December Park

By Ronald Malfi

In the quiet suburb of Harting Farms, the weekly crime blotter usually consists of graffiti or the occasional bout of mailbox baseball. But in the fall of 1993, children begin vanishing and one is found dead. Newspapers call him the Piper because he has come to take the children away. But there are darker names for him, too . . .

Vowing to stop the Piper’s reign of terror, five boys take up the search. Their teenage pledge turns into a journey of self-discovery . . . and a journey into the darkness of their own hometown. On the twilit streets of Harting Farms, everyone is a suspect. And any of the boys might be the Piper’s next victim.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Medallion Press
• Release date: May 13, 2014
• ISBN: 9781605425887

Ronald Malfi

Ronald Malfi is the award-winning author of several horror novels, mysteries, and thrillers, including the bestselling horror novel Come with Me. He is the recipient of two Independent Publisher Book Awards, the Beverly Hills Book Award, the Vincent Preis Horror Award, the Benjamin Franklin Award, and his novel Floating Staircase was a finalist for the Bram Stoker Award. He lives with his wife and two daughters in Maryland and tweets at @RonaldMalfi

Reviews for December Park

[epweil · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A clever, thought provoking book reads like the typical boys coming of age story but with a twist it takes place in a town terrorized by child abductions and the hero and his four friends vow to catch the killer. The tension mounts as the boys follow the clues until the combination nail biting, tear jerker ending reveals the killer as someone no one would ever suspect.

[robtcm · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

'December Park' kept me interested right through the entire book and in my opinion Ronald Malfi has all the makings of a great story teller. I do not subscribe to the ill-conceived notion that in order to write a review that you must dissect the book completely and analyze it as if you were a University English Professor or a Literature Critic. What I prefer to do is reveal whether or not the story kept me interested enough to continue, did the story keep me up reading when I should have been sleeping, and did it throw a twist or so at me? This book did all three exceptionally well including an odd and clever twist at the end. Overall a very satisfying read and personally recommended by me. I will be watching for further offerings by Mr. Malfi to be sure.

[ckmtl · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I thoroughly enjoyed December Park, to the point that I missed out on some precious sleep by reading much later than I should have. Fans of Stephen King's The Body/Stand By Me or It would slip comfortably into the book.Malfi's main characters are well-developed and likeable, which made the conclusion of the book very touching. Throughout the body of the novel, he succeeds at keeping the reader guessing as to who The Piper may be.At first I was slightly apprehensive of Malfi's use of a budding writer as a narrator. It's a tiny pet peeve of mine, as it usually has overtones of author-insertion. However, in this case it wasn't a huge plot element and didn't intrude at all.On the down side (and slightly spoiler-y), I was a bit disappointed that the killer's motivations weren't explored more fully.

[minakelly_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I'm a little conflicted on this book. As a bildungsroman, it's great - well observed, realistic characters, interesting arcs - but as a mystery the end is a complete wash out.The two genres clash in awkward places, pulling a reader out of the novel. On the one hand, as a bildungsroman, it makes sense of the teenagers of the town to be so divided from the adults and to keep their own counsel. As a mystery, it's ludicrous; the teenagers are actively obstructing the investigation and endangering their own lives. Even the main character allows his police officer father to follow lines of investigation he knows are dead ends (like the girl who is assumed to have gone off with someone she knew having actually snuck out for a smoke). Thematically it highlights the division between adults and teenagers, but realistically it jars.Overall, I enjoyed it, and it's a nice insight into small town east coast America. Malfi just about gets away with the self-inserted references to Stephen King because his writing as a whole really is comparable. The sense of dread that hangs over the town is gradually ramped up, the idea that it really could be anyone the boys know, including each other. It's a shame, really, that the final resolution has no connection to the mystery plot (and everything to the bildungsroman), since the mystery is what gives the plot its forward momentum, rather than the character study.

