The Beast of Barcroft
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4.2 • 38 Ratings
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- $6.99
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- $6.99
Publisher Description
Fans of Stephen King and Bentley Little will devour The Beast of Barcroft, Bill Schweigart’s brilliant new vision of dark suburban horror. Ben thought he had the neighbor from hell. He didn’t know how right he was. . . .
Ben McKelvie believes he’s moving up in the world when he and his fiancée buy a house in the cushy Washington, D.C., suburb of Barcroft. Instead, he’s moving down—way down—thanks to Madeleine Roux, the crazy neighbor whose vermin-infested property is a permanent eyesore and looming hazard to public health.
First, Ben’s fiancée leaves him; then, his dog dies, apparently killed by a predator drawn into Barcroft by Madeleine’s noxious menagerie. But the worst is yet to come for Ben, for he’s not dealing with any ordinary wild animal. This killer is something much, much worse. Something that couldn’t possibly exist—in this world.
Now, as a devilish creature stalks the locals, Ben resolves to take action. With some grudging assistance from a curator at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and the crackpot theories of a self-styled cryptozoologist, he discovers the sinister truth behind the attacks, but knowing the Beast of Barcroft and stopping it are two different animals.
Praise for The Beast of Barcroft
“A vicious otherworldly creature terrorizes a neighborhood in Schweigart’s swift and breezy suburban creature feature. . . . Readers who appreciate a B-movie sensibility, affable characters, and a sense of fun along with their scares will find much to enjoy.”—Publishers Weekly
“The Beast of Barcroft is a page-turner, seizing the reader and demanding he keep his nose buried in the book until that last page is reached.”—New York Journal of Books
“The Beast of Barcroft is quite chilling at times, but oh what great entertainment it provides. . . . If you like horror novels, don’t hesitate to give [it] a try as it’s a terrifyingly good story.”—Fresh Fiction
“A hybrid of The X Files, Silver Bullet and Supernatural. If you enjoy your horror with a distinctly animalistic edge then I would recommend that you give The Beast of Barcroft a go.”—The Eloquent Page
“The action is fun, the pace is quick, and the imagery is great. I’d highly recommend this to anyone who loves a good afternoon horror story.”—Scifi and Scary Book Reviews
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A vicious otherworldly creature terrorizes a neighborhood in Schweigart's swift and breezy suburban creature feature. Ben McKelvie is recovering from a failed relationship and adjusting to life alone in the house he bought for himself and his now ex-fianc e. When his dog, Bucky, is killed by a creature right out of a nightmare, he finds purpose: to figure out what killed his dog, and maybe even get his life back. He's pretty sure that it has something to do with his deceased next-door neighbor, an eccentric woman whose animal hoarding attracted rats and drove her neighbors to take action. Soon, the fanged menace is attacking people, and Lindsay Clark, a Smithsonian National Zoo curator, is brought in. Ben convinces her that there may be more to this creature than meets the eye, and she reluctantly enlists a crypto-zoologist for help. Transcending clich , Ben and Lindsay become friends, not lovers. Readers who appreciate a B-movie sensibility, affable characters, and a sense of fun along with their scares will find much to enjoy.
Customer Reviews
Terrifying, Dark Horror Story
Good, solid, creepy horror story! With great character development and a formidable, malevolent enemy, I couldn't stop reading this one. It definitely pays to check out your neighbors before moving in! Bill Schweigart has hit the mark with this book, especially because he includes rats, rats, rats! As a long-time Stephen King reader I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this to any horror fan who has felt that chilling, hair-raising reaction to evil in all its incarnations. Good to discover a new author and I will be looking for more from Mr. Schweigart.
The Beast of Barcroft
Couldn't put it down, read it all night. Funny, scary, horrifying, a real page-turner.
The Beast of Barcroft is scary good
The neighborhood near the seat of power for the U.S. should have been a fantasy come true; old stately homes, quite neighbors, the perfect place to live. Do not be deceived, something is very wrong in Barcroft, Virginia. It started with the neighbor from hell, Madeleine Roux, raccoon rehab, feral cats, rats, and an ecosystem altered inviting something evil to come, commune, and feast on the community. Ben McKelvie’s life has been on a downward spiral for sometime, however the horror to come will forge him into the man he was meant to be. Along with a small group of fellow believers, Ben will fight for his life and community. Hero’s will emerge before the end of the story.
Mr. Schweigart grabbed me from the first paragraph. The tension, evil, and horror leaps off each page. The story never slows as horror after horror is revealed from the imagination of Mr Schweigart. He keeps you guessing, what is behind the savage killings, is it a big cat, a wolf, a man; you will have to read this story to find out. You will be hooked and unable to put this book down as you journey down the road of mystical native creatures, evil, and people who rise to the occasion to fight against the unknown.
The plotting was excellent in this story and the character development was spot on. I loved watching Ben become a strong man in a world gone wrong and the twists and turns kept me guessing.
I highly recommend this book for those that love an adventure filled with evil and things unknown, a great story line, and well-developed characters. I look forward to the sequel due for publication in early 2016. Great job Mr. Schweigart!
I received this book from the publisher and Netgalley in return for an honest review.