Helltown: The Untold Story of Serial Murder on Cape Cod
- Downloads：4660
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-07-10 17:21:38
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Casey Sherman
- ISBN：1728245958
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
Before Charles Manson， there was Tony Costa―the serial killer of Cape Cod
1969: The hippie scene is vibrant in Provincetown， Massachusetts。 Long-haired teenagers roam the streets， strumming guitars and preaching about peace and love。。。 and Tony Costa is at the center of it all。 To a certain group of smitten young women， he is known as Sire―the leader of their counter-culture movement， the charming man who speaks eloquently and hands out hallucinogenic drugs like candy。 But beneath his benign persona lies a twisted and uncontrollable rage that threatens to break loose at any moment。 Tony Costa is the most dangerous man on Cape Cod， and no one who crosses his path is safe。
When young women begin to disappear， Costa's natural charisma and good looks initially protect him from suspicion。 But as the bodies are discovered， the police close in on him as the key suspect。 Meanwhile， local writers Kurt Vonnegut and Norman Mailer are locked in a desperate race to secure their legacies as great literary icons―and they both set their sights on Tony Costa and the drug-soaked hippie culture that he embodies as their next promising subject， launching independent investigations that stoke the competitive fires between two of the greatest American writers。
Immersive， unflinching， and shocking， Helltown is a landmark true crime narrative that transports us back to the turbulent late 1960s， reveals the secrets of a notorious serial killer， and unspools the threads connecting Costa， Vonnegut， and Mailer in the seaside city that played host to horrors unlike any ever seen before。 New York Times bestselling author Casey Sherman has crafted a stunner。
1969: The hippie scene is vibrant in Provincetown， Massachusetts。 Long-haired teenagers roam the streets， strumming guitars and preaching about peace and love。。。 and Tony Costa is at the center of it all。 To a certain group of smitten young women， he is known as Sire―the leader of their counter-culture movement， the charming man who speaks eloquently and hands out hallucinogenic drugs like candy。 But beneath his benign persona lies a twisted and uncontrollable rage that threatens to break loose at any moment。 Tony Costa is the most dangerous man on Cape Cod， and no one who crosses his path is safe。
When young women begin to disappear， Costa's natural charisma and good looks initially protect him from suspicion。 But as the bodies are discovered， the police close in on him as the key suspect。 Meanwhile， local writers Kurt Vonnegut and Norman Mailer are locked in a desperate race to secure their legacies as great literary icons―and they both set their sights on Tony Costa and the drug-soaked hippie culture that he embodies as their next promising subject， launching independent investigations that stoke the competitive fires between two of the greatest American writers。
Immersive， unflinching， and shocking， Helltown is a landmark true crime narrative that transports us back to the turbulent late 1960s， reveals the secrets of a notorious serial killer， and unspools the threads connecting Costa， Vonnegut， and Mailer in the seaside city that played host to horrors unlike any ever seen before。 New York Times bestselling author Casey Sherman has crafted a stunner。
Reviews
Maddie
，
ot1969 Provincetown， Massachusetts， Tony Costa is at the center of it all。 To a certain group of smitten young women， he ithe leader of their counter-culture movement， the charming man who speaks eloquently and hands out hallucinogenic drugs like candy。 But beneath his benign persona lies a twisted and uncontrollable rage that threatens to break loose at any moment。 Tony Costa is the most dangerous man on Cape Cod， and no one who crosses his path is safe。The book is technically nonfiction but us ot1969 Provincetown， Massachusetts， Tony Costa is at the center of it all。 To a certain group of smitten young women， he ithe leader of their counter-culture movement， the charming man who speaks eloquently and hands out hallucinogenic drugs like candy。 But beneath his benign persona lies a twisted and uncontrollable rage that threatens to break loose at any moment。 Tony Costa is the most dangerous man on Cape Cod， and no one who crosses his path is safe。The book is technically nonfiction but used some fictional elements when it came to the storytelling which I kind of enjoyed。 When it came to the crime， it was well written and gave the details of the crime in a way that someone who was unfamiliar with this killer was able to learn what happened。 I did not like that the book talked about the writers Mailer and Vonnegut because it did not add to the story and really slowed down the book。 I wished the book focused on the victims and not the writers who wanted to get associated with writing about Tony Costa。 This book is one for true crime fans who want to know about a case that isn’t talked about as much。 I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily。 。。。more
