Crime

Helltown: The Untold Story of Serial Murder on Cape Cod

Helltown: The Untold Story of Serial Murder on Cape Cod

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  • Create Date：2022-08-03 17:22:24
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Casey Sherman
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Summary

11 hours， 45 minutes

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。

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Reviews

Steve Tannuzzo ，

Helltown is set in Provincetown and even though I have lived in Massachusetts for 31 years， I had never heard of serial killer Tony Costa — and I know my serial killers！ Costa may have murdered as many as eight people from 1966-1969。I didn't expect to read this as a work of creative nonfiction rather than just-the-facts true crime。 Casey Sherman is a talented writer， but he should have left the imagined dialogue to experts like the late great Truman Capote。 Helltown is not In Cold Blood by any s Helltown is set in Provincetown and even though I have lived in Massachusetts for 31 years， I had never heard of serial killer Tony Costa — and I know my serial killers！ Costa may have murdered as many as eight people from 1966-1969。I didn't expect to read this as a work of creative nonfiction rather than just-the-facts true crime。 Casey Sherman is a talented writer， but he should have left the imagined dialogue to experts like the late great Truman Capote。 Helltown is not In Cold Blood by any stretch， but it does have a cool trick up its sleeve: chapters involving a rivalry between two literary legends， Kurt Vonnegut， Jr。 and Norman Mailer。 Both authors were working in Provincetown at the time。 This book is well researched with gritty details of the murders and the historical events happening at the time。The sections involving Costa's murders are brutal and the story is fascinating。 If only Sherman had kept his focus on the crimes and not EVERY other event going on at the time。 Apart from Vonnegut and Mailer， readers are distracted from the crimes by mentions of the moon landing， the Manson murders， and even Ted Kennedy at Chappaquiddick， The book is simply too long， and that's a shame because it could have been great。 。。。more

Amanda Orick ，

Really loved the premise but ft there were to many subplots going on。 I was fascinated by the story however as I had never heard of this serial killer and I enjoyed learning about them！

Rebecca ，

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for an advanced electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review！Tony Costa - the serial killer on Cape Cod。 True crime: dark and unforgiving。Was the premise interesting？ Yes。 Were all of the sections about Tony Costa engaging？ Absolutely。 However， there were so many people discussed in the story without any obvious connection。 It made sense to talk about some individuals who linked to the narrative， but others made me wonder why they were incl Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for an advanced electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review！Tony Costa - the serial killer on Cape Cod。 True crime: dark and unforgiving。Was the premise interesting？ Yes。 Were all of the sections about Tony Costa engaging？ Absolutely。 However， there were so many people discussed in the story without any obvious connection。 It made sense to talk about some individuals who linked to the narrative， but others made me wonder why they were included at all。 It may be a case of "it will all make sense later，" but I found it frustrating because it felt like it was dragging as I read it。 。。。more

Nina ，

If you want to read a true nonfiction account of this case stick with Leo Damore’s In His Garden。 Helltown claims to be “a work of fact told with elements of fiction storytelling”。 Which explains all the alleged conversations Sherman clearly would not have access to， the dying thoughts of the victims he clearly would not have access to， the descriptions of what song was playing in the radio as people drove around town。 With all this invented stuff who’s to know what’s actually factual？ And no on If you want to read a true nonfiction account of this case stick with Leo Damore’s In His Garden。 Helltown claims to be “a work of fact told with elements of fiction storytelling”。 Which explains all the alleged conversations Sherman clearly would not have access to， the dying thoughts of the victims he clearly would not have access to， the descriptions of what song was playing in the radio as people drove around town。 With all this invented stuff who’s to know what’s actually factual？ And no one needs the lengthy and completely irrelevant sections on Vonnegut， Mailer， and Manson。 。。。more

