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Devil's Oven
There’s a mysterious mountain in Appalachia called Devil’s Oven, a place where extraordinary, dark things have been happening for centuries.
Ivy Luttrell, a lonely seamstress, finds a man’s dismembered body, barely covered by the rich soil of her beloved mountain. Instead of alerting the authorities, Ivy keeps the man for herself, stitching him back together with her own skilled hands. It might have been the beginning to a fairy tale, but when the fearsome power of Devil’s Oven gives the man life, he escapes Ivy’s control and terrorizes Alta, her small mountain town.
Bud Tucker, a local businessman and owner of The Twilight Club, has money problems and a restless, red-headed wife, Lila, who has too much time on her hands. Easygoing Bud has relied too heavily on the advice of his second-in-command, Dwight, a squirrelly guy from up east, and now he’s in the sites of some very unpleasant people. But no one is prepared when one of Bud’s employees is viciously murdered, least of all, Lila, who is quickly drawn into the madness that Ivy has brought down on them all.
Their salvation lies in the hands of a mysterious newcomer, a delicate young stripper named Jolene, whose connection to Devil’s Oven is even deeper and more mysterious than Ivy’s.
As the violence grows around them, Jolene is torn between her secret loyalties and her affection for Bud and the other people she’s come to know. Her choice will change life on Devil’s Oven forever.
Part Gothic folk tale, part Frankensteinian nightmare, Devil’s Oven breaks the bonds of the traditional horror novel, combining lyrical storytelling with bone-chilling, surreal suspense.
Ivy Luttrell, a lonely seamstress, finds a man’s dismembered body, barely covered by the rich soil of her beloved mountain. Instead of alerting the authorities, Ivy keeps the man for herself, stitching him back together with her own skilled hands. It might have been the beginning to a fairy tale, but when the fearsome power of Devil’s Oven gives the man life, he escapes Ivy’s control and terrorizes Alta, her small mountain town.
Bud Tucker, a local businessman and owner of The Twilight Club, has money problems and a restless, red-headed wife, Lila, who has too much time on her hands. Easygoing Bud has relied too heavily on the advice of his second-in-command, Dwight, a squirrelly guy from up east, and now he’s in the sites of some very unpleasant people. But no one is prepared when one of Bud’s employees is viciously murdered, least of all, Lila, who is quickly drawn into the madness that Ivy has brought down on them all.
Their salvation lies in the hands of a mysterious newcomer, a delicate young stripper named Jolene, whose connection to Devil’s Oven is even deeper and more mysterious than Ivy’s.
As the violence grows around them, Jolene is torn between her secret loyalties and her affection for Bud and the other people she’s come to know. Her choice will change life on Devil’s Oven forever.
Part Gothic folk tale, part Frankensteinian nightmare, Devil’s Oven breaks the bonds of the traditional horror novel, combining lyrical storytelling with bone-chilling, surreal suspense.
257 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 29, 2012
4 people are currently reading
152 people want to read
About the author
Laura Benedict
35 books422 followersLaura Benedict is the Edgar- and ITW Thriller Award- nominated author of eight novels of suspense, including The Stranger Inside). Her Bliss House gothic trilogy includes The Abandoned Heart, Charlotte’s Story (Booklist starred review), and Bliss House. Her short fiction has appeared in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, and in numerous anthologies like Thrillers: 100 Must-Reads, The Lineup: 20 Provocative Women Writers, and St. Louis Noir. A native of Cincinnati, she lives in Southern Illinois with her family. Visit her at www.laurabenedict.com.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
January 19, 2013
“The darkness – it’s all around you,” she said. “You’re going to let it in.”
DEVILS OVEN is kind of a modern day take on Frankenstein with a delicate twist of innocence and ignorance. The monsters of Benedict’s third novel don’t conform to the stereotype, more often than not masquerading as normal people with their motives a true reflection of the evil that lurks within.
Ivy is a lonesome and hopelessly lovable character who stumbles upon the hacked pieces of a man in a nearby haunted woodland. A seamstress by trade, Ivy uses her skill to sow the man together – irrationally thinking it’ll result in her ‘knight in shining armour’ – a man she can call her own. By some supernatural power, the man rises from the dead and the beginnings of a horror story is borne.
There’s a lot to like about DEVILS OVEN. While horror, it’s the more human elements that reflect the lengths some will go to in order to relish in their own form of darkness. Adultery, murder, rape – all manner of heinous activity bleeds effortlessly into the horror that is DEVILS OVEN. No one is safe in the community, Benedict makes sure of it.
