Helltown is a true crime novel about the infamous serial killer, Antone “Tony” Costa who plagued Cape Town in 1969. Costa was responsible for the brutal and grisly murders of at least 4 women at that time. Unfortunately due to lack of forensic evidence, Costa was convicted of only 2 murders for which he was to serve 2 life sentences.

While Helltown was interesting from the true crime angle, the author indulged in some creative liberties by recreating the dialogue that MAY have occurred between all parties involved. While the insertion of the dialogue may have added some artistic flair, I for one did not appreciate it. I would have preferred just the facts.

In addition to the creative dialogue, the author inserted a few tangential narratives. Dedicating complete chapters to storylines about Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., Norman Mailer, Chappaquiddick, and Charles Manson. I didn’t understand the point of these tangents except that it just added to the total word count and acted as fillers for an otherwish shorter crime story. Needless to say, I skimmed those tangential chapters to get to the meat of the story. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much meat left in the narrative.

The author has conducted extensive reasearch as evidenced by the footnotes and references, and I appreciated that. However, I still found it to be just an okay read. Two satisfactory stars.

I received a digital ARC from Sourcebooks through NetGalley. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.

I always enjoy a true crime read about a case I've never heard of. The twists of this case were surprising and the way that Costa ran this town was revealing about how things are not what they seem. I am going to keep an eye out for Casey Sherman's books going forward!

Hell Town is about serial killer, Tony Costa, who targeted young women in the Cape Cod area in the late '60s. The book also spends a lot of time on the relationship between writers, Kurt Vonnegut and Norman Mailer. As a true crime fan, I found those parts of the book dragged for me. I was more interested in learning about Tony than I was the writers. But I would say that the book is well written and I would definitely recommend it true crime readers as well as fans of Vonnegut and Mailer who want to learn more about their relationship. Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the advanced reader copy.

Whew! What a wild ride. This is the story of Tony Costa, the Cape Cod killer. Part of the true crime novel includes two rival writers' stories, Kurt Vonnegut and Norman Mailer and their involvement/history with their career.

This book is split into those two aspects above and then I'd say the telling of the actual murders that took place and the trial for those murders.

I really liked the true crime part of this book and how we are walked through the occurrences. It's VERY graphic for those who need trigger warnings, this is your warning. I, however, didn't care for the historic part of the writers. I can see how telling Vonnegut and Mailers stories tie into the book, but it just wasn't for me. Which is why it lost a star.

If you like journalism, graphic true crime, and need to get to the beach soon, then read this book! Cape Cod sounds and looks BEAUTIFUL and someday I hope to visit.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this netgalley!

I am an absolute true crime junky! I had little knowledge of Tony Costa and the Helltown murders so was really excited to dive in & get all the gruesome details. The book focused on the acts of Tony Costa, as well as two local authors Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., & Norman Mailer. The book was a bit of a slow start and honestly I don't think the Mailer/Vonnegut parts added anything exceptional to the book-they just seemed extra & the book would have been less distracting without it. Taking out those parts this book is 3.5⭐ for me.

This book is not for me. I signed up for a nonfiction true crime novel about Tony Costa. What I got was a messy, inspired by true events borefest.

Helltown is the first official true crime book I've read, and I'm glad I did.
Thank you Sourcebooks and NetGalley for the digital review copy.

If you are a fan of true crime and find the 1960’s of interest, this book is for you. Sherman creates a compelling story and crafts a tale that merges two key authors with a serial killer.

The story of Tony Costa is brutal and his actions gut wrenching. The rivalry of Mailer and Vonnegut is fascinating and the intersection of the three was a book I couldn’t put down.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for an advance release copy in exchange for an honest review.

A great deal of this book is about Kurt Vonnegut and Normal Mailer, two writers who apparently were obsessed with the Tony Costa case. Having background on them makes sense and add to the story. But, not this much. There are entire chapters dedicated to each man's life; their strengths and vices, their marital discord and struggling with finding their voices and their places in the world. That all belong in other books. It not only doesn't bolster this story, it detracts from it.

The book opens from Tony Costa's POV after he was imprisoned, and it was interesting and made me want to read more. It references the book he wrote, but we never get to see or read any of that book. That brief scene is all we get about him in prison, and there has to be a lot more to tell. How did this monster deal with being caged? How did he adapt to prison life, or given that he committed suicide, did he ever adapt?

The story that follows Costa and his victims is well done, and you find yourself on the edge of your seat, waiting for them to find the bodies and then figure out it is Costa. The political intrigue with the district attorney was also interesting and is definitely a part of the legal system that needs to be brought to light more.

Overall, I'm giving this book three stars because slogging through all of the unnecessary info on the two writers just took up too much time and was annoying. If 80% of that material was removed you would have a solid true crime story.

**Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this title in exchange for a fair and honest review**

DNF @18%

I really wanted to get further with this book, I very rarely DNF but this was so dense and meticulously reserached that it felt like I was reading an academic paper. Maybe I didn't read the blurb properly when I requested it but I was expecting information about the investigation into the killer (perhaps that comes later), I wasn't expecting to wade through the thoughts of a serial killer during and after his crimes and to have chapters about 2 authors that felt completely unrelated to the plot.

