What do you think?
Rate this book
Sheriff Cecil Kotto #1
The Hillbilly Moonshine Massacre
When the arrest of known moonshiner (and possible alien abductee) Larry "Bucky" Green goes south, several cops are left dead and Bucky goes on the run. His latest batch of moonshine is driving the locals mad-literally. Anyone who drinks it falls victim to some terrible form of mind control. They start tearing each other apart and building strange altars to forgotten gods. Strange lights in the sky, mob violence, militarized police, creatures from beyond time and space, and sinister government agencies descend on the idyllic autumn countryside, sowing chaos and terror in their wake. Only the paranoid Sheriff Cecil Kotto-who also happens to be the host of a popular conspiracy theory radio show-has any clue about the truth behind it all. He recruits a new deputy and joins forces with an ambitious public access television reporter to track down Bucky and stop the apocalypse from kicking off. Who's behind the evil of the age? FEMA? The Illuminati? Reptilians? Aliens? The Red Cross? Secret societies? The DHS? The CIA? The EPA? The Council on Foreign Relations? The Trilateral Commission? Only Sheriff Kotto and his team can find out. Only they can stop...
The Hillbilly Moonshine Massacre "A rollicking, helluva good ride! Soaked in unashamed craziness, bathed in cursed hooch and all things secret and wrong. Terrifying, funny, and whip smart. Keep your eye on Raab. His arrival draws near. Sheriff Cecil Kotto is a hero for the ages."- Mer Whinery, author of The Little Dixie Horror Show and Phantasmagoria Blues "With Xacto-sharp prose, more than a few helpings of dry wit, and a keen eye for Weird Madness, Jonathan Raab has concocted a conspiracy-rich tale that builds to a booming crescendo. Unpredictable, compulsively readable, and crackling with deranged energy, The Hillbilly Moonshine Massacre is the work of an electric imagination." - Matthew M. Bartlett, author of Gateways to Abomination and The Witch-Cult in Western Massachusetts
The Hillbilly Moonshine Massacre "A rollicking, helluva good ride! Soaked in unashamed craziness, bathed in cursed hooch and all things secret and wrong. Terrifying, funny, and whip smart. Keep your eye on Raab. His arrival draws near. Sheriff Cecil Kotto is a hero for the ages."- Mer Whinery, author of The Little Dixie Horror Show and Phantasmagoria Blues "With Xacto-sharp prose, more than a few helpings of dry wit, and a keen eye for Weird Madness, Jonathan Raab has concocted a conspiracy-rich tale that builds to a booming crescendo. Unpredictable, compulsively readable, and crackling with deranged energy, The Hillbilly Moonshine Massacre is the work of an electric imagination." - Matthew M. Bartlett, author of Gateways to Abomination and The Witch-Cult in Western Massachusetts
306 pages, Paperback
First published September 16, 2015
18 people are currently reading
423 people want to read
About the author
Jonathan Raab
31 books65 followersJonathan Raab is the author of The Secret Goatman Spookshow and Other Psychological Warfare Operations, The Crypt of Blood: A Halloween TV Special, Camp Ghoul Mountain Part VI: The Official Novelization, and more. He is also the editor of several anthologies from Muzzleland Press including Behold the Undead of Dracula: Lurid Tales of Cinematic Gothic Horror and Terror in 16-bits. You can find him on Twitter at @jonathanraab1.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
February 12, 2016
Probably the closest I'll ever come to watching an alien invasion flick at a drive-in in the rural US, with a stoner conspiracy-nut friend. And every bit as delirious and entertaining as that sounds. But the prose isn't grindhouse, but rather honed and sharp, evocative and well-paced, and the dialogue is witty, believable. And, amid the Satanic UFO cults, 'shroom-fueled astral projection, dodgy Brotherhoods, and ordinary townsfolk turned rabid cannibal horde by cursed moonshine, there's a profound, moving meditation on what it means to come home from war and be left to fend for yourself by the country that sent you to fight in the first place.