Susan
，
This book was so creepy！ I had not heard of this case before。 The author definitely took some liberties with factionalizing a few things which you find out in the authors note。 I would have liked to know that up front and not at the end。 But based on the pages of sources he definitely did his research。 I found this book really fascinating but as with most true crime stories it’s very graphic。 I was provided an advanced copy of this book by the publisher which has not affected my review。
Ron Frampton
，
A story of a serial killer in cape cod in the 1960's。 A story of a serial killer in cape cod in the 1960's。 。。。more
Meghan ReadsBooks
，
Thank you to Sourcebooks for the copy of Helltown by Casey Sherman; this is a nonfiction account of the Cape Cod serial killer Tony Costa。 This is my honest review。I am a fan of true crime and nonfiction; I am a long standing fan of mysteries and serial killer stories。 I thought this would be right up my alley but it did not work for me and I can't recommend it。 For me the writing style was weak and felt misogynistic and made up， problematic for a non fiction book and for a big picture examinati Thank you to Sourcebooks for the copy of Helltown by Casey Sherman; this is a nonfiction account of the Cape Cod serial killer Tony Costa。 This is my honest review。I am a fan of true crime and nonfiction; I am a long standing fan of mysteries and serial killer stories。 I thought this would be right up my alley but it did not work for me and I can't recommend it。 For me the writing style was weak and felt misogynistic and made up， problematic for a non fiction book and for a big picture examination of violence against women。 This felt like a fiction book and I did not have a sense of where source information for written dialogue and presentation of cognitive states/thoughts Costs and others were written to have。 The weaving in of Vonnegut and other literary figures did not add to the narrative development and muddied the focus of the book as well。 。。。more
Bookishme_lisamarie
，
This did not read nor even feel like a true crime book。 The story was drawn out and sections of the lives of authors Kurt Vonnegut and Norman Mailer were thrown in to extend the story。 I found no other reason to include anything about them except the stories were in the same time period as the murders and in the same general vicinity。 I found myself frustrated and tired of reading the author mentioning the upcoming book at the time， The Slaughterhouse Five。 I ended up skipping chapters that had This did not read nor even feel like a true crime book。 The story was drawn out and sections of the lives of authors Kurt Vonnegut and Norman Mailer were thrown in to extend the story。 I found no other reason to include anything about them except the stories were in the same time period as the murders and in the same general vicinity。 I found myself frustrated and tired of reading the author mentioning the upcoming book at the time， The Slaughterhouse Five。 I ended up skipping chapters that had nothing to do with the actual murderer in the story， Tony Costas。 There was so much added dialogue and personal thoughts from the "characters" involved （for lack of a better word） 。 It made this albeit gruesome story seem fictional。 I honestly couldn't even finish this book。 I was just too frustrated with the whole thing。 While I am very thankful for being given the chance to read and review another book， this particular book just left me with a bad taste in my mouth。 I need to delete it from my kindle now。 。。。more
Jamie
，
This was a very difficult book for me to get through。 1， it would be better if it was straight fiction。 Some of the scenes include the victims’ trains of thought which is obviously embellished because the victims are dead。 2， I didn’t like Norman Mailer & Kurt Vonnegut when I was required to read them。 I like them even less when more of the story is about their rivalry than it is about the killer himself。 3 stars， some people are going to love it but I just did not。
Candace
，
