The Return

By: Bentley Little

Narrated by: Nicholas Selker

Springerville is famous for the legend of the Mongolian Monster. Of course nobody really believes it. It’s just a good campfire story, something to attract gullible tourists ­until an excavation team unearths the figurine of a screaming woman, the jawbone of a deformed animal, and a child’s toy. How odd that they were buried together. Odd, too, is the foul odor lingering in the air, the strange noises at night, and the man’s face found hanging from a tree. Now the locals are locking their doors. Because after sundown, campfire stories can seem very, very real.

©2002 Bentley Little (P)2024 Journalstone

This One Missed the Mark for Me

Something about this book just didn’t hold my attention. I struggled to connect with the characters—none of them felt particularly relatable or compelling. The storyline had potential, but it never really came together in a way that kept me engaged. I’m usually a big fan of Bentley Little’s work, but unfortunately, this one just wasn’t for me, I ended up stopping before I made it halfway through. On a positive note, the narrator did a great job with the material, even if the story itself fell flat.

Rather dull

This was far from Bentleys best. I found it rather boring and confusing. It was too long and not exciting

Not my fav from this author

I found the book rambling and often hard to follow.
I also didn’t like a lot of the pure gore, on animals and children.
I think this will be my last purchase from this author.

Incredible, one of Bentley Little's best

I have to agree with many reviews that some of Bentley Little's works seem formulaic. The Return shows how talented this author is when at his creative best.
The story has some elements in old Anasazi culture, in reality not much is known. It was a great leap off point for this disturbing thriller. It does not hop around in a disjointed manner. The characters could have more development but still are believable enough to hold interest.
Who knows what dark elements can be unleashed at any time. I especially enjoyed the discovery of artifacts which indicated ancients could predict and see the future.
Great work! I could not stop listening.

left with too many questions

I felt that the author included too many characters that weren't necessary to the story. Just filler and I never either found out what happened to them or was just confused on who they were. Very long and drawn out and things put in just for shock value that had no relevance to the story. All just my opinion of course.