November 20, 2015
Coming from someone that has only in the past few months even delved into the intricacies of the occult, deep state, conspiracies, etc.. I found this book immensely entertaining and riveting. You will find it has some obvious but also hidden humor that when you notice, results in a chuckle or even sudden outburst of laughter. Sheriff Kotto is a character that is not typical or cookie cutter at all which makes for a story that isn't obvious by any stretch of the imagination. EXPAND your mind and give this book a chance! You will not regret it!
March 7, 2016
If you ever loved "The X Files," listened late at night to "Coast to Coast" on AM radio, or were a devotee of conspiracy lit classics like "Behold a Pale Horse," Jonathan Raab has written a novel that perfectly captures the appeal of those touchstones, while bringing them to up to date for the paranoia and anxiety of early 21st century life.
The plot recalls classic Hollywood films about brooding loners who come home from a war to find the towns they left behind bent under the weight of corruption or crime. Except, in the case of Raab's protagonist, a veteran of the war in Afghanistan, the situation back home includes flying saucers, blood-thirsty mobs driven mad by tainted moonshine, a local sheriff who only got his job because everyone else went to prison on corruption charges, and a sinister plot to expand the footprint of a tony ski resort.
If this doesn't sound like a ponderous meditation on the human heart of darkness, that's because it isn't: it's a deliriously fun excursion laid out in the kind of spare, bracing prose that would make Dashiell Hammett proud, except instead of mean streets and vintage noir, Raab's takes us through the seen-better-days rural hamlets of upstate New York, where public access TV and a job at the ski lift are about as much as you can hope for.
Throughout, in the persona of Sheriff Cecil Kotto, Raab keeps up a kaleidoscopic rap on everything from alien abduction to the secret societies warned of by shortwave radio broadcasters, in the kind of impassioned, kooky conviction that you just can't help but wonder about. My God, you think, maybe this guy's onto something ...
It's that kind of book. There's a serious side to it, but Raab never lets that spoil the fun or slow the carnage. Essential reading for both those who know the truth is out there, and for those looking for a an old-fashioned thrill ride.
The plot recalls classic Hollywood films about brooding loners who come home from a war to find the towns they left behind bent under the weight of corruption or crime. Except, in the case of Raab's protagonist, a veteran of the war in Afghanistan, the situation back home includes flying saucers, blood-thirsty mobs driven mad by tainted moonshine, a local sheriff who only got his job because everyone else went to prison on corruption charges, and a sinister plot to expand the footprint of a tony ski resort.
If this doesn't sound like a ponderous meditation on the human heart of darkness, that's because it isn't: it's a deliriously fun excursion laid out in the kind of spare, bracing prose that would make Dashiell Hammett proud, except instead of mean streets and vintage noir, Raab's takes us through the seen-better-days rural hamlets of upstate New York, where public access TV and a job at the ski lift are about as much as you can hope for.
Throughout, in the persona of Sheriff Cecil Kotto, Raab keeps up a kaleidoscopic rap on everything from alien abduction to the secret societies warned of by shortwave radio broadcasters, in the kind of impassioned, kooky conviction that you just can't help but wonder about. My God, you think, maybe this guy's onto something ...
It's that kind of book. There's a serious side to it, but Raab never lets that spoil the fun or slow the carnage. Essential reading for both those who know the truth is out there, and for those looking for a an old-fashioned thrill ride.
October 23, 2018
Action! Conspiracy! Psychotropic investigation techniques! This one starts with a bang, and follows with several louder, weirder, funnier bangs. The Hillbilly Moonshine Massacre is steak and potatoes for fans of 80's and 90's pop horror culture.
The protagonist, Abraham Richards, is the army veteran everyman to Sheriff Cecil Kotto's loose-cannon conspiracy supernaut. Together the pair drive a buddy cop yarn that's part X-files, part Twin Peaks, and part drunken campfire spook story. Secret societies? Yes! Government meddling? Yes! Blood rituals? Of course! UFOs? Probably! Aliens? By some accounts!
If you like your horror equal parts Aliens, H.P. Lovecraft and The Real Ghostbusters, with a dash of Infowars for spice, then you're probably already halfway through The Hillbilly Moonshine Massacre.
