Product Description

When Ben Harper is hung for his part in a bank robbery, he leaves his young children John and Pearl to hide the $10,000. Soon a strange preacher comes to town and claims to have known their daddy. While he preaches the Word of the Lord, darkness lurks in his heart, and he wants the money.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #854860 in Books
• Published on: 1999-01-07
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 266 pages

Customer Reviews

Excellent complement to the film
Most readers will approach this book after having seen Charles Laughton's masterful 1955 film starring Robert Mitchum. I recommend the book unreservedly as a complement to the film.

Grubb's prose is beautiful throughout and all the characters are excellently drawn, even if the absence of speech marks takes a little getting used to.

The book is more affecting than most I have read, and the reader experiences frustration at the naïveté of Willa and Ruby, anger at the satanic evil of Harry Powell and the hypocrisy of Icey Spoon, and perhaps most strongly of all, pity for John and Pearl. In fact, the most moving part for me is a lengthy monologue by John towards the end of the book, not included in the film, where we see the full extent of the psychological disturbance he has suffered.

On the surface, the story is simply a parable about false prophets and the struggle between good and evil. In actuality it is much more than that: a paean to lost childhood and the dreamlike state of a child's life. Strongly recommended.

A profound masterpiece
A simple tale told with eloquence and quiet passion. It is a wonderful companion piece to the film as previously mentioned.
There is tragedy here as well as tension. The characters are simply unforgettable. The author permits us to feel what they feel. I don't want to give anything away. Suffice it to say, it is one of the finest books I have ever read. If you like an exciting read, read this masterpiece, you will never forget its story or its power.

Fabulous
Books like this are the reason I read as much as I do. To find a work so brilliantly written as this makes up for the occasional rubbish.

The prose thoughout is beautiful, tense, awe-inspiring. there are moments where I forgot to breathe, I was so caught up in the book and scared for the plight of the children.

I cannot reccoment this book highly enough. This is one of my very rare ten out of tens.