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The Right Hand of Evil
In a career spanning more than twenty years, New York Times bestselling author John Saul has terrified us with his chilling, psychologically charged novels. Now, in The Right Hand of Evil, Saul plumbs the icy depths of darkness--and gives us his most frightening, compelling novel yet. Don't turn out the light. . . .
Just as their troubled marriage is reaching the breaking point, Ted and Janet Conway receive tragic news that unexpectedly gives them a chance to start again. After the lingering death of his estranged aunt, Ted inherits the Conway home in the small Louisiana town of St. Albans, an imposing structure that has been in the family for more than a century. With nothing to hold them in Shreveport, the Conways move with their teenage twins, Jared and Kim, and eighteen-month-old daughter, Molly, to the promise of a new beginning.
But the house has a life of its own.
Abandoned for the last forty years, surrounded by thick trees and a stifling sense of melancholy, the sprawling three-story Victorian house seems to swallow up the sunlight, along with people's lives. For deep within the cold cellar and etched into the very walls is a long, dark history of the Conway name--a grim bloodline poisoned by suicide, strange disappearances, voodoo rituals, and rumors of murder. But the Conways know nothing of the soul-shattering secrets that snake through generations of their family's past. They do not know that terror awaits them.
All that will change.
A child's haunting cries do not seem to be coming from Molly. The twins, who have always shared a special sympatico connection, now find that mental link abruptly severed. Now, Kim awakens with nightmare visions she prays are only imaginary. Now, as Ted throws his energies into renovating the house, Janet notices a difference in Jared--the once-outgoing teenager has become cold and hostile, full of rage and resentment. Is this a symptom of adolescence or something far more sinister?
The answer lies in a horrifying truth that, once revealed, will threaten to consume every living soul in its fiery wake. For with each generation of the Conway name comes a hellish day of reckoning.
A master of supernatural suspense, John Saul knows what transpires in the black folds of night--and who will be touched by The Right Hand of Evil.
Just as their troubled marriage is reaching the breaking point, Ted and Janet Conway receive tragic news that unexpectedly gives them a chance to start again. After the lingering death of his estranged aunt, Ted inherits the Conway home in the small Louisiana town of St. Albans, an imposing structure that has been in the family for more than a century. With nothing to hold them in Shreveport, the Conways move with their teenage twins, Jared and Kim, and eighteen-month-old daughter, Molly, to the promise of a new beginning.
But the house has a life of its own.
Abandoned for the last forty years, surrounded by thick trees and a stifling sense of melancholy, the sprawling three-story Victorian house seems to swallow up the sunlight, along with people's lives. For deep within the cold cellar and etched into the very walls is a long, dark history of the Conway name--a grim bloodline poisoned by suicide, strange disappearances, voodoo rituals, and rumors of murder. But the Conways know nothing of the soul-shattering secrets that snake through generations of their family's past. They do not know that terror awaits them.
All that will change.
A child's haunting cries do not seem to be coming from Molly. The twins, who have always shared a special sympatico connection, now find that mental link abruptly severed. Now, Kim awakens with nightmare visions she prays are only imaginary. Now, as Ted throws his energies into renovating the house, Janet notices a difference in Jared--the once-outgoing teenager has become cold and hostile, full of rage and resentment. Is this a symptom of adolescence or something far more sinister?
The answer lies in a horrifying truth that, once revealed, will threaten to consume every living soul in its fiery wake. For with each generation of the Conway name comes a hellish day of reckoning.
A master of supernatural suspense, John Saul knows what transpires in the black folds of night--and who will be touched by The Right Hand of Evil.