The protagonist, Abraham Richards, is the army veteran everyman to Sheriff Cecil Kotto's loose-cannon conspiracy supernaut. Together the pair drive a buddy cop yarn that's part X-files, part Twin Peaks, and part drunken campfire spook story. Secret societies? Yes! Government meddling? Yes! Blood rituals? Of course! UFOs? Probably! Aliens? By some accounts!
If you like your horror equal parts Aliens, H.P. Lovecraft and The Real Ghostbusters, with a dash of Infowars for spice, then you're probably already halfway through The Hillbilly Moonshine Massacre.
October 20, 2015
It's hard to believe that this is only Raab's second novel; there is something here that strikes the reader from page one - an assured tone, a strong, somehow trustworthy voice - that suggests an experienced novelist with an extensive back catalog. With Xacto-sharp prose, more than a few helpings of dry wit, and a keen eye for Weird Madness, Jonathan Raab has concocted a conspiracy-rich tale that builds to a booming crescendo. Unpredictable, compulsively readable, and crackling with deranged energy, The Hillbilly Moonshine Massacre is the work of an electric imagination.
July 12, 2016
I must admit up front that I'm not into the horror genre a great deal, but I've read some of the author's other works so I had to give this one a try.
The author's develops a main character who while quite eccentric in the eyes of many also have the trust of the voters.
While not filled with suspense or mystery, the author inserts enough action that you can't help but root for the very odd sheriff and his new deputy who is a recently returned combat veteran who is trying to find a path towards a new life after war changes everything.
The author's develops a main character who while quite eccentric in the eyes of many also have the trust of the voters.
While not filled with suspense or mystery, the author inserts enough action that you can't help but root for the very odd sheriff and his new deputy who is a recently returned combat veteran who is trying to find a path towards a new life after war changes everything.
November 15, 2015
When I read the back cover of the book, I thought that this book sounded bat-shit crazy. Then I read it. We have gone beyond what it sounded like, and I loved it.
January 22, 2025
I don't know that I've read a book more embracing of the high strange and fortean than this bonkers novel.
That isn't the best part of, or even what makes, the book good. Raab's Cecil Kotto, while entertaining, can be too much at times as can the wild ramblings about conspiracy theories. What is excellently done within this framework though is the exploration of how society uses up and spits back out many members of our armed forces. The challenges both internal and external faced by soldiers in active conflict returning to civilian life. Similarly, there's great discussion of law enforcement overreach and use of force nestled in the otherwise silly narrative.
That isn't the best part of, or even what makes, the book good. Raab's Cecil Kotto, while entertaining, can be too much at times as can the wild ramblings about conspiracy theories. What is excellently done within this framework though is the exploration of how society uses up and spits back out many members of our armed forces. The challenges both internal and external faced by soldiers in active conflict returning to civilian life. Similarly, there's great discussion of law enforcement overreach and use of force nestled in the otherwise silly narrative.
July 21, 2017
I went into this expecting some kind of sloppy but fun gonzo R. A. WIlson, but I was dissapointed to find a tidy but tepid adventure tale that features drugs, conspiracies and UFOs.
Read
November 15, 2019This book was a heck of a good time to read. Fun and crazy in such an entertaining way. If you enjoy some humor with your weird then every book in this series is a must read.
October 21, 2016
(Originally appeared on my website, the Conqueror Weird. Props if you find/decode both secret messages. One is pretty easy.)
I have a confession – I don’t enjoy conspiracy theories. I laugh at them outright, in fact. Maybe that’s a bad thing. Maybe that’s what the government wants me to think. And some areas fascinate me, of course – secret societies (for the record, the Illuminati was merely an atheistic organization that was persecuted by the church), Satanic cults, and the occasional alien abduction all pique my interest. But, for the most part, I tend to shy away from these kinds of stories, preferring either grander or more personal explorations of the Weird.