* Disclaimer: I received a free advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 *I generally love true crime。 I love fictional crime。 I don’t love this book， which considers itself “a work of fact with elements of fiction storytelling” （this should have been disclosed as a foreword， and not in the author’s note after completion）。 This was the first and last book I’ll read from this author。 This book is a mess。 Oftentimes it read like a high school book report。 If the * Disclaimer: I received a free advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 *I generally love true crime。 I love fictional crime。 I don’t love this book， which considers itself “a work of fact with elements of fiction storytelling” （this should have been disclosed as a foreword， and not in the author’s note after completion）。 This was the first and last book I’ll read from this author。 This book is a mess。 Oftentimes it read like a high school book report。 If the cheesy low budget tv re-enactments of the 1990s and early aughts were a book， they would be this one。 The Norman Mailer/Kurt Vonnegut storyline in this book was entirely too long winded， boring， and almost entirely unnecessary。 I had to skim just to get through those chapters。 To be perfectly honest， I found myself skimming just to get through it significantly more than I was able to buckle down and read every single word。 Did this book need to be 509 pages？ NO IT DID NOT。 I didn’t like it and I don’t recommend it。 。。。more
Rekha O'Sullivan
，
Thanks to Sourcebooks Non-Fiction， Netgalley and the author， for an ARC of this book。 I am leaving this review voluntarily and have not been compensated for it。This is a True Crime Non-Fiction book with fictional elements based on the murders of several women in Cape Cod during the late 60's。 Antone （Tony） Costa was convicted of the crimes and the book tells the story about the crimes， the investigation， his trial and the aftermath。 It also weaves in several other elements that give this retelli Thanks to Sourcebooks Non-Fiction， Netgalley and the author， for an ARC of this book。 I am leaving this review voluntarily and have not been compensated for it。This is a True Crime Non-Fiction book with fictional elements based on the murders of several women in Cape Cod during the late 60's。 Antone （Tony） Costa was convicted of the crimes and the book tells the story about the crimes， the investigation， his trial and the aftermath。 It also weaves in several other elements that give this retelling depth。 In particular， it's the involvement of Norman Mailer and Kurt Vonnegut， two native Cape Codders， that makes this book really interesting。 Both novelists， despite being at different stages of their career， are deeply affected by the murders and their future works are definitely influenced by these horrific events。The counter-culture of the late 60's， satanic panic， the use of psychedelic drugs and the unique blend of holiday-makers and locals in Cape Cod provide a vivid background to the events described in the book and provide context。This book have obviously been heavily researched， but it's the fictional element， the inclusion of Costa's internal dialogue， the characterisation of the authority figures involved in the investigation and subsequent trial and the 'coven' of young hippy Costa-followers， that provide realism and make this book more compelling。Similarly， the way that Charles Manson and his followers， Ted Kennedy and the death of Mary Jo Kopechne and the publishing of Vonnegut's 'Slaughterhouse Five'， give the reader a sense of place and time as well as an understanding of social and political culture at that time。I think the men， in general， in this book come off as egotistical misogynists with the exception of Bernie Flynn， Tom Gunner and Armand Fernandes。 Even Mailer and Vonnegut， while obviously cultural icons， appear to have been abusive to the women in their lives。 While the book does focus on Tony Costa， he is not idealised in any way。 This feels like an authentic retelling of events with the inclusion of intimate details of the case and the people involved。 There are sensational elements， sure - these events are shocking and the inclusion of some of the details of the killing are horrific。 But all in all， I think the story has been written respectfully and faithfully。I'm interested to hear that the rights to this book have been bought by Robert Downey Jr。 and his wife。 I will keep an eye out for the film or tv show。 。。。more
Lynn
，
