Long: "Little Heaven" by Nick Cutter

Long: Little Heaven by Nick Cutter (Craig Davidson), 2017, 9781501104213.

Man, this was a long book for me. 486 pages. Set in 1965 and 1980. 1965 has a trio of hired killers in a loose alliance working various robbery and burglary jobs in the Southwest.

One-eyed Micah is a heartless hitman and Korean War vet. Minerva is an orphan and bounty hunter but gets nervous in gunfights. Ebenezer is English and also a Korean War vet.

1965: Micah is approached by the sister of a woman he used to run with. The sister, Ellen, offers to pay Micah to help Ellen find her young nephew and ex-brother-in-law who joined a remote religious camp in New Mexico. Micah is not a kind man but he likes Ellen and has nothing else going on. Minerva and Ebenezer tag along.

1980: Micah's young daughter is kidnapped by a tall, gangly monster. Micah knows who took the girl and that the reason for the abduction traces back to 1965. Micah finds Minerva and Ebenezer to help out.

Micah and Co. went to the forest camp in 1965 and discovered a Jim Jones style preacher who brought his church from San Francisco. The preacher, Flesher, is a rotten guy who only wants money and power. Micah and Co.'s travel to the camp includes surviving an attack by monsters in the woods. They arrive and are sheltered by the camp but are considered 'outsiders' and untrustworthy.

The camp is in an uproar after a young boy goes missing. A massive search does not find the boy and then the boy's parents also go missing while searching the forest. Flesher the Preacher refuses to go down the mountain to ask for police assistance.

Other things happen. It's basically a monster story with an evil entity at the core. We spend a lot of time with each member of Micah and Co.'s group and I enjoyed learning about those people.

Of the three Cutter penned horror novels I think I enjoyed The Troop the most. All three are decent books but this novel was too long for my taste.