Lest I forget the potency of some of these conspiracy theories, I read The Hillbilly Moonshine Massacre by Jonathan Raab, courtesy of Muzzleland Press. I admit I was initially skeptical, but as soon as I had finished the first chapter I tossed these doubts to the wind. Massacre is an insanely fun journey through all sorts of conspiracy tropes, but it’s written like a more traditionally (forgive the expression) “serious” novel, a Ballingrudian mixture of pulpy adventure and literary formality.
Larry “Bucky” Green – a known moonshiner – needs to get arrested, but it seems like the FBI is overcompensating. Namely that the FBI is even involved, as well as the SWAT team. Unfortunately, it seems that this was not overcompensation but underestimation, and things go south quickly. Green escapes with a particularly sinister agenda – and a particularly nasty batch of moonshine.
Under the influence of this moonshine, one becomes cannibalistic and violent, turning on one’s fellows with the ferocity of a wild animal (Raab is careful to pull back the curtain slowly on this). As weirdness rapidly escalates in the lonely hills of Cattaraugus County, New York, a small band of heroes attempts to fight back against God knows what – a group including Sergeant Abraham Richards (really the book’s protagonist) and the quirky Sheriff Cecil Kotto, who hosts a late-night radio show exploring the very forces that threaten his town.
Muzzleland Press (did not publish this particular book, but since it is managed by Raab I connect the two easily) is going some great work in the horror/Weird field, and this book is no exception. It’s a delicate and delightful romp through every trope and weird legend imaginable – but, under the restraint and control of Raab’s beautiful prose, it seems fresh, original, and (above all) well-handled. It’s hard to say something like that for a book like this, but I can say it without certainty – this is a well-crafted book.
In fact, I’d consider it to be the Forrest Gump of horror – well, maybe not of horror, but this particular conspiracy-themed subgenre of horror, termed by Raab “high strange”. While Forrest Gump was an exploration of American culture through the mid-to-late 20th century, The Hillbilly Moonshine Massacre explores all (and I mean all) of the odd socio-political fears (i.e., the government turning against you, secret societies of dubious figures puppeteering behind the scenes) some people possess, as well as more traditional Lovecraftian horrors. It’s the Phillip K. Dick of high strange, an unusual, under-the-radar book of considerable quality.
Never before have I seen something like this attempted, and it’s hard to imagine we’ll see something like it again.
Although the above statement might seem like an exaggeration, it is true.
This, of course, should convince you to buy The Hillbilly Moonshine Massacre as soon as you can. One small disclaimer – something in the book’s printing must attract insects, for bugs seemed to swarm about me whenever I read it. In fact, just today, when I was looking back to certain passages, a rather large wasp-like pest (though it seemed to have traits of…well, I suppose, a lizard) stung me on the back of the neck. Oh, don’t worry, it didn’t hurt – it almost felt pleasant, and there seems to be no wound. But still, it gave me a lingering headache for a while…hm. So tired.
It’s actually giving me a headache just th…thinking about how…whuh…what’s happ…ugh…dv’iv lfg rm gsv srooh, mviwh. Blfi ullorhs tlevimnvmg nzb gib gl wvgvi fh uli z dsrov hl gsvb xzm fgrorav blfi nvzgb ulinh uli gsvri uizmpob fmvgsrxzo vckvirnvmgh, yfg gsvb’oo mvevi tvg irw lu fh. Zmw lmxv dv’iv lfg…
I have a confession – I don’t enjoy conspiracy theories. I laugh at them outright, in fact. Maybe that’s a bad thing. Maybe that’s what the government wants me to think. And some areas fascinate me, of course – secret societies (for the record, the Illuminati was merely an atheistic organization that was persecuted by the church), Satanic cults, and the occasional alien abduction all pique my interest. But, for the most part, I tend to shy away from these kinds of stories, preferring either grander or more personal explorations of the Weird.
Lest I forget the potency of some of these conspiracy theories, I read The Hillbilly Moonshine Massacre by Jonathan Raab, courtesy of Muzzleland Press. I admit I was initially skeptical, but as soon as I had finished the first chapter I tossed these doubts to the wind. Massacre is an insanely fun journey through all sorts of conspiracy tropes, but it’s written like a more traditionally (forgive the expression) “serious” novel, a Ballingrudian mixture of pulpy adventure and literary formality.