“Helltown is a work of fact told with elements of fiction storytelling。” – Casey ShermanNon-fiction can be hit or miss for me but I greatly enjoyed this one。 Whereas I knew about other historical events/information included within this story， I had never heard of the serial killer Tony Costa。 My parents hadn’t heard of these murders either。 Granted they had moved away from Western Mass about 5 years prior， Vietnam was still going on， and Charles Manson hit the west coast by storm before Costa we “Helltown is a work of fact told with elements of fiction storytelling。” – Casey ShermanNon-fiction can be hit or miss for me but I greatly enjoyed this one。 Whereas I knew about other historical events/information included within this story， I had never heard of the serial killer Tony Costa。 My parents hadn’t heard of these murders either。 Granted they had moved away from Western Mass about 5 years prior， Vietnam was still going on， and Charles Manson hit the west coast by storm before Costa went to trial so that might have taken away some of the attention。There are a few storylines within the book but the main topic is the gruesome murders of 5 young women。 Some were locals and others were not。 All were lives taken way too soon by a drug addict with an alter ego controlling his actions。 I thought all the stories were well told and blended together nicely so I would say it was well written。 I definitely recommend it。Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for gifting me with an advanced copy to read and review。 。。。more
Janilyn Kocher
，
I was confused about the categorization of，this book。 Is it non fiction or fiction？ I thought it was non fiction， but so much of the dialogue had to be fabricated。 In the author’s end note he calls it a novel， but provides pages of documentation of resources and research。I think the author should have made the demarcations much more clearer。In any case， it illustrates what a barbaric Sicko Tony Costa really was。Thanks to Edelweiss， Sourcebooks， and NetGalley for the advance copy。
Madeline Elsinga
，
This is not at all what I was expecting from this book。 I enjoy true crime and was looking forward to learning about Costa as I had never heard of him。 But the way it’s written is just cringey。 It’s sensationalized and has elements of fictional storytelling which I feel is disrespectful to the victims。 True crime should provide the facts and give a voice to those who can no longer speak for themselves， not “entertain readers” with dramatization。 I also found it weird adding in a storyline with K This is not at all what I was expecting from this book。 I enjoy true crime and was looking forward to learning about Costa as I had never heard of him。 But the way it’s written is just cringey。 It’s sensationalized and has elements of fictional storytelling which I feel is disrespectful to the victims。 True crime should provide the facts and give a voice to those who can no longer speak for themselves， not “entertain readers” with dramatization。 I also found it weird adding in a storyline with Kurt Vonnegut-I understand he wrote articles on the murders but there’s no point in creating a fictional plot line for him。 Honestly infuriating what this author has done， shame。 。。。more
Elle
，
Helltown is a true crime story about the serial killer Tony Costa who was active in the 1960's in Cape Cod。 I was looking forward to reading this book because I was unfamiliar with Tony Costa and his crimes; however， I did not like how the story was presented。 I understand adding some characters and dialogue to true crime stories makes the stories more interesting to read， but so much of this book seemed to deal with artistic liberties rather than the facts。 I have no doubt that Sherman carefull Helltown is a true crime story about the serial killer Tony Costa who was active in the 1960's in Cape Cod。 I was looking forward to reading this book because I was unfamiliar with Tony Costa and his crimes; however， I did not like how the story was presented。 I understand adding some characters and dialogue to true crime stories makes the stories more interesting to read， but so much of this book seemed to deal with artistic liberties rather than the facts。 I have no doubt that Sherman carefully researched Costa， but so much of the story seemed to be based on true events as opposed to just the facts。 The author's note explains that Helltown is based on fact with elements of fiction storytelling。 This just didn't work for me。 I need my true crime stories to be more source material and less fictionalized。 I also did not like the inclusion of Kurt Vonnegut and Norman Mailer throughout the book。 It would have been enough to mention the authors since they wrote articles concerning this， but not to create entire drawn out story lines。 This distracted from the entire purpose of the book which was to learn about Tony Costa。 I wanted more background on him and the police investigation。 I did not want all of the extra information。 This book did not work for me and ultimately I did not finish the book because I just couldn't connect with the story。 。。。more
Ashley Brown
，