[rhian_of_oz · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I found this book disappointing for a number of reasons. I read an uncorrected proof and I would hope editing would make the book a bit tighter, but there were still problems for me aside from that.One big one is that the narrator is supposed to be a 16 year old boy, but his "voice" read older to me. I know the narrator is a gifted writer, but even given that, some of the language used did not ring true for me. Paradoxically, Angelo and his friends seemed younger than 16 in their actions. It didn't feel authentic to me that a group of 16 year old boys would spend their summer riding their bikes and hanging out at the park.The other big problem is the identity of the Piper. Part of the fun of reading a "whodunnit" is trying to work out the bad guy. And even if you don't pick it, it is also fun to go back in retrospect and find the clues throughout the book that point to the culprit. The bad guy in December Park came out of left field (left of left field even) and I felt a bit ripped off.I also found it hard to suspend my disbelief that a group of people would withhold evidence from police in such serious circumstances, especially Angelo.I didn't have to force myself to finish this book and (aside from occasional sloppiness) it was reasonably easy to read. But how it read to me was a combination of Hardy boys and horror/gothic which wasn't what I was expecting. I wouldn't recommend this book to my friends, nor has it enticed me to read anything else by the author.

[bethann28 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I won this book as an early reader through Library Thing.I have waited a bit to review the book to see if my feelings changed.The friendships between the 5 boys, as well as their individual characters are extremely well written and feel true to life. the author does a phenomenal job building suspense. However, the adult characters were not well written, perhaps to enhance the plot line. While the boys attempting to solve the mystery was definitely an engrossing plot line, the reality is that parents would not have been so blind during such a trying time.And, as others have mentioned, the plot twist/revealing of the killer is a disappointment and not well explained.Did I enjoy the book? Yes.Would I recommend it? Maybe.

[coachtim30 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

"December Park" is outstanding novel that could go down as author Ronald Malfi's Magnum opus. It contains some of the best parts of Stephen King's "The Body", Robert McCammon's "Boy's Life" and Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird" and should be compared favorably to those books.Malfi's created a wonderful coming-of-age story about four teenage friends who become determined to find "The Piper", a suspected serial kidnapper/killer preying on the children of Harting Farms, MD. When the boys view the gruesome removal of a young girl's body from December Park, their natural adolescent curiosity takes over and they soon find themselves wanting to find out more about the matter. Led by Angelo "Angie" Mazzone, the boys soon pick up another willing "detective" in the form of strange Adrian Gardiner, another 15-year old who moves in next to Angie. The be-speckled, nerdy Adrian soon becomes the driving force behind the five buddies' relentless search for the killer after he finds a locket belonging to the young girl. Frustrated by the lack of progress that the local police department is having with the case, the boys soon become obsessed with finding the answer to the missing children. As they search for clues over the next year, the boys become even closer as they find out a great deal about life, growing up, friendship, and loyalty.The passion and voice of Angie's character will have many readers wondering how much of it is written from Malfi's personal experiences. Angie is dealing with a lot more than a search for The Piper. He's trying to connect with his distant father who's never gotten over the loss of his wife and then the death of his oldest son, Charles, in the Iraqi War. Add to the mix that Angie's dad is one of the detectives assigned to the search for the kidnapper/killer and one finds a family dealing with a lot of issues.The characters in this novel are written with such depth and detail that they soon become as familiar as the real kids down the street. Malfi creates descriptive scenes throughout the book that will have many readers reliving their own childhood experiences. The plot has a sufficient number of twists and scares that will keep readers churning through the book. Weighing in at a little over 640 pages, the book is about 100 pages too long, but the length of the novel shouldn't detract the reader from a wonderful experience. A terrific twisted ending ties the novel up nicely and creates a satisfying conclusion to a wonderful story that the reader will remember long after finishing it. If you haven't read anything by Ronald Malfi yet, (and he has some outstanding books already in print - "Snow" is one of my favorites) then this would be a great place to start. Is that a Bram Stoker Award I see in the future for "December Park"?

[kellikohrherr · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is the first book by Ronald Malfi that I have ever read and am I ever glad that I did! I have read all of Steven King's books and this one was VERY reminiscent of The Body. I enjoyed how the author wove the mystery of the missing teens into the everyday lives of the characters. I particularly enjoyed learning about Angelo's home life. The only negative I have about the book is the climax. It seemed very forced to me. However, I do recommend this book to those who enjoy not only a good mystery, but also a look into the character's lives.

