What do you think?
Rate this book
The Legend of Devil's Creek
When a mutilated corpse is found bound to a tree deep in the forest of remote Aubrey Island, Washington, residents learn that the murder mirrors, in every ritualistic detail, a series of revenge killings described in a century-old local ghost story. More abductions and killings soon follow.
Justin Riddley, recently transferred to the island’s small college, faces growing evidence that one of his new friends and fellow students may be the murderer. John Marshall, redemption-seeking captain of the local police force, leads the frantic murder investigation and struggles to figure out whether the killings are tied to the island's dark and violent past. Tormented by tragic wartime memories, and more convinced with each day that it is humanity’s fate to destroy itself, Marshall races against both the murderer and the specter of his own mental breakdown.
As blood continues to spill, Riddley and Marshall wonder whether there may be a dark, universal force that drives evil deeds great and small, and whether the nature of one’s childhood might sometimes, in the end, be all that separates the saint from the psychopath.
Justin Riddley, recently transferred to the island’s small college, faces growing evidence that one of his new friends and fellow students may be the murderer. John Marshall, redemption-seeking captain of the local police force, leads the frantic murder investigation and struggles to figure out whether the killings are tied to the island's dark and violent past. Tormented by tragic wartime memories, and more convinced with each day that it is humanity’s fate to destroy itself, Marshall races against both the murderer and the specter of his own mental breakdown.
As blood continues to spill, Riddley and Marshall wonder whether there may be a dark, universal force that drives evil deeds great and small, and whether the nature of one’s childhood might sometimes, in the end, be all that separates the saint from the psychopath.
374 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 2012
1719 people are currently reading
3052 people want to read
About the author
D.C. Alexander
7 books124 followersD.C. Alexander is a former federal agent. His debut novel, The Legend of Devil's Creek, was a #1 best seller. His second novel, The Shadow Priest, was described as "a great beach read" by the USA TODAY Network. Friday Harbor is his sixth novel. He is a native of the Pacific Northwest.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 310 reviews
December 17, 2012
I'm the first person to review this? Cool.
Spooky and deep. Reminds me of Silence of the Lambs. Or The Shining. Or both, really, if that makes any sense.
Word to the timid: the first chapter is seriously creepy, but after that it calms down a lot. Rest assured it is not a horror genre story. I have a philosophy degree, and thought some of the philosophy discussion was especially cool. People never talk about this stuff (especially some of the conclusions the characters address)...for example, where does evil really come from and why do we fear death? The world would be a better place if we all thought about some of this stuff.
Anyway....this is a solid read. I plowed through it in three nights.
Spooky and deep. Reminds me of Silence of the Lambs. Or The Shining. Or both, really, if that makes any sense.
Word to the timid: the first chapter is seriously creepy, but after that it calms down a lot. Rest assured it is not a horror genre story. I have a philosophy degree, and thought some of the philosophy discussion was especially cool. People never talk about this stuff (especially some of the conclusions the characters address)...for example, where does evil really come from and why do we fear death? The world would be a better place if we all thought about some of this stuff.
Anyway....this is a solid read. I plowed through it in three nights.
June 22, 2014
This book was $0.99 on Amazon when I got it. The Amazon reviews gave the impression that it was an exciting page turner, but it took me three weeks to read it. By the time I realized it was going nowhere, I was already in too deep. I couldn't stand the main character, Riddley, but I kept reading to see what happened to Chapman because he was the only character i liked. To my knowledge the book never explained why the cop, Marshall, went into these dissociative fugues or whatever. But I just skimmed through the parts that involved the cops because I thought they were stupid and boring – so I could have missed an explanation of Marshall's history. Wish I hadn't wasted my time with this "story."
