Book #96: Psycho House by Robert Bloch

 

Psycho House

Robert Bloch

 Released: January 1st, 1990

My 39th book for 2025 was Robert Bloch's “Psycho House”.  

The 3rd Psycho novel is an interesting sequel.  I enjoyed this one a little more than the 2nd, but still a lot going on.  

There are so many characters in this one.  The sheriff, the deputy, the writer, the newspaper editor, the doctor, the nurse, the kids, the new owner of the property, etc.  It was hard to keep track of who is what or doing something.  Plus, they reference people from the prior novels as well.  It gets a bit jumbled after a bit.

In this one, a man named "Fatso" Otto Remsbach, a gluttonous alcoholic, has bought the land of the original Bates Motel.  His plan is to turn it into a haunted themed attraction for those interested in the murders.  He has people ship things in from Hollywood to add spookiness to the environment.  As this is going on, two kids sneak in to play around, and one ends up dead.  As the case goes on, an author named Amy Haines shows up to write a book about the murders.  She has difficulty getting the people in town to help her with information as they would rather forget all the bad stuff that has happened.  She ends up joining in the hunt to help crack the case.  She works with the local newspaper editor to find out what has been going on.  Slowly but surely, people started being murdered, and people are questioning what is going on since Norman Bates has now been dead for a number of years.  The chase moves all through the original location of Fairvale, and shows us what has happened since Bates, and the Loomis' have passed on.  There are new characters, new people who have arrived and opened shop, others arrived based on interest.  There are elements of possession, psychosis, and other dark themes that are explored.  It ends with another twist ending.

The theme of this book revolves around masks.  It talks about how people hide behind sad or comedic masks.  Some of the more dark or tense characters fall in the former, while the more jovial and enlightened once take on a lighter approach.

Here is what I learned:

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• For Kirby McCauley, just in case he has nothing to read.

• Mick’s dad is restoring the old Bates Motel.

• Nick’s dad enjoys drinking and ballgames.

• According to Nila Putnam, she has been doing it with Harry for almost a as year, and it was great from the start.

• Nila Putnam is a known liar.

• Terry Dowson encouraged Mick to steal her father’s keys to see the Bates exhibit.

• Fatso Otto Remsbach rebuilt the Bates Motel.

• Terry is fuzzy with details of American history.

• She sometimes struggled to remember when Elvis died.

• Norman Bates was an avid reader.

• Mick and Terry wear Reeboks.

• Amy Haines is from Chicago.

• The Fairvale Hotel clerk enjoys reading comic books.

"They don't like to mention 'motels' in Fairvale."

• The majority of the normal population cannot draw a map of the world in which they live.

• Joe Gunderson runs Fairvale County.

• Bonnie Walton is a fictional character.  She is a prostitute who commits murder in cold blood.

"I believe in equal rights, but that means looking at both sides of the equation."

• Amy is 26 years old.

• Otto suffers from obesity.

• Amy and Otto dine at the Montrose Country Club.

• Amy drinks vodka martinis.

• Mr. Aversham is the mayor of Montrose.

• Charlie Pitkin is a Jewish lawyer who has served three terms in the state legislature.

• Eric Dunstable doesn’t like to fly.

• A demonologist is someone who studies demons.

• Dick Reno dropped out of law school his freshman year to return to Fairvale and become a deputy.

• Wing Chu is an anagram for “chewing.”

• The restaurant is run by a Swede.

• Reno has an 11-year-old son named David.

• Otto is an alcoholic.

• Peachey’s is a local bar.

• Wing Chu has the best country-style ham and eggs this side of Springfield.

• Amy prefers menthol cigarettes.

• Hank Gibbs gets her a pack of Salem Ultralight 100s.

• Sandy Oliver is Dick Reno’s ex-wife.

• Sandy works as a nail technician at the beauty parlor.

• Dick Reno lives on the old Murray property.

• Word on the street is that Irene Grovesmith makes a terrific pizza.

"Some people aren't in soaking trend with the truth."

• A psychopath is someone without empathy.

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Overall, not as rough as the previous novel, but also not winning any awards.  It was alright, and I enjoyed what I could, but only for diehard fans.  One more to go.

Recommended for diehard fans.

On to Book #97: Psycho: Sanitarium by Chet Williamson.