youraveragedave 's review for:

Black Mouth by Ronald Malfi
3.25
dark mysterious tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I've heard Ronald Malfi heralded as a successor to Stephen King and I can see why in this book.  He seems to be channeling IT and Dreamcatcher.  A group of grown-up friends must come back to their home town to confront an evil they thought was left behind.  Jamie could be any alcoholic King character (only he's not a writer), Clay is Mike Hanlon with vitiligo, and Jamie's disabled brother, Dennis feels like a better written Duddits.