A well plotted, entertaining story where the lines that separate the natural from supernatural are blurred to a degree that makes it difficult to distinguish one from another.
DEVILS OVEN is kind of a modern day take on Frankenstein with a delicate twist of innocence and ignorance. The monsters of Benedict’s third novel don’t conform to the stereotype, more often than not masquerading as normal people with their motives a true reflection of the evil that lurks within.
Ivy is a lonesome and hopelessly lovable character who stumbles upon the hacked pieces of a man in a nearby haunted woodland. A seamstress by trade, Ivy uses her skill to sow the man together – irrationally thinking it’ll result in her ‘knight in shining armour’ – a man she can call her own. By some supernatural power, the man rises from the dead and the beginnings of a horror story is borne.
There’s a lot to like about DEVILS OVEN. While horror, it’s the more human elements that reflect the lengths some will go to in order to relish in their own form of darkness. Adultery, murder, rape – all manner of heinous activity bleeds effortlessly into the horror that is DEVILS OVEN. No one is safe in the community, Benedict makes sure of it.
A well plotted, entertaining story where the lines that separate the natural from supernatural are blurred to a degree that makes it difficult to distinguish one from another.
June 12, 2012
I am a huge fan of Laura's. I got to meet her at Thrillerfest a few years ago where I picked up a copy of her book Isabella Moon and fell in love with her voice and style. Devil's Oven went beyond the expectation I have when I pick up one of her books.
This book is written with a wit that is so unique. The story is seamless. The characters literally jump off the page. I don't want to get too much into the story and spoil anything. If you like to sit on the edge of your seat, loosing yourself in a story woven with rich details, incredible characters and twists and turns you don't expect--this is the book for you.
This book is written with a wit that is so unique. The story is seamless. The characters literally jump off the page. I don't want to get too much into the story and spoil anything. If you like to sit on the edge of your seat, loosing yourself in a story woven with rich details, incredible characters and twists and turns you don't expect--this is the book for you.
July 9, 2012
This was my first horror novel in a while, and it's an injustice to Devil's Oven to term it only horror--it's actually far more than that. From the opening scene the story and its characters sucked me in. I read the entire book in several sittings. The sense of place is very real and evokes memories of early Stephen King. Benedict creates an insular little world in Devil's Oven and, by the time I was a third into the book, I felt like I lived there. Her writing is to die for: beautiful prose that manages to feel comfortable and conversational. An excellent, spooky read that left me wanting more.
April 17, 2012
Devil's Oven was a twisted read into the lives of some very "touched" characters. The whole magnetism towards the Devil's Oven was compelling. Each character had their own need to be near or stay on the Devil's Oven. Sometimes it was comfort but mostly it was a morbid compulsion. I liked the way Laura chiseled each character. It made you want to know each motive and follow their bloody steps. The Devil's Oven is a read that will entice you to turn the page and dare you to read further.
July 26, 2014
This was a good story to read during the month of October. It was a different take on the frankenstein theme that was disturbing and unusual. When Ivy, the lonely seamstress, finds the dismembered parts of a murder victim, she decides to put him back together. What ensues afterwards is truly frightening. An enjoyable Halloween read.
May 11, 2020
This novel asks the important question: what happens when a dismembered mob hitman is accidentally discovered by a simple-minded seamstress with extraordinary powers who decides to sew him back together to make the perfect man? Sounds awful right? And it kind of is, but despite the stupid trashy plot, there is some good characterization, vaguely, and I do mean vaguely, reminiscent of Flannery O'Connor.
June 27, 2014
Needs a Tad More
Interesting cross between Frankenstein and Pinocchio as a shy mountain girl sews the dismembered body parts of man back together and reanimates him with a drop of her blood so that she can have a friend/lover of her own. Of course things don't go well as he starts killing off town folk. The author then injects his opposite into the story, setting up good vs evil. Unfortunately the author never explains how the mountain nourishes our Jolene through several incarnations. What is the source of the evil that possesses others through the centuries? Has there been a spell cast centuries ago? Is there some naturally occurring magic that has always been there? Is there a special bond with this bloodline? We never are made privy to these answers nor is the final magical event even described other than it happens.
The narrative drags considerably through the middle and the ending is vague and unsatisfying. We are left with no information on what has become of several characters. We have no explanation of the supernatural event that occurs other than it temporarily blinds a policeman. And our reincarnated(??) mother and daughter rate only a line or two without mention of what has transpired or what lies ahead for them.
I had high hopes at the start and wish more effort had been spent developing the creepy supernatural forces at play and wish the ending had done more to convey how it changed the survivors and altered their futures.
