So much is going on, bank robbers and a creepy little secret in a southern town. ( )

Carsten Stroud can really write. His prose is excellent and his descriptions are really vivid, as are his characters. This literary/suspense/horror novel kept me interested throughout, and I didn't have too much trouble keeping track of the myriad plot threads, even though I was reading a couple of other books also. The ending didn't really leave me wholly satisfied, however, and I thought that some of the plot threads were left dangling. Other plot rhreads were left open to interpretation, which I enjoy sometimes, but in this case, I felt a more concrete resolution to certain things would have been more satisfying.

That said, I certainly didn't mind reading Niceville. I was entertained & there were certainly some deliciously horrific "Oh shit" cringe-inducing moments. I wouldn't be opposed to reading some of Mr. Stroud's other novels. ( )

In March 2013, I read this book and I loved it...until the end. Have you ever been reading a book, and hit that point where you realize, barring a miracle, there's no way the story will be wrapped up in the few remaining pages you have left?

I've had that happen on several occasions, but I had never been more disappointed than I was when I reached the end of Niceville. Why?

I loved this book. As I was reading it, I recommended it to anyone I thought might like its quirky mix of hard-boiled action and gothic supernatural plotting.

But when I reached the end, I literally read the last line and said, "There's no way. There's absolutely no way someone who wrote a novel this well done leaves it hanging like this."

And yet, there had been no more pages to read.

In my profound disappointment, I came here and grudgingly gave the book a three-star rating, simply because everything up to that crappy ending was phenomenal.

Over the next few months, this book stuck with me. There had been so much potential and it was over.

Then I happened to see the next book released by Carsten Stroud. It was call The Homecoming and, when I read the blurb, realized it was the rest of the story from Niceville.

I've just finished The Homecoming and, before I wrote my review of it, came back to what I'd written for the first book. I'd uncharacteristically written nothing. Just rated it and moved on.

I was that disappointed.

Now I can say it. Niceville and The Homecoming aren't first novel and sequel. They aren't the first and second half of a story. They are one story. You read Niceville then, without pause, immediately pick up The Homecoming and continue on. There's no pause in the stories, no break. It's one book, confusingly broken into two parts, with no real indication in either book that the other even exists, which, to my mind, is an absolutely stupid decision on the publisher's part. Anyone picking up The Homecoming is going to realize there's an entire story they missed. Anyone ignorant of The Homecoming and ending at Niceville is going to suffer the same disappointment I felt.

The two books are one. Read them both.

And bask in the glory of a phenomenal story. ( )

Wow, this novel is a real gem...! As soon as I started listening to the audiobook, I was sucked into this strange little town called Niceville and it's people. The narrator, Ann Marie Lee, is a consummate professional who was not only able to keep all the many characters straight, but they all had fully defined speech patterns, inflections, and voices. She was spellbinding! I'm going to have to find more of her audiobooks. Black stone audio, take note...!
The novel was something completely different from anything I've ever read or listened to. But in such a wonderful way...! All these genres mixed up together, with all these crazy characters, and it all worked so well, it was a joy from start to finish. And, the novel only left a couple of small threads hanging, but I'm sure they will be addressed in the second novel of the series....which I can't wait to get to! If you'd like to know a smidge more about the novel and its people, please read the Goodreads review below.
4.5 stars, and highly recommended to anyone who wants a great novel.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/615576667?book_show_action=true&from_r... ( )

Strange, odd, but just didn't do anything for me. ( )