[ungoliant-2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I won December Park through LibraryThing Early Reviewers.I loved this book from beginning to end. Despite its size I flew through it and finished it in four days, which is pretty impressive for me. The plot was immediately engrossing, the characters and their dialogue effortlessly realistic (and at times quite funny, I found myself laughing out loud at some of the conversations and antics of the protagonists). Ronald Malfi is an exceptional author and I'm genuinely enthusiastic about hunting down his earlier books.

[yoyogod · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Ronald Malfi is rapidly becoming one of my favorite writers. He is very good at writing entertaining stories with really great characters. Naturally when I got the chance to get a review copy of his next novel, I knew I'd have to take it. I'd be crazy not too, because Malfi is just that good.Unlike most of his books that I've read, December Park is not a horror novel. This is definitely more of a crime novel or a mystery, and also a coming of age story. It's set in a small Maryland town in the 90s where teenagers have begun to disappear. The police have no leads, and the papers are blaming the disappearances on a serial killer they've dubbed the Piper, so a group of high school boys decide to amke like the Hardy Boys and try to solve the case themselves.I just couldn't help but care about the boys. I also just couldn't figure out who the Piper was going to turn out to be, which is fairly rare for me in these types of books. Trust me, you'll want to read this book when it comes out.

[antao-3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

My second Malfi.

The more I read Malfi, the more I want to read him. He's about to become my discovery of the year. He's able to surpass genre limitations/expectations, he never takes an easy way out and his dark fiction is exceptionally well written.

The transaction between reader and text that creates what I like to call the "horrific effect" is complex and to a certain extent subjective. Although the horrifying event may be quite overt, a death, a ghost, a monster, a killer, it is not the event itself but the style and atmosphere sourrounding it that creates horror. It's the atmosphere that suggests a greater awe and fear, wider and deeper than the event itself. This is what makes a Dark Fiction novel stand out from the crowd as far as I'm concerned.

You can read the rest of this review on my blog.

[elizajane_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is a hard book for me to review; I was under the impression it was a horror. It most certainly is not. As I read I came to think it was a thriller, but it hardly is that either. It defies my definition of any genre and yet I liked the book, very much. More than anything it is a coming of age story, five boys on the cusp of manhood in the early 1990s, set against the backdrop of their town being gripped by fear from a rash of disappearing young teens. The boys become obsessed with finding out who is responsible. The papers have nicknamed the perpetrator "The Piper" and while no bodies are found it's assumed there is a serial killer on the loose. So, the boys spend the summer finding a couple of clues, hanging out in the park which has been deemed a "no go" area by the authorities and travelling all over town on their bikes exploring old abandoned places they haven't visited since they were kids, or ever. The story is more about the boys, this last summer together (though they don't know it), getting to know them, their camaraderie. They are the only friends each other has, mostly, they are not toughs but they smoke and don't do well at school, not really belonging to any clique other than each other. I really enjoyed the story in a "Stand By Me" kind of way, the creepy background gives it some suspense and there are a few intense moments but nothing really ever happens until the final pages for a book with over 600 pages. The ending is a rush, a twist, a surprise, and wrapped up somewhat too neatly with some questions never answered. So not a wholly satisfying ending, and yet in the grand scheme, I felt the boys' relationship was the main theme and that did end satisfyingly and bittersweet. If I'd known from the outset I was reading a coming of age story, and hadn't been expecting horror or thriller, I'd have rated the book higher.

[sparemethecensor · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The pros: well written, compelling characters, beautifully rendered setting.The cons: overly long (namely because it wasn't properly edited), uneven pacing, inauthentic conversations among family members, ridiculous and unexplained ending.Worth a read if you like this genre and don't mind meandering, self-indulgently long novels. Don't read if you are looking for a mystery more than a coming of age tale.

