The Man on the Bench

In the summer of 1922, nine-year-old Ethan's only worries are chores, having fun, and keeping out of trouble.

But a shadow soon falls over the tiny backwater town of Benton, Pennsylvania that threatens to change everything.

First the cats disappear.

Then the little girls.

After that, the real horror begins.

THE MAN ON THE BENCH is a 24,000-word coming-of-age story in the vein of Stephen King and Robert McCammon.

Praise for Robert Swartwood and THE MAN ON THE BENCH:

"I absolutely loved THE MAN ON THE BENCH. It was wondrous, intriguing, sweet, scary, surprising … everything a good story should be." —David B. Silva

"Robert Swartwood is the next F. Paul Wilson—if F. Paul Wilson's DNA was spliced with Michael Marshall Smith. If you haven't yet read Swartwood, you're missing out." —Brian Keene

"Robert Swartwood is a sharp writer, his prose lean and mean as a razor blade. He notches up the tension from chapter to chapter like a master story-teller, keeping you reading long into the night." —The Man Eating Bookworm

"An exceptional novelist." —Douglas Clegg