December Park Paperback – March 1, 2014

So, I have read almost all of Malfi's books; I'm maybe 3 short of having finished his entire catalogue. While I feel he is the best horror writer working today, Mr. King notwithstanding, Malfi's books, almost without exception, are deliberately paced (being kind here) and usually feature some excellent imagery and developments throughout, albeit few and far between. In other words, his books feature quite a lot of banality punctuated by some terrific horror scenes, if you can get through the creative droughts. This book is no different in that regard; it is slow to get started--slow even to get to the heart of the matter. However, at some remove, I realized Malfi tried to write a coming-of-age story just as he simultaneously wrote a serial killer who-dun-it novel. The latter is really compelling; the former is somewhat less so, though the relationships in this novel are poignant and do ultimately yield something substantive, even if they sometimes distract from the overall mystery. As is his custom, Malfi describes what the protagonist is eating quite often, and there are other whole scenes that could have been excised but were not, but the serial killer mystery kept me chugging through this one (think Zodiac by David Fincher). I had to know who the killer was, despite all the subterfuge. So, if you like a good mystery, and an interesting, though scattershot, investigation, this is right in your wheelhouse. Comparisons have been made to The Body and other of King's works, but I didn't get the parallel with that particular short work as it was about a quest to locate a body, and this is a book about many disappearances attributed to a kidnapper/serial killer. And sure, some of the repartee is similar, but it is a markedly different journey these boys undertake, and all of it takes place in the nineties, with, for instance, Cobain's suicide being referenced along with a few grunge songs and nineties tropes. All in all, I devoured this book, whilst suffering the more banal bits, and was bereft when I finished it.

Fans of Stephen King’s Stand by Me will love Ronald Malfi’s December Park.Ronald Malfi’s December Park is a master class in character development. The story follows a group of friends who witness the body of a young girl being recovered from the woods near their home. The discovery of her remains marks a gruesome twist in a rash of recent child disappearances perpetrated by someone nicknamed “The Piper.”Angie and his band of friends, burdened by scrawny newcomer Adrian, who has found evidence he hasn’t shared with the police, endeavor to discover “The Piper’s” identity and restore peace to their Harting Farms suburb. So begins a summer of comradery and exploration. How much does one risk for true friendship? Can there ever be a stronger bond than exists during adolescence?Having just read Malfi’s Black Mouth, I expected December Park to fall into the horror category. While there were some gross-out moments, it is much more of a literary mystery than a horror novel. It is an exploration of a summer without social media and cell phones. Boys riding bikes and traipsing through the woods. Sneaking a cigarette and meeting friends at the local diner. It is about the things in these characters’ pasts that attempt to define them, and what it means to discover one’s self.December Park offers a nostalgic look at the folly and bravery of youth in the nineties. It explores the depth of bonds forged in loyalty and the innocence of the past when children weren’t helicopter parented and tethered to tech. A dangerous time, for sure, but what a story! This heartbreaking-yet-hopeful novel is one of the best slow burns I’ve read in a long time. Angie and his band of brothers drew me in from page one. A big thank you to the author for such an entertaining escape and kudos for a job well done. Highly recommended!

I thought for sure I had it figured out and I was completely wrong. I love it when that happens. Nothing is worse than a book like this being easy to solve. I thought the story of the kids was really good. Reminded me of my ‘90’s childhood in a lot of ways. It was creepy in all the right places and I seriously enjoyed it so much. I was sad it was over at the end.

What an amazing book!!! I finished it at 3:30 in the morning, needless to say I'm bleary eyed & drinking a lot of black coffee. I've read a few coming of age books but to me this one was the best. I was shocked at who was responsible for the missing kids, I never saw it coming. It had a bitter sweet ending that will stay with me for quite awhile. I would love if he wrote a follow up book about these five boys in their adulthood & have them get together again. This would also make a wonderful movie. I enjoy Ronald Malfi's books & will continue to read everyone that comes out.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It gives an in-depth portrait of life in a small town ravaged by the abduction and murder of children. Told through the eyes of young people themselves, the story depicts the strength of friendship and the cost of personal loss.

A coming of age epic in the style of King/Bradbury, a group of friends, small town America, and boys doing what boys do, but the town has been visited by evil, and death stalks its dark streets,a well written chiller, this is what good writing should be, when MALFI writes he delivers in spades.

Okay, so I need to lay out a couple of things:I read this while i had Covid, so maybe that affected my concentration.I was expecting a horror novel, maybe this is, maybe this isn't.But this book just didn't do anything for me. Reading it was a real slog and there were multiple with considered DNFing it. I didn't feel any engagement with the characters, and I didn't have any interest in their tales. It just felt like a group of lads wandering around over a few months.Sorry, just not one for me....

I've discovered Mr. Malfi through Come with Me and I was gobsmacked. Next thing I did was add all his previous book to my TBR, and lucky me, he is a prolific writer and I still can catch up on a lot of books. After Bone White, I continued with an older novel, December Park, and I was invested from start to finish. As others have pointed out before, the link with The Body, is very quickly made as we have some teenagers biking their way through summer with a heavy load on their young shoulders. But just as with the previous books, I prefer Malfi's version. There were small passages that irked me a bit with King and that Malfi seems to avoid. It is cleaner, less supernatural and it just tugs at my heartstrings a bit more.I agree with the fact that the book is extremely long, but I had no problem whatsoever with that. When a story is engaging and the prose flows from page to page, I prefer it not to end too quickly, I thought the length was perfect. And talk about the ending! I didn't see that one coming but it made the whole story absolutely perfect, and every little piece of information clicked right in its place.A future re-read for sure !