April 9, 2014
I'm not sure where to start with this review. Okay, what I didn't like: I found the main character, Riddley to be very unlikable. I cannot understand why he was SO insecure! I mean, the guy can barely function in a social setting, and there is NO plausible reason! Because his parents loved him and sheltered him? Umm, no, I'm sorry, but that doesn't fly. I was expecting some secret to come out about his REAL childhood that would explain his extreme behavior, but that never happened. So, that was disappointing. I thought the author was gonna do some kind of masterful rabbit trick, but guess not. Secondly, the characters were completely unbelievable. What college-aged guys do you know that like to get wasted and PHILOSOPHIZE??? I know they are all taking A philosophy class, but it became ridiculous that every conversation they had, while sitting around, was about philosophical subjects. Also, for them to all have had such horrible childhoods, they sure LOVED to talk about them. I can understand sharing stories and opening up, but again, practically every conversation they had dredged up bad childhood memories!! Who sits around a campfire with a group of friends and says to another friend in front of everyone, "hey, tell us more about how you were abused as a child, dude." And this was a common recurrence throughout the book! Who are these people? And lastly, I didn't like the abrupt ending. I would have liked a little more explanation, such as, why the heck did he keep letting Vickers go?? What was that about? Why did he copy the Devil Creek killer? Who was the original killer? When did he start his killing spree? Ugh. Now, what I did like was the suspense and guessing. I thought I had the killer figured out a couple times, but was never sure, and I was way off. There were many parts (mostly the investigative portions) that really captured my attention and would pull me through.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 29, 2019
i did not like this book. it was nothing like i thought it would be. There is way too much time spent in the philosophy class and underage drinking but it's ok on this campus. The characters are 19-20ish but act way younger. i listened to the audio book narrated by David L. White. He did ok but was very matter of fact-ly in his reading.
i requested this audio book from the author and left this review voluntarily. Sorry D.C!
i requested this audio book from the author and left this review voluntarily. Sorry D.C!
August 15, 2017
Meh.....can't rally recommend this one. Interesting enough story line but there was just too much in here that wasn't for me. A group of college students comes together in a way that doesn't seem realistic to me. The core of the group meets in a philosophy class and are introduced to two additional students. They all seem to have had terrible upbringing, every other scenes is around them "drinking beer" and they end discussing philosophy. I know college students drink beer but come on!, that is so cliche and was so over used. I also can't see drinking students getting into the number of philosophical discussions they did. This just did not have enough reality for me.
February 18, 2013
Review of The Legend of Devil’s Creek
5 stars
As much a coming-of-age novel as it is murder mystery, “The Legend of Devil’s Creek” functions effectively in both genres. Justin Riddley is a college junior, a new transfer to St. Jerome’s College on Aubrey Island, Washington, in Puget Sound. Despite his age and education, he is rather socially inept, all the more so for being so self-aware. He’s never had a relationship, is amazed that other guys seem to want his friendship, doesn’t play sports, and is almost pathologically shy. But it is his self-awareness that grinds the discomfort even more intensely, because he nearly constantly bludgeons himself mentally and emotionally over what he considers his inabilities and failures.
Woven in with Justin’s story is an ongoing series of murders, and not the first set on this small island, either. In 1928 and 1929, after the bullying death of a twelve-year-old, a series of grisly murders occurred. Now, eighty years and more later, a similar set takes place; the unifying thread is that all the victims are absusers of children (and often, women).
This novel contains several multifaceted characters explored in depth. Additionally, there is Justin Riddley’s personal growth curve; and the ongoing murder mystery. I highly recommend this novel.
5 stars
As much a coming-of-age novel as it is murder mystery, “The Legend of Devil’s Creek” functions effectively in both genres. Justin Riddley is a college junior, a new transfer to St. Jerome’s College on Aubrey Island, Washington, in Puget Sound. Despite his age and education, he is rather socially inept, all the more so for being so self-aware. He’s never had a relationship, is amazed that other guys seem to want his friendship, doesn’t play sports, and is almost pathologically shy. But it is his self-awareness that grinds the discomfort even more intensely, because he nearly constantly bludgeons himself mentally and emotionally over what he considers his inabilities and failures.
Woven in with Justin’s story is an ongoing series of murders, and not the first set on this small island, either. In 1928 and 1929, after the bullying death of a twelve-year-old, a series of grisly murders occurred. Now, eighty years and more later, a similar set takes place; the unifying thread is that all the victims are absusers of children (and often, women).
This novel contains several multifaceted characters explored in depth. Additionally, there is Justin Riddley’s personal growth curve; and the ongoing murder mystery. I highly recommend this novel.
May 3, 2015
Quite a good mystery. Good plot that kept me guessing up until near the end. The characters were well developed. I enjoyed reading about a different region of the country and reading the descriptions of the fishing and camping expeditions of the main characters. It really bothers me when books depend on un-natural coincidences or pure luck to solve the mystery, but this one flowed in a natural progression which made it very believable. It does have a "super natural" twist, but it doesn't really interfere with how the murders are committed, or how they are eventually solved.