344 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1999
120 people are currently reading
3484 people want to read
About the author
John Saul
152 books2,853 followersJohn Saul is an American author best known for his bestselling suspense and horror novels, many of which have appeared on The New York Times Best Seller list. Born in Pasadena and raised in Whittier, California, Saul attended several universities without earning a degree. He spent years honing his craft, writing under pen names before finding mainstream success. His breakout novel, Suffer the Children (1977), launched a prolific career, with over 60 million copies of his books in print. Saul’s work includes Cry for the Strangers, later adapted into a TV movie, and The Blackstone Chronicles series. He is also a playwright, with one-act plays produced in Los Angeles and Seattle. In 2023, he received the Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement. Openly gay, he has lived with his partner—also his creative collaborator—for nearly 50 years. Saul divides his time between Seattle, the San Juan Islands, and Hawaii, and frequently speaks at writers’ conferences, including the Maui Writers' Conference. His enduring popularity in the horror genre stems from a blend of psychological tension, supernatural elements, and deep emotional undercurrents that have resonated with readers for decades.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 264 reviews
May 18, 2023
Ted and Janet Conway move into Ted’s ancestral home in Louisiana, along with their children (teenage twins Jared and Kim, and baby Molly) after Ted’s estranged aunt dies. Ted is an alcoholic who was just fired from his job so this seems like a fresh beginning for them. But the house has a legacy of evil that, at first, they try to overlook. But as time goes by, and strange things start happening, along with the total change of behavior in their son Jared, they realize they were wrong in moving here.
I totally enjoyed this book. It was a very creepy, chilling, and captivating read. The house itself was quite eerie, with descriptions of long gloomy halls, darkness outside the windows that goes on and on, a dank and spooky cellar, and people having horrifying dreams (or are they) within the house. The story was easy to read and I was always looking forward to getting back to the book to see what was going to happen next.
Another fine thriller by John Saul.
I totally enjoyed this book. It was a very creepy, chilling, and captivating read. The house itself was quite eerie, with descriptions of long gloomy halls, darkness outside the windows that goes on and on, a dank and spooky cellar, and people having horrifying dreams (or are they) within the house. The story was easy to read and I was always looking forward to getting back to the book to see what was going to happen next.
Another fine thriller by John Saul.
March 8, 2020
I have to put a warning on here to anyone that doesn't like animal mutilation as this book contains some of that which is very graphic.
It kind of surprised even me of the graphic content of the mutilations as I wasn't expecting it for one thing, but I kind of skimmed over those parts as I really didn't want to read it myself. So with that being said, this book was really good.
The Conway family moves into an old two story mansion that they inherited from dear "Aunt Cora". She left the house to her nephew, Ted in her will with a stipulation that him and his family had to live in the house. Up to the time before Aunt Cora died, Ted and Janet Conway were close to maybe getting a divorce as Ted is an alcoholic and their marriage was on the rocks.
The house sits not too far from the small town of St. Albans where everyone knows everyone. The town considers the house an eyesore and they also considered it to be evil as there have been many bad things that happened in the house.
After moving into the house, Janet along with her twin teenagers, Jared and Kim, feel that something is wrong with the house and word around town is the house is haunted. Even though they have moved, Ted is still drinking and Janet fears that eventually the town is going to know that Ted is a drunk, but then after being in the house a couple of so weeks something happens and Ted "changes". He is no longer drinking and he has turned over a new leaf. Janet cannot figure out what has brought on this transformation, but he is back to the Ted that she married. The twins are just as surprised by their father's change of heart and they too wonder what has happened.
The beginning of the end is really what happened as the house has taken control and the evil is seeping out into the family.
The Conway family and the citizens of the town become involved an evil force that has been laying in wait in the basement of the Conway house.
The book takes off about midway along with some gory graphic details that emerges off the pages and it contains a demonic atmosphere through most of the book.
The last half of the book is literally steeped in "evil" and it seemed that I could feel it as I was reading it.
I noticed that the book has gotten mixed reviews saying the book is not that scary, but in my opinion, it was scary to me as it contains voodoo, ritualistic killings, and the animal mutilations. Four stars for this one.
It kind of surprised even me of the graphic content of the mutilations as I wasn't expecting it for one thing, but I kind of skimmed over those parts as I really didn't want to read it myself. So with that being said, this book was really good.
The Conway family moves into an old two story mansion that they inherited from dear "Aunt Cora". She left the house to her nephew, Ted in her will with a stipulation that him and his family had to live in the house. Up to the time before Aunt Cora died, Ted and Janet Conway were close to maybe getting a divorce as Ted is an alcoholic and their marriage was on the rocks.
The house sits not too far from the small town of St. Albans where everyone knows everyone. The town considers the house an eyesore and they also considered it to be evil as there have been many bad things that happened in the house.