We travel back in time to the Age of Aquarius ♒. Hippies , drugs 💊, free love 💕, far out music 🎶 (Rolling Stones, Fifth Dimension, Beatles), ✌️ peace ☮️ and groovy times. Ah, the memories.
During these happy times there was also evil lurking about. Serial killers ( Manson, Cape Cod Vampire, Zodiac Killer, Ted Bundy, Boston Strangler).
Not many are aware of the Cape Cod Vampire, Tony Costa or the murders of Truor.
The author takes us on a journey to learn more of Costa and how he butchered innocent women along with his side-kick Cory. His split personality and his obsession of necrophilia. The gruesome and gory details are not for the faint of heart.
Norman Mailer and Kurt Vonnegut Jr. are dueling writers that lived near Costa. They give their perspective of Costa and how they got involved with the case.
Thank you Netgalley and the author for a digital copy. Read and reviewed voluntarily and the opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

I read this book for free in exchange for my review. This book was about Tony Costa, the 60’s era Charles Manson. I had read a book about him previously and couldn’t wait to dive in to this one. This book follows Tony Costa and two writers who are trying to get to his story first. I would look up trigger warnings before diving into this. Tony Costa was by no means a gentle man 🥹!

I judged a book by its cover and was blown away by the way Casey Sherman structured this book. This was everything I’ve ever wanted in a true crime novel! The author did an outstanding job researching the life of the gruesome serial killer, Tony Costa, and gave readers an inside look into the history of events that occurred in Cape Cod in the 1970’s.

The author gave us a tour of Cape Cod and took us alongside Tony Costa, who was living the hippie lifestyle. He was charming, handsome, and women trusted him upon meeting him. He was an awful man with a sick mind that preyed on women and I’ll never stop thinking about what kind of person he was and what he did to those poor women.

I had no idea who Tony Costa was upon reading this book and found myself completely obsessed with this novel. Now that I’ve finished reading, I want to go back and read it again but a little slower this time.

Helltown takes the reader to Provincetown, Cape Cod Massachusetts in 1969. In the era of Charles Manson a charismatic young man, Tony Costa, becomes the leader of a "cult" of women. Preaching about love, he is a serial killer.
At that historical moment Kurt Vonnegut and Norman Mailer are on the cape competing for the role of best author.
Sherman takes us into the year and the pursuit of Costa.
A spine tingling true crime story

Whoa! What a ride. It was very fast-paced. The writing style kept me hooked and I didn't find myself losing any interest. I enjoyed getting to know each of the characters and how real the story felt. The author did a great job painting the setting, so it was easy for me to visualize the scene played out before me. I recommend giving this one a chance!

A very graphic but informative book. Very tragic to think of those young women losing their lives. It's sickening to this that someone could murder and dismember other people.

A probing, engrossing study of a serial murder on Cape Cod, at approximately the same time as the events at Chappaquidiick and Ted Kennedy. The author does an impressive job of juggling different storylines, while keeping us involved in the twisted passions of the murderer and the hysteria his actions caused during one eventful year.. Recommended to true crime buffs.

Fans of Vincent Bugliosi's Helter Skelter will feel right at home with the new book Helltown. This true crime book is written in narrative form and follows serial killer Tony Costa,  who made his name as a violent killer. Hidden in plain side as an eloquent leader of the counter culture in Provincetown, Massachusetts.  People thought he was fantastic, as he handed out hallucinogenic drugs by the handful to locals.  At the same time, women began to disappear and Tony's charisma and good looks made many people overlook him as a possible suspect.  When he becomes a key suspect, local writers Kurt Vonnegut and Norman Mailer both race to write about Costa and launch their own investigations.

I really wanted to fall headfirst into Helltown and read all the way through, but it just didn't grab me the way books like I'll Be Gone in the Dark. Casey Sherman is a solid writer, but this book feels like fiction instead of true crime and that's just not my style. Still, folks who love the classic true crime narrative of the 70s and 80s will likely fall madly in love with this book.




Helltown is available July 12, 2022 from Sourcebooks.

Before Manson, there was Costa - a sadistic serial killer on Cape Cod. In the times of drugs and hippies, Costa preyed on women and hacked them to pieces. This nonfiction novel is reminiscent of Truman Capote's In Cold Blood or Casey Cep's Furious Hours. I loved every second of it and couldn't put it down!

I have an uncanny obsession with true crime so when I saw Helltown, I knew without a doubt I had to submit a request and I am so happy I did.

This was a WILD story. Jam packed with knowledge, murder, and some cool little hippie vibe. Helltown, needs to be on every true crime lovers radar.

I never heard of Tony Costa but holy crap, now I will never forget him. This whole book was just absolutely insane. Please do yourself a favor and request this book and then obsessively search google for every little detail .

Five Stars