[britt84 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A great coming of age story reminiscent of Stephen King.In a small town children disappear - only one body is found. Five boys, on the verge of adulthood, decide to investigate the disappearances on their own.A lovely story, with a very intriguing plotline and a great description of boys turning into men. The five friends come to realise that childhood doesn't last forever, and that the games they play may be more serious than they thought. Still, they stick together to get to the bottom of the mysterious disappearances, even when this may lead them into danger. I very much enjoyed the descriptions of the five boys, their troubles and their friendship. Also, the relationship between the main character, Angelo, and his father and grandparents is worked out very well. I found the story a bit dragging in the middle part, when the kidnapper seems to take a break and the plot slows down a bit, but other than that, it was a real page turner. The novel works up to a real climax and ends with a bang, with a real surprise at the end.

[runner56_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I did expect a lot from this book as Ronald Malfi is a fav author of mine. This is a coming of age story built around the murder and disappearance of a number of teenagers. I found the story a little overlong and within those 700 pages very little seemed to happen as the kids chased and cycled around on their bikes trying to find the murderer who they called the Piper...and that's it! So a little disappointed but as always RM kept me reading with his great style and ability to create believable and human characters that any reader can associate with.

[marcush_42 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

December Park is a coming of age story and a murder mystery wrapped into a fairly lengthy novel. The characters are very well constructed though, at times, their voices seem too mature for the teenager mind frame the reader is supposed to be in. Overall, though the story is entertaining, suspenseful, and mostly well-crafted.

[Goldie · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Ronald Malfi novels are all about characters and this book doesn't disappoint. Has the feel of old Stephen King where u actually care for the characters. Malfi is one of my favorite storytellers. Enjoy!

[jdr857 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I am confident that with the right promotion, Ronald Malfi's “December Park” could top the New York Time's Best Seller List. The book is phenomenal. I don’t often make such bold statements when I write reviews as I am inherently aware of the danger of becoming too subjective; a book that I may find exquisite due to its expression and style may seem like drivel to the next reader. Yet there is an essence about “December Park” which, I believe, transcends the limitations imposed by individual preferences. A reader may have a particular proclivity for a certain genre of literature, such as fantasy, humour, or mystery, yet he or she will be entirely enthralled by Ronald Malfi’s new novel. To write that “December Park” is about a group of adolescent boys who come together in an attempt to identify a mysterious child abductor known only as “the Piper” would do this book a great disservice. Granted, the aforementioned summary does, indeed, recapitulate the plot of the novel rather well. It does not, however, delve into the major issues that Malfi focuses on as he brings the reader into the world of Angelo, Michael, Scott, Peter, and Adrian. “December Park” is a coming of age story that looks at what happens when the familiar becomes unfamiliar; this theme is one which affects nearly every individual as they undergo the physical, social, and emotional changes associated with high school years. Malfi weaves his plot around the idea that what once may have seemed safe, secure, certain, and unmoved can, in an instant, be altered and made unrecognizable. The protagonists try to make sense of that which is incomprehensible and the journey that Angelo embarks on as he learns to confront the mysterious, unknown realities of life leads the reader into a world which will likely seem remarkably familiar. The experiences of Angelo and his friends are ones that nearly all adolescents encounter as they transition from childhood to adulthood and Malfi explicitly addresses all of the adversities and sufferings that the teenage years entail. One of the most enjoyable aspects of “December Park” is the narrative. Angelo is a character who is tremendously well-developed and easy to identify with. Often in novels, the protagonist is portrayed as a paper-thin template of apparent “virtue”. Angelo is a flawed character. He smokes, he swears, he gets involved in physical altercations, and he demonstrates disrespect and impudence to figures of authority. Yet it is all of these traits which make him easy to identify with; he may not be the embodiment of rectitude but he is real-seeming. The dialogue amongst the group of friends is extraordinarily authentic. Malfi has a very strong grasp on the vernacular of high schoolers and he makes appropriate cultural references which serve to enhance the verisimilitudinous nature of the five friends. There is one aspect of “December Park” which I found to be especially jarring and out of place: the ending. I will not spoil what the ending of the book is for those who have not read it but I will discuss some aspects of the ending which I felt were out of place. The rest of this paragraph will be discussing, in some detail, the end of the novel. IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE NOVEL, DO NOT CLICK THE SPOILER LINK! The revelation of the Piper’s identity at the end of the novel is disappointing and unnecessary. Part of what makes “December Park” so intriguing is the aura of mystery which pervades the narrative. The abductions remain in the background of the story and the reader experiences the Piper’s crimes only through Angelo’s limited omniscience. This technique perpetuates the idea that the focus of the novel is primarily on the socio-emotional nature of its protagonist. The revelation of the Piper’s identity feels contrived and forced; a way for the author to connect the crimes that transcend the book’s plot to Angelo. I personally felt that the Piper’s identity should have remained a mystery. Not every loose thread needs tying up. Leaving the identity of the Piper unknown would have emphasized the idea that runs throughout the novel; namely, that the mysterious aspects of reality cannot always be understood. I understand Malfi’s desire to provide some answers and closure to the book, but I found the revelation to be implausible and inapt in contrast to the rest of the plot.Regardless of the somewhat unfitting ending, “December Park” is one of the best novels that I have ever read. Ronald Malfi has created a world that is intriguing, mysterious, and oddly relatable. He invites the reader to experience a rollercoaster of emotions; excitement, sadness, euphoria, and bewilderment are just some of the feelings that the reader is bound to experience as he or she reads the novel. I have recommended this book to a number of my friends and family and I reiterate here what I have told them already: Go pick up a copy of this incredible book!5/5

