What's the Name of That Book??? discussion
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Out of the Night
SOLVED: Adult Fiction
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SOLVED. Adult Horror Fantasy. Two brothers operate a mortuary in California. Sheriff is protagonist. Characters incl. former alcoholic and a prostitute. Read in 1980s. Cover: dark, mortuary with storm overhead. Spoilers ahead. [s]
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Mod
Thank you, Kris! And yes, rockabilly, I’m still looking. Also, the book I had was a paperback.
Mod
Google Books preview - https://books.google.com/books?id=uPP... There are different cover images.
Quotes:
... I told you about the brothers who run that mortuary; there's no way those bastards on the hill couldn't be involved in this . Those creatures are with them, up on that hill someplace in their mansion.
The Horrcove mansion and mortuary was a massive two - story structure constructed from darkly weathered granite blocks . Large gabled dormers jutting out from the slate roof added to the building ' s mass and made it seem even larger than ...
[Sheriff] Sutton, his eyes locked on the twin brothers standing high above them, unsnapped his holster strap while Cable ran to help Larchmont. His friend was shaken and stunned , but unhurt. He helped Larchmont to his feet and was surprised ...
That's it,” Cable answered, deciding not to tell Sutton that Lynn Langley was a prostitute. She was probably in trouble, and he didn't want to add to her problems.
Search using WorldCat.org -
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Keyword: mortuary sheriff | Subject: horror | 1960-1995 | Not juvenile | Fiction | Book | English
Kris, that’s it!!! It’s not the cover I remember seeing, but that is DEFINITELY the book!! Thank you SO much!!
Mod
- The cover was mostly dark, and showed a mortuary with a storm swirling overhead.
- The story is set in San Luis Obispo County, California, and starts off with a history of the area (true or fictional, I don't remember...possibly a bit of both).
- The protagonist is the local Sheriff, and I think his name is Frank. If it's not Frank, it's another common, generic name like Bill or John.
- One character/witness is a former alcoholic whose Achilles tendons were severed as revenge for his behavior so that he can't run and walks on tiptoe.
- Another character/victim is a prostitute whose history and activities are described in fairly vivid detail (and I'm honestly not sure I can give those details on a public post).
*SPOILER* - The brothers use the mortuary as a front for their occult activity.
- Several monsters are summoned over the course of the book, but I only remember The Witch of Swamps and The Witch of Blades.
- The monsters were discovered in a vault in a Middle Eastern desert by a group of archaeologists, most of whom went insane and killed themselves/one another after exposure to "neuromyces" upon entering the crypt.