After moving into the house, Janet along with her twin teenagers, Jared and Kim, feel that something is wrong with the house and word around town is the house is haunted. Even though they have moved, Ted is still drinking and Janet fears that eventually the town is going to know that Ted is a drunk, but then after being in the house a couple of so weeks something happens and Ted "changes". He is no longer drinking and he has turned over a new leaf. Janet cannot figure out what has brought on this transformation, but he is back to the Ted that she married. The twins are just as surprised by their father's change of heart and they too wonder what has happened.
The beginning of the end is really what happened as the house has taken control and the evil is seeping out into the family.
The Conway family and the citizens of the town become involved an evil force that has been laying in wait in the basement of the Conway house.
The book takes off about midway along with some gory graphic details that emerges off the pages and it contains a demonic atmosphere through most of the book.
The last half of the book is literally steeped in "evil" and it seemed that I could feel it as I was reading it.
I noticed that the book has gotten mixed reviews saying the book is not that scary, but in my opinion, it was scary to me as it contains voodoo, ritualistic killings, and the animal mutilations. Four stars for this one.
December 19, 2018
Well, this does exactly what it sets out to do. Saul is one of those writers whose name has become synonymous with horror. It’s what he does. As such, he’s written this kind of thing quite a few times, and in some cases, better. It’s the sort of standard horror fare that horror aficionados can finish in one sitting and that reads like the plot of any 80s or 90s supernatural horror flick. Is that a bad thing? No, if you like small town horror stories and you’ve already read all the really good ones ('Salem's Lot, Ghost Story et al and then some), then books like these are where you’ll go next; there are hundreds of them from dozens of authors and there is definitely a place for them.
If you’re a casual reader, or only entering the horror genre, there are certainly better places to start, even elsewhere in Saul’s catalog. But if you eat up horror stories like popcorn this will fill that empty spot between your previous and your next horror novel (which will no doubt be the same kind of thing) nicely. Because, let’s face it, when the hunger is upon you, you need your fix.
Update
I borrowed heavily from the above review (basically the whole thing) for my review of The Town, for reasons disclosed there.
If you’re a casual reader, or only entering the horror genre, there are certainly better places to start, even elsewhere in Saul’s catalog. But if you eat up horror stories like popcorn this will fill that empty spot between your previous and your next horror novel (which will no doubt be the same kind of thing) nicely. Because, let’s face it, when the hunger is upon you, you need your fix.
Update
I borrowed heavily from the above review (basically the whole thing) for my review of The Town, for reasons disclosed there.
November 8, 2014
I was reading this book while camping. Everyone decided to turn in but me...I sat up alone by the campfire,and read. Before I knew it I got totally scared. I swear I could hear things in the woods going bump in the night,and I am dodging into the tent, burying myself into my sleeping bag, scared shitless..... If you want a fast read, scary novel, , not much thought needed, just a good old fashioned scare...this is one to read....
It's that good!
It's that good!
July 12, 2017
This book was ok. Like most John Saul stories, they land in the middle. Well for me they do. But every so often I get a craving for them and have to read another. So no, this won't be my last one.
April 30, 2021
Don't go into this John Saul book thinking you are going to get his normal scares...this one is EXTREMELY violent and gory!! I LOVED this, both when it originally came out in 1999, and now again in 2021! WARNINGS: animal and child sacrifices, depicted VERY graphically!!!
So, in St. Albans; Louisiana a house has sat for almost 40 years. It is owned by the Conway family, who are really that well liked in this town, and when 'Aunt Cora Conway' dies and leaves the house to her nephew, Ted and his wife Janet, their teenaged twins a boy and girl, and their 2 year old daughter Molly. Now this is a weird child!! Ted wants to turn it into an Inn.......but would anyone stay in a mansion that is supposed to have harbored much murder, and torture in it's days, and is HAUNTED!!? This is a haunted mansion book, but it is MUCH more than that.....it is a book about devil worship, demons possessing kids with horrifying results, church sacrifices of everything, and about the Conways. Ted is an alcoholic, and he and his wife were almost going to divorce when this situation comes up in their family......do they move it? Do they sell it? The book deals with and shows some of the most dark, and extremely graphic scenes of violence, and mutilation unlike has ever been in a Saul book....AND it takes place during Halloween in one part!!! I do not ever remember that in a Saul book. So, if you are into this kind of horror and disturbing sleep patterns, pick this one up! You won't regret it.....and do you really want to stay at Conway House? Hmmm?
🩸🩸🩸🩸
So, in St. Albans; Louisiana a house has sat for almost 40 years. It is owned by the Conway family, who are really that well liked in this town, and when 'Aunt Cora Conway' dies and leaves the house to her nephew, Ted and his wife Janet, their teenaged twins a boy and girl, and their 2 year old daughter Molly. Now this is a weird child!! Ted wants to turn it into an Inn.......but would anyone stay in a mansion that is supposed to have harbored much murder, and torture in it's days, and is HAUNTED!!? This is a haunted mansion book, but it is MUCH more than that.....it is a book about devil worship, demons possessing kids with horrifying results, church sacrifices of everything, and about the Conways. Ted is an alcoholic, and he and his wife were almost going to divorce when this situation comes up in their family......do they move it? Do they sell it? The book deals with and shows some of the most dark, and extremely graphic scenes of violence, and mutilation unlike has ever been in a Saul book....AND it takes place during Halloween in one part!!! I do not ever remember that in a Saul book. So, if you are into this kind of horror and disturbing sleep patterns, pick this one up! You won't regret it.....and do you really want to stay at Conway House? Hmmm?
🩸🩸🩸🩸
January 27, 2016
I read this one over Spring break, when I didn't have much time to read. I still finished it in a decent time, though, due to its storyline sucking me in. True, there was cheese there and sometimes dangerously close to overdoing it, and the tale was a bit cliché and used a very stereotypical villain most stories should avoid unless they're going to do it perfectly, but Saul wrote it relatively well so that you cared about most of the characters and wer curious how far he would take it and what would be the outcome.
Opening the story with a severe alcoholic as the husband and an unhappy marriage kept it flowing with unhealthy drama. I do have some curiosities with the resolution - was it always the same person who inhabits the people? Did the person inhabited redeem at all? I'm guessing he did have something in him as well for his charismatic ability rose highly. The ending felt too cut off - the ending happened but there was no afterword to see what happens with the family, even the reaction outside the door. The beginning skids off a bit from back story horror to delve into family drama buildup. This slow start still kept me into the story because it was akin to watching a train wreck.
I do have to say that, despite his easy flowing style and keeping something exciting always happening, he overdoes the comma rule. I read two books in a row like this. Eck. It's not a grammatical rule that he's breaking, but it does interrupt the flow of reading for me. A lot.
The twin bond is overdone in stories. Not much stand out character wise. The animal deaths really need to leave. Having the priest as the real controlling force of the town interested me. In a weird way I wish I could have gotten to see the improved, non-drink dependent father’s true face. I’d also have loved to learn more about the weird bargain that was made.
Overall, animal deaths are the most disturbing part of the book. Gore is moderately splashed, certainly there. Some creepy scenes but nothing too chilling. A decent story that keeps it interesting, but for a house tale likely one I won't remember forever.
Opening the story with a severe alcoholic as the husband and an unhappy marriage kept it flowing with unhealthy drama. I do have some curiosities with the resolution - was it always the same person who inhabits the people? Did the person inhabited redeem at all? I'm guessing he did have something in him as well for his charismatic ability rose highly. The ending felt too cut off - the ending happened but there was no afterword to see what happens with the family, even the reaction outside the door. The beginning skids off a bit from back story horror to delve into family drama buildup. This slow start still kept me into the story because it was akin to watching a train wreck.
I do have to say that, despite his easy flowing style and keeping something exciting always happening, he overdoes the comma rule. I read two books in a row like this. Eck. It's not a grammatical rule that he's breaking, but it does interrupt the flow of reading for me. A lot.
The twin bond is overdone in stories. Not much stand out character wise. The animal deaths really need to leave. Having the priest as the real controlling force of the town interested me. In a weird way I wish I could have gotten to see the improved, non-drink dependent father’s true face. I’d also have loved to learn more about the weird bargain that was made.
Overall, animal deaths are the most disturbing part of the book. Gore is moderately splashed, certainly there. Some creepy scenes but nothing too chilling. A decent story that keeps it interesting, but for a house tale likely one I won't remember forever.
January 21, 2013
A family led by a simpering mother and a drunk abusive father inherits a foreboding property in small town Louisiana.
This book contains some typical horror elements-sinister religious vibes, a terrible father figure, a messed up family, suspicious townspeople, blah, blah, blah. It's fairly predictable and the writing is only so-so.
This just wasn't for me. However, if you are looking for stereotypical horror w/heavy evil religious stuff, and writing doesn't matter, then this might be for you.
This book contains some typical horror elements-sinister religious vibes, a terrible father figure, a messed up family, suspicious townspeople, blah, blah, blah. It's fairly predictable and the writing is only so-so.
This just wasn't for me. However, if you are looking for stereotypical horror w/heavy evil religious stuff, and writing doesn't matter, then this might be for you.
March 14, 2020
Tā it kā Eksorcista fan fiction lasītu. Esmu vīlies.
May 24, 2023
Should've been a short story...
July 21, 2014
This was my first book by John Saul and it probably will not be my last book. He is great way with words where things come off as smooth and not tedious and overdrawn. The story was the actual problem in this book.
Now there was not anything wrong with the actual story (sure, there were some inconsistencies with it and things that were not explained/developed fully) but the problem was that the actual story was quite boring IMO. Filled with plenty of religious material that is brought on by a religious town folks who believe in demons, ghosts, and devil taking a form of anything, especially a human being who disagrees with them and their ways of life.
This is the point where we are introduced to Ted and Janet Conway who are a married couple with three kids (a 16 year old twins (Jared and Kim) and a small a baby, Molly). Ted is an alcoholic whose life is controlled and destroyed by alcohol. Janet is a strong woman who is trying to stay with Ted for the sake of the kids. They decide to move to a small town of St. Albans in Louisiana to fix up a recently inherited house and hopefully their marriage. Once they get there, they decide to convert it to a hotel or an inn but the only problem is due to the troubled and very dark history of this particular Conway house, the people of St. Albans don’t want anyone fixing it up since they think it is haunted.
From this point, some weird things start to happen. The younger people in the family start to have bad dreams, have visions, and generally have tough time distinguishing reality from a dream world. The boy in the family starts to behave in a weird way which his dad cites as a him just growing up and going through puberty. However, more things are happening to him besides him getting hair everywhere and getting shitton of zits.
Without spoiling anything else, this book was well written but not original by any means. Most of the book consists of characters assuring one another than nothing they experience is real, people having bad dreams and thinking it happened in real life or that it is some sort of an omen, or characters walking down a street or hallways and thinking they heard or smelled or saw something weird and creepy which usually turns out that it is their head playing tricks on them.
The end is very predictable. Bunch of stuff did not get explained and the book left it so it would mean a sequel might be at hand like in movies where a killer is supposedly dead but camera pans out and shows him twitching or opening an eye or something. This book would have been perfect for a Lifetime movie.
I would not recommend it since I think the author has much better stories that he wrote in the past. I think this was just a paycheck for him and nothing else.
Now there was not anything wrong with the actual story (sure, there were some inconsistencies with it and things that were not explained/developed fully) but the problem was that the actual story was quite boring IMO. Filled with plenty of religious material that is brought on by a religious town folks who believe in demons, ghosts, and devil taking a form of anything, especially a human being who disagrees with them and their ways of life.
This is the point where we are introduced to Ted and Janet Conway who are a married couple with three kids (a 16 year old twins (Jared and Kim) and a small a baby, Molly). Ted is an alcoholic whose life is controlled and destroyed by alcohol. Janet is a strong woman who is trying to stay with Ted for the sake of the kids. They decide to move to a small town of St. Albans in Louisiana to fix up a recently inherited house and hopefully their marriage. Once they get there, they decide to convert it to a hotel or an inn but the only problem is due to the troubled and very dark history of this particular Conway house, the people of St. Albans don’t want anyone fixing it up since they think it is haunted.
From this point, some weird things start to happen. The younger people in the family start to have bad dreams, have visions, and generally have tough time distinguishing reality from a dream world. The boy in the family starts to behave in a weird way which his dad cites as a him just growing up and going through puberty. However, more things are happening to him besides him getting hair everywhere and getting shitton of zits.
