Content warnings: child abuse, homophobia, religious cults, violence, body and mind control, mental illness

Grayson Hale is both a morally gray character as well as an unreliable narrator, so much of A HISTORY OF FEAR is the reader trying to determine what (if anything) is real and what is in Hale's head. Did the devil make him do it? You'll have to decide that for yourself. Couple all of that with the unique format of Hale's writing being shared to readers with footnotes and addendums provided by a journalist that covered the Liam Stewart murder, and you get for an interesting reading experience.

There are a lot of uncomfortable moments in the plot - which I'd guess was Dumas' intention. A HISTORY OF FEAR asks readers to sit with listening to someone with satanophobia, paranoia, and delusions struggle to determine real events from imagined ones. All while wondering about the actual folklore ties the devil has with Scotland and its people.

I think this is a well written debut novel and that it will be a hit with a lot of readers. It never quite hooked me, but I am glad that I read it.

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley and Atria Books in exchange for an honest review.

“𝒀𝒐𝒖’𝒓𝒆 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒘𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑰 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝑺𝒄𝒐𝒕𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑫𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒍.”

The final 2022 book club pick from Dennis (@ScaredStraightReads) was another winner. This book was SO GOOD.

Luke Dumas writes a novel that feels both very present-day, but also has an older-feel to it, in terms of style. It reminded me a lot of Dracula, in that it is very epistolary; the inclusion of courtroom testimonies, interviews, articles, and a short story add to the “true crime” confessional feel. The Editor’s notes that open and end the book also feel like a modern day Watson narration from Sherlock Holmes. All these elements add to the uncertainty you get as a reader, especially with the first person narration from Grayson Hale. As Grayson’s fear and paranoia grow, the atmosphere does too. The whole time I was reading, I was uncertain what is real and what isn’t: did Grayson make things up? Are people in the interviews lying? Or is it all true? Dumas adds many layers to the horror element of the story, and to me, the true fear comes from Grayson’s childhood trauma, isolation and self-loathing. Dumas’ writing is gripping, and I was easily turning pages to see what the ending was going to be (and is there a TWIST right at the last page; my mind was blown and had me questioning things all over again).

A History of Fear is a story of fear, religion, parental relationships, repression and the darkness that bodes within the human soul. It is haunting, ambiguous, tragic, and thought provoking right to the very last page. Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the ARC!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book!

What a fantastic, creepy and interesting read! Debut novel from the author and do well written! I felt compelled but also that the book went by so quickly. This is a book within a book within a book. Yes. It sounds wild and it is!

This was a well-written, engrossing story. The journal entries intermixed with interviews and research worked well for the story and in the end, I'm still not sure what I think about Grayson. Was he plagued by the Devil?

This was a really interesting read, and though it is fiction, it almost reads like a true-crime novel.

Grayson Hale was a twenty-five-year-old American grad student who became famous for confessing to the murder of his classmate, Liam Stewart. But his reason for killing him is what really grabbed the public’s attention: he claimed the devil made him do it.

This story followed Grayson as he carried on the legacy of his deceased father, but there was more to that legacy than the reader was originally led to believe. While attending the University of Edinburgh, he accepted a job ghost writing a book for a dark, mysterious man named D.B. (Donald Blackburn), and the subject matter behind the book caused Grayson’s fear of the devil to resurface. His sense of reality became skewed, contradictory to what those around him recounted, and it didn’t take long for Grayson to realize that the something wasn’t quite right. Had Grayson lost his mind or had the devil orchestrated it all?

I was really intrigued by this story. It’s much darker than what I normally read, but no less enthralling. Really well done for a debut novel, and I’m definitely interested in reading more from Luke Dumas.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing a copy of this book to review.*

The Devil made him do it. Or did he?

Grayson Hale, the killer known as the Devil’s Advocate, is found hanged in his prison cell in Scotland. Convicted of murdering his fellow grad school classmate, Grayson has fervently claimed for months that the Devil made him do it. But could this be true? Or is Grayson no more than a madman?

Fortunately, the mystery that has plagued Scotland may finally be solved. For in his cell, Grayson leaves behind a handwritten manuscript that promises to answer one very important question: did the Devil make him do it?

Oh my. As much as one can truly *love* a horror novel, I love "A History of Fear," the debut from Luke Dumas.

It’s atmospheric and creepy as all get out. And it’s one of those novels that just gets better and better, the further you read along. The writing is more literary in style, too, befitting the personality of Grayson quite well, and the story is masterfully plotted, tight, and complex.