Jayne ，

Helltown by Casey Sherman has way too much going on that has zero to do with the main story。 I believe that Sherman wrote this book solely for the profit he could make off of other people's hardships。 I understand that his aunt was murdered by the Boston Strangler， or whoever he thinks was responsible， which means he should better understand the burden and grief placed on families of both victims and killers。 Provincetown brags about Norman Mailer once living there， but I had no idea what a viol Helltown by Casey Sherman has way too much going on that has zero to do with the main story。 I believe that Sherman wrote this book solely for the profit he could make off of other people's hardships。 I understand that his aunt was murdered by the Boston Strangler， or whoever he thinks was responsible， which means he should better understand the burden and grief placed on families of both victims and killers。 Provincetown brags about Norman Mailer once living there， but I had no idea what a violent person he was until I read this book。 Certainly， nothing for P-town to be bragging about。 Didn't know before reading this book that Vonnegut lived in Barnstable， but not impressed with his lies and mistreatment of his family。 The book spirals off into the Space Race， Charles Manson and the Sharon Tate murders， and Teddy Kennedy and Mary Jo Kopechne。 Cape Cod is thus credited with two volatile writers， a serial killer， and a wealthy family of politicians who can get away with a lot without facing consequences。 Of course， the main players are mostly deceased now， so most dialogue was probably fabricated。 Then， Sherman totally goes off on a tangent， writing as if an unsolved crime here on Cape Cod， was committed by one of Costa's followers。 Mixing truth with fiction does not earn credibility。 Sherman showed exactly how little he knows about Provincetown when he referred to the Pilgrim Monument as the Provincetown Tower。 I feel badly for Sherman having lost a family member to the Boston Strangler （？）， but his anger and grief about that need to be resolved because this book is evidence of his disregard for hurting others who had no part in the crimes。 Not sure what to think about Sherman bringing witchcraft into this story。 Of course， the Maria Hallett and Black Sam Bellamy story is well known on the Outer Cape， so just more sensationalism I suppose。 。。。more

Brandi ，

Helltown by Casey Sherman， when I first learned of this， I was super excited， thought this was a true crime novel， however there was ， it seemed to me， more fiction throughout。 Still not sure how I feel about that。 3 stars， I feel like the author did well with gathering information and background for this， I just couldn't immerse myself into the fact and fiction aspect of this story。 Thank You to Netgalley， and the author for the complementary ebook。 Helltown by Casey Sherman， when I first learned of this， I was super excited， thought this was a true crime novel， however there was ， it seemed to me， more fiction throughout。 Still not sure how I feel about that。 3 stars， I feel like the author did well with gathering information and background for this， I just couldn't immerse myself into the fact and fiction aspect of this story。 Thank You to Netgalley， and the author for the complementary ebook。 。。。more

Jodi ，

I received this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review。Who knew there was another Manson like serial killer in the US in the late 60's。 Not me！ How did I not hear of this killer like we did of Manson？ The story started off kinda slow for me and I couldn't figure out why there was so much attention being given to Norman Mailer and Kurt Vonnegut。 Like what do they have to do with a serial killer。 I feel like a lot of that backstory could have gone away and not impacted I received this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review。Who knew there was another Manson like serial killer in the US in the late 60's。 Not me！ How did I not hear of this killer like we did of Manson？ The story started off kinda slow for me and I couldn't figure out why there was so much attention being given to Norman Mailer and Kurt Vonnegut。 Like what do they have to do with a serial killer。 I feel like a lot of that backstory could have gone away and not impacted the overall story。 The last half of the story was much better。Part of this are pretty hard to read and I had to take breaks so I didn't have nightmares。 I can't imagine being on this jury。While the subject was fascinating， the book was about 100 pages too long 。。。more

Abby Reeser ，

3。5 starsbig thanks to the publisher for the advanced copy！the parts about Tony Costa were really well written and well developed。 i likes how narrative it was。 that being said， it felt like Norman Mailer and Kurt Vonnegut were shoved into the story where they weren’t needed。 i really didn’t care to read about their rivalry。 otherwise it was a great true crime read。

Jen Juenke ，

This is a thick book， that a thin book was screaming to get out of。 The true crime portion of Tony Costa was FASCINATING！ I had never heard of this serial killer and his gruesome crimes。 I thought that the author did a great job of going over the details of how Tony lured the women to their deaths。However， the parts with Norman Mailer and Kurt Vonnegut was quite unnecessary and I felt that the author really editorialized what the authors was thinking/feeling。Further the Norman Mailer connection This is a thick book， that a thin book was screaming to get out of。 The true crime portion of Tony Costa was FASCINATING！ I had never heard of this serial killer and his gruesome crimes。 I thought that the author did a great job of going over the details of how Tony lured the women to their deaths。However， the parts with Norman Mailer and Kurt Vonnegut was quite unnecessary and I felt that the author really editorialized what the authors was thinking/feeling。Further the Norman Mailer connection could have been completely removed from the book and it would have been just fine。 Another disappointing addition to the book was the addons。。。。what I mean is that the author added on the moon landing， Mailers coverage of the moon landing， what Vonnegut thought of the moon landing， Ed Kennedy killing a lady， Charlie Manson。。。。if something happened near the time of the Costa killings。。。。。this author put it in。 I almost gave up on this book at the 15% mark， when the book got bogged down on the Norman Mailer/Kurt Vonnegut connection。。。in the end， I am glad that I stuck with it because I learned about Tony。I wished that the author had updated the readers on if the District Attorney who prosecuted Tony， did he seek re-election？Did "STrawberry Blonde" really kill the lady in the dunes？ OR was that just made up？Overall this book couldn't be called True Crime， nor could it be outright fiction。 Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me this ARC in exchange for this honest review。 。。。more

