The Travelling Man

by Matt Drabble

"Matt Drabble is a name that will one day be as widely recognized as Stephen King & Dean Koontz" - READERS FAVORITEThe small desert town of Granton is a typical slow boiling pot of unfulfilled hopes and dreams. Every hard working day is much like any other here where little ever changes.Sheriff Cassie Wheeler runs a tight ship in the tradition of her late father. There is little serious crime to trouble her department, save for the local miners' occasional rowdiness after payday.But Granton has its share of secrets hiding behind twitching curtains and small town folks often have the biggest of ambitions.Now the long dusty road into town has brought with it a stranger, a man of elegance calling himself Gilbert Grange.He brings with him a bag full of dreams and a silver tongue of promise. He can give you whatever you desire, all you have to do is sign on the dotted line.The residents of Granton are about to discover that dreams can come at a terrible price, and you should always be careful what you wish for.Selected other works by Matt DrabbleABRA-CADAVER - The 2017 Readers Favorite Silver Medal Winner for Horror Fiction. Winner of a prestigious Indie Book of the Day Award, a 2015 Kindle Book Review Award Finalist and is the 2016 Book Excellence Awards winner for Horror Fiction. (FREE KINDLE version available)THE ASYLUM TRILOGY - an Amazon US Horror Chart #5 best seller, voted #5 on The Horror Novel Review's Top 10 Books of 2013, a 2014 Readers Favorite Gold Medal winner & the 2016 Readers Favorite Silver Medal winner for Anthology Fiction.THE LAST RESORT - The 2019 Readers Favorite Silver Medal Winner for Horror Fiction & The 2019 Kindle Book Review's Winner for Horror/Suspense.To find more Website: mattdrabble.co.uk MattDrabble01Facebook: matt.drabble.3 mattdrabble01

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
Facebook: matt.drabble.3
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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.