In 1983, following a mass suicide the Lord’s Church of Holy Voices burned to the ground, and so ended the hold of the death cult over the citizens of Stauford, Kentucky. Among the few survivors of the suicide were leader Jacob Masters’ six children and their grandparents. Thirty years later, Jack Tremly, on the “Stauford Six,” returns to settle his grandmother’s estate, and even though Jacob Masters is little more than a ghost story these days, weird things have been happening in the woods around town. There are secrets about Jacob and the town that won’t stay buried forever, and trouble is about to stir up in Devil’s Creek.

I really loved the idea of this book, and it started strong. I don’t want to say it lagged in the middle, because there was plenty of action, but there are a lot of characters, and a lot has happened in Devil’s Creek in the last thirty years. Each of Jacob’s children took a different path, and it’s really cool to see how different they all are and what parts they play in the secrets coming to light, but it’s a lot. I skimmed a little here and there but overall, the story was intriguing.

I love ghost stories and I have a weird fascination with cults. I would like to see one that’s not just about dudes wanting to have sex with and control many women, but I realize that’s a lot to ask for. This cult was really no different. Power and sex. That’s what Jacob was all about, but the cult really isn’t the focus of the story here. It’s really about the pursuit of the phrase, “as above, so below” and the quest for “heaven on earth” and the fact that really may mean “hell on earth.”

I think I liked the idea more than the execution, but it was plenty creepy and the supernatural type of creepy that I like, I just think I got bogged down in the many characters and the sheer volume of the story the author was trying to tell. Points for worldbuilding and character development, though, and also for actual supernatural elements in horror. Those are my favorite horror elements. It’s out now, so look for it at your local indie bookstore or request from your library if you wanna give it a go.

Devil’s Creek.... Devil’s Creek...

I finished this days ago. I still do not know what to say about it. I really enjoyed it in the most disturbed and uncomfortable way. I would & will absolutely recommend it to people who I think can stomach the horrors within. I’m not sure what more to say without spoiling it BUT I can say that I have never read a book that started like this one did. Wow! It took off running and what a ride!!!

I almost rated this five stars, but the ending was a little too abrupt and just a tad too "deus ex machina" to me. I did very much enjoy the book in general, though, and especially loved Keisling's style of writing. The story was interesting and added just enough of a Lovecraftian twist to the cult idea to make it a little bit fresher than one might initially expect. Speaking of Lovecraft, I loved the direct nod to him in the latter portion of the book. Overall, this was an enjoyable read with some fantastic writing, and something I would recommend to others. I'll definitely be picking up his other book at some point, and will be looking forward to anything he released in the future!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me the ebook in exchange for an honest review!

We had a bit too many sex scenes for my liking. Especially because it was already established that the villains were morally corrupt and sexually abusive. But I liked the writing otherwise.

Quite possibly the perfect cult horror book. I loved everything about this book from the setting, to the characters, to the story itself! It starts with a huge bang and that whets the appetite for everything to come. I could not put it down.

A small town, an unnamed god, grief, family, blood and gore, monsters and resurrections, this story has it all. Devil's Creek is located just outside of Stauford, Kentucky, and is the place where Jacob Masters formed his death cult, the Lords Church of Holy Voices. On this compound he preaches to a nameless god, offering up his children and the blood of his followers as a sacrifice. The church was burned to the ground in 1983, and we follow the six surviving children, as adults, in the present day, navigating life while also trying to stop Jacob Masters from coming back to finish what he has started.

I really enjoyed this book; a solid 4 stars. The background of the church was interesting and following the six survivors in current day was a good way to get a wide view of what’s going on in the town. Jacob Masters is a despicable character, and you can’t help but root against him and cheer on the survivors trying to destroy him. The writing was quite good with some really gruesome scenes that were well done.

The ending felt a bit lacklustre after such a build up, but I ultimately did like the outcome. The book also felt a bit long and repetitive at some parts, but I would still highly recommend it to scratch pretty much any horror itch. A super fun and readable novel. I will definitely be picking up more of Todd Keisling’s works in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for a digital copy of the book for review.

This review was posted to NetGalley, Goodreads, Instagram (@chaptersxthepage) and a more detailed review is on my personal blog: chaptersxthepage.ca

Horror fans, take note! Devil's Creek is the real deal.

In October I read horror. All year long I save up my creepy books to binge during the lead-up to Halloween. Inevitably a few mislabeled titles sneak in, making me wonder how in the world they ever got classified in the horror category. You know the ones - haunted houses that aren't really haunted, vampires more concerned with love than blood, a monster that just needs a hug. But Devil's Creek? True horror alllll the way.

The novel quickly draws you in with the first chapter's vivid depiction of a death cult ceremony. From there you'll be taken on a bleak journey of the survivors and their small town in its aftermath. The story is scary, and the imagery is very disturbing. Really really gross stuff here, for those who are into that sort of thing. Like pearl-clutching, screw-up-your-face-in-disgust gross.

My personal issue with the book can be found right in the synopsis. Following a mass suicide (that's compared to Jonestown), "their ordeal is all but forgotten... a scary told around campfires." Um???? No. If a load of people committed suicide in the US (taking their kids with them), that event would not be forgotten. I just couldn't get beyond that unrealistic premise, so that disbelief hung over all 405 pages for me.

Still, I would absolutely recommend Devil's Creek to anyone looking for a story by an up-and-coming horror author. Todd Keisling may get lost on the shelf next to King and Koontz, but he's definitely worthy of a place beside them.

My thanks to the author, Silver Shamrock Publishing, and NetGalley for the digital review copy.

This book is a full on cult horror read that will appeal to fans of the more visceral and properly scary horror books — I did get some Stephen King vines off the subject matter and the way the horror is presented, as well as my favourite, folk/country horror. It does not pull it’s punches, straight out of the gate on page one you get a taste of what’s to come. And it’s good!

I’m always a fan of a home-comer returning to their routes, and facing up to some seriously scary events in the process, both old and new. Here it’s the survivor of a cult that returns years later, and you instantly root for him. The relationship between the siblings is great.

For it to be a full pot read for me I would have liked more backstory to the characters and events, and actually a little less of the full on triggering events of the last part of the book. Wow. No holds barred indeed!

Thank you Netgalley for the e-galley in return for an honest review.

WARNING: Ahead there be spoilers.

Rounded up from 2.5 stars.

My only other experience with Todd Keisling is his The Final Reconciliation, a novella hyped as, “The finest take on the Yellow Mythos I have ever read,” by Mercedes M. Yardley. My personal response to that assessment was (a) No, it is not, and (b) Really, no, it really is not. Keisling’s novel Devil’s Creek shows that the author has improved, although the finished product is a mixed bag.

Let’s start with the good:

1. The story here may not be original but it’s a good one, and I can’t blame Keisling for wanting to craft his own take on the concept. We all love the evil in a small town trope, we all love stories about crazy apocalyptic cults, and we all love the idea that disparate groups of people who might not otherwise get along will band together to fight them. These elements are all here, and they’re all done well. There are also hints of cosmic horror here, but unlike some other writers who have been inspired by Lovecraft we aren’t beaten over the head with Cthulhu.

2. Keisling is a good writer. There is a flow and a rhythm to his writing that I really enjoy.

And now for the not-so-good:

1. You can tell me that Keisling wasn’t trying to write his own version of It but I will never believe you: six children encounter unspeakable underground evil, conquer it, and gradually grow apart as they age; they are brought back together as adults when that evil returns and again go underground to face it; some survive, and some do not. Although the finer points are altered in Keisling’s retelling, the similarity between the two works is too great to ignore. Some may not be bothered by this; I found it to be very distracting.

2. For such a lengthy book with a large number of characters, very little time is spent on characterization or explaining why the heck any of this stuff is happening. Again, the large cast seems to be an homage to It, but the chief difference here is that even the main characters are as flimsy as construction paper (when your six protagonists are distinguished from each other mainly by their jobs, then there’s a problem). Don’t even get me started on the secondary characters, who pop up for a pointless scene or two and then vanish, never to be heard from again. As far as backstory, we are given the broad strokes, but what does any of it mean? What is the ritual, exactly (there seem to be several)? What is the purpose of the idol? Why can its powers be used for good and for evil? Why is it so important to turn every resident of the town evil? Why do they need to have orgies and then kill themselves? The book is surprisingly vague on all of that.