* Received an ARC from NetGalley* I feel very conflicted about this book。 On one hand its narrative style gave the reader a more insightful view into both an infamous true crime story but also to the history of Provincetown and the Cape Cod region。 However， I feel the fictional suppositions and reconstructions are a little too sensational and extreme。 It degrades from the overall feeling of the book and takes away from the fact that this book was based on very true and horrific events。 It felt l * Received an ARC from NetGalley* I feel very conflicted about this book。 On one hand its narrative style gave the reader a more insightful view into both an infamous true crime story but also to the history of Provincetown and the Cape Cod region。 However， I feel the fictional suppositions and reconstructions are a little too sensational and extreme。 It degrades from the overall feeling of the book and takes away from the fact that this book was based on very true and horrific events。 It felt like a disservice to the victims and their families and friends。 I think the author was attempting to capture both the vibe of Provincetown and the intense misogyny held not only by the serial killer Tony Costa but also the famous authors and power players of the region。 It left a bad taste in my mouth and I now have a deep dislike of Norman Mailer and Kurt Vonnegut （not that I esteemed them before this book）。 Profiting off of the pain caused from true crime is very uncouth in my opinion and I prefer to read works that attempt to give voices to the victims and/or informs readers on forensics advancements involved in the case。 Basically I enjoy true crime that elevates the topic and brings compassion to the table。 I did not feel like this book did that。 I give it two and a half stars because while it is well written in its mechanics and research， it missed out on something essential in the execution。 。。。more
Ashley Brown
，
I feel very conflicted about this book。 On one hand its narrative style gave the reader a more insightful view into both an infamous true crime story but also to the history of Provincetown and the Cape Cod region。 However， I feel the fictional suppositions and reconstructions are a little too sensational and extreme。 It degrades from the overall feeling of the book and takes away from the fact that this book was based on very true and horrific events。 It felt like a disservice to the victims an I feel very conflicted about this book。 On one hand its narrative style gave the reader a more insightful view into both an infamous true crime story but also to the history of Provincetown and the Cape Cod region。 However， I feel the fictional suppositions and reconstructions are a little too sensational and extreme。 It degrades from the overall feeling of the book and takes away from the fact that this book was based on very true and horrific events。 It felt like a disservice to the victims and their families and friends。 I think the author was attempting to capture both the vibe of Provincetown and the intense misogyny held not only by the serial killer Tony Costa but also the famous authors and power players of the region。 It left a bad taste in my mouth and I now have a deep dislike of Norman Mailer and Kurt Vonnegut （not that I esteemed them before this book）。 Profiting off of the pain caused from true crime is very uncouth in my opinion and I prefer to read works that attempt to give voices to the victims and/or informs readers on forensics advancements involved in the case。 Basically I enjoy true crime that elevates the topic and brings compassion to the table。 I did not feel like this book did that。 I give it two and a half stars because while it is well written in its mechanics and research， it missed out on something essential in the execution。 。。。more
Amanda
，
This nonfiction book takes the story of the Cape Town/PTown murderer （Tony Costa） and tells his story along with the parallel and eventually intertwined stories of famous authors Norman Mailer and Kurt Vonnegut （including their fascination with the case and published works as the story continued）。 The author did， however， use some fictional/storytelling elements creating conversations that may or may not have ever happened （this is confirmed in the authors note at the end）。 When reading true cri This nonfiction book takes the story of the Cape Town/PTown murderer （Tony Costa） and tells his story along with the parallel and eventually intertwined stories of famous authors Norman Mailer and Kurt Vonnegut （including their fascination with the case and published works as the story continued）。 The author did， however， use some fictional/storytelling elements creating conversations that may or may not have ever happened （this is confirmed in the authors note at the end）。 When reading true crime， I prefer straight facts。 The author put on quite a bit of research， however I felt that the book was drug out and several parallel narratives were inserted to add additional length to the book that weren’t necessary and made it feel like the narrative drug on for longer than was needed。This was a really interesting read on a case I haven’t heard much about previously。3 stars。⭐️⭐️⭐️Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Amanda