Abra Kurt ，

I was intrigued by this unfamiliar true crime story， as Cape Cod is a favorite vacation spot， and I was curious about this dark period in its history。 Unfortunately， the book was a difficult read with the horrifyingly gruesome details of the murders。 Rather than narrative， these passages felt gratuitous and contrived in a way that was off-putting。 I was expecting/hoping for more of an "I'll Be Gone in the Dark" type of treatment， but this was borderline torture porn。 I did enjoy the intertwined I was intrigued by this unfamiliar true crime story， as Cape Cod is a favorite vacation spot， and I was curious about this dark period in its history。 Unfortunately， the book was a difficult read with the horrifyingly gruesome details of the murders。 Rather than narrative， these passages felt gratuitous and contrived in a way that was off-putting。 I was expecting/hoping for more of an "I'll Be Gone in the Dark" type of treatment， but this was borderline torture porn。 I did enjoy the intertwined historical context of the politically charged national climate and literary rivalry between Mailer and Vonnegut。 。。。more

J ，

When I saw the blurb for Helltown， the account of a serial killer on Cape Cod in the 1960s， I was curious。 I didn’t know anything about Tony Costa， and with the time period I was hoping for a interesting non-fiction read。 While the book does cover Tony Costa’s murders， it reads much more like a thriller novel than it does true crime…which honestly put me off。 I love a good thriller as much as the next nerdy goth， but turning the actual murders of young women into something that felt more fiction When I saw the blurb for Helltown， the account of a serial killer on Cape Cod in the 1960s， I was curious。 I didn’t know anything about Tony Costa， and with the time period I was hoping for a interesting non-fiction read。 While the book does cover Tony Costa’s murders， it reads much more like a thriller novel than it does true crime…which honestly put me off。 I love a good thriller as much as the next nerdy goth， but turning the actual murders of young women into something that felt more fictionalized wasn’t amazing。 The scope of the story the author tells widens and narrows， bringing in local authors， police and the convicted themself。 It tries to bring all these disparate elements together in a good story， but falls short simply because of the breadth they were trying for。 I feel like there are two warring ideas here， the bold non-fiction account of murders， as well as the thriller that takes these murders and spins something new out of them。 I wish we had gotten one or the other， instead of this which falls somewhere in between the two。 。。。more

Teresa ，

An interesting approach to the true crime genre， Helltown narrates the events of Cape Cod serial killer Tony Costa。 The crimes were committed in 1969 and Sherman does a fantastic job of providing the reader with the context and setting of the times。 We get the political climate （Vietnam， Kennedys， assassinations）， the drug culture， the music， and the ubiquitous hippie scene。 Time and place is conveyed in rich， heavily footnoted detail。 Interwoven throughout are the competing narratives of Cape C An interesting approach to the true crime genre， Helltown narrates the events of Cape Cod serial killer Tony Costa。 The crimes were committed in 1969 and Sherman does a fantastic job of providing the reader with the context and setting of the times。 We get the political climate （Vietnam， Kennedys， assassinations）， the drug culture， the music， and the ubiquitous hippie scene。 Time and place is conveyed in rich， heavily footnoted detail。 Interwoven throughout are the competing narratives of Cape Cod authors Norman Mailer and Kurt Vonnegut as they're both interested， for reasons of their own， in telling Tony Costa's story。 Sherman even makes a call back to Capote's classic In Cold Blood。 Helltown is very meta。 Sherman's approach almost undoes the meticulously researched "true" part of his true crime novel。 There are numerous footnotes throughout the chapters， referencing newspaper articles， trial transcripts， the killer's own unpublished work， the biographies of both Mailer and Vonnegut， other novels about the killings。 Tons of footnotes。 The glaring absence of footnotes in some chapters call way too much attention to the invented side of this book - some chapters and scenes are pretty much 100% fiction， And some of these depictions are wild。 Those imagined， fictitious parts didn't work， pulling me out of the actual narrative and timeline。 There seemed to be fewer references and footnotes as the book progressed。 Perhaps Sherman thought they beefed up sections。 Some were pretty lurid， on par with the actual crimes。 They felt superfluous。 In the author's note Sherman states that he was trying something new in this genre by combining both fact and fiction。 This book was strong enough to stand on its own without the made up padding， hence the neutral rating。 My thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the ARC in exchange for my review。 。。。more

