REVIEW: Helltown by Casey Shermany to

 

This book is in the same vein as Truman Capote's In Cold Blood - it is a true crime/partially fictionalized book about serial killer Tony Costa, a serial killer in Cape Cod that was active in the late 1960's.  Tony Costa was an interesting dude - he was seemingly a godlike and charismatic person for many of the young hippies living in P-Town at that time.  In fact, they called him "sire," which I found odd. He was intelligent, well spoken and had an ability to draw people together Charlie Manson style.  But he was also VERY, very dark and messed up. He fancied himself as the wolf of the steppes and his favorite book was Steppenwolf by Herman Hesse. He was also a drug addict, using everything from pot to LSD, pills and heroin. He gave drugs out to the people in his "family" like candy, presumably to keep them bound to him physically as well as psychically. Costa grew his own pot in the woods in Truro (which is literally the next town up the Cape from Provincetown) and this became his kill site/dumping ground for his victims. He was also an amateur taxidermist who wanted to go to medical school (yikes).

This book takes us through Costa's early life, to his killing spree, his eventual capture and the kangaroo trial that he participated in as well as its aftermath. Interestingly, both Norman Mailer and Kurt Vonnegut were living on the Cape during this time period, with Vonnegut acting as almost a reporter (while working on Slaughterhouse-5) and Norman Mailer both writing about this scary debacle. We learn about their lives as they intersect with Costa's case.  We also learn about the historical events that may be connected to Costa's case (including the Manson family, Ted Kennedy and the Lady of the Dunes).

I was mesmerized (and disgusted) by this book. The murders were absolutely brutal and Sherman does a really good job describing them, but not salaciously ("just the facts, ma'am").  He also did extensive research, utilizing trial transcripts, police reports and other primary sources in writing this book.  The fictionalized portions were limited, seemingly, to Costa's self speak, and it didn't take away from the true crime portion of the book.  Definitely worth the read- I had no idea that this had occurred (and I'm a serial killer/true crime aficionado).