3. The biggest problem for me, the thing that I can’t get over, is a plot hole that you can fly an airplane through: Jack, one of the six children who escape the cult at the beginning of the book, has left Stauford and built a life elsewhere. He returns to the town because his beloved grandmother died and he has to take care of her estate. We later find out that she killed herself in some sort of magical dippity do spellcasting thing so that she can fight the evil when it returns. We also later find out that the cult’s ritual apparently requires all six of the former children to be present so that they can be sacrificed to bring about whatever the evil god of this book is trying to bring about. SO WOULDN’T IT MAKE MORE SENSE FOR GRANDMA TO NOT KILL HERSELF SO THAT JACK WOULDN’T COME BACK IN THE FIRST PLACE SO THAT THE RITUAL COULDN’T EVEN BEGIN TO HAPPEN???? Yes, I know that she was going to die anyway: so send Jack an email saying, “Hi hon, when I die, you probably shouldn’t come back here cause your dead father will resurrect himself and try to kill you and your siblings in a death ritual.” Something like that.

Having said all of this, odds are quite good that I’ll read whatever Keisling writes next. If he continues to grow as a writer, I suspect we readers have a lot to look forward to.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this ebook in return for an honest review.

this was a really good horror novel, the characters were great and I really enjoyed going through the story, I really felt like I was there.

3 stars--I liked the book. Content warning for child abuse/sexual abuse. Despite being long, this gory book is a quick read. I felt it moved along nicely, and if you like your horror with a spooky cult twist, give this a try! It's not perfect (I think the female characters need some work, and I wanted more backstory with the cult and its past), but it's the season for a good creepy read. Small-town America is a great setting for a twisted religious horror novel.

Old lies above, new love below...

If you are a fan of cult horror stories look no further than Todd Keisling’s Devils Creek.

We follow the lives of the Stauford Six, six children saved from the evil clutches of Jacob Masters, a sadistic Minister who in the early 80’s preached the gospel of a nameless god.

When survivor Jack returns to Stauford to settle his rescuer, and Grandmothers estate let’s say things get pretty spooky for Jack, the other 5 survivors and well, the whole town!

Something evil has returned and it wants a bloody revenge.

This is a fantastic horror novel, a proper horror written with fantastic detail.

I found it difficult at times to keep track of the long cast of characters and at times o found it a little repetitive and drawn out, these small issues were hugely outweighed by the impressive word play of Todd Keisling.

This will take some beating, and I have no doubt that it will feature very high on many top of 2020 lists.

4.5/5

Thank you so much Todd Keisling, Silver Shamrock Publishing and Netgalley for this advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

I unfortunately had to DNF this at 15%. I found it a little boring, partly because of the density of new character dialogue/personalities to adapt to and lack of exciting momentum, but mostly because I'd read two similar occult stories within the past year. So the occult tropes merged into a frenzy of sameness and I found it hard to engage. So it's not entirely the books fault. I'd heard good things about this book, and my friends have enjoyed it, so perhaps it would suit someone else better.

I'd like to still thank Netgalley, Todd Keisling and Silver Shamrock Publishing for this advanced readers copy, in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are entirely my own.

I've been looking forward to this ever since I read Keisling's short story Holes In The Fabric in Silver Shamrock's fantastic anthology Midnight In The Graveyard. There's actually a fun little nod to the prelude in Devils Creek for the keen eye.

I found the passages where Keisling switches in and out of character narration very effective. Particularly when their anecdotes begin in a calm daydream-like manner, ramping up into a horrifying nightmare only to snap you back into the present. It kept me unsettled, a quality I hope for in most horror novels.

The strongest feeling I can associate with Devils Creek is this - watching a horror movie where the victim is running hell for leather yet the monster approaches at a plodding unstoppable pace, knowing there is no escape.
A constant dread that death is inevitable and everything the characters do to escape will amount to nothing.