A word of caution, if you are very squeamish about graphic gore, you should be aware there are a few scenes where the killings are described. I wouldn't classify it as extreme, nor are the descriptions overly long or frequent, but still, just be aware.
A word of caution, if you are very squeamish about graphic gore, you should be aware there are a few scenes where the killings are described. I wouldn't classify it as extreme, nor are the descriptions overly long or frequent, but still, just be aware.
May 3, 2019
This was a superb story only marred by some pretty awful editing. I got a bit bogged down with some of the philosophical stuff as well....I don't think we needed quite as much of it as we were given. Our main character Riddley was hard work....I wanted to kick him up the backside a lot of the time. He continually felt very sorry for himself yet he was the only one of his group of friends that really had caring parents and a decent family growing up. My favourite one of the gang was Chapman. I liked him so much.....and the mention of Maraschino cherries at one point warmed me to him even more !!
For once I did pick the correct murderer which is a rare thing indeed but in no way spoilt the tale for me. Now I'd expected, from the synopsis, that Riddley and Marshall were going to be tackling this investigation together, and that turned out to be far from the case......it wasn't anything like I had expected going into it though I really enjoyed it, nevertheless. It was satisfying to encounter a bunch of young lads that drink and party as any other young group but also had some really interesting and deep conversations with each other. I really liked this, though I had to wonder how any of them could afford the amount of beer they were going through !
However, THAT editing......it really got on my nerves. Plus, nothing irritates me quite as much as an author who uses lots of big words,(some I needed a dictionary for), yet can't get some basics right !! It's just bloody sloppy and someone should've picked them up. There were loads of words just dropped from sentences altogether, like a/the/in/of (which is happening more and more often in e-books, which makes me wonder about the digital process), there were a lot of missed-out speechmarks, then apostrophes as well plus the odd comma, fullstop or hyphen for a bit of variation.
On the very first page he wrote Camero and not Camaro (though further in it was spelt correctly) and I was annoyed at this as an English woman shouldn't know this correct spelling and an American bloke get it wrong !! On page 2 he wrote tick and not tic and things really weren't looking too promising. We had lightening and not lightning (and again, he got this right further in which is just slapdash in the extreme), considerer and not consider, then TWICE wrote isle and not aisle !!! A huge ouch !
Let's hope he gets himself a better editor next time. Oh, I'd never heard of Frisbee golf so Googled it and over here it's called Disc golf and looks like a lot of fun !!
I liked the ending of this a great deal as well.
For once I did pick the correct murderer which is a rare thing indeed but in no way spoilt the tale for me. Now I'd expected, from the synopsis, that Riddley and Marshall were going to be tackling this investigation together, and that turned out to be far from the case......it wasn't anything like I had expected going into it though I really enjoyed it, nevertheless. It was satisfying to encounter a bunch of young lads that drink and party as any other young group but also had some really interesting and deep conversations with each other. I really liked this, though I had to wonder how any of them could afford the amount of beer they were going through !
However, THAT editing......it really got on my nerves. Plus, nothing irritates me quite as much as an author who uses lots of big words,(some I needed a dictionary for), yet can't get some basics right !! It's just bloody sloppy and someone should've picked them up. There were loads of words just dropped from sentences altogether, like a/the/in/of (which is happening more and more often in e-books, which makes me wonder about the digital process), there were a lot of missed-out speechmarks, then apostrophes as well plus the odd comma, fullstop or hyphen for a bit of variation.
On the very first page he wrote Camero and not Camaro (though further in it was spelt correctly) and I was annoyed at this as an English woman shouldn't know this correct spelling and an American bloke get it wrong !! On page 2 he wrote tick and not tic and things really weren't looking too promising. We had lightening and not lightning (and again, he got this right further in which is just slapdash in the extreme), considerer and not consider, then TWICE wrote isle and not aisle !!! A huge ouch !
Let's hope he gets himself a better editor next time. Oh, I'd never heard of Frisbee golf so Googled it and over here it's called Disc golf and looks like a lot of fun !!
I liked the ending of this a great deal as well.
December 25, 2020
This is probably my favourite book I've read by the author so far! (I previously read Chasing the Monkey King which I also really liked).