Without spoiling anything else, this book was well written but not original by any means. Most of the book consists of characters assuring one another than nothing they experience is real, people having bad dreams and thinking it happened in real life or that it is some sort of an omen, or characters walking down a street or hallways and thinking they heard or smelled or saw something weird and creepy which usually turns out that it is their head playing tricks on them.
The end is very predictable. Bunch of stuff did not get explained and the book left it so it would mean a sequel might be at hand like in movies where a killer is supposedly dead but camera pans out and shows him twitching or opening an eye or something. This book would have been perfect for a Lifetime movie.
I would not recommend it since I think the author has much better stories that he wrote in the past. I think this was just a paycheck for him and nothing else.
April 14, 2023
What is the true history of the Conway house?
In the small town of St. Albans, Louisiana stands the Conway mansion. For over 120 years, entries made in the Conway family Bible (all made by women) speak of madness, evil, murder, suicide, and disappearances. In 1999, Ted Conway, his wife Janet, and their 3 children move into the house, with hopes of turning the sprawling mansion into an inn. But the locals remember the year 1959, the last year the house was occupied, and the horrific events that occurred then. What now? John Saul takes the reader on a truly terrifying and no holds barred journey into horror - that's what! Murder, suicide, immolation, sacrifice, and gory visions straight from hell all get ample page time. And the natural (and supernatural!) bond between twins is explored and utilized to great effect. Well worth a read.
In the small town of St. Albans, Louisiana stands the Conway mansion. For over 120 years, entries made in the Conway family Bible (all made by women) speak of madness, evil, murder, suicide, and disappearances. In 1999, Ted Conway, his wife Janet, and their 3 children move into the house, with hopes of turning the sprawling mansion into an inn. But the locals remember the year 1959, the last year the house was occupied, and the horrific events that occurred then. What now? John Saul takes the reader on a truly terrifying and no holds barred journey into horror - that's what! Murder, suicide, immolation, sacrifice, and gory visions straight from hell all get ample page time. And the natural (and supernatural!) bond between twins is explored and utilized to great effect. Well worth a read.
October 19, 2013
You know, horror novels can be wonderfully, terrifyingly, page-turningly awesome without killing animals (think The Exorcist, Amityville, just to name 2 of the Best Horror Novels Ever, IMO). Once the plot turns to animals being tortured and/or gruesomely murdered, that's where it's not scary, it's just gross. None of the animal killings in this book were really necessary for the plot, which is where this book got maddeningly annoying. Because then it became really really predictable. This book could have been scary in the Amityville Horror vein, but it fell short more than a few times. Just couldn't waste anymore time with it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 17, 2012
Creepy children, possessed children...John Saul is at it again. If you expect originality from his books, you'll be disappointed, the man has worked out a formula decades ago and stuck to it. However, this particular take on the same old subject was better than most of his books, more horror in it, better pacing, less cliched characters. Very quick read, despite its bulk, and a decent way to waste an afternoon.
October 25, 2017
Mostly meh. It was interesting how the husband started out horrible, but when he was possessed, he seemed great.
September 12, 2011
This book is rather strange and not one I would necessarily recommend to anyone. It is about a family with a history of devil worship. They move into their ancestral home and immediately things start going wrong. As the story progresses, you see that the ones you at first thought was evil ended up being the good guys and the ones you thought were the good guys were not really so good.
I didn't care for this book the first time I read it and I have to say, my opinion hasn't changed. I am not one for religious centered fiction and hate, hate, HATE things that have to do with Satan, demons, and all that crap.
I give this book a C-
I didn't care for this book the first time I read it and I have to say, my opinion hasn't changed. I am not one for religious centered fiction and hate, hate, HATE things that have to do with Satan, demons, and all that crap.
I give this book a C-
May 2, 2012
This is my sixth Saul book I've read and it might be my favorite so far. "Hand" grabs you in the opening with a very scary scene. This sets the stage for what awaits the Conway family. Some very scary visuals. I'm not sure if any of Saul's work has been turned into movies but this would make a good one. Quick read, worth checking out. (originally posted on Amazon.com)
February 2, 2011
I liked the concept of the book. However, the execution wasn't as tidy as it could have been. There were a lot of strings that were left loose. Several of the characters had changes that were abruptly reversed without any attempt of explanation. The end would have been better with an epilogue that perhaps undid some of the endings resolution. It was a good read but not Saul's best work.
May 12, 2009
This book sucked..the witchcraft, voodoo and worshiping the devil...the whole story line was bad. However, I read it to the end, but had skipped a lot of the gory pages.
June 13, 2016
What a thrill ride! I really enjoyed that book. The action starts right off, and it doesn't really end. And a pretty good ending. I would read this again!
August 16, 2018
The only horror in this book was that it was so badly written.
January 22, 2022
Great read. Really intense scary moments. Very gory. Very descriptive.
August 2, 2021
Some mixed feelings on this one, so let's get the cons out of the way first;
At times the plot felt a little predictable and run-of-the-mill, often feeling like the writer had leaned too heavily on certain tropes of expected horror plot beats to procure the narrative.
Overall this certainly didn't ruin my experience, but these are criticisms worth mentioning that I felt did detract from the atmosphere at times.
Now for the bits I enjoyed;
First of all, there are some instances of animal mutilation which are gory and recorded in vivid detail, and while for some that may be stomach-churning, I found the descriptions horrifying in the right way. My experience with the voodoo and cultic practises was similarly one of morbid fascination and whilst it is entirely valid for some readers to be upset by these, I personally found them nothing by beneficial to the story.
Throughout the narrative, John Saul maintains an air of dread and whilst I feel it took its time to get going, I do feel this greatly helped to build tension and an atmosphere of just... evil. All of this combined with well-worded prose and I found myself engulfed by the tale. As a fellow writer, I have a great deal of appreciation for Saul's craft as a wordsmith.
Overall, the positives significantly outweigh the negatives, but despite that the flaws can be distracting at times. Perhaps deserving of a little more than four stars, but I can only input integer numbers of stars so... four it is!
At times the plot felt a little predictable and run-of-the-mill, often feeling like the writer had leaned too heavily on certain tropes of expected horror plot beats to procure the narrative.
Overall this certainly didn't ruin my experience, but these are criticisms worth mentioning that I felt did detract from the atmosphere at times.
Now for the bits I enjoyed;
First of all, there are some instances of animal mutilation which are gory and recorded in vivid detail, and while for some that may be stomach-churning, I found the descriptions horrifying in the right way. My experience with the voodoo and cultic practises was similarly one of morbid fascination and whilst it is entirely valid for some readers to be upset by these, I personally found them nothing by beneficial to the story.
Throughout the narrative, John Saul maintains an air of dread and whilst I feel it took its time to get going, I do feel this greatly helped to build tension and an atmosphere of just... evil. All of this combined with well-worded prose and I found myself engulfed by the tale. As a fellow writer, I have a great deal of appreciation for Saul's craft as a wordsmith.
Overall, the positives significantly outweigh the negatives, but despite that the flaws can be distracting at times. Perhaps deserving of a little more than four stars, but I can only input integer numbers of stars so... four it is!
March 11, 2020
One of Saul's better books. Saul always reminds me of Koontz-- good novels on a regular basis, but nothing exceptional. Saul here has a family with problems (typical motif), in this case, the father is a drunk and cannot keep a job. An old aunt of his passes away, however, and leaves an estate in a small town north of New Orleans. The family moves and 'bad things' start to happen. Some graphic and tragic animal scenes of mutilation-- so be warned. 3.5 stars.
November 7, 2024
First, I'd like to preface this by saying that the Satanic Panic and demonic possession subgenres are some of my least favorite. That being said, the pacing and John Saul's writing were pitch-perfect and the slow burn build kept me engaged and interested up until the short but wacky ending.
3.75/5
3.75/5
May 16, 2021
this is the third and last book of John Saul that ive read and will ever, this was so boring, and not only because of Saul's formula, the characters, the setting, not even the voodoo bits and flashbacks could save this one, just overall yikes
June 18, 2023
As John Saul being one of my favourite mystery and horror authors I can only praise this novel as well as the other ones of him I have read. I love to read about haunted houses etc. And this one is very good. Always very good description of characters and events. A must read.
July 20, 2017
It was good but not great.
February 12, 2020
Sped thru the book so that I could reach the end & finish it..Not 1 of his best books though..
December 4, 2023
Slow burn....Hoakey and animal torture
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