，
This nonfiction book takes the story of the Cape Town/PTown murderer （Tony Costa） and tells his story along with the parallel and eventually intertwined stories of famous authors Norman Mailer and Kurt Vonnegut （including their fascination with the case and published works as the story continued）。 The author did， however， use some fictional/storytelling elements creating conversations that may or may not have ever happened （this is confirmed in the authors note at the end）。 When reading true cri This nonfiction book takes the story of the Cape Town/PTown murderer （Tony Costa） and tells his story along with the parallel and eventually intertwined stories of famous authors Norman Mailer and Kurt Vonnegut （including their fascination with the case and published works as the story continued）。 The author did， however， use some fictional/storytelling elements creating conversations that may or may not have ever happened （this is confirmed in the authors note at the end）。 When reading true crime， I prefer straight facts。 The author put on quite a bit of research， however I felt that the book was drug out and several parallel narratives were inserted to add additional length to the book that weren’t necessary and made it feel like the narrative drug on for longer than was needed。This was a really interesting read on a case I haven’t heard much about previously。3 stars。⭐️⭐️⭐️Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Deborah Cleaves
，
With the vast number of true crime books authored by Casey Sherman， I anticipated an objective factual book underpinned by a knowledgeable writer and analyst。 Instead the book is an odd admixture of fact intermixed with fiction， so far removed from objectivity that the author admits to altering facts to tell a story。 If you are looking for sensationalism that romanticizes a man who killed to rape and dissect humans， you’ve found the right book。 Unfortunately for the author， the more I read his a With the vast number of true crime books authored by Casey Sherman， I anticipated an objective factual book underpinned by a knowledgeable writer and analyst。 Instead the book is an odd admixture of fact intermixed with fiction， so far removed from objectivity that the author admits to altering facts to tell a story。 If you are looking for sensationalism that romanticizes a man who killed to rape and dissect humans， you’ve found the right book。 Unfortunately for the author， the more I read his admitted fictional maunderings the more enraged I became at his unwillingness to stick to the facts。 He did do much research and it is reflected in his copious footnotes。 But he also spent chapter after chapter name dropping famous people and events to give credence to a supposed interrelatedness that was nonexistent due to utter irrelevance。 Particularly distracting was his reliance on Vonnegut and Mailer’s fascination with their home town killer to add bulk to his novel。 And it is a novel interspersed with facts， not a nonfiction work。 The final chapters manufacture subsequent killings to have direct links to Costa but appear to have nothing but fiction as a link。 Although I was disappointed in it as a work of nonfiction， if you approach this as a ‘based on the murders of Tony Costa’ work of fiction， you may find it fascinating。 。。。more
Andrea A
，
My thanks to Net Galley and Source Books for this arc。 I love true crime books and found this well researched and written ，but a bit gruesome and couldn't connect with。 My thanks to Net Galley and Source Books for this arc。 I love true crime books and found this well researched and written ，but a bit gruesome and couldn't connect with。 。。。more
Laura ☾
，
*Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review *Helltown， in chronicling Tony Costa's murders on Cape Cod in the summer of 1969， in its actual true-crime aspect is interesting， while very gruesome - this is definitely not for the faint of heart。 However， the storylines with Kurt Vonnegut and Norman Mailer - didn’t really add anything to the story， and I feel like they messed up the pacing， as they weren’t nearly as interesting， and somehow just sl *Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review *Helltown， in chronicling Tony Costa's murders on Cape Cod in the summer of 1969， in its actual true-crime aspect is interesting， while very gruesome - this is definitely not for the faint of heart。 However， the storylines with Kurt Vonnegut and Norman Mailer - didn’t really add anything to the story， and I feel like they messed up the pacing， as they weren’t nearly as interesting， and somehow just slowed the whole story down。 I understand that they served to illustrate the time period， but they were too long and just felt draggy。 Also， the writing style felt a little bit overly descriptive at times。 。。。more