Interesting cross between Frankenstein and Pinocchio as a shy mountain girl sews the dismembered body parts of man back together and reanimates him with a drop of her blood so that she can have a friend/lover of her own. Of course things don't go well as he starts killing off town folk. The author then injects his opposite into the story, setting up good vs evil. Unfortunately the author never explains how the mountain nourishes our Jolene through several incarnations. What is the source of the evil that possesses others through the centuries? Has there been a spell cast centuries ago? Is there some naturally occurring magic that has always been there? Is there a special bond with this bloodline? We never are made privy to these answers nor is the final magical event even described other than it happens.
The narrative drags considerably through the middle and the ending is vague and unsatisfying. We are left with no information on what has become of several characters. We have no explanation of the supernatural event that occurs other than it temporarily blinds a policeman. And our reincarnated(??) mother and daughter rate only a line or two without mention of what has transpired or what lies ahead for them.
I had high hopes at the start and wish more effort had been spent developing the creepy supernatural forces at play and wish the ending had done more to convey how it changed the survivors and altered their futures.
December 16, 2015
Laura Benedict's Devil's Oven makes an unknown Appalachian mountain a major character and driving force in the elegiac novel of love gone wrong.
Ivy Luttrell lives a lonely life as a seamstress in the shadow of the mountain. Longing for a man to love, she often walks the trails at night. On one such walk, she finds a dismembered body of a man who had been beautiful in life. She stitches him back together in a takeoff on Frankenstein. And like Frankenstein, the man comes to life only to become a monster that terrorizes neighbors and the nearby town. Madness touches many of the residents, all but Ivy and a strange dancer named Jolene. Jolene seems to have the power heal the town but only through the destruction of the monster.
Creepy. Beautiful. Lyrical. Haunting. Benedict's command of poetic language lifts this book from a genre novel to literary fiction. Yes, it has otherworldly elements in it, but so do most of the fairy tales we hear in our youth. Definitely for adults who want to be scared sleepless. Devil's Oven is a continuing nightmare up until the last page.
Read it and sleep with the lights on.
Ivy Luttrell lives a lonely life as a seamstress in the shadow of the mountain. Longing for a man to love, she often walks the trails at night. On one such walk, she finds a dismembered body of a man who had been beautiful in life. She stitches him back together in a takeoff on Frankenstein. And like Frankenstein, the man comes to life only to become a monster that terrorizes neighbors and the nearby town. Madness touches many of the residents, all but Ivy and a strange dancer named Jolene. Jolene seems to have the power heal the town but only through the destruction of the monster.
Creepy. Beautiful. Lyrical. Haunting. Benedict's command of poetic language lifts this book from a genre novel to literary fiction. Yes, it has otherworldly elements in it, but so do most of the fairy tales we hear in our youth. Definitely for adults who want to be scared sleepless. Devil's Oven is a continuing nightmare up until the last page.
Read it and sleep with the lights on.
July 25, 2014
Different
Different
this is first book from this author,finally a story that is a little different,it's a spook,love,strength in family's kind of book.as you can tell it's hard to explain in words.but at same time not a confusing book.you can stop reading for a couple of day( your not going to want to) and pick up book and remember story.not a horror story. give it a try..off I go to buy her new book,hope it's just as good.she may be my new favorite author. she reminds me of Dean Koontz (sorry if spelled wrong) in his very first books.yep showed my age. good reading to yahoo.
Different
this is first book from this author,finally a story that is a little different,it's a spook,love,strength in family's kind of book.as you can tell it's hard to explain in words.but at same time not a confusing book.you can stop reading for a couple of day( your not going to want to) and pick up book and remember story.not a horror story. give it a try..off I go to buy her new book,hope it's just as good.she may be my new favorite author. she reminds me of Dean Koontz (sorry if spelled wrong) in his very first books.yep showed my age. good reading to yahoo.
April 10, 2012
Noir murder mystery storytelling at it's best.
There are lots of twists and turns in Devil's Oven, and of course, many questions, but by the end, the true heroes are given their due. Even though questions remain, it isn't difficult to feel satisfied after reading this book. A good story, good characters and a good mystery.
There are lots of twists and turns in Devil's Oven, and of course, many questions, but by the end, the true heroes are given their due. Even though questions remain, it isn't difficult to feel satisfied after reading this book. A good story, good characters and a good mystery.
Read
June 7, 2012Author review request
March 3, 2015
It wasn't badly written, just not as gripping as I expected. I lost interest towards the end.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews