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Watchman
The novel, set in the town of Adena, West Virginia concerns the dark family secret of Sheriff Luther Alt, and his daughters Jill and Chris. When Cole Blake is murdered, events get out of hand.
- GenresFiction
228 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1961
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About the author
Davis Grubb
84 books55 followersFrom Wikipedia
Born in Moundsville, West Virginia, Grubb wanted to combine his creative skills as a painter with writing and as such attended the Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. However, his color blindness was a handicap he could not overcome and he gave up on painting to dedicate himself to writing fiction. He did, however, make a number of drawings and sketches during the course of his career, some of which were incorporated into his writings.
In 1940, Grubb moved to New York City where he worked at NBC radio as a writer while using his free time to write short stories. In the mid 1940s he was successful in selling several short stories to major magazines and in the early 1950s he started writing a full length novel. Influenced by accounts of economic hardship by depression-era Americans that his mother had seen first hand as a social worker, Grubb produced a dark tale that mixed the plight of poor children and adults with that of the evil inflicted by others.
The Night of the Hunter became an instant bestseller and was voted a finalist for the 1955 National Book Award. That same year, the book was made into a motion picture that is now regarded as a classic. Deemed "culturally significant" by the Library of Congress, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.
Grubb went on to write a further nine novels and several collections of short stories. His 1969 novel Fools' Parade would also be made into a motion picture starring James Stewart. Some of Grubb's short stories were adapted for television by Alfred Hitchcock and by Rod Serling for his Night Gallery series.
Grubb died in New York City in 1980. His novel Ancient Lights was published posthumously in 1982, and St. Martins Press published 18 of his short stories in a book collection titled You Never Believe Me and Other Stories.
His longtime canine companion was a Lhasa Apso named Rowdy Charlie.
Born in Moundsville, West Virginia, Grubb wanted to combine his creative skills as a painter with writing and as such attended the Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. However, his color blindness was a handicap he could not overcome and he gave up on painting to dedicate himself to writing fiction. He did, however, make a number of drawings and sketches during the course of his career, some of which were incorporated into his writings.
In 1940, Grubb moved to New York City where he worked at NBC radio as a writer while using his free time to write short stories. In the mid 1940s he was successful in selling several short stories to major magazines and in the early 1950s he started writing a full length novel. Influenced by accounts of economic hardship by depression-era Americans that his mother had seen first hand as a social worker, Grubb produced a dark tale that mixed the plight of poor children and adults with that of the evil inflicted by others.
The Night of the Hunter became an instant bestseller and was voted a finalist for the 1955 National Book Award. That same year, the book was made into a motion picture that is now regarded as a classic. Deemed "culturally significant" by the Library of Congress, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.
Grubb went on to write a further nine novels and several collections of short stories. His 1969 novel Fools' Parade would also be made into a motion picture starring James Stewart. Some of Grubb's short stories were adapted for television by Alfred Hitchcock and by Rod Serling for his Night Gallery series.
Grubb died in New York City in 1980. His novel Ancient Lights was published posthumously in 1982, and St. Martins Press published 18 of his short stories in a book collection titled You Never Believe Me and Other Stories.
His longtime canine companion was a Lhasa Apso named Rowdy Charlie.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 18, 2019
It was perhaps small children-natural sceptics-who were the least appreciative of the art of Peace the Undertaker. Almost all of these, not yet hooked by their elders' festive addiction to funerals, saw Peace the Undertaker as a kind of creeping landslide, a human glacier moving with inexorable approach across the green playground of their world: grinding uncles under grass, immuring aunts like butterflies in amber, absorbing grandpas, parents, and pleasant candy storekeepers, and leaving in its wake nothing but the trackless memory of vanished school chums.
And:
And so, murmured Jill in a sudden change of voice, almost hoarse with grief. And so-the hunt begins.
Yes, he said. The hunt begins. And I for one count myself among the hunters. Because never again so long as I live, Jill, will I sleep a dreamless sleep again nor walk Adena's streets feeling clean under the sun until I’ve watched Cole's murderer strapped in that chair up yonder in the little green room. Until I’ve seen him die!
Hmmm… anyone looking for a story where the good guys win and the bad guys get what's coming to them. Where good ultimately triumphs over evil and the ending is a happy one where everyone lives happily-ever-after… should probably give this book by David Grubb a wide berth, because none of that good shit happens here.
The language is dense and the scenes invoked by it's author evocative in his descriptive writing and often harrowing events. I struggle to think of another writer who I could compare Grubb (author of The Night of the Hunter) to. Perhaps Jim Thompson for a harrowing storyline. And perhaps William Gay for his lyricism and descriptive style.
I found the first 30% of this book a bit slow. It took me a while to settle into it, but that is perhaps because I was looking to read something a bit lighter rather than a novel I would have to invest effort into reading, rather than any fault of the book or the author's writing style.
Anyway, I found more to like than dislike in this book and this reader gives it 5 stars. Recommended.
And:
And so, murmured Jill in a sudden change of voice, almost hoarse with grief. And so-the hunt begins.
Yes, he said. The hunt begins. And I for one count myself among the hunters. Because never again so long as I live, Jill, will I sleep a dreamless sleep again nor walk Adena's streets feeling clean under the sun until I’ve watched Cole's murderer strapped in that chair up yonder in the little green room. Until I’ve seen him die!
Hmmm… anyone looking for a story where the good guys win and the bad guys get what's coming to them. Where good ultimately triumphs over evil and the ending is a happy one where everyone lives happily-ever-after… should probably give this book by David Grubb a wide berth, because none of that good shit happens here.
The language is dense and the scenes invoked by it's author evocative in his descriptive writing and often harrowing events. I struggle to think of another writer who I could compare Grubb (author of The Night of the Hunter) to. Perhaps Jim Thompson for a harrowing storyline. And perhaps William Gay for his lyricism and descriptive style.
I found the first 30% of this book a bit slow. It took me a while to settle into it, but that is perhaps because I was looking to read something a bit lighter rather than a novel I would have to invest effort into reading, rather than any fault of the book or the author's writing style.
Anyway, I found more to like than dislike in this book and this reader gives it 5 stars. Recommended.
November 21, 2024
Intense and poetic.
This is my 4th Davis Grubb book, and he is now one of my favourite authors of all time. I will continue on with the rest of his catalog.
This is my 4th Davis Grubb book, and he is now one of my favourite authors of all time. I will continue on with the rest of his catalog.
June 8, 2018
Read back in 1983. Another thriller by the author of Night of the Hunter.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews