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The Devil #5
The Devil's Laughter
Not your standard murder - this was a vicious, grisly killing, and both reporter Link Donovan and Sheriff Ray Ingalls had grave premonitions that the unGodly laughter they heard echoing through the woods meant this was only the beginning.
- GenresHorror
384 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
34 people are currently reading
391 people want to read
About the author
William W. Johnstone
1,041 books1,392 followersWilliam W. Johnstone is the #1 bestselling Western writer in America and the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of hundreds of books, with over 50 million copies sold. Born in southern Missouri, he was raised with strong moral and family values by his minister father, and tutored by his schoolteacher mother. He left school at fifteen to work in a carnival and then as a deputy sheriff before serving in the army. He went on to become known as "the Greatest Western writer of the 21st Century." Visit him online at WilliamJohnstone.net.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
October 23, 2024
Pretty tame for a Johnstone horror novel, especially compared to the others in his Devil series. This is more of a men’s adventure paperback featuring our hero taking on an evil coven. Picture Mack Bolan, the Executioner, pitted against a small LA town overrun by the devil’s minions. All in all a great read that grabs you from the beginning and keeps you turning pages to see what happens next.
March 25, 2022
This was good in the way "The Room" is good.
YOU'RE TEARING ME APART SATAN!
YOU'RE TEARING ME APART SATAN!
January 20, 2020
I've read all 4 books in the Devil Series, these books aren't for the faint of heart and they delve on the dark and evil side of Horror. Based on Satanism and The fight between good and evil. A lot of people would refrain from reading these types of books, because of the number of horrendous actions that take place. But there was something about God seeking and choosing a Human Being, and marking him as His Soldier, and sending him into the heart of the Satanic Coven infest3ed town to fight against Witches, Zombies and an unruly, and a completely cruel band of Coven Members. That drew me in when I was younger.
I recently reread all 4 books before this one. But had never known the existence of this book, until about a few months back. The difference with this book is the characters are all different. And it is clear that the author was wanting to take this last book in a completely different turn.
In this book, you follow Link Donovan, a very opinionated ex C.I.A Agent around. Unaware that once again Satan is setting up a Coven in the Parish of Louisianna. But with the help of the town's Sherriff, Ray Ingalls a few other bands of faith-driven Christians. They band together to fight back the evil and save the town from the clutches of Satan once again. Just Like and Sam Balon did in the previous 4 books. I would recommend this series, but I do warn you it has strong graphic language and depictive mention of Rape and Violence that goes outside of what you normally would be accustom too.
I liked this book, even though it took a bit of a small turn away from the other 4 books. But, it was a little more tamed in the series from the rest. My thoughts on Link, are that he wasn't my favorite, and I would have loved if William would have made it where Link was related to Sam in some way, or maybe the child of theirs. But instead, the Balons weren't even in the book, except for a very small mention and that is truly okay.
But it would have brought much more of a twist to the reader had William made the connection between Link and The Balon's as familial or had them show up toward the end to lend a hand. I do recommend the books, and this one, but take it with a grain of salt and if you do go into reading the series just make sure you prepare yourself. These books, after all, are 80 - 90 Horror fiction.
I recently reread all 4 books before this one. But had never known the existence of this book, until about a few months back. The difference with this book is the characters are all different. And it is clear that the author was wanting to take this last book in a completely different turn.
In this book, you follow Link Donovan, a very opinionated ex C.I.A Agent around. Unaware that once again Satan is setting up a Coven in the Parish of Louisianna. But with the help of the town's Sherriff, Ray Ingalls a few other bands of faith-driven Christians. They band together to fight back the evil and save the town from the clutches of Satan once again. Just Like and Sam Balon did in the previous 4 books. I would recommend this series, but I do warn you it has strong graphic language and depictive mention of Rape and Violence that goes outside of what you normally would be accustom too.
I liked this book, even though it took a bit of a small turn away from the other 4 books. But, it was a little more tamed in the series from the rest. My thoughts on Link, are that he wasn't my favorite, and I would have loved if William would have made it where Link was related to Sam in some way, or maybe the child of theirs. But instead, the Balons weren't even in the book, except for a very small mention and that is truly okay.
But it would have brought much more of a twist to the reader had William made the connection between Link and The Balon's as familial or had them show up toward the end to lend a hand. I do recommend the books, and this one, but take it with a grain of salt and if you do go into reading the series just make sure you prepare yourself. These books, after all, are 80 - 90 Horror fiction.
