John Lutz: Bonegrinder (USA 1980)

From the Publisher:
For the parents of the torn form that had been a boy, it was a tragedy For the merchants in this sleepy Ozark resort, it was a gold mine. But for the sheriff who had to deal with the army of thrill-seekers drawn by the "Bonegrinder" terror, it was worse than a nightmare.

Billy Wintone knew this country, and he knew "Bonegrinder" was no legend. Something was out there. Waiting...

"A CHILLING TALE NOT TO BE READ LATE AT NIGHT!" - Jackson Sun

John Lutz: Bonegrinder. Something is in the Lake. Berkley Books, ISBN: 0425046060 (September, 1980), 232 p.,$2.50.

John Lutz: Bonegrinder (USA 1977)

From the Publisher:
BONEGRINDER is a superb tale of horror, vengeance, and concealed madness by John Lutz, whose Buyer Beware was rated "one of the year's best mysteries" by the San Francisco Examiner. One blistering day in July, the horribly mutilated body of a child is found on the shore of a lake near the Ozark village of Colver. Details of the brutal murder spread fast in the resort town, and both tourists and locals begin to feel nervous and suspicious. A few days later, some campers are spooked by night noises and fire blindly into the woods, killing a local citizen. The panic is on. Sheriff Wintone, charged with keeping the peace in Colver, is outraged when the mayor publicly resurrects the tale of "Bonegrinder," a legendary Ozark lake monster. Newspapers pick up the Bonegrinder story, and curiosity seekers are soon joining the tourists in cramming Colver's hostelries.

The festive atmosphere lasts only until the next killing. A likable old farmer is found cut to bits near a popular fishing spot, and real fear clutches the mountain people. The vacationers start packing, and Sheriff Wintone begrudgingly undertakes to try to find the monster.

As the summer boils on, tales of Grendel reborn attract gun-happy bounty hunters to the night stalker's domain. The beleaguered lawman finds himself hemmed in by controversy, self-doubts, and local superstitions. He must sort out the puzzling evidence -- and reestablish his own ebbing credibility -- while he races to avert the hurricane of blood which lurks in the vast, silent woods on all sides.

JOHN LUTZ has published many short stories in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine and Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine. His first novel for Putnam's, Buyer Beware, was published in 1976. He now lives in Missouri with his wife and three children.

John Lutz: Bonegrinder. A Novel. Putnam's, ISBN: 0399119906 (August, 1977), 254 p.,$7.95.