(A side note about the horror: while it is mostly of the psychological variety, there is gruesomeness to it. Be cautious as a few scenes may leave you queasy.)

Most impressive, though, is the ambivalence of it all. Dumas walks the line of supernatural versus lunacy so well that I can’t count the number of times I changed my opinion about whether Grayson is mentally ill or tormented by the Devil, and my vacillation continued up until the FINAL PAGE. (Do not, whatever you do, peek at the ending.)

"A History of Fear" will certainly go down as one of my favorite reads of the year. Please write more, Mr. Dumas. And soon.


My sincerest appreciation to Luke Dumas, Atria Books, and NetGalley for the Advance Review Copy. All opinions included herein are my own.

I really enjoyed this book! The plot was SUPER interesting and quite different from many novels I've read. I enjoyed the back and forth between the Editor's Notes and Grayson's memoir. It really drove home the fact that a narrator is not necessarily always reliable - especially in Grayson's case!

As readers, we are reading the memoir of Grayson Hale after his suicide in prison for being convicted of murdering a friend from college. We listen to Grayson's story (the abuse from his childhood, his satanophobia, his interactions with his strange roommate) and learn how everything started. Grayson recovered from his satanophobia as a child, but now it has come back in full force tricking him into seeing things that aren't there.

Throughout the storry we get accounts from various witnesses including: Grayson's brother, a girl he was dating in college, a childhood friend, and a mother figure he lost touch with. Each person gives a different account of the person they knew. and each person seems to want to distance themselves from Grayson as much as possible.

Luke Dumas does a great job of making the reader question their judgement. I clearly thought I knew what was going on, but then something would happen that would reset my thinking. Then, something else would happen that would shift my thoughts back to my first idea. I was constantly flip flopping and I love a book that makes the reader use all of the hints they have been given to try to solve the mystery.

I really enjoyed A History of Fear and can't wait to read more from Luke Dumas!

A young man who is accused of murdering claims he was simply following devil’s commands! This short introduction intrigued me enough to start with this one. It was unlike any other book and almost bordering on documentary like style of writing which is both an advantage and disadvantage based on readers. Is he a lunatic or is there really something else going on. The format of a manuscript within the book was unique and interesting. As a fan of folklore based in Scotland, I feel I got pulled in quickly. This is unlike any other thriller so be prepared for an unsettling horror/ thriller plot!

"The Devil is in Scotland."

So begins this book, which presents the personal account of murderer Grayson Hale, detailing the months leading up to his arrest, conviction, and subsequent suicide. This memoir is prefaced by an introduction by editor Daniella Barclay, who was given exclusive rights to read and report on the memoir manuscript found in Hale's jail cell after his untimely demise. The memoir's story is interspersed with information and research deemed relevant my Ms. Barclay, items such as interviews, letters, and newspaper articles.

Grayson Hale, while a fictional character responsible for a fictional murder, becomes a very real person to the reader in the pages of Luke Dumas' A History of Fear. These "memoirs" and their attendant documents present a story which is both occult thriller and psychological horror. We know from the beginning that Hale has done something horrible, and that by his own claims, the devil made him do it. Dumas leaves it up to the reader to decide whether Hale was truly roped in and influenced by the devil in the form of a man, or if it was all in his (clearly unstable) head.

I found this book fascinating. The layers of scenes which contradict themselves leave the reader constantly wondering how much is true and how much is the result of the mental issues which Hale is facing. Scenes straight from a demonic horror tale are made that much more disturbing by the thought that Hale may actually be being pursued by the devil, or... roaming the streets of Edinburgh shouting at no one and fighting off attackers invisible to the people around him.

I know what I think the truth of this story is. Read it yourself to make your own deductions.

(Seriously, read it. This was a good one.)

I rarely go into a book blind. I at least read a few reviews and a synopsis, but I went into A History of Fear totally unprepared for the sheer terror I would find. It's impossible to read this one without being just a little bit afraid of the dark afterwards. This would be a fantastic book club read, because there are so many themes running through it, including religion, LGBTQ themes, and abuse. I'm going to recommend A History of Fear to all my reader friends who like dark and scary. Let's just say that I never meet Donald Blackburn in a dark alley!

Thanks for the opportunity to review.

A History of Fear by Luke Dumas is a fascinating, creepy story about a man in his early 20s who was convicted for murdering a classmate and blamed his actions on the devil. It's told as a fictitious memoir with notes and background information to give color to Grayson Hale's life and experiences.

Hale is attending graduate school in Scotland and encounters D.B., who appears to be the devil incarnate. We learn about Grayson's upbringing and abuse and neglect at the hands of his religious family. The story is a slow burn, but we are plunged into Grayson's paranoia and deepening horror in his life.

The ending is especially unsettling but satisfying, even though we're left wondering where the truth really lies. I listened to the audiobook, which was masterfully narrated by Graham Halstead and Toni Frutin.

Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for providing this ARC.

I just finished A history of fear by Luke Dumas and here is what I thought

The devil made me do it… This was what Grayson Hale had to say after admitting to killing a classmate.

After Hale was found dead in his cell. Suicide. The officers found a manuscript, the one he was supposed to write for DB. A dark stranger with money to spare and a deep knowledge of the devil.

Hale had a rough upbringing and while some people close to him seem to think he is capable of the very crime he was imprisoned for, this first person narrative of a man with a deep fear of the devil will keep you on your toes the whole time…. Is Hale a delusional murderer or is the devil really at his heel making him do the very things he fears the most…..

I really enjoyed the format of this book. Told from the first person perspective, Graysons, we learn about his cultish run household and a little of the things that plagued his father before ultimately killing himself. The book has doctor notes and interviews which help piece together an elaborate tale of darkness, abuse, loneliness, homosexuality and mental health.

The book leaves you guessing and I have a love/hate relationship with that. The undertones of supernatural weaved in with the dark realities of a fractured mind really elevate this novel to dizzying heights. Hale isn’t relatable because of the nature of who he is but it really is a trip to hear it from his own perspective. How he is seeing things at the time and who doesn’t love an unreliable narrator!

Might be one of the best debut novels I have ever read.. A horror with the right amount of suspense! Genius!

4.5 stars

Thank you to @netgalley and @atriabooks for my review copy! This book is out NOW!!

I really enjoyed this book. It was written with layering of stories within stories and I found I couldn't put it down, The author's take on the unreliable narrator was really interesting and I thought it was a captivating character study.

A History of Fear
By Luke Dumas

This is a very strange book. There are many layers to this tale. Written by Daniella Barclay, a journalist who has followed the story, it centers around a graduate student in Edinburgh, Scotland and what he perceives as his run-in with Donny Blackburn (D.B.), alias the devil.

Grayson Hale, as a young child, lives in a devoutly religious – read that to mean cult-like - family. Dad, Edmund, is a preacher and teacher at a divinity school. His mother does fundraising for their "church". She and his older brother have always joined forces to destroy young Grayson, considering him tainted by evil.

Grayson spends his childhood trying to get close to his father, to make him proud of his son's scholastic accomplishments, to no avail. When Edmund appears to commit suicide, Grayson finds a cryptic note from his father pointing him to Scotland as a place to get his life on track. Thus Grayson makes the decision to matriculate at Edinburgh, a life-altering experience when he meets D.B.

Things spiral out of control for him from that point on – and the story becomes more and more convoluted. What is real, what is possibly mental illness, does the devil truly live in Scotland?

The answers to these questions and more will be up to the reader, but be sure to catch the significance of the author's summation at the end!

I took a chance on Luke Dumas’ “A History of Fear” even though it wasn't my usual fare because of the impression I’d gotten from some of its reviews that there was more to it than meets the eye, with its account of a young man accused of a murder which he claimed was the devil’s doing. Particularly intriguing for me was one reviewer's contention that Dumas had pulled off the neat trick of convincing people that the novel was only about the devil, meaning I supposed that it was actually about grander things like perception vs. reality or the nature of evil or something of particular interest to me, the craft of writing. And indeed those concerns are all addressed to some extent in Dumas' novel, though not as overtly as I would have hoped. And the story at its most literal level is compelling enough, with the narrator journeying to Scotland to try to get a handle on his lifelong obsession with the devil (satanophobia, it's called) and its possible origins with his father – you just have to be more of a fan of bump-in-the night fare than I to fully appreciate it.

So so SO good!!!! This was the horror read that I didn't know I needed! So if any one needs me I'll be over here patiently waiting for another book that even comes remotely close to this.

3.5/5

It’s a classic premise told in a unique (kind of) and fun way. It’s properly scary as well. ‘Tis what saves the book because it is way too long and written as if the author thought me stupid.

Thank you for this opportunity.

How many times has the Devil been blamed for sinful acts, such as lying, cheating, stealing… or even murder? Grayson Hale is convinced the Devil made him do it.
Grayson, or Gray, has suffered from Satanophobia since he was thirteen years old. He grew up in California, under the roof of his abusive mother and neglectful, ever-disappointed father who is also the minister for a cult-like Christian sect that would hold regular Fellowship out of their family home. Now in his 20’s, he moves to Edinburgh to get his doctorate in Scottish literature, hoping to finally win the approval of his deceased father. When Grayson arrives, he sees an ad for “WRITING HELP NEEDED”, and responds, eventually meeting the dark and mysterious D.B. Now Gray isn’t so sure it was just a phobia, what if the Devil is real and he made a deal? What follows is a heady mix of depravity, violence, and madness through the streets of Edinburgh. The book is part memoir and part investigative, as we follow the events that got Gray, “The Devil’s Advocate”, put away for life for the murder of Liam Stewart.
Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for providing me with an advanced ebook copy of “A History of Fear” by Luke Dumas.

Dumas does an exceptional job with his debut novel. The writing is cutting, frank, and mid to fast-paced. Gray is one of the most unreliable narrators I have had the devious pleasure of reading but I caught myself hanging onto his every word. Dumas’ mastery of capturing Gray’s distress while keeping the characters' personalities forefront made switching between text (or narrators) natural. There is a menacing quality to Dumas’ writing that hooked me from the beginning, keeping me engaged until the heart-rending conclusion.
The use of the Devil as an embodiment of repressed homosexuality is the real gem here. On its face, it’s offensive. I debated continuing the book when I figured out what was happening. I did some research and deep breathing and continued, and I have to say it’s genius. Gray grew up in an ultra-conservative religious environment, same as me, and Dumas captured the feeling of otherness, internally and within the family unit, to a tee. The religious trauma and abuse, as well as physical abuse in this story is graphic and needs a warning, but it is well written and non-exploitative. It brought up a lot of memories I had growing up. The feeling Gray has of being invaded, unclean, evil… I would be surprised if Dumas didn’t also grow up like this. I have a feeling this is a somewhat autobiographical work.
What is keeping this work from being perfect for me is the lack of subtlety. Around the middle of the book, I was no longer guessing if it was supernatural or not due to how obvious the writing was. I’m going to impugn my own critique here by saying it didn’t make the book less enjoyable, but it bridles it from achieving perfection.
I do recommend this book whole-heartedly, but warning for themes of homophobia (internalized and external), sexual assault, child abuse, and religious trauma and abuse. I’ll be keeping an eye out for more by this author. 4.5/5

A HISTORY OF FEAR deals with Scottish lore, religious symbolism and fanaticism, skeptical minds, the occult, and horrors that might make someone devoted to the aforementioned be driven to madness. The novel is so compelling because it is both exactly as advertised (a story of a man who is driven to madness by the devil) and not at all. It's a fast read. It's easy to miss the signs. But it's ultimately incredibly gripping and unlike anything else I've read recently. Push yourself past the first fifty pages and you'll realize just how evil some minds can be to themselves. And protect yourself from devilish thoughts once you've read the shocking last page.

Grayson Hale is it American student living in Scotland he is the oldest son of very religious parents who saw things in good or evil. Unfortunately for his mother his brother was good and he was evil. Trying as an adult to prove his dad’s biggest theologian belief in the reason he’s going to school in Scotland. His visa is about to run out though and he needs more money this is when he reluctantly takes a ghost writing job with a man calling his self DB he wants Grayson to help him right a book called “the history of fear in Scotland.” At the age of 12 Grayson suffered from a condition that made him believe Satan would at any moment pop out of the woodwork and come visit him it was a real fear and now since starting this project it is come back full force. When he is arrested and put in jail for killing his classmate Liam he said the devil made him do it and is now one of Scotland‘s most famous killers and they call him the devils advocate but when he is found dead with the manifest left behind people start to wander was he really crazy or was he right? This book is on the longer side but it flows quickly the pace is fast it is easy to read it definitely holds your interest in that is one of the better dark thrillers that I’ve read. If this book falls under horror it is horror for those with an IQ because it is so smart and such a good book and I loved it. I received it from NetGalley and the publisher but I am leaving this review totally voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.