Larry “Bucky” Green – a known moonshiner – needs to get arrested, but it seems like the FBI is overcompensating. Namely that the FBI is even involved, as well as the SWAT team. Unfortunately, it seems that this was not overcompensation but underestimation, and things go south quickly. Green escapes with a particularly sinister agenda – and a particularly nasty batch of moonshine.
Under the influence of this moonshine, one becomes cannibalistic and violent, turning on one’s fellows with the ferocity of a wild animal (Raab is careful to pull back the curtain slowly on this). As weirdness rapidly escalates in the lonely hills of Cattaraugus County, New York, a small band of heroes attempts to fight back against God knows what – a group including Sergeant Abraham Richards (really the book’s protagonist) and the quirky Sheriff Cecil Kotto, who hosts a late-night radio show exploring the very forces that threaten his town.
Muzzleland Press (did not publish this particular book, but since it is managed by Raab I connect the two easily) is going some great work in the horror/Weird field, and this book is no exception. It’s a delicate and delightful romp through every trope and weird legend imaginable – but, under the restraint and control of Raab’s beautiful prose, it seems fresh, original, and (above all) well-handled. It’s hard to say something like that for a book like this, but I can say it without certainty – this is a well-crafted book.
In fact, I’d consider it to be the Forrest Gump of horror – well, maybe not of horror, but this particular conspiracy-themed subgenre of horror, termed by Raab “high strange”. While Forrest Gump was an exploration of American culture through the mid-to-late 20th century, The Hillbilly Moonshine Massacre explores all (and I mean all) of the odd socio-political fears (i.e., the government turning against you, secret societies of dubious figures puppeteering behind the scenes) some people possess, as well as more traditional Lovecraftian horrors. It’s the Phillip K. Dick of high strange, an unusual, under-the-radar book of considerable quality.
Never before have I seen something like this attempted, and it’s hard to imagine we’ll see something like it again.
Although the above statement might seem like an exaggeration, it is true.
This, of course, should convince you to buy The Hillbilly Moonshine Massacre as soon as you can. One small disclaimer – something in the book’s printing must attract insects, for bugs seemed to swarm about me whenever I read it. In fact, just today, when I was looking back to certain passages, a rather large wasp-like pest (though it seemed to have traits of…well, I suppose, a lizard) stung me on the back of the neck. Oh, don’t worry, it didn’t hurt – it almost felt pleasant, and there seems to be no wound. But still, it gave me a lingering headache for a while…hm. So tired.
It’s actually giving me a headache just th…thinking about how…whuh…what’s happ…ugh…dv’iv lfg rm gsv srooh, mviwh. Blfi ullorhs tlevimnvmg nzb gib gl wvgvi fh uli z dsrov hl gsvb xzm fgrorav blfi nvzgb ulinh uli gsvri uizmpob fmvgsrxzo vckvirnvmgh, yfg gsvb’oo mvevi tvg irw lu fh. Zmw lmxv dv’iv lfg…
October 11, 2016
Hillbillies, alien probing, crooked government agents, a nuclear plant and a sheriff that hosts a conspiracy theorist radio show, sounds like ingredients not only for a good country western song, but an even better horror novel, with a heaping side-dish of tongue-in-cheek comedy.
Raab leads us on an intricately detailed journey through the hills and valleys of the under-belly of Cattaraugus County, New York, through the conclaves of trailer-dwelling Buffalo Bill supporting hillbillies and their moonshine drinking habit. When the most famous of the ‘shine brewers, Larry “Bucky” Green, goes on the lam, with the full brunt of the State Troopers in full pursuit, an old home boy shows up. Abraham Richards, reporting for duty, returns home from a tour in Afghanistan.
Richards bums around the house acclimating to the slow life-style again but while working part-time on a snow-lift he witnesses a full-fledged brawl, apparently bought about by a new version of the local moonshine. Before long other rioting and fights break out all over the county and all connected with the liquor habits of the hillbillies. Richards is deputized to assist Sheriff Cecil Kotto in bringing the local inhabitants to order. Unfortunately that was a very tall order. Assisted in their endeavors by a local female TV news reporter and her dogged cameraman the quartet finally bring the town to a final count down.
