The Travelling Man: A Supernatural Horror Thriller - Small Town Evil, Faustian Bargains and The Devil's Salesman

by Matt Drabble

"Matt Drabble is a name that will one day be as widely recognized as Stephen King & Dean Koontz" - READERS FAVORITE

He wears a perfect grey suit in 110-degree heat. He carries a briefcase that has never aged. And he collects signatures in blood.

In the dying desert town of Granton, the Travelling Man has come to do business. Granton is a town where nothing ever happens. Sheriff Cassie Wheeler is holding it together with sheer grit. A single mother, she is watching her 11-year-old daughter Ellie battle Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia while trying to keep order in a quiet desert community.Hardware king Harlan Harris is the town's pillar by day, and its meth kingpin by night. His lab out in the wasteland cooks the purest product for Greenford's junkies, and his reputation is built on blood.

Both are desperate. Both are perfect customers. Because walking down the scorched highway into Granton is a man who never sweats, never ages, and never gets lost.

Animals die when they get too close to him. A rattlesnake turns to dust at the snap of his fingers. He wears a crisp Homburg hat, a tailored three-piece suit, and a smile that doesn't reach his eyes.

He offers you exactly what you want most in this world. A cure. Money. Revenge. All he needs is a trembling signature.

One soul at a time, Granton is about to learn that the oldest deal is also the deadliest.

There really is no rest for the wicked.

For fans of Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Joe Hill and Midnight Mass - a chilling supernatural horror thriller about small-town evil and Faustian bargains.

What readers will

Small-town horror in the vein of Needful Things and Salem's LotA strong female sheriff who will do ANYTHING to save her childThe Devil as a travelling salesman - charming, tailored, and utterly mercilessA perfect blend of crime thriller and occult horrorAtmospheric, relentless, and impossible to put down
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Genres: Horror

335 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 10, 2014

About the author

Born in Bath, England in 1974, a self-professed "funny onion", equal parts sport loving jock and comic book geek.

Awards & Achievements:

"ABRA-CADAVER" is the 2017 Readers Favorite Silver Medal Winner for Horror Fiction. It is also a 2015 Kindle Book Review Finalist, an Indie Book of the Day winner and the 2016 Book Excellence Award Winner for Horror Fiction.

"GATED" is the 2015 Readers Favorite Gold Medal Winner. It is also a UK & US Horror Chart Top Ten Best Seller & winner of the Full Moon Awards 2014 Horror Book of the Year.

"ASYLUM - 13 TALES OF TERROR" was a US Horror Chart #5. It was also voted #5 on The Horror Novel Review's Top 10 Books of 2013 & was the Readers Favorite 2014 Gold Medal Winner for Anthology Fiction.

"THE LAST RESORT" is the 2019 Readers Favorite Silver Medal Winner for Horror Fiction & The 2019 Kindle Book Review's Winner for Horror/Suspense

Visit me at www.mattdrabble.co.uk to download free short stories.

Twitter: MattDrabble01
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Reviews

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book but for me for to similar to Needful Things by Stephen King

[Liquid Frost · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The Travelling Man” was my first exposure to the wickedly fun imagination of author, Matt Drabble.

There are massive amounts of gore, mutilation, death, destruction and supernatural evil. We are introduced to a stranger, Gilbert Grange; classic salesmen that can make dreams come true. Of course, dreams can quickly become nightmares if you don’t understand the fine print.

Set in Granton, a small town in the middle of the desert, Grange is pulling the strings of humanity and the residents, for the most part, are his puppets. Small-town Sheriff Cassie Wheeler, supported by a couple deputies must try to keep the peace as hell breaks loose; pitting neighbor against neighbor.

There is plenty of action to keep the reader engaged. The pacing, as a whole, is good; but I freely admit to skimming as I felt scenes were repetitive. This is an outstanding horror story and classic good vs. evil thriller. It was a fun read and I would definitely look for more adventures from this author.

Read September 2014; Kindle freebie

[Bradley Knox · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ll start with this: This is an amazing book! This is my first opportunity to read one of Matt Drabble’s books, though I’ve heard many good things about them. I’m super stoked to have started reading with ‘The Traveling Man’. It has all the elements I love in a thriller. Its dark subject matter, creepy terrain, a highly developed and complex cast of characters, and a thundering crescendo all make for a spectacular novel of horror and suspense. Gilbert Grange is one of the grandest creations for an anti-hero I’ve yet encountered, and the protagonists I found myself feeling actual sorrow for as they suffered through the chaos unleashed on them! I don’t want to be a spoiler by telling any more about this stunning book! I encourage anyone who enjoys this genre (or those who are on the fence) to pick up this book immediately. You will be glad that you did! I am looking forward to reading the rest of the vast body of work that the author has available.

[Brian Borgford · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings on this book. Maybe because it is a reasonably well written story in a genre I don't really like. The book does a good job of building suspense with the arrival of two enigmatic strangers to a small town. The characters are well described, but often there is too much background and description on minor characters that don't really matter to the story. I didn't really like the constant changing of perspectives and found it a bit distracting. I had a tough time getting through the far out events in the last half of the book and found the introduction of zombies enough to make me want to discard the book before finishing. However I persevered and was treated to a satisfying ending with a bit of a twist and surprise. But again the climax leading up to the conclusion was a bit too removed from reality. Readers of this type of genre (extreme, far out horror) will probably find it a good tale in spite of some of the minor editing problems.

[Sage Adderley · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are looking for a classic tale of horror then you’ll never ever be disappointed in Matt Drabble’s writing. He knows creepy and he writes it very well. I was thrilled to read his new novel, The Traveling Man.

The setting is a small town with a large cast of characters. Each one has their unique and deep story, yet most of them face a similar dilemma: they each are suffering in some way – financially, emotionally, physically or socially – and they just wish they something would give in their favor.

Along comes Gilbert Grange, a stranger to the town whose presence is eerily calming and who barks solutions to each of the problems in exchange for one simple thing. I won’t post any spoilers, but let’s just say nothing is as it seems or is it?

[Beth Jones · Rating 1 out of 5]

ugh. reminds me of Stephen King's Needful Things, but terrible. needed a good editor to deal with the repetitve phrasing (and not in a lyrical or literary way), total misuse and confusion over words, etc. etc. will not read more by this author.

[Jacqueline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wicked!

I'm so happy all worked out in the end. How many times we've heard of selling our souls for material gain, well after reading this book we should all be content with our lot in life. SERIOUSLY!!!

[Steven Dunn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book

This was a good read. Interesting characters and a good plot. Nice ending. That is what I want in a story.