I don't even know where to start about this story. I've read some sprawling, multi-layered books in my life, but this one just had everything. Very well written, fantastic plot and chilling ambience...as Ronald Malfi said about this book, "It whispers." Horror has a home, and its Stauford at Calvalry Hill. ( )

Jacob Masters was a child molesting cult leader who demanded human sacrifice in worship of his nameless god. Fire may be cleansing, but when the Church Of Holy Voices burned after the dramatic rescue of 6 children, the evil did not die. The 6 children grew up, and as children do, some flourished and some flailed. These days, some people think the old stories of Jacob Masters and his church are just empty tales of the boogie man to scare each other with over s'mores around the campfire. Now that Jack Tremly has come home the town is about to find out there's more truth than legend to the old stories. I love small town horror, and Devil's Creek delivers it's share of villains among the few brave heroes. It's graphic and gory with huge helpings of anxiety inducing suspense, and supernatural terror. I would recommend it to all horror fans.

I received an advance copy for review ( )

Unfortunately I am not finishing this book as it is literally doing nothing for me. Some parts are spooky but then some of the book is long and drawn out. There are tons of characters to keep up with as well. It took a long time for anything to even happen in the story and though this book has been getting rave reviews, it just isn't for me.




My thanks to Netgalley and Silver Shamrock Publishing for letting me review this ARC. ( )

At the beginning of the book, 6 half siblings survive being sacraficed for a god their mothers and shared father believe in as their grandparents step in and save their grandchildren. Thirty years later, all these siblings face the same evil as they try to survive a small town gone mad. You learn later in this book that the evil underneath the ground was there long before their father tried to teach them of his god underground, one who wants them to suffer for their lord (I lost count of the number of times this phrase was repeated in the book and after awhile, it was proceeded with a huge eye roll).
Some of these siblings are already corrupted and it does not take them long to join their dead father in his quest for his new paradise, leaving the few with any common decency left to fend for themselves.
There is plenty of blood and gore, religious references, and zombie/apocolypse scenes to satiate the biggest of horror fans, but honestly, I am not a very big fan of the zombie apocolypse genre of book. It was scary enough for me being a horror fan, but what really captured my attention was the small town atmosphere as I grew up in one of those myself in Central Illinois. I only considered the ending okay and wished the author could have gotten a little bit more creative with their "barely made it out" escape. Overall, it was a good read, but it took me a week to finish this book. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to give my honest opinions. ( )

Destined to make Todd Keisling a household name in horror fiction.

I have read so many fictional books about cults but this one is definitely in the top 10 for me. I had never heard of the author before when I requested this book and had expected it to be a typical run of the mill evil cult story. Boy was I wrong.
Todd Keisling has a way of weaving a story that has been told so many times and giving it new life. He sets the background so exquisitely and the character development is very well done. So many horror novels rely on sex and gore to fill a storyline but Keisling rises above that. Make no mistake. There is sex, blood and gore BUT it is only part and parcel of the story itself. The book is so very rich and just so much "more". It was definitely a treat to read. ( )