August 11, 2023
Weird and not very effective mix of macho men’s adventure style action, paranoia about satanists taking over America and rants about liberals. It moves at a decent pace and has some ok horror scenes, but I really didn’t enjoy it much.
March 20, 2023
The devils laughter is way more than what the reviews lead me to believe what this book was about! I guess this is book 3 in a four book series, but this book, is a stand alone version, and has nothing to do with the other three.
I have not read the other three books, so I can 100% tell you, you do not need to read books one and two to know what’s going on. I’m a huge fan of the late 70s early 80s mens action novels. Think Rambo, Mia Hunter, and others in that genre. What we have here, is a mix of that genre and horror/suspense.
It’s like rambo (a one man army) meets the exorcist but instead of a little girl, it’s the whole town! This book was excellent, and quite enjoyable to read. Don’t judge a book by its cover either, because this book has nothing to do with clowns as the cover may suggest.
If there is one complaint I had, and I have notice this to be a “thing” in some of Johnstones books, there are A LOT of characters thrown at you, most are just one offs, but it’s enough to start getting confusing in who was who. But no where near enough to ruin this one!
This was an easy Five stars! Great read if you like the horror genre.
I have not read the other three books, so I can 100% tell you, you do not need to read books one and two to know what’s going on. I’m a huge fan of the late 70s early 80s mens action novels. Think Rambo, Mia Hunter, and others in that genre. What we have here, is a mix of that genre and horror/suspense.
It’s like rambo (a one man army) meets the exorcist but instead of a little girl, it’s the whole town! This book was excellent, and quite enjoyable to read. Don’t judge a book by its cover either, because this book has nothing to do with clowns as the cover may suggest.
If there is one complaint I had, and I have notice this to be a “thing” in some of Johnstones books, there are A LOT of characters thrown at you, most are just one offs, but it’s enough to start getting confusing in who was who. But no where near enough to ruin this one!
This was an easy Five stars! Great read if you like the horror genre.
February 13, 2020
!!Spoiler Alert!!! Spoiler Alert!! Excellent book, but...
Although this was another excellent book by Mr. Johnstone and followed in the vein of the other 4 books in this series, it DOESN'T CENTER AROUND Sam and Nydia Balon. There is only a VERY brief mention of their names about 75% of the way through the book. I found this to be extremely disappointing. The battle continues, but with different players and nothing is wrapped up concerning the Balon family. As always, excellent writing and attention to detail, but this very well could have been a stand-alone book and not necessarily a part of the series.
Although this was another excellent book by Mr. Johnstone and followed in the vein of the other 4 books in this series, it DOESN'T CENTER AROUND Sam and Nydia Balon. There is only a VERY brief mention of their names about 75% of the way through the book. I found this to be extremely disappointing. The battle continues, but with different players and nothing is wrapped up concerning the Balon family. As always, excellent writing and attention to detail, but this very well could have been a stand-alone book and not necessarily a part of the series.
February 11, 2024
Fifth and final book of the Devils series. It was a standalone novel that, like other reviewers have said, felt more like a men’s adventure novel than a horror novel. No beast. No dark masses scenes. I really wish we would’ve continued following the Balon’s, Janet, Jimmy Perkins, Jon Le Monie and the devil’s/Balon’s daughter Xavierie to see how that all ended. This book wasn’t terrible but definitely the worst in the series and disappointed me so much because that dang cover makes you expect so much! 3 stars. The whole series though as a whole is 4 stars and worth a read!
January 31, 2025
As others have mentioned, I found this to be surprisingly tame compared to the other novels in 'The Devil' series. It almost comes off as a side story in the series. In checking his own website, this book isn't even properly counted in the series, which makes more sense to me. This takes place in the same universe, has the same general feel, as the rest, but it doesn't feature those main characters, Sam and Nadia and their son, and it's, well, not as batshit insane as those are. Oh, it's still about a Satan worshipping coven who want to rape and murder everyone not on their side, but it comes off a little more as an adventure novel or even something akin to 'First Blood' (a vet taking out the heads of a town) than full horror.
I feel like Link is a person that I might not truly *like* in real life, but he's someone I could at least respect. We don't line up politically AT ALL, but he's a lover and protector of animals, as am I. I also feel like I would have stopped trying to solve everything the logical, law abiding way far sooner than, say, Ray, the sheriff. It's interesting to see that someone whom I might butt heads with constantly, I can still relate to in certain ways. I *certainly* wouldn't want to get on his bad side. (As a fellow Louisiana resident, he also someone that I could easily see as my neighbor or relative.)
So, the novel wasn't as balls to the wall as the previous 'The Devil' books were, but it was still entertaining in that 80's/90's horror pulp way that I enjoy so much. If the other books were a too much for you, this one might be an easier read.
I feel like Link is a person that I might not truly *like* in real life, but he's someone I could at least respect. We don't line up politically AT ALL, but he's a lover and protector of animals, as am I. I also feel like I would have stopped trying to solve everything the logical, law abiding way far sooner than, say, Ray, the sheriff. It's interesting to see that someone whom I might butt heads with constantly, I can still relate to in certain ways. I *certainly* wouldn't want to get on his bad side. (As a fellow Louisiana resident, he also someone that I could easily see as my neighbor or relative.)
So, the novel wasn't as balls to the wall as the previous 'The Devil' books were, but it was still entertaining in that 80's/90's horror pulp way that I enjoy so much. If the other books were a too much for you, this one might be an easier read.
January 26, 2022
This book feels more like a ghost-written reboot than an actual continuation of the series. The new main character, Link, is unrelated to the previous storyline. It’s missing a lot of the recurring tropes like snarky conversations between God and Satan and the sexual depravity Johnstone loved to describe. There’s no obsession with the size of the protagonist’s penis (don’t laugh; if you read the other books, you know). There aren’t even any Beasts. At least we got a cameo from a Thompson SMG.
It’s not a terrible book, but it lacks the pulpy charm of the rest of the series. I honestly have a hard time believing he wrote this one. I guess we’ll never know what happened with the Balons.
It’s not a terrible book, but it lacks the pulpy charm of the rest of the series. I honestly have a hard time believing he wrote this one. I guess we’ll never know what happened with the Balons.
August 26, 2017
A swing and a miss
First off the book was written 30 plus years ago but being dated does not make up for terrible writing the characters were hollow undeveloped it is so bad it is hard to get to the end but you just want it to be over.
First off the book was written 30 plus years ago but being dated does not make up for terrible writing the characters were hollow undeveloped it is so bad it is hard to get to the end but you just want it to be over.
May 4, 2021
On gosh!
This book was great!I love the way they explained in the book to every one of us are not in the know about all that this type of thing is about.Scary stuff and not. for the squeamish. It was fantastic and I loved it!!!
This book was great!I love the way they explained in the book to every one of us are not in the know about all that this type of thing is about.Scary stuff and not. for the squeamish. It was fantastic and I loved it!!!
March 15, 2025
Not really a horror, but ok if you want to read from a far right gun toting, rules and laws don't apply to me alpha male characters.
Would probably make a better movie than a book.
Doesn't deserve the 4 starts, IMO.
Would probably make a better movie than a book.
Doesn't deserve the 4 starts, IMO.
March 2, 2018
Good
This was a for ry good ending to the series. This is part of a horror series. It will keep you up at knight.
This was a for ry good ending to the series. This is part of a horror series. It will keep you up at knight.
December 31, 2022
I don’t know what to say about this extraordinary book except maybe DARN.
December 19, 2025
Okay, so having finished the 5 books - here's the coffee breakdown:
1. The Devil's Kiss: 43 mentions & Johnstone's first book (and my fav of the series)
2. The Devil's Heart: 19 mentions
3. The Devil's Touch: 13 mentions
4. The Devil's Cat: 28 mentions
5. The Devil's Laughter: 51 mentions & the coffee winner! I managed to highlight each time it comes up.
Book 5 doesn't have any of the same characters as the prior 4, but it's the same-damn-formula...only with more coffee. I should say that there is also a lot of sandwich and soup making too. It's clear when Johnstone didn't have anything for his characters to do...he would ALWAYS default to exposition-driven dialog over refreshments.
This time instead of Sam & later Sam Jr we have another liberal-hating badass, Link, who (of course) is ex-CIA, ex-Bush Pilot, and so on. He loves to help stray animals, write books, shoot guns and kick ass and drinks coffee. Everybody drinks coffee.