David Valentino ，

A Nearly Forgotten Serial Killer UncoveredHere’s a curious fact about the subject of Casey Sherman’s book， serial killer Tony Costa: he thought he would be famous but today he’s all but unknown。 See for yourself by searching “famous serial killers” on the internet and you’ll bring up a list of the well known and most notorious， as well as some pretty vicious killers unfamiliar to you。 But no Tony Costa， a narcissistic killer who even wrote a book about himself。 More curious still， in his day he A Nearly Forgotten Serial Killer UncoveredHere’s a curious fact about the subject of Casey Sherman’s book， serial killer Tony Costa: he thought he would be famous but today he’s all but unknown。 See for yourself by searching “famous serial killers” on the internet and you’ll bring up a list of the well known and most notorious， as well as some pretty vicious killers unfamiliar to you。 But no Tony Costa， a narcissistic killer who even wrote a book about himself。 More curious still， in his day he wasn’t well known beyond Cape Cod but for a brief period。 Maybe that’s because when his murder rampage surfaced， and though two famous writers， Kurt Vonnegut and Norman Mailer， tried to capitalize on him， Charles Manson and the Tate–LaBianca murders became headline news nationwide。Sherman’s Helltown does a credible job of covering the murders of Costa’s five young female victims， four on the Cape and one in Boston， as well as shows how both Vonnegut and Mailer sought to write about Costa。 Vonnegut authored a piece in Life magazine。 Mailer eventually years after the killings and the suicide of Costa wrote a tawdry novel， Tough Guys Don't Dance， and turned it into a unsuccessful movie。 By the way， Vonnegut， who at the time was in the midst of proofing Slaughterhouse-Five， was in the throes of both continuing PTSD from his war experience and angst over not yet receiving recognition of his talent。 He comes off as a surly and angry man。 Mailer， always pugnacious and enraptured with demonstrating his masculinity， just seems comical and absurd。 Though a book about Costa， the vignettes of the writers often outshine Sherman’s coverage of the killer， something that would certainly have proven a blow to this killer’s massive ego。As to Costa and his motivation， pretty much all you’ll need to know about this comes in the middle of the book， where Sherman reproduces the testimony of Dr。 Harold Williams of the Harvard Medical School:“He talked a great deal about his mother Cecilia。 It’s my belief that， by killing these women and having sexual intercourse with them after death， your client was acting out a terrible drama of incest and matricide in which he sought a reunion with his mother in the ideal state of bliss and comfort that he had as a child。”Overall， those who think serial killers a fascinating subject， and there are many who do， will find Helltown a compelling read， though they may not fully appreciate the digressions concerning Vonnegut and Mailer。 But it’s these digressions that add interesting color to an otherwise standard rendition of a psychologically disturbed killer。 。。。more

Caitlin ，

I really enjoyed this true crime novel about Cape Cod and the pervasive drug culture of the late 60s。 I appreciated that the author was able to put this crime into context for the readers， including details of the literary culture， Chappaquiddick， the Space Race， the Manson murders， all of which were part of the fear and tension surrounding these murders。 However， there were lengthy detours into the lives of Vonnegut and Mailer that felt like they held the narrative back。 I also didn't love some I really enjoyed this true crime novel about Cape Cod and the pervasive drug culture of the late 60s。 I appreciated that the author was able to put this crime into context for the readers， including details of the literary culture， Chappaquiddick， the Space Race， the Manson murders， all of which were part of the fear and tension surrounding these murders。 However， there were lengthy detours into the lives of Vonnegut and Mailer that felt like they held the narrative back。 I also didn't love some of the more fictionalized aspects including the hypotheticals about what happened to the Girl of the Dunes， a victim of a similar murder but one that happened after Tony Costa killed himself in prison。 。。。more

