feel nauseated after a while and the overuse of the “R” word does not help. Am I being too sensitive? Maybe, but I can’t help like this is straddling a fine line between exploitation and delivering a twist on a traditional thriller. Yes I know times were different back then but I still can’t shake this feeling.

Also the police in this book are so ridiculously inept. Like how are they so bad at figuring out who was doing the killings? There is no evidence? No forensics? Nothing to figure out who the murderer is? It’s just unbelievable.

Finally the prologue to the book is just stupid and I almost gave up on the book after reading it. The whole subplot with David goes nowhere and seems like a complete waste of time. I guess Little was intending to use him as a red herring but it just falls flat.

Nonetheless I found the book to be mostly enjoyable and I burned through it pretty quickly. The narrator for the audiobook was great and had a good cadence.

The most important thing to remember with Little is that he is at his heart a pulp horror author and suspension of disbelief is required to have a good time with his work. Even though he’s just alright most of the time he is still fun to read.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bentley Little has somehow made me love his writing more because of this book. His way of storytelling is just so captivating, yet it’s different in every one of his books that I read. He tends to always tell the story from each characters POV, in some books more than others, but in this one he does it just right.
I feel like some authors struggle with this type of writing.. Their approach is confusing & the reader loses interest early on in the story because it’s hard to keep track of what all the characters are doing. The chapters are often dated, & sometimes even timed. Nobody is paying attention that closely unless the story is ridiculously captivating, which they usually aren’t..

Death Instinct follows a woman named Cathy from Arizona who gets caught up in a web of murders that are all so horrendous, & all so different from each other. She helps a local investigator (who also becomes a love interest) after her neighbors dog is found skinned in its home. The murderer leaves absolutely no evidence for police to follow, & in their small town where not much happens, they are at a loss for leads of any kind. All they can do is wait for the murderer to slip up & give them a chance to catch him.

Towards the end of the book, Cathy finds reason to believe that her new neighbors mentality disabled 10 year old son, Randy, is behind the gruesome murders. She believes he has what’s called Savant Syndrome, which is a rare condition in which someone with severe mental disabilities has the ability to demonstrate extraordinary abilities pertaining to one thing in particular. Painting, singing, & memory recollection are some examples, but Cathy thinks his gift is murder.

This book is wild from start to finish, just like all of my favorites by him. Bentley Little writes horror SO well that I don’t want to read anything else. No author will change my mind & when he dies I suppose I’ll be done reading books 🤷🏼‍♀️