Needful Things by Stephen King (1991, Hardcover)

As a devoted Stephen King reader, I have read almost every book he has written. In my opinion, all his best works were written BA [before his accident] and Needful Things thankfully is among them. The book open in Castle Rock, no surprise there, but as it says on the cover it is the last Castle Rock based story. The story opens with a mysterious stranger opening up a store in downtown Castle Rock. No one in town is exactly sure what the shop sells, and even those who have been inside emerge in a sort of trance, usually unable or unwilling to remember the exact nature of their conversation with the proprietor. In a small town like Castle Rock, everyone knows everyone and soon the town is abuzz with the news of the mysterious new shop and its unusual business hours. Soon after the shop opens, strange things start happening in this normally quiet suburb. There are several cases of hate mail, tire slashings and broken windows. The sherrif soon realizes that the new shop is more then it appears to be, and decides to investigate further. The owner of the new shop, an elderly man named Leland Gaunt, does not like people prying into his business and soon devises a plan to keep the sherrif busy--and well out of his hair. In this novel, King incorporates a generous amount of offbeat characters as well as a good amount of small town local color. The book will hook you in the very first chapter and will keep you reeled in all the way to the climax. Along the way, be prepared for alot of mayhem and bloodshed, in the true BA King form. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did :-)