Janellyn51 ，

My father and I were sitting in the living room。 The newscaster said， in a very somber voice， "they found another leg today"， and I laughed。 Without a word， my father got out of his chair， walked across the room， and slapped me hard， right across the face。 He said， "do you really think that's funny"？ I didn't think there was anything funny， it was just so out of context， it just sounded so weird， nervous laughter I suppose。 Now， as a parent， I can't blame him at all for his reaction， that poor g My father and I were sitting in the living room。 The newscaster said， in a very somber voice， "they found another leg today"， and I laughed。 Without a word， my father got out of his chair， walked across the room， and slapped me hard， right across the face。 He said， "do you really think that's funny"？ I didn't think there was anything funny， it was just so out of context， it just sounded so weird， nervous laughter I suppose。 Now， as a parent， I can't blame him at all for his reaction， that poor guy。。。。。5 kids and we all in one way or another put him through the wringer。 I'm the oldest， and within a year， I was hitch hiking all over the country。 I was a senior in high school when Costa did this。 So many things in the book were too close for comfort。 By the spring of 1970， I was living in Hyannis， in a small house on Bearses Way， across from the skating rink。 I got a job at the Barefoot Trader out on 28。 A few months later， I worked for Bilbo at the Dunkin Donuts on Sea and Main Streets。 I meted out Donuts to the street kids， let them hang at my apartment sometimes。 Pam Kelley， who was paralyzed in in the Joe Kennedy jeep accident and I were close。 I knew D。J。 Denehy， who starred in Welcome To The Monkey House， which Vonnegut directed at the Barnstable High School。 I was introduced to Vonnegut that night。 I hadn't read any of his books， but it still was wicked cool！ During the winter of 71， my friend Meb was starring in the Chalk Garden at the Barnstable Comedy Club。 I'd go to rehearsals with her， and after offering some sage advice to the director， I was invited to join！ I wonder if Vonnegut was at the show， he banged around over there， it's right by the court house。 I've been on a plane flying out of P Town with Norman Mailer， when I lived there。 Old hoary Norman giving me the eye ha ha！ Beverly Mailer had the coolest old green Citroen， you'd see her driving around town in。 I knew people who knew Tony。 Like the Boston Strangler， I have weird things relating to them。 With the strangler， I had a friend Robert Brigham Auld， when we worked together in a P town leather shop， he told me about discovering his friends body， who'd been strangled。 I stayed in my friend Bob's apartment on University Pl。， where he strangled Beverly Samans。 I grew up in West Bridgewater one town over from Bridgewater Correctional for the criminally insane。。。。when DeSalvo escaped， I was supposed to babysit down the street。 When I put my jacket on， my mother said， where the hell do you think you're going？ Then she said， this is what we're going to do， if someone comes to the door， I want you to go upstairs and throw the kids out the window， and I'll call the police！ I really thought the woman had totally gone round the bend！ In high school， I was on the student government exchange。 When Revere came to our small town， we took the kids to tour Bridgewater！ I asked if we'd be seeing Costa who was there at the time， but， I think they kept him in the way way far back， far from the public eye。！ If you're interested in Bridgewater Correctional， see Frankenheimer's Teaticket Follies， Bridgewater is no place you wanted to get sent to！I think it's way too weird that Tony Costa started out in Somerville。 I've lived in Somerville for 40 years， Hudson Street， where he broke into the girl's house， is diagonal to where we lived on Cedar St。 Then he gets sent to Provincetown to keep out of trouble， what a joke。 One thing I didn't know before I read this， was about Costa breaking into Sproule's house。 That freaked me out。 Sproule the tool。 I had a run in with him when he was a patrolman in Brockton。 I was just taking my dog Bruiser， a huge German Shephard， for a walk。 Sproule stopped me and wanted to know what I was doing。 He started hassling me， so I asked him if he knew my Uncle Sonny， an MDC cop。 He did， and the fucker told my Uncle I was high as a kite， which I wasn't， embarrassed my Uncle who wouldn't speak to me for years after。 And， what might have happened to Sproule？ He became Brockton's cheif of Police。 What Casey Sherman didn't mention is， Sproule got bagged for stealing coke from evidence， also charged with embezzlement， and went away！ Don't you love vindication？！！ I wonder was there a connection between Costa and Sproule， seems more than an arbitrary break in。 By 74 I was living in Provincetown。 I think about it now， some of the bone head things I did， all 100 pounds of me。。。。。it's a wonder I'm still here， but， you know， places to go， people to see！ I know there were other points and places that hit a note for me in the book。So， Sherman's book。 I thought the Mailer/ Vonnegut part， in of itself， kind of interesting， and I did read Vonnegut's article in Life， which was pretty good。 I liked the end of it， because he was being realistic when he said "Young women in America will continue to look for love and excitement in places that are as dangerous as hell。 I salute them for their optimism and their nerve"。 Places to go， people to see。Still， I thought the Mailer/Vonnegut stuff was so much filler。 And the Thumper Sadie Strawberry Blond stuff bugged me， which is kind of funny， because they are just the sort of kid you'd find in Provincetown。 I feel， really bad for Avis， having it all dredged up again。 I'm on a FB page for P Town that Avis is on too， and when the topic came up， someone had the presence of mind to remind us that Avis and her family are still there and it is very hurtful。 I wonder， if it had been me married to him， would I stick up for him？ I wonder why she did。 You have to wonder， has there ever been a more delusional murderer？ I don't think so。 Twisted， sick， yes， but Costa really was delusional。 It was very thoughtful of him to do the world a favor and kill himself。 。。。more