[tina1969_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Piper has come to take the children away.This is the first book by Ronald Malfi that I have read and I have to be honest he is an author that I have never heard of. So I was quite surprised when I started to read the book.December Park is about Angelo and his friends who live in a small town and some teenagers have started to vanish. The perp has been nicknamed ‘The Piper’. When Adrian comes to live next door to Angelo and they become friends they start a quest to discover the identity of the Piper.When I was reading the book it reminded me of R J Ellory and his ’Quiet Belief in Angels’ and also ‘The Body’ by Stephen King. I got the impression that the author may have had his influences from Stephen King who gets mentioned a few times in the book.The book was a tome to read and has taken me a while but there was plenty to keep my interest. I did feel that the story was part coming of age and part thriller. I also felt that there were parts in the middle of the book that focused on Angelo and his crew and just there normal lives, then something happens and the hardy boys get into the action again.My niggle is the ending. I didn’t like who the Piper turned out to be. The reason being was very weak and I feel that it let the story down badly. There was for me no rhyme or reason for who the perp was.Overall a really good read and I would seek out more by Ronald Malfi but I didn’t like the ending.

[carol420 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Summary:

In the quiet suburb of Harting Farms, the weekly crime blotter usually consists of graffiti or the occasional bout of mailbox baseball. But in the fall of 1993, children begin vanishing and one is found dead. Newspapers call him the Piper because he has come to take the children away. But there are darker names for him, too . . .
Vowing to stop the Piper’s reign of terror, five boys take up the search. Their teenage pledge turns into a journey of self-discovery . . . and a journey into the darkness of their own hometown. On the twilit streets of Harting Farms, everyone is a suspect. And any of the boys might be the Piper’s next victim.

My Thoughts:

I have only recently discovered this author when I read [The Floating Staircase a delightfully creepy ghost story. I had my library begin to search for anything else he had written and December Park was the happy result. It is told from the view point of five, 15 year old boys in 1993-94 as their small town is terrorize by a figure the newspapers are calling "The Piper". The book is a bit long...but never boring. It contains some of the best parts of Stephen King's The Body and Robert McCammon's Boy's Life. The plot was immediately engrossing, the characters and their dialogue effortlessly realistic, and at times quite funny. It was one of the few books that I can truly say I was sorry to see end.

[deltaqueen50 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

December Park by Ronald Malfi is a coming of age story about a group of young boys that decided to hunt down a serial killer who is operating in their area. Called The Piper as he appears to be luring young people to their fates. This is a very long book and I am afraid I didn’t help the reading by stopping several times and taking long breaks before picking the book up again. It just didn’t grab me and I fear that I simply wasn’t up to the endless pages of teenage boy talk.I do believe that the author writes very well and is fully able to enter into the mindset of young boys. I was reminded at times of Stephen King’s style with it’s easy fluidity and strong sense of place. I think the length of the book works against itself as in this type of book the reader is expecting a lot of action and in December Park it seemed that the action was very slow in coming.