A riveting portrayal of a true crime committed in the 1960s in Cape Cod. The story combines facts of the murders and current happening of the times to immerse the reader - you are actually there. If you are a fan of true crime then this is the book for you.

DNF - abandoned at 20%

Although I appreciated the Cape Cod history of the late 1960s and all the cultural references of the time, I just couldn’t get past the brutality of this serial killer. I particularly enjoyed the rivalry between Norman Mailer and Kurt Vonnegut. But the chapters about Joe Costa and his murder sprees actually made me rather sick to my stomach. I decided to stop reading at 20% because it just wasn’t worth torturing myself anymore.

This book was great, the characters were well developed. The plot was interesting. Highly recommend it.

Very interesting book. Love the history of Tony Costa and the look into the mind of a serial killer and psychopath. 4 stars because at times the book fell flat and failed to hold my attention, but at other times it was exciting and riveting. Overall, I really enjoyed this book

What a trip! I really enjoyed how this true crime case was told and went through the entire narrative from.m beginning to the sentencing and sentence itself. Getting to see what might have been going on in Costa’s mind helped the understanding of the motive as well and the mental issues that he went through. While that doesn’t excuse his actions, it gives understanding of why.

Absolutely fun read and one I’ll recommend for a long time! A book that was recommended and lived up to the hype!

"Helltown," by Casey Sherman is a true crime story about serial killer Tony (Antone) Costa, who killed numerous young women in Cape Cod in the late 1960s. Weaving in and out of the telling of the dual personality mindset of the killer are iconic historic events, such as the deaths of Martin Luther King, Robert F. Kennedy; the VietNam war, and the highly competitive writers Norman Mailer and Kurt Vonnegut in a constant war of the minds. It's a very interesting format, and a story which is both compelling and brutal. A reader who enjoys an engrossing true crime story may be somewhat confused by the many side stories, but I found it enjoyable and would recommend.

Somehow I had never heard of Tony Costa and how he terrorized Cape Cod in the sixties, killing at least five women. Those facts are true, but the author has added fictional narratives to tell this story. I am not sure what disturbed me more. The evil that lived inside this killer or the charming face he showed to the world.
It took me a bit to get invested in this story, but once it grabbed me, it was such a twisted tale. There is quite a bit devoted to Kurt Vonnegut and Norman Mailer, authors who lived on the Cape during this period. I don't want to say too much about them, but the lengths they went to profit professionally from this depraved killer had me shaking my head, a lot. Did I enjoy it? To a certain extent and I am not saying that these authors were anywhere near as bad as the killer, but, wow, just wow, what people won't do for a story. If you enjoy true crime or are interested in knowing more about these authors, Helltown is quite a book.

HELLTOWN by Casey Sherman tells the story of serial killer Tony Costa as he rampaged across Cape Cod in the late 60’s.

This book is being marketed as nonfiction and true crime, yet, in the author’s note, Sherman concludes that he took fictional liberties in the telling of this story…Imagine reading an entire (wild & lengthy) book to then hit that statement…

HELLTOWN also jumped around from one person to another (seemingly unrelated) person and their story, and it just became convoluted and unnecessary, with the pieces barely clicking together by the end.

This one was a slog to get through, and I’m not even sure who I’d recommend it to by the end of it (there are also better books already written on Tony Costa if you want an actual nonfiction recounting).

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review - unfortunately, it ended up not being the book for me.

Publication Date: July 12, 2022

Murder and witches and drama! What more could a great book need?
This is a true crime book that reads like a novel. A very interesting novel.
Tony Costa got his start in crime before Charles Manson, but the Tate/LaBianca murders took over the news and not many people paid attention to Costa. Maybe that's what made this book so interesting, because I had never heard any of it before.
But not only do we get a fantastic true crime story, we also get a peek into the lives and rivalry of Kurt Vonnegut and Norman Mailer, both who wrote about Costa during the trial. Two authors I've very familiar with and enjoyed the 'behind-the-scenes' look into their lives.

Cut to me waiting for the miniseries adaptation. I can't imagine how many more nonfiction books I would read if they were all this absorbing; the writing really transports you and has all the best traits of a standard crime thriller. The "characters" stand out and the general sense of foreboding is *chefs kiss*. Highly recommend!

To me the writing style of this book came across as rather sexist. The women were always described by their physical appearance only, as if looks are all that matter where women are concerned. It felt so dated and offensive. Additionally, the story jumped around between the main theme and seemingly unrelated subplots and it felt like a chore to read, rather than entertaining. It's not a book I would purchase and I probably wouldn't read any of this author's other work, either.