Brianna ，

I really wanted to like Helltown。 Murder story that I’d never heard of， but from the first day I sat down I struggled。 I just couldn’t get into the story。 The flow of it felt off and disjointed。 I will admit I finally gave up after the first 100 pages。

Mzfitted ，

Great BookThis is an amazing book about anabhorent series of murders in the Cape 。While telling the story of the grisly crimes of Tony Costa it also dwells into the fascination of the crime by both Kurt Vonnegurt Jr an aspiring writer and a writer wrestling with his own demons Norman Mailer who were living in Ptown when the murders occurred 。If not for the fact the Manson murders happened right before Costa was set to trial and over shadowed his crimes this just might have been its own ending of Great BookThis is an amazing book about anabhorent series of murders in the Cape 。While telling the story of the grisly crimes of Tony Costa it also dwells into the fascination of the crime by both Kurt Vonnegurt Jr an aspiring writer and a writer wrestling with his own demons Norman Mailer who were living in Ptown when the murders occurred 。If not for the fact the Manson murders happened right before Costa was set to trial and over shadowed his crimes this just might have been its own ending of the summer of love 。The writer does take some artistic fictionalized dialogues much of the book is well research 。Enjoyed the book very much was not disappointed 。。。more

Debrafleming ，

An interesting read on a serial murder I wasn't aware of previously。 I found the murders and people involved less of a star than the location and the procedures， but it wasn't bad。 The addition of fictional elements made it seem a bit like one of those re-enactment TV shows。 Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for the copy to read and review。 An interesting read on a serial murder I wasn't aware of previously。 I found the murders and people involved less of a star than the location and the procedures， but it wasn't bad。 The addition of fictional elements made it seem a bit like one of those re-enactment TV shows。 Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for the copy to read and review。 。。。more

Pat ，

A serial killer is terrorizing Cape Cod although they don't realize it yet。 Tony Costa is a serial killer but no one realizes it yet。This the story of the investigation or in some cases lack of investigation。 Norman Mailer and Kurt Vonnegut figure prominently as reporters 。 At times it appears the story is more about the Mailer and Vonnegut rivalry 。 Good story line but does drag a bit at times。 A serial killer is terrorizing Cape Cod although they don't realize it yet。 Tony Costa is a serial killer but no one realizes it yet。This the story of the investigation or in some cases lack of investigation。 Norman Mailer and Kurt Vonnegut figure prominently as reporters 。 At times it appears the story is more about the Mailer and Vonnegut rivalry 。 Good story line but does drag a bit at times。 。。。more

Kevin Walker ，

Riveting story。 As a twelfth generation native of the cape， I can’t believe I had never heard of this story。 I was 8 at the time， so I can understand not being aware of it at the time， but all these years later 😳。 I couldn’t put it down

Terry Tessar ，

Gruesome details and odd connections to Vonnegut， Mailer and Kennedy。

Nelda ，

Riveting page turnerPossibly the best crime story I’ve ever read。 An exemplary marriage of fact and fiction。 I definitely recommend this book。

Jake ，

Had mixed feelings on this one， though I ultimately liked it and found it compelling and readable。 And I say that as someone who doesn’t care for serial killer stories， fiction or not。The good: Sherman knows how to weave a yarn。 He keeps this smooth， while integrating the many historic events happening around the Cape Cod murder case （the moon landing， Chappaquiddick， the Tate-LaBianca murders， good Lord， the 60s were quite the time to be alive）。 All of this while two world famous writers lived Had mixed feelings on this one， though I ultimately liked it and found it compelling and readable。 And I say that as someone who doesn’t care for serial killer stories， fiction or not。The good: Sherman knows how to weave a yarn。 He keeps this smooth， while integrating the many historic events happening around the Cape Cod murder case （the moon landing， Chappaquiddick， the Tate-LaBianca murders， good Lord， the 60s were quite the time to be alive）。 All of this while two world famous writers lived near each other and eyed the other warily， drawing inspiration from the circumstances。 Throw in the hippie movement/drug culture of the late-60s east coast and you have quite the potboiler。 There are a lot of dots to connect here and for the most part， Sherman does a good job。The bad: The “factionalized” dialogue…really could have done without that。 Making Vonnegut frequently say “So it goes” is about as hacky as it could get。 Creating a plucked-from-the-air fictionalization of another brutally murdered woman just to give Tony Costa’s sad story a weird coda is really irresponsible。 I understand the desire to take creative liberties with a story like this; I just think Sherman goes too far。I tilt towards the 4-star “good” side because I got a great picture of the Cape， the case， and the lives of the respective writers at that particular time in the story。 I don’t know how much of the broader supposition Sherman puts out there I actually believe。 But I know it was an interesting read nonetheless。 。。。more

Katie Crabill ，

Helltown by Casey ShermanIn Helltown， readers learn about the horrific actions of Tony Costa in Provincetown， Massachusetts in the late 1960s。 We also learn about two influential writers of the time who were living in the area and affected by Costa and his needless murders on several woman。 The book ties it all up in the end with the trial of Costa and course of his jail sentence and all the numerous outliers who were affected by the murders and the trials in the small town。While it was interest Helltown by Casey ShermanIn Helltown， readers learn about the horrific actions of Tony Costa in Provincetown， Massachusetts in the late 1960s。 We also learn about two influential writers of the time who were living in the area and affected by Costa and his needless murders on several woman。 The book ties it all up in the end with the trial of Costa and course of his jail sentence and all the numerous outliers who were affected by the murders and the trials in the small town。While it was interesting read， it was extremely graphic when it came to the actual murders。 Obviously this is a true crime novel， so I didn't expect it to shy away from the acts， it just caught me a bit by surprise at times。 The inclusion of Kurt Vonnegut and Norman Mailer felt very strange to me。 This is the first book that I have read by Sherman， perhaps this is what he always does， but it felt like those moments were just filler on the book instead of crucial to the story。 I liked how much research that he had performed to really get the true essence of Costa， and felt like I knew more about him and his motivations by the end of the book， but I just felt like maybe the inclusion of Mailer and Vonnegut were a bit over-sensationalized and unnecessary。 Regardless， I did finish the book， albeit it took a while to get through some of the rather muddy information provided。 I received a review copy from SOURCEBOOKS via NetGalley and I voluntarily provided an honest review。 This does not affect the opinion of the book or the content of the review。 。。。more

Pat Pullum ，

This true crime story takes place in Provincetown， Massachusetts， locally known as Ptown。 Tony Costa is an outgoing pleasant young man on the outside， but inner turmoil has turned him into a vicious killer。 At the same time as young females are going missing。， Norman Mailer and Kurt Vonnegut are competing for writing rights and each follows the movements of Tony Costa。I do love to read true crime， but I did find this book a slow read， as the author went into great detail of both Mailer and Vonne This true crime story takes place in Provincetown， Massachusetts， locally known as Ptown。 Tony Costa is an outgoing pleasant young man on the outside， but inner turmoil has turned him into a vicious killer。 At the same time as young females are going missing。， Norman Mailer and Kurt Vonnegut are competing for writing rights and each follows the movements of Tony Costa。I do love to read true crime， but I did find this book a slow read， as the author went into great detail of both Mailer and Vonnegut and this took away from the main storyline， in my opinion。I do thank the author， publisher and Netgalley for my ARC in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more

Jill Rusek ，

I am not intimidated by long books because it usually means there's a great story within all those pages。 This book， however， was just WAY too long。 I'd say it was about 200 pages too long。 I was intrigued with the idea of this book。 A serial killer in Cape Cod？ Yes！ Cape Cod screams safe and peaceful， so the idea of a killer going around and killing young women was a little appealing。However， there was just so much extra in this book。 Extra people， extra events。。。 It was just too much。 For exam I am not intimidated by long books because it usually means there's a great story within all those pages。 This book， however， was just WAY too long。 I'd say it was about 200 pages too long。 I was intrigued with the idea of this book。 A serial killer in Cape Cod？ Yes！ Cape Cod screams safe and peaceful， so the idea of a killer going around and killing young women was a little appealing。However， there was just so much extra in this book。 Extra people， extra events。。。 It was just too much。 For example， there was quite a lot of detail about the Apollo 11 lunar landing， the Chappaquiddick/Ted Kennedy incident， and the Manson Murders。 I understand the reference to these events。 It was to let us know about the times and to connect the Cape Cod murders to other significant events in history。 But a simple reference would work。 I didn't need paragraphs of detail。Along with the detailed events， there are also quite a few additional people in the book too， such as a couple of local authors， a woman who understands the severity of witchcraft， the DA， and a so called witch as well。 It started with the introduction of the two authors and the rivalry they seemed to have with one another。 The whole time I read those paragraphs， I kept wondering， "What does this have to do with the bigger picture？" Yes， they all had little connections to the story and the case， but again， a simple reference or two would have been sufficient。Overall， I give this book three stars。 At times， I felt like I was reading a horrible fiction story。 They was the thoughts of many of the people were presented made me really think it was more of a work of fiction。Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more

Barbara Langlois ，

More fiction than non-fiction。 Definitely “mislabeled， as non-fiction。 Why do authors feel it is necessary to take a non-fiction work and fill it with a bunch of made up situations and dialogue？ Because there’s not enough story there otherwise and they need the filler。 Could’ve done without any of the Norman Mailer or Kurt Vonnegut connection。 Added nothing to the story。 Nor did the diversion of Ted Kennedy‘s accident at Chappaquiddick， Charles Manson or Evelyn Lawson or the so-called three witc More fiction than non-fiction。 Definitely “mislabeled， as non-fiction。 Why do authors feel it is necessary to take a non-fiction work and fill it with a bunch of made up situations and dialogue？ Because there’s not enough story there otherwise and they need the filler。 Could’ve done without any of the Norman Mailer or Kurt Vonnegut connection。 Added nothing to the story。 Nor did the diversion of Ted Kennedy‘s accident at Chappaquiddick， Charles Manson or Evelyn Lawson or the so-called three witches。 All were extraneous。 。。。more

Jodi ，

The writing and research about the murders is fantastic。 I wish the book had been written based entirely on journalistic facts。 So I’m left baffled as to why the author brought in a side story about Norman Mailer and Kurt Vonnegut。 It did not enhance or progress the storyline。 In fact， the Mailer vs。 Vonnegut chapters were repetitive and actually stalled the narrative。 Five stars for the Tony Costa story。 One star for the 20th Century literary dudes who only served as a distraction to the storyl The writing and research about the murders is fantastic。 I wish the book had been written based entirely on journalistic facts。 So I’m left baffled as to why the author brought in a side story about Norman Mailer and Kurt Vonnegut。 It did not enhance or progress the storyline。 In fact， the Mailer vs。 Vonnegut chapters were repetitive and actually stalled the narrative。 Five stars for the Tony Costa story。 One star for the 20th Century literary dudes who only served as a distraction to the storyline。 。。。more

Cindy ，

Casey Sherman has written a novel that combines historical facts along with a bit of fiction。It involves three writers （ Vonnegut， Mailer， and Lawson） along with a serial killer， TonyCosta。 All in there small town during the same time period。The murders are gruesome and factual， the writers obsession is also true。 Some dialogue is by necessity imagined。Well written， although there were times I was unsure where the book was going。 I won’t say it was enjoyable…far too gruesome for that， but I was Casey Sherman has written a novel that combines historical facts along with a bit of fiction。It involves three writers （ Vonnegut， Mailer， and Lawson） along with a serial killer， TonyCosta。 All in there small town during the same time period。The murders are gruesome and factual， the writers obsession is also true。 Some dialogue is by necessity imagined。Well written， although there were times I was unsure where the book was going。 I won’t say it was enjoyable…far too gruesome for that， but I was compelled to keep reading。 For that， I will say it is recommended。 Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC 。。。more

Jeanette ，

At the same time the Manson family was terrorizing LA， Tony Costa was killing on peaceful Cape Cod。 1969 was a time of trust。 Hippies and free-spirits opened doors for anyone， hitched rides， and went off for a weekend with a new date。 Costa took advantage of this yet most true crime readers knew nothing about his killings。 Interspersed with his story and the lives of the women he killed are tales about other locals， including authors Kurt Vonnegut and Norman Mailer。 Being close to Boston there a At the same time the Manson family was terrorizing LA， Tony Costa was killing on peaceful Cape Cod。 1969 was a time of trust。 Hippies and free-spirits opened doors for anyone， hitched rides， and went off for a weekend with a new date。 Costa took advantage of this yet most true crime readers knew nothing about his killings。 Interspersed with his story and the lives of the women he killed are tales about other locals， including authors Kurt Vonnegut and Norman Mailer。 Being close to Boston there are references to the Boston Strangler but in many ways Costa's story is more interesting。 An absolute must for any reader obsessed with true crime stories。I received an advance review copy for free from the publisher but am leaving this review voluntarily。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Helltown: The Untold Story of Serial Murder on Cape Cod

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Helltown: The Untold Story of Serial Murder on Cape Cod&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Helltown: The Untold Story of Serial Murder on Cape Cod&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0