The set-up is the same: strange stuff happens in a small town...the town folk end up divided. Those on the side of good & those who have chosen evil. Johnston manages to drop at least one new name (and often more) on nearly every page it seems. There's so many people in this book & none of them matter to any real degree. Nobody has a story other than to exist in the moment. Our hero Link is the only one with a bit of background. People come in out out of the story the whole way thru.
When Link is blowing the bad guys up with C4 and shooting them - he (and the dozens of other folk) are having the same convo's over and over.
On the plus, at least this time after the dust settles - the mayhem gets media attention.
Unlike books 1-4, this one is sex free. The others were just crammed with perversion - so much that it was a bog on the plot (such as it was).
Reading over the reviews, it's amusing how angry liberals react to this book. A gun-toting devout hero sure peeves them. Just for that...5 stars. Take that!
...in reality, this is a cheese-fest pulp horror that is clunky and uninteresting. Still, there's something about these 5 books taken as a whole that are oddly fascinating. I'm glad I got thru them, but I'm leaving Mr. Johnstone (RIP) behind. It surprises me that he was one of the top-selling Western writers...a genre my pops loved, but not me so much (yet).
1. The Devil's Kiss: 43 mentions & Johnstone's first book (and my fav of the series)
2. The Devil's Heart: 19 mentions
3. The Devil's Touch: 13 mentions
4. The Devil's Cat: 28 mentions
5. The Devil's Laughter: 51 mentions & the coffee winner! I managed to highlight each time it comes up.
Book 5 doesn't have any of the same characters as the prior 4, but it's the same-damn-formula...only with more coffee. I should say that there is also a lot of sandwich and soup making too. It's clear when Johnstone didn't have anything for his characters to do...he would ALWAYS default to exposition-driven dialog over refreshments.
This time instead of Sam & later Sam Jr we have another liberal-hating badass, Link, who (of course) is ex-CIA, ex-Bush Pilot, and so on. He loves to help stray animals, write books, shoot guns and kick ass and drinks coffee. Everybody drinks coffee.
The set-up is the same: strange stuff happens in a small town...the town folk end up divided. Those on the side of good & those who have chosen evil. Johnston manages to drop at least one new name (and often more) on nearly every page it seems. There's so many people in this book & none of them matter to any real degree. Nobody has a story other than to exist in the moment. Our hero Link is the only one with a bit of background. People come in out out of the story the whole way thru.
When Link is blowing the bad guys up with C4 and shooting them - he (and the dozens of other folk) are having the same convo's over and over.
On the plus, at least this time after the dust settles - the mayhem gets media attention.
Unlike books 1-4, this one is sex free. The others were just crammed with perversion - so much that it was a bog on the plot (such as it was).
Reading over the reviews, it's amusing how angry liberals react to this book. A gun-toting devout hero sure peeves them. Just for that...5 stars. Take that!
...in reality, this is a cheese-fest pulp horror that is clunky and uninteresting. Still, there's something about these 5 books taken as a whole that are oddly fascinating. I'm glad I got thru them, but I'm leaving Mr. Johnstone (RIP) behind. It surprises me that he was one of the top-selling Western writers...a genre my pops loved, but not me so much (yet).
May 4, 2016
If you've read the previous entries in the "Devil" series, then you will likely find this one to be disappointing. Just like the previous books, you have a small town that is at the center of a battle between Good and Evil. You have a town full of devil worshipers and you have a small, select group of good guys that are to be the foils to the Devil's plans(whatever they may be). In the previous books, you got to know certain characters, Sam Balon Sr., his wife, and their son Sam Balon Jr and his wife the half human, half Devil Nydia(who happens to be a good guy regardless). You also got to know the devil's vile, yet beautiful daughter who's mission in life was to end the Balons.
In "The Devil's Laughter" you don't have any of these characters; there is a passing comment about Sam and Nydia and that's about it. In this story, you have a new character, the gun-totin' no-nonsense, cold-as-ice, Lincoln Donovan(known as "Link.") Link is the central protagonist in this book.
Link is someone who's done a little of everything and he is greatly disliked by many people for whatever reason Oh, and he loves guns; seems like every other page, the author is describing the model and caliber of whatever weapon he happens to be carrying at the time.
The setup was the same as all the others, the town is under the thrall of Satan and the town is blocked off from the outside world , so no help is coming, so all the good guys have to posse up and take on the forces of Satan and defeat him.
See, what the previous books had going for them is that they were vile, trashy, campy, and fun. That's not on display here, it seems like the writer wanted to take a more serious tone. You also get a lopsided view of the bad guys; the writer focuses a lot on Link and Link unfortunately is a dull loner of a character; you didn't get that good of a picture on the bad guys as you did in the previous entries. Johnstone used Link as a mouth piece for the Ultra-Right Winger and it got old.
I could have done without this entry because it added nothing; at least with the previous ones, I was wanting to read the next book. I have no interest in the further adventures of Mr. Link Donovan.
In "The Devil's Laughter" you don't have any of these characters; there is a passing comment about Sam and Nydia and that's about it. In this story, you have a new character, the gun-totin' no-nonsense, cold-as-ice, Lincoln Donovan(known as "Link.") Link is the central protagonist in this book.
Link is someone who's done a little of everything and he is greatly disliked by many people for whatever reason Oh, and he loves guns; seems like every other page, the author is describing the model and caliber of whatever weapon he happens to be carrying at the time.
The setup was the same as all the others, the town is under the thrall of Satan and the town is blocked off from the outside world , so no help is coming, so all the good guys have to posse up and take on the forces of Satan and defeat him.
See, what the previous books had going for them is that they were vile, trashy, campy, and fun. That's not on display here, it seems like the writer wanted to take a more serious tone. You also get a lopsided view of the bad guys; the writer focuses a lot on Link and Link unfortunately is a dull loner of a character; you didn't get that good of a picture on the bad guys as you did in the previous entries. Johnstone used Link as a mouth piece for the Ultra-Right Winger and it got old.
I could have done without this entry because it added nothing; at least with the previous ones, I was wanting to read the next book. I have no interest in the further adventures of Mr. Link Donovan.
December 16, 2009
This is the final installment in Johnstone's Devil's series of books. Oddly enough, he strays from the characters introduced in the past installments (aside from a brief mention) to bring us a new character; Link. Link, much like the other protagonists in this series is a military vet and overall bad ass. Aside from that, he is a social outcast and an animal lover which made me like his character more than the two Sams from the previous books.
Much like the other books in the serious, the main plot is the same; a coven of Satanists is taking control of a remote community through supernatural means and a group of good folks ban together to put an end to it.
Some changes are that the supernatural beasts of the previous novels do not appear. Nor do any of the surviving antagonists from previous stories.
I really enjoyed reading this. I found that Johnstone has become less preachy with each of these novels and enjoyed some of the new characters introduced. I definitely would have enjoyed reading more of this series had the author lived to write them.
Oh well. It's a good send-off to an interesting series. And, much like televeisions The Shield there is only so much you can do with a repetative storyline anyway.
Much like the other books in the serious, the main plot is the same; a coven of Satanists is taking control of a remote community through supernatural means and a group of good folks ban together to put an end to it.
Some changes are that the supernatural beasts of the previous novels do not appear. Nor do any of the surviving antagonists from previous stories.
I really enjoyed reading this. I found that Johnstone has become less preachy with each of these novels and enjoyed some of the new characters introduced. I definitely would have enjoyed reading more of this series had the author lived to write them.
Oh well. It's a good send-off to an interesting series. And, much like televeisions The Shield there is only so much you can do with a repetative storyline anyway.
February 9, 2017
A good read, even though the Balon family isn't in it.
April 22, 2016
Great story, good characters, well told and I recommend it!
I liked alot and only disliked some of the needless chatter in between but great story...All were complex and well put together however. I know it sounds far fetched, but if ur a person who has a personal relationship with God, u may well not think it's as fantastic as the faithless....food for thought!!!
I liked alot and only disliked some of the needless chatter in between but great story...All were complex and well put together however. I know it sounds far fetched, but if ur a person who has a personal relationship with God, u may well not think it's as fantastic as the faithless....food for thought!!!
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May 31, 2009I would say this is the best he has ever written and the best horror novel I have ever read. I have read maybe 6 from Johnstone's horror collection and this has to be the best one and he is my favorite author. His works are very graphic and riveting!
March 7, 2020
Couldn’t put it down. Really intriguing!!! However didn’t realize it was the 5th book in a series. Must read the other books now!!
March 9, 2013
Kind of hokey but also kind of fun. Like a 90s B or C level action flick.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews