A Nice Place To Live

by Robert C. Sloane

When Christine and Nick Marino move into a new house in the country, they are unaware that some of their neighbors are trolls who have malevolent plans for them and their son, Joey

Genres: Horror

Paperback

First published May 27, 1981

Reviews

[Phil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great, if misleading cover on a book I have rather mixed feelings about. Sloane starts this with the typical horrific prologue, where something slaughters a girl's horse right in front of her (and her house). The story starts off proper when a new family, the Marinos with their young son Joey, moves to the house set in a swanky part of Long Island. Their neighbors all seem to be rich socialites, which is fine with Christine Marino, coming from a rich family herself, but Nick Marino is your basic working class New Yorker, who now helps run his father's restaurant in Little Italy.

Shortly after their arrival, the Marino's find their little dog slaughtered in their yard; turns out pets tend not to last in the neighborhood as the cops tell them. Nick also starts acting funny after coming into contact with his neighbors, at least one beautiful young neighbor back from school for the summer. In fact, his behavior keeps getting nastier and meaner, and Sloane even gives us a revolting rape scene to cement Nick's new callous attitude toward his wife. Sloane also gives us a great character with Aunt Henrietta, an aging, drunken busy body who comes to stay with the Marinos for the summer.

So, we know there is some foo going on in the neighborhood, but what type of foo? I will not go into it to avoid spoilers, but Sloane is inventive here for sure and created a rather unique type of foo for sure, but one I had a really hard time suspending my sense of disbelief for, which is key for a horror novel to really work. A Nice Place to Live is a fast read, however, so for better or worse it is over quick. My 1981 edition has what looks like a huge dog's mouth on the cover for some reason, even though there are no killer dogs in the story. YMMV depending on how you like the foo. 3 Nordic stars!

[Dez Nemec · Rating 3 out of 5]

You have to know that if it's called A Nice Place to Live, then it's definitely not. But not in the way I expected at all. Great 80s horror fun.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

The tiny secluded village of Mill Harbor, Long Island - such a tranquil, restful waterfront community - possibly the nicest place to live. After ten years of marriage, Christine and Nick Marino are just as much in love now as they were when they first met. When they move to suburban Mill Harbor with their young son Joey, they truly believe they are living a dream come true. They live in a cozy, beautiful house, and their wealthy neighbors are just so friendly and welcoming. Yes, indeed, this is absolutely the perfect place to live and raise a family.

However, the Marinos will soon find that their perfect dream is gradually, undeniably, turning into a nightmare. Because something is awry in the charming village of Mill Harbor. Something is very, very wrong.

The Marinos learn that their lovely home was once the setting for appalling displays of violence, that their affable neighbors may not be at all what they seem. And some mysterious force is slowly changing Nick into something bestial and obscene - capable of terrifying his wife with inhuman acts of pure barbarism...

Christine and Nick Marino could not have been forewarned. Now it's too late. Somewhere in Mill Harbor a door clicks shut and something evil rushes out into the night. The Marinos are about to meet their new neighbor - the resident evil that dwells in A Nice Place to Live.

I really enjoyed reading this book; it was very well-written and the horror was intertwined with every day life. I've been looking to read something in the horror genre for quite a while, and this just hit the spot. This was certainly quite an imaginative plot, and despite being rather fantastic and seemingly far-fetched at times, I was soon immersed in the story and reading it avidly - determined to find out what happened next. I give A Nice Place to Live by Robert C. Sloane an A! I'm on the lookout for more books by Robert C. Sloane to put on my Wish List.

[Joshua Hair · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, that was not the direction I thought this book would take. Interesting. Also interesting is how a book can be simultaneously really good and REALLY bad.

[Charles · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was published during the eighties horror craze when they were publishing all kinds of horror. It's fairly standard, and although I liked it, it didn't stand out tremendously in my mind.

[Matthew Bielawa · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're in the mood for something quick, fun, and well, a little goofy at times, you'll enjoy this one. Even one of the main characters (the fun aunt Henrietta, my favorite sharp tongued character dans ce roman) says "I feel like we're in a late-night movie!" Aunt Henrietta, I couldn't agree more avec toi.

And extra points for the author's slightly different approach to the sub-genre of moving out to the 'burbs. So, if you're in the mood for an 80s got-that-made-for-tv feel, look for this one.

[JackElliottHeights · Rating 4 out of 5]

For anyone condemning this book for its fantastical elements, kindly jump up your own rear end. This was a fun, intriguing page-turner from end to end. It was a brilliant blend of terror and fantasy. Honestly, it felt like Goosebumps for Grown-Ups and I'm a big fan of that vibe.

All I have to say is that I'd really like to hear Joey's "What I did for my summer vacation" paper he's inevitably going to write when school starts.

[Olivia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Utterly ridiculous

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oddly compelling plot that will divide readers into thinking it was either a ludicrous waste of time or kinda thought provoking and creepy. The main plot can't really be discussed without a spoiler alert, so you have to enter it blind and let it all unfold. A quick read that's certainly bold for tackling something that will either be embraced by the reader or laughed right off the page.

[Douglas Castagna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fairly likable, at times laughable, Nice Place To Live is an OK place to visit for a fairly run of the mill 80's horror novel. Some things were laugh out loud funny, though they were not meant to be so, other things seemed to be interesting and might have worked if fleshed out. If I had to do it over again I would have passed on reading it entirely.

[Kruppshin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A family's move to a small Long Island community is complicated by a malicious presence in the neighborhood. Sloane made nice use of what, in horror, is a surprisingly little used bit of mythology. There are monsters here and not the garden variety either. Not a bad tale at all.

[Stacy Simpson · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was supposed to have a horror theme to it....However it turned out the creature was a troll....HIlarious...As you can see i thought it was terrible enough said!

[Weylin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spooky and believable. Makes you look at the neighbors a little closer. Fast read.

[Robin Winter · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author started out well, but then the improbabilities entered and piled up. A pity.