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Halloween
"They had ways. They had so many dark little creeks they could paddle up to you in. Families were the best hunters and the most tender of trappers. Families knew."
Such is the prevailing mood of Halloween, Ben Greer's suspenseful tale of flight and pursuit, family betrayal and death, and a young man's violent coming of age. Its setting is a Southern port city, where shrimp boats ride at anchor in the evening tide and trolleys amble along boulevards lined with oleander and jasmine; where small streets wind past century-old houses of stained glass and wrought iron - whose facade of a richer era long past seems itself a veiled threat of a menacing present.
Blake Pasque has returned home on a mission of Knight to do battle against what seem to him the forces of evil personified in his Uncle Cross and Aunt Millis, whose intentions appear to commit his hard-drinking, flamboyant, actress-mother, Jess to an insane asylum. In the course of the traditional Eve of Haunts and Masques before All Saints Day, Blake learns that appearances deceive, particularly the faces of evil. As the Pasques prey on themselves, a psychopathic killer circles them all. In one chilling Halloween night, they confront this murderer - and their ultimate selves. Cruelty is defied, love challenged, - and life itself hangs in the balance.
Such is the prevailing mood of Halloween, Ben Greer's suspenseful tale of flight and pursuit, family betrayal and death, and a young man's violent coming of age. Its setting is a Southern port city, where shrimp boats ride at anchor in the evening tide and trolleys amble along boulevards lined with oleander and jasmine; where small streets wind past century-old houses of stained glass and wrought iron - whose facade of a richer era long past seems itself a veiled threat of a menacing present.
Blake Pasque has returned home on a mission of Knight to do battle against what seem to him the forces of evil personified in his Uncle Cross and Aunt Millis, whose intentions appear to commit his hard-drinking, flamboyant, actress-mother, Jess to an insane asylum. In the course of the traditional Eve of Haunts and Masques before All Saints Day, Blake learns that appearances deceive, particularly the faces of evil. As the Pasques prey on themselves, a psychopathic killer circles them all. In one chilling Halloween night, they confront this murderer - and their ultimate selves. Cruelty is defied, love challenged, - and life itself hangs in the balance.
174 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1978
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 30, 2017
Ugghhh! Not an easy read, wasn't a fan.
April 13, 2021
one star for the name. one star for the writing.
otherwise, I didn't care about the characters, had no real idea of what was going on, and there was no substance.
otherwise, I didn't care about the characters, had no real idea of what was going on, and there was no substance.
June 21, 2012
I have always felt Ben Greer is one of the most underrated author's of our time. I discovered Ben Greer when I was in college. A paperback of Halloween was staring at me on the shelf of the New York University book store. After I read it, I sought out Slammer. He is an author who understands rich detail, complex character, ambiguity, suspense, and so much more.
December 11, 2016
Not awesome, but it kept me interested.
September 3, 2013
Didn't finish.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews