This book was really good and this is coming from a horror fan.

I loved the characters and the story was so interesting that it definitely kept me enthralled reading it. It was definitely a good solid horror novel and I will be picking up more from this author.

Highly recommended.

“…….and the worms crawl in, the worms crawl out, The worms play pinochle on your snout…” Who doesn’t remember that delightful little tune? You may find that tune stuck in your head while you read Devil’s Creek.
Rescued by their grandparents, six children are the only survivors after a mass suicide at Lord’s Church of Holy Voices—where Jacob Masters twisted minds, souls and the sacred relationship between mothers and their children. 30 years later the last of those grandparents has died and that is the time for Jacob Master to return and to reclaim his flock.
Imogene Tremly was that last living grandparent and before her death she put another plan into motion in the hopes that her grandson Jake, and the other “Stauford Six” could be saved from the evil of Jacob’s plan. Jake has returned to settle her affairs and now the Stauford Six are all together again, sort of, in the vicinity of Devil’s Creek. Stauford has no idea what torture and evil will be visited upon them, and the agony they all face…for with Jacob Masters as your God you must first suffer, and suffer you will, before you will be rewarded with becoming one of his “little lambs”.
Devil’s Creek is exceptionally well written. All of the characters are fully developed and genuine. The description of the grotto was so vivid that I actually dreamed that I was there last night. I could hear the waves lapping at the dark shore and see the stars watching me from the impossible sky. Hmmmm, I hope the fact that I, like the book’s characters, dreamed about the grotto isn’t a bad omen.
The process Jacob’s followers use to convert others is described in great, icky detail. The smells, the oily scum, the dirt, the spewing….and of course the worms. Here’s some advice, if you see ever see someone crying black tears and leaking black snot…. run.

Wow. This book was the definition of HORROR. Not just scary or spooky or creepy or atmospheric, it was truly horrific.

The story starts with a bang as a group of grandparents make a desperate attempt to save their grandchildren from the clutches of Jacob Masters, an evil cult leader who wants nothing more than to sacrifice his “little lambs” to the great god underground. The children are saved, the cult leader is killed, his followers commit suicide, their building is burned to the ground. End of story, right?

Oh, no. This book is just getting started.

The children saved from the cult, dubbed the Stauford Six, all fathered by Masters and thus technically all half-siblings, are raised to adulthood by their loving (and wary) grandparents. The storyline skips over about thirty years between the first few chapters and the rest of the book, when Jack Tremly, one of the Six, returns to Stauford at the death of his grandmother to pay his respects and set her affairs in order.

But that evil cult leader they put in the ground thirty years earlier? Not exactly dead. Not exactly alive either. But definitely on a mission. What follows is four hundred pages of nightmares, haunted memories, family strife, shadows that move in the woods, voices in the heads of everyone in town, kinky sex, bloodshed, people oozing black sludge and worms from every possible orifice, all leading up to the ultimate battle when Jacob Masters is resurrected by his old god and together with some old and new followers really starts wreaking hell on the small town of Stauford.

Jack, a few of his siblings, his teenage nephew Riley, an old college professor, and a little help from beyond the grave must fight the evil that has slumbered beneath the town for generations, a fight that will ultimately lead them back under the ground, across the killing floor, through the tunnel of sapphire eyes, and into the impossible ocean where their father intended to sacrifice them all as children. Who will win in this battle of good vs evil, and what will be the cost to the town of Stauford?

Well written, no-nonsense story written from multiple viewpoints but still easy to follow (once you stop confusing Susan and Stephanie, ahem), this story at times had a King-esque feel to me. The town of Stauford, Kentucky reminded me of Derry, Maine – both small towns where evil sleeps beneath the ground, children are at risk, and a group of adults must come back and confront their childhood fears to defeat the bad guys.

This book is the very definition of occult horror. If you like the idea of laying in bed at night questioning if the voice in your head is your own or….something else….then this book is a great choice.

Devil’s Creek by Todd Keisling released June 16, 2020 and is published by Silver Shamrock Publishing. I was given a free electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This review was posted to NetGalley, Amazon, Goodreads, Instagram, and my personal blog.

If I'm grateful for anything on social media, it's the wonderful book recommendations I take from the horror community. Silver Shamrock puts out some excellent titles (if you haven't read Jeremy Hepler's Cricket Hunters, I highly recommend fixing that) and after seeing some of my favorite humans on Twitter rave about Devil's Creek, I couldn't wait to dive in.

Told in alternating POVs and timelines, Devil's Creek follows the Stauford Six, six children who survived an abusive, suicidal religious colony (with some demonic, supernatural tendencies) led by Jacob Masters, as they unexpectedly reunite following the death of Imogene, Jack's grandmother and protector of the children. But things in Stauford can never be simple, and a malevolent force begins infecting the town, reigniting Jacob's plan, hell-bent on finishing the ceremony interrupted all those years ago.

Phew, where to start other than to say I loved this book. Sometimes, I'm wary of texts focusing on religion, not because I find the subject matter offensive, but because they can get preachy, condemning, or revert to stereotypes. It's impossible to read Devil's Creek, however, without embracing the religious fervor. Keisling did an excellent job portraying the nuanced emotions involved in religious worship. On the surface, you have the symbolic nature of the infection, for lack of a better word, people running on "blind faith," unable to question morality or righteousness beyond their devotion to the "lord." This is evident even before the climactic series of events bringing our Six together, where people are compelled to send death threats to a radio DJ playing rock music (because where Slayer and Alice in Chains are played, is obviously breeding grounds for the devil, dontcha know) and appearances matter just as much as fact when it comes to religious piety.

Keisling's character arcs are masterfully executed, as complex as they are authentic. I particularly enjoyed the fact that this book isn't restrained to a typical demographic, with important characters spanning generations. Imogene was one of my favorites, as were Jack, Riley, and Stephanie. I appreciated the hometown dynamics; those childhood grudges helped to ground the narrative in the wake of some pretty spiritual and horrific happenings, and the brief foray into humorous quips was welcome. This book definitely touches on some sensitive, even taboo subjects, including hate crimes, rape, pedophilia, incest, and domestic abuse, so be forewarned that there might be some triggering events.

Additionally, this is a visually gripping text. Keisling's descriptions are visceral and disturbing. At times, I was reminded of my favorite parts of Stephen King's It and the Losers Club and Insidious. There's no shortage of shocking horror, but there are also several quietly-terrifying moments, scares that sneak up on you or images that are just plain unsettling. I did find some parts to read a little dense and repetitive, and I wish there was a clearer connection between the town's sordid history and the "present day" happenings, but this didn't hinder the conclusion for me in any way.

Overall, Devil's Creek is a taut, creepy read with plenty of things to keep you up at night. I also recommend checking out Keisling's interview on Ink Heist Podcast.

Big thanks to Silver Shamrock Publishing for providing an eARC in exchange for honest review consideration.

Wow! 5 stars is not enough for this review. This is classic small-town horror at its best. I was hooked by the end of the first chapter. At a little more than halfway through, all Hell broke loose and the action ratcheted up and the book just got better and better. This is what a GREAT horror novel looks like. Todd Keisling just jumped to the top of my must read list. The only drawback to reading horror this good is, whatever I read next is sure to pale in comparison.

Horror book is an understatement to say the least. Just wow! I would definitely recommend you read this ! For fans of King and Koontz - you will love it. I’ve always been fascinated with cults but this story just blew me away. But remember - it is classified as horror . Hooked me right from the start and up to the end. Fantastic character development. Made it impossible not to feel a connection to each of them and become attached . One of the best books I’ve read this year so Far.

Great horror story - creepy, engaging, tense and engrossing. Years after the rescue of 6 siblings whose father was leader in Satanic cult, the evil is on its rise again. Jack and his half-siblings must do battle for their very souls.

Hard to put down.

This book which I received from Netgalley in exchange for a review, was creepy, engaging, tense and engrossing. Hard to put down.

405 pages

4 and 1 / 2 stars

Thirty years ago some brave adults managed to rescue six half-siblings from certain death at the hands of their murderous father, Jacob Masters. Jacob is both evil and depraved. He worships the “Old God.” His fifty-seven followers are enthralled and completely subordinate to Jacob's will.

In 1983, the fifty-seven died along with their master in a raging fire that destroyed the Lord's Church of the Holy Voices in Devil's Creek. (The clue is in the title...) Or did it?

Some years later Jack Tremly one of the six surviving children and now a famous artist in New York returns to Stauford Falls and nearby Devil's Creek to settle his beloved grandmother's estate. He'll have it sorted and be out of town in a day. Right?

But something has awakened and Jack and his half-siblings must do battle for their very souls.

This is a remarkable horror novel. The characters are wonderfully drawn and are all shaped by their childhood experiences at the hands of the “followers” and Jacob Masters. They are flawed and all too human. As they all move forward toward their individual fates, they must find within themselves that something which will help them survive...or not. Mr. Keisling's novel ranks right up there with the best of this genre. His words are carefully considered and evoke colorful and horrible scenes. But the horror is not overdone. All in all, a wonderful job of evoking pictures on pages. Well done, Mr. Keisling!

I want to thank NetGalley and Silver Shamrock Publishing/IBPA for forwarding to me a copy of this very good thriller for me to read, enjoy and review.

Devil's Creek is the book that should make Todd Keisling a household name for horror fans. I fully expect it to see mentioned in the same breath as Stephen King's Salem's Lot, with Keisling's Stauford, KY standing alongside those east coast terror towns of Derry and Castle Rock, ME. Stauford's a special place to visit, but I sure as hell wouldn't want to live there!

Thirty years ago, a group of children were born and raised to serve as sacrificial pawns in Jacob Masters' death cult. Masters, their father, was stopped and the children were saved, but they've carried the memories and scars of that violent night with them ever since. Some, like Zeke, have gone on to become drug dealers, while others, like Stephanie have found a modicum of success, building their own hard rock radio station that has earned the ire of the town's most devout worshipers. For Jack Tremly, he's turned his decades worth of nightmares into lucrative pieces of art. After his grandmother's death, he returns to the town he left behind years ago -- just in time for everything to go south after two children go missing.

Devil's Creek is freaking nuts, and Keisling kicks the action off in grand fashion, opening the book with a high octane set piece that feels more like a gung-ho climax than a proper starting point. And in some ways, it is just that -- it's a climax to Master's legacy as leader of the Lord's Church of Holy Voices, and the upsetting of his plans to kill half a dozen kids on behalf of his nameless god and in service to The Old Ways. It's violent and kinetic, and, good lord, it's only just the beginning! Instead of serving up an "and they lived happily ever after," Keisling instead charts a course for the aftermath, jumping ahead 30 years and into the present-day to show us what became of those children, the Stauford Six.

Jack Tremly is our central character here, but we also become acquainted with his brothers and sisters along the way, all of whom are the offspring of the deranged Jacob Masters. Some have continued their father's work in secret, while others live each day in disavowal of the man's memory. In Jack, we see just how much damage Masters has caused to these children's bodies and psyches. As Jack uncovers more of his grandmother's secrets, though, we also learn of darker, more arcane rites and although Masters's church and many of his followers may have been destroyed decades previously, remnants still persist. In the woods where Masters used to conduct his sermons, something evil is lurking and growing hungry, and demanding fresh followers.

Keisling crafts several moments over the course of Devil's Creek that are legitimately scary, and the work as a whole is a masterful blend of the occult, creature, and cosmic horror, with a few dashes of body horror thrown in for good, disquieting measure. I will admit, I have thing for horror scenes involving eyes, and it always, always, always makes me twitchy when a book or movie starts forecasting some kind of violent damage being done to a person's eyes. Well, Keisling freaked me out good a few times with some of his more ocular-focused descriptions, and the sort of creepy-crawly terrors that set their sights on Stauford are absolutely brilliant in their awful and bloody depictions.

While the supernatural elements are top-tier, the human elements of Devil's Creek are just as salient and help ground the work in a much-too-relateable fashion. Stauford is right in the heart of the Bible Belt and it's a town built firmly on the typical foundations expected of such locales, namely hypocrisy and bullying. Despite being Bible thumpers, the people of Stauford aren't exactly quick to turn the other cheek, preferring to mock, attack, and attempt to censor whoever has ruffled their feathers of late. It's the type of town that wants to see Stephanie's radio station, Z105.1 The Goat, shut down but no doubt listens to Rush Limbaugh and prays for his good health because he's such a decent, upstanding human, votes Trump, and has banned Harry Potter books from the local library if they haven't already burned them all. The good people in Stauford have either left town, like Jack, have died, like the vilified Mawmaw Tremly, or are social outcasts, like Stephanie and her goth nephew, Riley. This isn't all to say that Devil's Creek is overly political, for those of you who gnash teeth over such things -- it's certainly less "political" than the preceding sentence here! -- but it does capture a very specific culture and belief system of a modern-day, small Bible Belt town, and it feels all the more realistic for it.

It is, in short, the perfect place for evil to brew.

If you love cult horror you won’t go wrong with Devil’s Creek! The writing is engaging and the setting of a small town stuck in the past is perfectly rendered. Jacob is a charismatic and terrifying villain as the head of a death cult intent on spreading his influence. This is a no holds barred, super dark read! The characters engage in the occult and Satanic rituals. Child abuse, sexual depravity, and incest all make an appearance. But the story has humour and heart as well.

The theme of fatherhood hangs like a shadow over the characters. The Stauford Six share the same father in Jacob but different mothers. Their struggle to reconcile where they come from with who they are is illustrated every time we spend time with them. I was rooting for Jack and the good guys to make it out alive!

I found the history behind the founding of the Lord’s Church interesting as the book touches on the racist past of the town and how it’s hidden like a dirty secret. However, I wish we get a clearer correlation to how it affected Jacob. I also found the book repetitive at times, and I wanted the ending to go all out. But overall, I really enjoyed this and it affirms my decision to not join any cults in the future!