Laura ☾
，
*Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review *Helltown， in chronicling Tony Costa's murders on Cape Cod in the summer of 1969， in its actual true-crime aspect is interesting， while very gruesome - this is definitely not for the faint of heart。 However， the storylines with Kurt Vonnegut and Norman Mailer - didn’t really add anything to the story， and I feel like they messed up the pacing， as they weren’t nearly as interesting， and somehow just sl *Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review *Helltown， in chronicling Tony Costa's murders on Cape Cod in the summer of 1969， in its actual true-crime aspect is interesting， while very gruesome - this is definitely not for the faint of heart。 However， the storylines with Kurt Vonnegut and Norman Mailer - didn’t really add anything to the story， and I feel like they messed up the pacing， as they weren’t nearly as interesting， and somehow just slowed the whole story down。 I understand that they served to illustrate the time period， but they were too long and just felt draggy。 Also， the writing style felt a little bit overly descriptive at times。 。。。more
Lisa Konet
，
This was not for me even though I am familiar with the murders that took place being from Connecticut and having very good friend from Massachusetts。 The writing just could not keep me interested enough。 Not the type of true crime writing I am used to。Cannot recommend。Thanks to Netgalley， Caset Sherman Sourcebooks for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。Available: 7/12/22
Patricia
，
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to receive an arc in exchange for an honest review！ All thoughts and opinions are my own。A mix of fact and fiction- I wish the author just sort of … stuck to fiction。 Maybe an “inspired by” sort of book。 It just wasn’t for me。
Sheila
，
I received an ARC of， Helltown， by Casey Sherman。 This is such a sad and twisted story。 People are crazy， the murders in this book are gruesome。 I did not care for the swearing in the book though。
Kami Boley
，
I often gravitate to Historical Fiction， in my writing as well as in my reading and infotainment choices。This book contains the aftermath and graphic gore of a killer's rage， a recounting of a monster living and hunting amongst the residents of Provincetown Massachusettes。 in the late 1960s。I appreciate this author's effort to pull in relevant atmospheric details， high-profile people， and big events of the time。There are some extremely disturbing descriptions in this book I wish were not a stark I often gravitate to Historical Fiction， in my writing as well as in my reading and infotainment choices。This book contains the aftermath and graphic gore of a killer's rage， a recounting of a monster living and hunting amongst the residents of Provincetown Massachusettes。 in the late 1960s。I appreciate this author's effort to pull in relevant atmospheric details， high-profile people， and big events of the time。There are some extremely disturbing descriptions in this book I wish were not a stark reflection of real events and that I could shake loose from my memory。 A ghastly horror I wish no community would ever have to face。I'd like to thank NetGalley for an advanced copy of Helltown for my unbiased evaluation。 3 starsExpected release date: July 12， 2022 。。。more
Amanda B
，
Dnf @ 8% This book was incredibly graphic and I couldn’t read about it。 I also didn’t care at all about the chapters with the writers。 I’m sure it would have connected but it felt out of place。
Courtney
，
This book just wasn't for me。 As a lover of truce crime， this book felt far too fictionalized。 The author took a lot of liberties when it came to speculating how the killer and victims felt。 Therefore， this read much more like fiction than non-fiction。 What I enjoy about true crime are the facts and details and less the feelings， so this did not work for me。 Frankly， I also did not care about the dueling authors that were so heavily focused on。 I could have lived without any of their narratives。 This book just wasn't for me。 As a lover of truce crime， this book felt far too fictionalized。 The author took a lot of liberties when it came to speculating how the killer and victims felt。 Therefore， this read much more like fiction than non-fiction。 What I enjoy about true crime are the facts and details and less the feelings， so this did not work for me。 Frankly， I also did not care about the dueling authors that were so heavily focused on。 I could have lived without any of their narratives。 Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks for allowing me to review this advanced reader's copy。 。。。more