I knew going in that Devils Creek centred around a religious cult but was surprised and thrilled to discover this novel is also a cosmic horror.
Keisling pulled together everything I love about the genre, ticking all the boxes- small town backwoods America, cults, a hefty dose of body horror and other dimensions/gods combine to make this masterpiece.
I must note that child abuse and incest factor into the story but thankfully not in enough grim detail to turn me away. I have boundaries that were definitely met but not quite crossed within this novel.

The bonds between Jacobs surviving children The Stauford Six vary as do the lasting effects of their childhood and the choices they have made since but somewhere amongst the trauma and sickness Keisling still created moments of pure love, enough to make me care for the characters and invested in their plight.

Devils Creek is an immediate five star for me, I highly recommend to all horror fans and can't wait to see where Todd Keisling takes us next.

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.

‘About fifteen miles west of Stauford, Kentucky lies Devil’s Creek. According to local legend, there used to be a church out there, home to the Lord’s Church of Holy Voices—a death cult where Jacob Masters preached the gospel of a nameless god.’

DEVIL’S CREEK - In a word, WOW! I Love This Book! Keisling has created a horror novel that I can’t stop thinking about, one of the best I have read this year.

From page one the reader is immediately dropped into the action—Love. It. The imagery throughout is creepy-cringeworthy-heartbreaking-perfection. Highly Recommend!

Here’s a couple of my favorite passages from the book I wanted to share:

‘There was no order, no air with which to breathe, no time in which to think. There was only the essence of their existence, suddenly minuscule in the grand scale of everything but granted an audience with the eyes of something older, wiser.’

‘There were bigger boogeymen in the world than the ghost of a crazy dead preacher. […] Besides, they were just stories. And like all good stories, seeds of truth were buried in the fiction.

‘They’d taken root there, fed with the blood of the innocent, and after decades of gestation they were soon ready to sprout.’

Thank you, NetGalley and Silver Shamrock Publishing, for loaning me an eBook of DEVIL’S CREEK in exchange for an honest review.

Reminiscent of early Stephen King this is a long book but never boring. It has a blistering prologue, memorable ending and fully fleshed out characters theough out. Keisling knows the craft and it shows. Brilliant.

Thank you Silver Shamrock Publishing and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read a free e-copy in return for my honest review.

Devil's Creek is a very well-written horror novel. I really liked it and would strongly recommend it to any fans of horror fiction.
Stauford, KY is the epitome of small town evil. Even though from the outside Stauford seems like a quiet, peaceful town, this veneer covers a boiling cauldron of racism, hypocrisy, and corruption. Devil's Creek, located about 15 miles outside Stauford, was the location for the rise and fall of a cult known as the Church of the Holy Voices. That cult ended in a night of screaming and flames. The only survivors were 6 children who became known as the Stauford 6. Now, 30 years later, as adults, these 6 people are finding out that the cult may not be as dead as everyone thought. Once again, as the full moon rises, so does the evil.
This book is so engrossing, the pages just keep turning. It is also very disturbing on so many levels. I found myself thinking about it constantly when I wasn't actively reading. The abuses the children had to endure were so very disturbing, and I am grateful that the author does not go into any gratuitous detail about any of that. I kept feeling my skin crawl as I read this book - I'm getting shivers just thinking about it now.
My only complaint was that I did not like that choice was taken away from so many. I felt that they were punished for something that they did not seek out or deserve. However, does anyone really deserve to suffer?
This really was quite a good book and I will continue singing its praises for quite some time.

There's something about religious cults that has always intrigued me.  No, not for my personal salvation, but rather from an observer/armchair psychiatrist's perspective.  Seriously, how do these individuals warp the minds of so many, often with horrific results? A small town is home to a festering evil, led by a man who will stop at nothing to give twisted salvation to his followers.  While this novel goes with the supernatural version, it still highlights the "charisma" of the leader and the sick lengths his followers will go to appease him.  Dark and disturbing, good Halloween reading.

Devil's Creek by Todd Kelsling⁣
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I didn't really enjoy this one. I felt it discusses lots of absurd stuff and tries to make them normal. It was very long and so a bit boring too. However it was really a horror at its best. The characters were interesting and that was what made me continue reading. There were lots of occultic stuff too, because the main plot focuses on Jack who is back to his town after being part of a cult at a young age.⁣
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I recommend this book if you're into chilling horror and intense books.⁣