The Wicked is a very, very fast-paced novel. Take a family that has suffered a horrible trauma in the big city and move them. Take them to Morganville, NC - a small town so different from what they are used to that they already feel as if they’ve been transplanted into the twilight zone. Stir up the pot of their marital bliss with a few dysfunctions and add in some colorful neighbors. This is how you begin.

For fans of the lost horror novels of the 1980s boom-time, The Wicked will deliver smartly. It’s not deep, or complex, it’s gritty and quick. There is an elder power awake in this town, born of a horrible local tragedy. It’s reaching out to twist and warp the minds and lives of the local citizens, and the new family, David, Kate, and their daughter, are swept right into its coils. I’ll admit I cringed when the Necronomicon was mentioned - but it was only a minor speed-bump.
There are some rough spots, but for action, violence, and a good dose of evil getting its comeuppance, this Moloch-pounding of a book fits the bill. I’d recommend this to any fan of the classic horror novel, and Mr. Newman is an author to keep your eye on.

–DNW