Tom Schulte
，
Tony Costa was a serial killer who achieved notoriety for committing serial murders in and around the Massachusetts town of Truro in 1969 during the time of the murders by Manson's The Family。 Costa's crimes gained international attention when district attorney Edmund Dinis claimed "The hearts of each girl had been removed from the bodies and were not in the graves…Each body was cut into as many parts as there are joints。" Dinis also claimed that there were teeth marks found on the bodies。 These Tony Costa was a serial killer who achieved notoriety for committing serial murders in and around the Massachusetts town of Truro in 1969 during the time of the murders by Manson's The Family。 Costa's crimes gained international attention when district attorney Edmund Dinis claimed "The hearts of each girl had been removed from the bodies and were not in the graves…Each body was cut into as many parts as there are joints。" Dinis also claimed that there were teeth marks found on the bodies。 These claims produced a stream of national and international media outlets into local Provincetown， Massachusetts。 Dinis' role is detailed here as well as his prosecution of the Chappaquiddick incident involving Senator Ted Kennedy。 Dinis brings in Chappaquiddick。 Linda Kasabian's New England roots helps bring in The Manson Family and this is just some of the ornamentation on the tale。 Rival writers Norman Mailer and Kurt Vonnegut Jr。 both wrote about this case。 Mailer used it as a germ for Tough Guys Don't Dance and Vonnegut's reportage is anthologized in Wampeters， Foma and Granfalloons。 We get much more so that effectively biographies of both authors are interwoven in the book of over five hundred pages。 The author also brings in imagined dialog between the killer and his alter ego。 I started getting suspicious about this trio of witchy followers "Sadie， Thumper， and Strawberry Blonde"。 With a forthcoming account of the fictionalization here that I would rather have read in an Introduction， an Author’s Note in the backmatter admits that Helltown is a work of fact told with elements of fiction storytelling。 。。。Norman Mailer and Kurt Vonnegut Jr。 were both obsessed with this case， although I recreated their dialogue and reimagined some scenarios with Costa’s so-called disciples。 I have used my skills and decades of experience as a journalist and true crime writer to enter an area that Mailer had once mastered —new journalism。 I was also inspired to break free from the shackles of strict reportage by the great thriller novelist James Patterson。。。 New Journalism is a style of news writing and journalism， developed in the 1960s and 1970s， that uses literary techniques unconventional at the time。 It is characterized by a subjective perspective， a literary style reminiscent of long-form non-fiction using extensive imagery， reporters interpolate subjective language within facts and is exemplified by Truman Capote， Hunter S。 Thompson， Norman Mailer， Joan Didion， Terry Southern， Gay Talese， and others。 Personally， I don't think Sherman makes the grade。 Indeed others do creative nonfiction true crime better from the killer's perspective IMHO， such as Ryan Green。Ignoring the embellishments and focusing on the detailing of the crimes， this is I am sure the best and most detailed account one can find and based on thorough research:。。。I also gained access to Costa’s unpublished manuscript， “Resurrection，” in which he described the murders as they happened while blaming them on his alter ego。 I did my own research （Google） and found this article which is a nice outline of the crimes as state trooper Edgar "Tom" Gunnery recalls participating in the investigation。 。。。more
Sarah - All The Book Blog Names Are Taken
，
I made it to 17% but I just cannot continue。 Alternating between Costa’s story and Vonnegut/Mailer was not necessary; the stories of Costa’s victims were enough。 Plus the book is filled with conversations between the killer and his victims， and I just can’t stand that kind of stuff。 Lengthy re-created conversations do not have a place in nonfiction unless the author has tape-recorded proof that the conversations took place in the way that they are written。 Hard pass。
Sherry Fundin
，
Review coming
Suellen
，