What a great book was very interesting how they figured out the Murders. Tony COS TA was the one who was doing all this crazy stuff in Providence town in the sixties. It was interesting how 2 riders also lived on the Cape Kurt monican and Norman Miller. You also had a wife premarried at 14 because He got her pregnant. I also like how the books were tying and other stuff which was also going on in the sixties. And how he killed 4 women but the 2 they were mostly concerned about where Patricia and Mary Ann. The other woman were called considered Towns. He also visited a woman in New York and he also killed her too. It was interesting how the book described how these women were killed and how they were foun And the dunes of TUR OL. Tony also had a bunch of girls who'd always hang around with them and do drugs. It was also very interesting how they mentioned The incident Martha vineyar I Ted Kennedy. The district attorney was very interesting as well Seemed always running into trouble. And the reason this was bought to attention because of the families in Providence Rhode Island wanted to know what happened to their daughters. The court case was also very interesting you'll find them You're interesting. I can see how this was going on because we're always a very crazy time then Sixties. You also find out These women were killed The book it was pretty disturbing. They also tied in the murders with Charlie manson. This is all related to drugs like LSD And how society was changing at the time. The book title called helltown was really interesting as well because it described how the tourist could come up there but they really didn't realize there was a very bad drug Send. They also mention that It was also in this book as well Including witches. Very well written book I like how everything was tied in together

Helltown is a true crime novel about the serial killer, Antone “Tony” Costa who terrorized Cape Town in 1969.
Costa brutally murdered four women. This is well written but very slow moving the first four to five chapters. The story does become more interesting and moves pretty quickly.. There was the subplot or 'other' story which focused on Kurt Vonnegut and Norman Mailer. They seem to go back and forth and give their perspective of the Costa's trial. This was a little confusing and honestly felt like a second book within a book. This book is perfect for those readers who enjoy true crime (in detail) and are not afraid of blood and gore.

I enjoy true crime stories. Always have. This one is fictionalized in part and that part I did not care for. Also, there was a lot of foul language. I did not enjoy this book.

My thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book via Net Galley.

Helltown by Casey Sherman reads like the literary version of Zodiac or a Netflix True Crime documentary: suspense, intrigue and chills on every single page. The book weaves a tale that not only focuses on the murders and Costa’s reign of terror but also sheds light on the changing times of the Cold War era and the effect the killings had on people such as literary giant Kurt Vonnegut.

Sherman weaves the narrative fantastically and allows readers to not only see the perspective of investigators and journalists such as Vonnegut but also dives into the cracked psyche of Costa and the cult of influence he had around him as he committed the heinous acts. The book never dragged and kept me focused on the exploits of each main character and what it was like living not just in “Helltown” but also the 60s and the changing ideas.

This book is chilling and reads much like a blend of Helter Skelter and a Stephen King novel as you read about the horrors committed by Costa but also the effect it had on people, the town and the country all before Manson ever even brought the family together.

Overall Helltown is a must read for true crime readers and I highly recommend this chilling, suspenseful true crime story!

While Tony Costa's story was compelling, I felt the background on Vonnegut and Mailer was much too long. Those chapters weren't nearly as interesting and really weren't necessary. The parts about them writing about the murder trial could've been included without that much background and irrelevant information about them and their feud. Further, the editorialization at the end concerning the woman in the dunes went a little overboard. The author did not specify that he was theorizing about the case and that none of what he included about Strawberry Blonde or the murdered woman was fact until the acknowledgments section, which I found very off-putting.

It took me a long time to read this book as real life got in the way so every night I had a few minutes of time to read about these horrific murders before I would fall asleep! Yes I fit all the memes! Lol!!

This book is about Tony Costa, the man who killed at least five women in Cape Cod in the late sixties. I had actually never heard of him or this case. The author did a very good job detailing the crimes and the times but I felt the book went on too long. This was largely because he chose to novelize the book, using a fictionalized format to tell the story. I imagine some people like that better but I find I don’t. I don’t care for made up dialog and conjecture when relating true crime events. I find it hokey and I don’t trust it. I feel as though the writer can dupe you into thinking what he wants you to think though in this case I imagine the story was probably close to the facts. There was a completely non factual description of another murder later in the book.

The other reason the book was long was that there was a significant amount of information regarding Norman Mailer and Kurt Vonnegut in the book. Oddly both famous authors lived on Cape Cod during that time and were caught up in the murders, the killer and the local environment itself. They both wrote about the crimes. This was certainly interesting given the fact that both men also wrote fictionalized accounts of true events including Mailer’s The Executioner’s Song which is about a real killer on death row. Learning about some of the crazy things that happened to these men, especially Mailer was unexpected. Overall I felt it was kind of a gimmick to throw all that stuff in and made for a very long book.

Not a bad true crime book but definitely not my cup of tea. I will admit to wanting to know more now about Vonnegut and Mailer just out of curiosity but otherwise I can’t say it left me glad I had read it. There have been like three books on Tony Costa recently which I find odd. Lol! I have The Babysitter but I haven’t seen great reviews on that either. I think I’ll wait awhile to read it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am a self described true crime junkie and am disappointed that I have never heard of this case before. The book was well written and kept you hooked on the case of four dead young women. The story tie ins to the community were well done and didn't take away from the story of Tony Costa and his crimes. Would recommend this story to all who enjoy true crime.

This historic case review is worthwhile and the research seems solid. The dialogue was stiff at times, but overall, it makes a contribution to the field of criminal justice, forensic psychology, and true crime lore. The addition of the famous writers and their ego competition was fascinating.