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Centerville
A last summer of innocence for two best friends turns terrifying. It begins with a dead boy found down a well and blossoms into a summer of horror. A gripping tale of murder and terror in a small town called Centerville. This is a book you won’t put down.
Meet Sheriff John Shambach who is consumed with the many tragedies happening in the nearby village of Centerville. Where his own niece is brutally attacked. Through his investigations of fire and murder, the facts simply don’t add up.
Meet Jimmy Harris and Ben Snyder, who live in the village, and are well on the way of discovering the identity of the evil monster living amongst them. They discover who was responsible for the terrifying events at the Firemen’s Carnival, where Betsy Smith was brutally murdered, and the sheriff’s niece is attacked. They piece together the clues to what actually happened to Patrick Marks and why his pants were on backwards. And why he was found down a well.
Through this summer of horror, they unearth the facts that the sheriff is unable to find, and they identify the serial killer in their midst. How does a small insular society cope with tragedy after tragedy in that hot summer of 1955?
Twenty years pass and now Ben Snyder is a detective deputy sheriff in the same quiet central Pennsylvania area where he grew up.
The peacefulness in Centerville is shattered by the murder of an elderly woman who is confined to a wheelchair. Ben finds it suspicious that the woman is found in the cellar with her wheelchair but the chair is too wide to fit through the doorway. Not long after that a local Mennonite girl is brutally murdered and Ben struggles with the few clues to solve either case. His best is the print of a boot found in the mud near the dead girl. A sudden revelation opens things up and leads him back to his own childhood and the horrible events in Centerville in the summer of 1955.
Meet Sheriff John Shambach who is consumed with the many tragedies happening in the nearby village of Centerville. Where his own niece is brutally attacked. Through his investigations of fire and murder, the facts simply don’t add up.
Meet Jimmy Harris and Ben Snyder, who live in the village, and are well on the way of discovering the identity of the evil monster living amongst them. They discover who was responsible for the terrifying events at the Firemen’s Carnival, where Betsy Smith was brutally murdered, and the sheriff’s niece is attacked. They piece together the clues to what actually happened to Patrick Marks and why his pants were on backwards. And why he was found down a well.
Through this summer of horror, they unearth the facts that the sheriff is unable to find, and they identify the serial killer in their midst. How does a small insular society cope with tragedy after tragedy in that hot summer of 1955?
Twenty years pass and now Ben Snyder is a detective deputy sheriff in the same quiet central Pennsylvania area where he grew up.
The peacefulness in Centerville is shattered by the murder of an elderly woman who is confined to a wheelchair. Ben finds it suspicious that the woman is found in the cellar with her wheelchair but the chair is too wide to fit through the doorway. Not long after that a local Mennonite girl is brutally murdered and Ben struggles with the few clues to solve either case. His best is the print of a boot found in the mud near the dead girl. A sudden revelation opens things up and leads him back to his own childhood and the horrible events in Centerville in the summer of 1955.
480 pages, Paperback
Published January 25, 2022
About the author
Kenneth Mattern
16 books2 followersKenneth J. Mattern was born and raised in rural central Pennsylvania and lived and worked there through the mid-90s, when he moved to Alabama. Though fictional, the towns and villages in his books reflect his memories and experiences and are based on real locations. In his twenties he married the farmer’s daughter and they raised two children. He and his small family spent much time at his father-in-law’s dairy farm. There Ken learned much about farming and farm life which is reflected in his first book, Fancy
His interest in writing has been life-long. As a child he wrote stories on cigarette papers and graduated to tablets as he grew older. As an adult he published short stories in local magazines and began to write plays for local church productions. He owned his own electronics business, manufacturing diagnostic tools for chiropractors and published articles in chiropractic magazines. Closing his business in the mid 1980s he became a computer programmer, which he was until his retirement.
In his mid forties Ken moved to Huntsville, Alabama, to work for the Department of Defense. At that time he began to write Fancy, his first novel. He also joined the Huntsville Fiction Writers Group to help hone his skills. In doing so he rewrote and edited Fancy. As a software developer for the Pocket PC he became a contributing writer for Pocket PC magazine.
Ken lives alone and spends his spare time writing, reading and model railroading. His grown daughter and son, along with four beautiful grandchildren, who still live near his original home. Currently he has published four novels and is researching his next project.
His interest in writing has been life-long. As a child he wrote stories on cigarette papers and graduated to tablets as he grew older. As an adult he published short stories in local magazines and began to write plays for local church productions. He owned his own electronics business, manufacturing diagnostic tools for chiropractors and published articles in chiropractic magazines. Closing his business in the mid 1980s he became a computer programmer, which he was until his retirement.
In his mid forties Ken moved to Huntsville, Alabama, to work for the Department of Defense. At that time he began to write Fancy, his first novel. He also joined the Huntsville Fiction Writers Group to help hone his skills. In doing so he rewrote and edited Fancy. As a software developer for the Pocket PC he became a contributing writer for Pocket PC magazine.
Ken lives alone and spends his spare time writing, reading and model railroading. His grown daughter and son, along with four beautiful grandchildren, who still live near his original home. Currently he has published four novels and is researching his next project.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
January 3, 2025
nail biting!
Will Centerville ever recover? This was a read that I could not put down! Great read! Highly recommend!!
This read kept me on my toes- never expecting the next page or chapter!
Will Centerville ever recover? This was a read that I could not put down! Great read! Highly recommend!!
This read kept me on my toes- never expecting the next page or chapter!
Displaying 1 of 1 review