The selling point of the book for me was the philosophical discussions that take place throughout. Not only in the students' philosophy classes (with a teacher character I really loved!), but also in their conversations getting drunk around a campfire. For me, this gave the murder mystery element so much more depth. Not only are we, as the reader, trying to figure out who the murderer might be, but we are also forced to confront themes like nature vs nurture and deeper motives for the murderer. It makes you sympathize in a way with the brutal murders taking place. I also found these philosophical discussions were an interesting provider of characterisation, and presented backstories in a way that was really insightful.
I also really like how dark this story was. Though definitely not very everyone (warning: a few of the chapters are a bit explicit with violence!) the sad backstories of the character, the pattern of murders, and an old legend of the town really intrigued me.
The other part I really loved about it was the element of a coming of age story. Riddley comes to college, fosters new friendships, moves out of his comfort zone, and reflects on his own childhood. My favourite quote, 'And if there is no Heaven, then the love I leave behind will be my immortality' (p.292). This is in reference to families and relationships, and I absolutely love that quote. It was a really beautiful character arc. I can't stop thinking about the end of that chapter!
I would definitely recommend it.
The selling point of the book for me was the philosophical discussions that take place throughout. Not only in the students' philosophy classes (with a teacher character I really loved!), but also in their conversations getting drunk around a campfire. For me, this gave the murder mystery element so much more depth. Not only are we, as the reader, trying to figure out who the murderer might be, but we are also forced to confront themes like nature vs nurture and deeper motives for the murderer. It makes you sympathize in a way with the brutal murders taking place. I also found these philosophical discussions were an interesting provider of characterisation, and presented backstories in a way that was really insightful.
I also really like how dark this story was. Though definitely not very everyone (warning: a few of the chapters are a bit explicit with violence!) the sad backstories of the character, the pattern of murders, and an old legend of the town really intrigued me.
The other part I really loved about it was the element of a coming of age story. Riddley comes to college, fosters new friendships, moves out of his comfort zone, and reflects on his own childhood. My favourite quote, 'And if there is no Heaven, then the love I leave behind will be my immortality' (p.292). This is in reference to families and relationships, and I absolutely love that quote. It was a really beautiful character arc. I can't stop thinking about the end of that chapter!
I would definitely recommend it.
December 9, 2022
I tried the first chapter and it's not for me. I do love that cover however. 2 ⭐
April 28, 2019
Hmmmm I guess I kinda liked the book. I didn’t dislike it enough to stop reading and put it aside but it left me feeling meh about the ending. Almost as it the author had reached the minimum number of pages he was trying to hit and then fished up the story. No good analysis of the why it all happened. Especially since there was so much philosophical discussion throughout the book - why not employ that in the conclusion? Would have appreciated a more thought out ending.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 24, 2019
It took me awhile to get through this book -- the first chapter was particularly gruesome and graphic and I was afraid the entire book would be that way (fortunately it wasn't) and then it was very slow. I am not sure what exactly the author intended but, for me, he didn't pull it off. We follow the main character through much of the book watching him change....I'm not sure if it was supposed to be considered "growth" or "maturing" but I felt it was neither and at the end I didn't really like him. The character is taking a philosophy class and there is much expounding about evil but it doesn't really add to the story -- especially if you don't agree with the theories and revelations. There is also the parallel story of the investigation and another protagonist but, again, things happening to that character make little sense in regard to the story.
May 2, 2013
A mutilated corpse is found in the woods on a small island off the coast of Seattle, Washington. A group of four young college students and a older policeman's lives are intertwined as the search for a serial killer goes on. All of the students are enrolled in the same philosophy class, and they ponder the meaning of life, the source of evil and what makes a person think and do evil deeds. An excellent book. I couldn't put it down. It was certainly not your average murder mystery. I was totally enthralled until the very last page. I couldn't believe it was over until the small lady smiled. And then I was content.
March 5, 2013
Absolutely loved this book! I wish I had the ability to write some great, thought provoking review, but I don't so I'll just say a few things...
The first chapter was not what I expected, but it had me hooked. I really enjoyed getting to know all the characters and, to my surprise, their discussions of philosophy. I could barely keep myself from this story and found myself sneaking in a few pages every time I had a free moment. It kept me thinking, even now after finishing I'm still thinking about what it all means.
The first chapter was not what I expected, but it had me hooked. I really enjoyed getting to know all the characters and, to my surprise, their discussions of philosophy. I could barely keep myself from this story and found myself sneaking in a few pages every time I had a free moment. It kept me thinking, even now after finishing I'm still thinking about what it all means.
Read
February 2, 2014Great read!
The legend of devil's creek was a really great read. it wove mystery and philosophy into the telling of a wonderful story. it reads kept my attention and was hard to put down. I even learned different philosophical thoughts on evil through the college lectures in the book.
The legend of devil's creek was a really great read. it wove mystery and philosophy into the telling of a wonderful story. it reads kept my attention and was hard to put down. I even learned different philosophical thoughts on evil through the college lectures in the book.
January 5, 2017
Roller coaster ride
To be honest, I never expected to get sucked into this book but that's exactly what happened. The storyline moves along at a good pace and along the way, I came up with 3 suspects but it's not until the final few pages that it's all revealed. Although in a way it also feels like it's unfinished......or at least unexplained.
To be honest, I never expected to get sucked into this book but that's exactly what happened. The storyline moves along at a good pace and along the way, I came up with 3 suspects but it's not until the final few pages that it's all revealed. Although in a way it also feels like it's unfinished......or at least unexplained.
March 12, 2018
If you suffer from insomnia read this book!
This book is the story of a group of friends during their college years. Thrown in as almost an afterthought was the legend of a serial killer. Hardly any of the book refers to the murders, and I found the ending a let down and confusing.
This book is the story of a group of friends during their college years. Thrown in as almost an afterthought was the legend of a serial killer. Hardly any of the book refers to the murders, and I found the ending a let down and confusing.
April 23, 2019
The story definitely took a backseat to a philosophy class discussion. I understand they were attempting to link the story to principles in philosophy but it was just way too much. Most interactions between the characters had no relevance to the plot. Although the writing was great, the plot was lacking a lot. Many elements of the story were never explained and it felt like a chore to read.
March 10, 2021
Great plot twists!
This book was the best I've read for a long time. The hints and clues were so well wrapped up in the story that I kept changing my mind who he killer was!!. For me, it took a little while to get going but boy was it worth the investment of my time!!!. I loved it!!!! Definitely worth five stars out of five!!!.
This book was the best I've read for a long time. The hints and clues were so well wrapped up in the story that I kept changing my mind who he killer was!!. For me, it took a little while to get going but boy was it worth the investment of my time!!!. I loved it!!!! Definitely worth five stars out of five!!!.
October 20, 2019
The Legend of Devil's Creek
By: D. C. Alexander
I'm not sure what to say about this book. It felt like it was trying to push into too many different genres. First off murder mystery, Second YA/ coming of age, next the philosophical ideas of good and evil vs childhood trauma and coping. I felt like I needed a road map to try and follow all the paths this was taking. Then I am at the end and it was like ....huh? Did he just run out of things to say so just rushed to end it? Please take a less tangled mix of genres.
The narration was well done. The characters were well portrayed. David L. White was the only way I made it through.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
By: D. C. Alexander
I'm not sure what to say about this book. It felt like it was trying to push into too many different genres. First off murder mystery, Second YA/ coming of age, next the philosophical ideas of good and evil vs childhood trauma and coping. I felt like I needed a road map to try and follow all the paths this was taking. Then I am at the end and it was like ....huh? Did he just run out of things to say so just rushed to end it? Please take a less tangled mix of genres.
The narration was well done. The characters were well portrayed. David L. White was the only way I made it through.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
March 18, 2020
I read the first chapter, a completely unrealistic murder. There aren’t enough decades left in my life to bother with this crap.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 17, 2017
Liked this book, the killer story and aura, I think it was very well developed by the author. The way it kept the suspense until the end, is fairly good.
However, there a couple of things that I didn't enjoy. The investigation part fromthe cops, is mentioned very few times, considering the type of killer they were dealing with. The story centers to much on the group of friends and their interaction.
I also had a problem with the characters. The main cop apparently has a problem, that leads him to have nightmares and episodes, and we never know what makes him have that. It seems a background story that was just jammed there to make the character more dense than actually is. The main character also seems to have too much anxiety problems. At some point, it just starts to feel like it is a bit too much.
But, it's a good book to read. It's entertaining.
However, there a couple of things that I didn't enjoy. The investigation part fromthe cops, is mentioned very few times, considering the type of killer they were dealing with. The story centers to much on the group of friends and their interaction.
I also had a problem with the characters. The main cop apparently has a problem, that leads him to have nightmares and episodes, and we never know what makes him have that. It seems a background story that was just jammed there to make the character more dense than actually is. The main character also seems to have too much anxiety problems. At some point, it just starts to feel like it is a bit too much.
But, it's a good book to read. It's entertaining.
Read
March 15, 2014The Legend of Devil’s Creek explores the question of whether much of the evil in the world ultimately flows from our fear of death, and whether upbringing and early childhood experiences impact our ability to cope with this fear. In wrestling with personal demons, the characters exemplify the process of psychological recovery from traumatic experiences.
Not your typical thriller, but a good fast read, nonetheless. Good food for thought
Not your typical thriller, but a good fast read, nonetheless. Good food for thought
March 6, 2014
Great story, multi-layered, thought-provoking and enjoyable. I loved the 'coming-of-age' aspect as well as the philosophical ideas. As for the ending.. - excellent.
My only quibble is that some of the scenes with the students seemed to ramble a bit and could have been tighter. Otherwise, a great read and I will look for more by this author.
My only quibble is that some of the scenes with the students seemed to ramble a bit and could have been tighter. Otherwise, a great read and I will look for more by this author.
March 14, 2014
Enjoyed the first chapter and thought I was going to get a hard hitting murder mystery. But it then moved into the territory of philosophy and teenage angst.
The story concerns the discovery of a mutilated corpse in the woods on a small island off the coast of Seattle.
More bodies are found and is there a link to an old ghost story.
The story concerns the discovery of a mutilated corpse in the woods on a small island off the coast of Seattle.
More bodies are found and is there a link to an old ghost story.
April 19, 2019
This was about as far from a page turner as possible. I appreciated that the author tried to give us 3-4 viable suspects, but it just ended up being so obvious who the killer was. The cop storyline went almost literally nowhere, and added nothing to the story. The “main character,” Ridley, was painful. Don’t bother with this one - you’ll be bored, annoyed, or both.
August 16, 2019
Apparently the author could not decide whether to write a coming of age story or a murder mystery. Main character redundantly describes his social anxiety. Author also should invest in a good thesaurus.
WARNING: prologue is more gruesome than necessary for the story - vividly describes a brutal murder by dismemberment from the point of view of the victim.
WARNING: prologue is more gruesome than necessary for the story - vividly describes a brutal murder by dismemberment from the point of view of the victim.
May 6, 2020
Chapman has radar to gather together the outliers, the misfits, and works to not only make them feel included, but to actually include them. This was a group of young people raised in dysfunctional families. Even Riddley who says he has parents who love him while his friends all have parents who don't care and actually physically abuse them. Riddley's parents left him constantly questioning himself, constantly feeling inadequate as a person. He may have been raised by narcissists who controlled him and constantly found him flawed because he could never be perfect; none of us can. Chapman and Sandhurst had nightmare parents. Chapman is a person who used his horrendous childhood to make himself stronger. He spent his time looking to give love to people who seemed to need it most. He worked at building up those who had trouble doing it themselves.
The Philosophy class gave the questions that these young men needed answered, even though they didn't realize that they did. It's like a life boat was being offered to them to see things in a different way. At the end of the story, it seemed that the murderer was touched by the discussions. He hesitated, maybe remembering his own anguish as a weak victim. This hesitation caused an almost unbearable fight within himself.
The philosophy discussions added to the story for me. Such horrific murders and such horrific childhoods do bring to mind the question why? What makes people treat each other in ways they wouldn't want to be treated themselves? Why is it that someone who wants love and receives hate would grow to give that which he or she most despises?
I enjoyed this story from beginning to end. I do, however, agree with those who feel that more work was needed with the character Marshall. This group of odd lot friends was believable. The fact that they ended up banding together is also not an uncommon occurrence. There was comfort in Riddley's being able to grow beyond his overly controlled past and in Chapman's finding love through loving and forgiving.