Without getting in to the strange relationship these space aliens had with Bucky (I assure you probing did take place) and which government agency was involved with the aliens and the nuclear plant (can you say NSA, DEA) let me assure you that this laugh-out-loud one moment and hide your head in your pillow the next, wacky horror story, will keep you intimately amused and entertained. Just watch out for your peripheral vision; the grey people live right there!
Raab leads us on an intricately detailed journey through the hills and valleys of the under-belly of Cattaraugus County, New York, through the conclaves of trailer-dwelling Buffalo Bill supporting hillbillies and their moonshine drinking habit. When the most famous of the ‘shine brewers, Larry “Bucky” Green, goes on the lam, with the full brunt of the State Troopers in full pursuit, an old home boy shows up. Abraham Richards, reporting for duty, returns home from a tour in Afghanistan.
Richards bums around the house acclimating to the slow life-style again but while working part-time on a snow-lift he witnesses a full-fledged brawl, apparently bought about by a new version of the local moonshine. Before long other rioting and fights break out all over the county and all connected with the liquor habits of the hillbillies. Richards is deputized to assist Sheriff Cecil Kotto in bringing the local inhabitants to order. Unfortunately that was a very tall order. Assisted in their endeavors by a local female TV news reporter and her dogged cameraman the quartet finally bring the town to a final count down.
Without getting in to the strange relationship these space aliens had with Bucky (I assure you probing did take place) and which government agency was involved with the aliens and the nuclear plant (can you say NSA, DEA) let me assure you that this laugh-out-loud one moment and hide your head in your pillow the next, wacky horror story, will keep you intimately amused and entertained. Just watch out for your peripheral vision; the grey people live right there!
March 28, 2016
Best Book of the year
If you were to tell me at the beginning of the year, my favorite book would have been called Hillbilly Moonshine Massacre- I would have laughed. But, here we are. This work follows another favorite Flight of the Blue Falcon, which carries the same humor and honesty in a far less absurd situation. This follows the strange country goings-on complete with wild-eyed rampaging zombies and UFO encounters and our bizarre hero, Cecil Kotto who is a Sheriff by default deep in the grit of conspiracy and lunacy. Grab your tin foil hat and take the ride. It's not a good read, it's a must read!
If you were to tell me at the beginning of the year, my favorite book would have been called Hillbilly Moonshine Massacre- I would have laughed. But, here we are. This work follows another favorite Flight of the Blue Falcon, which carries the same humor and honesty in a far less absurd situation. This follows the strange country goings-on complete with wild-eyed rampaging zombies and UFO encounters and our bizarre hero, Cecil Kotto who is a Sheriff by default deep in the grit of conspiracy and lunacy. Grab your tin foil hat and take the ride. It's not a good read, it's a must read!
April 5, 2016
So much fun.
April 13, 2017
The Hillbilly Moonshine Massacre
This SUPERNATURAL THRILLER wil grab you from the begining. A fast paced, fast read , this is one you don't want to end. The takeover of mankind has always been about different governments. NOT SO!! SUPPOSE IT'S A RACE OF BEINGS THAT HAS BEEN HERE FOREVER. We have greedy people here , always ready to step in , for a share of the profits. Profits being longer lives, powers and yes , money . A GREAT STORY AND GREAT READ! I RECOMMEND AND HOPE YOU ENJOY IT OR DIE OF FRIGHT!!!
This SUPERNATURAL THRILLER wil grab you from the begining. A fast paced, fast read , this is one you don't want to end. The takeover of mankind has always been about different governments. NOT SO!! SUPPOSE IT'S A RACE OF BEINGS THAT HAS BEEN HERE FOREVER. We have greedy people here , always ready to step in , for a share of the profits. Profits being longer lives, powers and yes , money . A GREAT STORY AND GREAT READ! I RECOMMEND AND HOPE YOU ENJOY IT OR DIE OF FRIGHT!!!
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews