This book feels like a throwback to the 1980s horror type books. Especially with that cover, if you told me it was written in the 1980s, I'd believe it.

We start in the present with Sadie Roth who is volunteering at a prison as a writing instructor. Sadie suffers from Lupus, Fibromyalgia, and ... something else. She's in constant pain and her body is stopping her from being able to most anything. (As an aside, every time they said "Lupus", I heard Dr. House saying "it's never Lupus"). The author does a great job of describing Sadie's struggles as well as her denial about the pain. She was a fleshed out and believable character. It got a little tedious hearing about her pain and her choices to not properly manage it, but it made sense and was believable.

At the prison, she encounters Edward Joseph Mills. He was convicted for occult-style murdering women in the 1980s at the height of the Satanic Panic, though Mills never spoke out about anything he did or why. Mills is close to death from a lung illness, but before he dies, he's writing out the story of what really happened (according to him) back then and is giving the journals to Sadie.

Sadie gets drawn into the story, which is way weirder than she thought - there are a few other people involved, there are rituals, sex, magic, and all sorts of weird things. Unsurprisingly, she has to know what happens next and has to find out if the story is true or if Mills is manipulating her for some unknown reason.

The journal and the story happening in the past was very interesting and I couldn't wait to find out what happened next. The first part of the present wasn't the most exciting; it was an important part since it developed the characters and gave us a lens for the journals. I appreciated the shift about halfway through when more starts happening in the present. I also really liked how the author handled Mills - I was expecting it to be a Silence of the Lambs type thing where Sadie has to keep coming back to Mills and Mills keeps getting involved, but the author didn't go that route which was a pleasant surprise.

This was a great story and readers of classic horror stories should enjoy this.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this advance review copy.

I enjoyed the fast paced intro and really got into Sadie's character. I felt the middle section fell a little flat, but overall it was an enjoyable read.

King's Hill was an incredible way to kick off my October reading. I really enjoyed the back and forth of the timelines, and thought that it built the suspense of what had happened in Mills' past.

The added element of the occult was what impressed me about this book. King's Hill wasn't just a book about a serial killer, but something darker and more sinister.
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Thanks to NetGalley and Wicked House Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Oh, this was a lot of fun.

I’ll start by telling you that, awful as he was, my favorite character was Mills. While me mostly learn about him from his writings, he was so vibrant that I actually wanted more of his story.

As for our occult murders, they are horrible and compelling. The storytelling moves quickly and I was enthralled.

I didn’t like Sadie. I felt for her – and the way the author writes was so vivid that I felt every single ache and pain she suffered – I just didn’t love her. However, I did like reading her.

The one sour point for me was her boyfriend, Trevor. He was…very saintly and had no other discernable personality.

I enjoyed the book and would definitely read the author again!

• ARC via Publisher

King's Hill by Josh Hanson was an amazing horror story.
The writing kept me eagerly turning the pages. I thought it was a quick, fun and exciting read.

NetGalley & Wicked House Publishing thank you for this eARC!

Yes. Exactly what I was in the mood for. I loved this book and I can not wait to read more from this author. Thank you netgalley.

3.5 stars

Fast paced, somewhat nostalgic yet still original. I really enjoyed the characters and the way this was written, which made it hard to put down. Hanson did a wonderful job of bring me fully into this story. I can’t wait to read more by him.

The Ninth Gate meets H.P. Lovecraft, kinda. King's Hill reminds me of the old school horror novels that were super popular in the 1980s during the Satanic Panic – there's a serial killer and occult magic and murder and otherworldly dimensions, and it all makes for a suspenseful and tremendously enjoyable read.

The storyline of this novel flashes back and forth in time. There's the present day narrative where Sadie, a creative writing teacher at the local prison, has had a written “confession” dropped into her lap by the infamous serial killer Edward Joseph Mills. The other timeline takes place in the 1980s, in the form of Mills' manuscript detailing the events that led to the occult-fueled murder spree that sent him to prison.

Sadie is an interesting and complex character, and I appreciated her curiosity and desire for the truth that led her to investigate Mills' past. Mills is a more mysterious character, and aside from his part in the murders (and the sway that the enigmatic Grace held over him), you don't learn a whole lot about him.

The plot itself is fast-paced and suspenseful, even if, for the most part, you already know how Mills' story ends. I did grow a bit weary of hearing about Sadie's aches and pains and health issues at times, but I also understand why they were essential to the story. The ending wasn't entirely a surprise to me, but I'm not sure that it really could have ended any other way … and it was still definitely a nail-biter. It's also rather Lovecraftian, which is a nice diversion from the usual “summoning the devil” occult storylines.

Overall, I found King's Hill to be a clever and original horror story with an engrossing plot. This is the first book that I've read by Josh Hanson, but I hope it won't be the last.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Wicked House Publishing for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review.

I've always been a sucker for hard-boiled thrillers and especially of occult murders. I'm an I.D. Channel nut. The protag Sadie feels like a real person. Kudos to the author! A well written supernatural thriller that I recommend.