The Philosophy class gave the questions that these young men needed answered, even though they didn't realize that they did. It's like a life boat was being offered to them to see things in a different way. At the end of the story, it seemed that the murderer was touched by the discussions. He hesitated, maybe remembering his own anguish as a weak victim. This hesitation caused an almost unbearable fight within himself.
The philosophy discussions added to the story for me. Such horrific murders and such horrific childhoods do bring to mind the question why? What makes people treat each other in ways they wouldn't want to be treated themselves? Why is it that someone who wants love and receives hate would grow to give that which he or she most despises?
I enjoyed this story from beginning to end. I do, however, agree with those who feel that more work was needed with the character Marshall. This group of odd lot friends was believable. The fact that they ended up banding together is also not an uncommon occurrence. There was comfort in Riddley's being able to grow beyond his overly controlled past and in Chapman's finding love through loving and forgiving.
September 7, 2025
A serial killer is on the loose. He dismembers his victims.
Riddley transfers to a college closer to home and meets up with an old high school friend who introduces him to a group of people. Could one of these new friends be the serial killer?
This is a coming of age story, a murder mystery and a discussion of the philosophical question, what is evil?
"But worse yet, when instead of receiving love we are, in addition to being deprived of love, subjected to hate or emotional or physical abuse—especially in those critical first five years, when we are so impressionable, so physically and emotionally helpless and vulnerable—the trauma of the experience can twist and warp our psychology such that we are transformed in terrible ways. Into people who have no concept of love, but only of anger and hate."
It's a slow burn and took me awhile to get into it. The story weaves from the killings, to Riddley's college experience, and then to the investigation throughout the book. The main characters were very likeable and relatable. The philosophical discussions are thought- provoking.
“We stare up at the night sky, demanding answers of the dark and seemingly empty universe. When none come, we scurry about, we busy ourselves to distraction, we dream ways out of the fix we’re in. We fight for longer life. We imagine afterlife. We crush and claw and burn each other, we lay waste to the earth, to maintain our vision of it, all the while aware on some level that, no matter what we do, death is coming for us."
Overall this was an amazing story of friendships, growing up, dark pasts and memories.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2
Riddley transfers to a college closer to home and meets up with an old high school friend who introduces him to a group of people. Could one of these new friends be the serial killer?
This is a coming of age story, a murder mystery and a discussion of the philosophical question, what is evil?
"But worse yet, when instead of receiving love we are, in addition to being deprived of love, subjected to hate or emotional or physical abuse—especially in those critical first five years, when we are so impressionable, so physically and emotionally helpless and vulnerable—the trauma of the experience can twist and warp our psychology such that we are transformed in terrible ways. Into people who have no concept of love, but only of anger and hate."
It's a slow burn and took me awhile to get into it. The story weaves from the killings, to Riddley's college experience, and then to the investigation throughout the book. The main characters were very likeable and relatable. The philosophical discussions are thought- provoking.
“We stare up at the night sky, demanding answers of the dark and seemingly empty universe. When none come, we scurry about, we busy ourselves to distraction, we dream ways out of the fix we’re in. We fight for longer life. We imagine afterlife. We crush and claw and burn each other, we lay waste to the earth, to maintain our vision of it, all the while aware on some level that, no matter what we do, death is coming for us."
Overall this was an amazing story of friendships, growing up, dark pasts and memories.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2
June 21, 2022
It took me a long time to read this book, partly because of lack of time and partly because this book is quite long and goes on an on finally reaching nowhere. There is so much happening, but in the end its all upto you to decide upon the explanation. The build-up is quite good, the book takes time to build up the characters, there are long philosophical discussions in the class, which are actually quite good, but in the end, you feel cheated. So much is left open, no explanation and all the loose ends remain loose forever. There are murders taking place which are a copy of what is supposed to have happened a century ago. A century ago, a boy died after facing torment from everywhere and soon the tormentors start getting killed in gruesome fashion. Several other people who belong the category of tormentors / child abusers get killed. Now the pattern has remerged and the Police are clueless. Simultaneously, there is a group of new college students who go out on picnics, dance parties and narrate their stories, most of which tell of a troubled childhood. The main protagonist, Ridley who comes out as meek slowly learns to face the world and is transformed. However, when the killer is revealed finally, the story ends abruptly and without any explanation. I felt cheated. The writing is quite smooth and engaging. The discussions are quite profound and I enjoyed. I hope the closure was better.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 310 reviews