Bonegrinder (1977)

Bonegrinder (1977)

by John Lutz

Violent deaths in the vicinity of a small Ozark lakeside community spark rumors of a monster on the prowl, attract national attention, and throw the local population into chaos. 

The most interesting aspect of this novel is the way it tracks the local mood through the initial excitement at the attention and attendant business opportunities that the mysterious killings provide to the eventual horror that comes with the dawning realization that there might really be a monster out there. 

Overall however, author John Lutz has produced a pretty low-key thriller that lacks much in the way of genuine suspense and has a real let-down of an ending.  There's also a subplot involving a local bigshot who seems to be scheming something that never pays off. 

John Lutz

"Bonegrinder" lurked in a box of unread paperbacks for more than twenty years before rising to waste several hours of my reading life.  If you happen to see this one on the shelf of your local used book store, I recommend you pass it by.