A review by sexton_blake
American Gothic by Robert Bloch

2.0

In terms of style, Bloch is very workmanlike here, and there’s nothing much to admire about his writing other than the fact that it gets the job done. The focus is on the storytelling, and this is a fiction that has as its basis the true story of H. H. Holmes, perhaps the most incredible serial killer of all time. Really, how is this guy is less notorious than Jack the Ripper? He not only committed a lot more murders but he built a massive hotel designed specifically to cater for his evil hobby. Amazing. And horrible. Bloch recounts the tale in a rapid and sparse manner which functions well but I really wish he’d aimed for more. As much as Stephen King annoys me with his meandering plots, I can imagine him doing this story a lot more justice. I wanted to get deeper into the characters. More psychology. More twists and turns. As it is, it’s not far removed from pulp fiction, so yes, it’s enjoyable when taken as such, but it should have been much, much better.