A review by nick_borrelli
The Beast of Barcroft by Bill Schweigart

4.0

The Beast of Barcroft is a ripping-yarn that I would classify in the supernatural thriller genre. At 200 pages, it is a fairly quick and fun read that I knocked out in two days. The gist of the story centers around the small neighborhood of Barcroft, just outside of Alexandria, Virginia. Strange things have been happening in the once-quiet colonial-era neighborhood lately. A local eccentric resident, Madeleine Roux has been slipping deeper and deeper into depression and has allowed her home to become a magnet for vermin and feral cats, to the dismay of the other residents. Not only that, her home is in extreme disrepair. Madeleine's new next door neighbor Ben McKelvie isn't exactly pleased about all of this, frequently complaining to the local animal-control board and authorities. Then one cool November evening, while letting his dog out in the backyard, Ben hears an inhuman growl coming from the nearby woods that couldn't possibly be coming from his faithful pal Bucky. What Ben encounters that night can only be described as otherworldly in nature. A beast that he knows can't possibly exist in modern-day Barcroft has taken up residence and begun feasting on the local residents. What connection, if any, does Madeleine Roux have in the bizarre creature's appearance? It is at this point that Ben enlists the help of a curator from the Simthsonian's National Zoo to help him try to uncover the secret of Barcroft's past and the possible origin of the creature that is on the loose and hungry for blood.
I found this book to be very entertaining and something akin to Blake Crouch in its excitement level. The mystery behind the Beast of Barcroft is handled extremely well and the payoff is worth the ride. The characters are well crafted and even though the story is relatively short, I still felt I had a good grasp of each character's backstory. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good supernatural thriller involving mythical creatures.