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Devils Ridge: Shadows of the Old West
Will You Brave the Cursed Depths of Devils Ridge and Unearth Its Terrifying Secrets?
In the haunting darkness of Devils Ridge, a secret buried for generations festers. J.C., a battle-hardened veteran, arrives at this seemingly abandoned town, lured by tales of gold and driven by the dying words of his brother. But what he finds runs deeper than the riches of the earth. The once-prosperous town, now stifled by its mysterious past, is home to an ancient Native American legend – the Wendigo, a malevolent spirit hungry for more than just souls.
The eerie silence of the town is just the beginning. Within the twisting tunnels of its decrepit mines, J.C. confronts not only the bone-chilling presence of the Wendigo but also the demons of his past. Every shadow hides a story, every gust of wind echoes with whispers of the damned. Gold may be what brought J.C. to Devils Ridge, but survival becomes the ultimate game.
Enter Devils Ridge, where riches beckon, evil lurks, and past sins refuse to rest. Will J.C. emerge unscathed, or will he be consumed by the darkness that thrives beneath? Dare to find out.
In the haunting darkness of Devils Ridge, a secret buried for generations festers. J.C., a battle-hardened veteran, arrives at this seemingly abandoned town, lured by tales of gold and driven by the dying words of his brother. But what he finds runs deeper than the riches of the earth. The once-prosperous town, now stifled by its mysterious past, is home to an ancient Native American legend – the Wendigo, a malevolent spirit hungry for more than just souls.
The eerie silence of the town is just the beginning. Within the twisting tunnels of its decrepit mines, J.C. confronts not only the bone-chilling presence of the Wendigo but also the demons of his past. Every shadow hides a story, every gust of wind echoes with whispers of the damned. Gold may be what brought J.C. to Devils Ridge, but survival becomes the ultimate game.
Enter Devils Ridge, where riches beckon, evil lurks, and past sins refuse to rest. Will J.C. emerge unscathed, or will he be consumed by the darkness that thrives beneath? Dare to find out.
403 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 3, 2023
172 people are currently reading
208 people want to read
About the author
Joseph A. Sackett
14 books37 followersJoseph A. Sackett, a Minnesota native, spent over 20 years serving as an intelligence analyst in the military and later for the Joint Special Operations Command. He holds advanced degrees in Intelligence Studies and Geospatial Intelligence. His research focuses on the vulnerabilities of the U.S. power grid. Inspired by a conversation about the potential repercussions of an EMP attack, Joseph penned his first book to raise public awareness about this critical issue. When he's not writing or studying history, Joseph enjoys reading about combat veterans, supporting the veteran community, and spending time with his family.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
April 4, 2024
The story wasn't bad but I felt like it could have used a little more work and less pages. Some things really didn't add up for me and I would have probably been more inclined to overlook them if the pacing had been more snappy.
November 25, 2023
impressive
I liked this book a lot more than I thought I would. The author is very talented and very philosophical, which is interesting when you think you’re about to read a horror story. I like the relations to the human spirit and the themes that are underlying throughout the book. The style is also very advanced. Overall, I’d be very interested to read anything else this author has written.
I liked this book a lot more than I thought I would. The author is very talented and very philosophical, which is interesting when you think you’re about to read a horror story. I like the relations to the human spirit and the themes that are underlying throughout the book. The style is also very advanced. Overall, I’d be very interested to read anything else this author has written.
February 8, 2024
Could have been better
The Wendigo is a great myth to cover. The author does a good job making the Wendigo seem unstoppable and pure evil. But the protagonist is an idiot. He constantly makes mistakes, comments that he knows the decision is a mistake, and yet does it anyway. As the book enters the third act, Carter keeps second guessing himself. He makes a decision and then a few pages later, says that decision was the wrong one. This wouldn't be a problem if it only happened once or twice. It's expected that he gets out smarted by the Wendigo, but nearly every other decision he makes turns out to be wrong. I did like the back and forth between Carter and his brother. I think it was a missed opportunity to have a big reveal that the Wendigo was posing as Bill, since Bill basically lead Carter to releasing the Wendigo. Little Bear was pretty good too. He seemed to be the only character with any kind of common sense. He deserved a much better ending. And then there's the ending. Several other reviewers liked it, some hated it. I both liked and disliked it. The final showdown between Carter and the Wendigo was good, but then it happens again, making the previous fight pointless. How many times does Carter have to defeat the Wendigo before it stays gone? I liked the reveal that Carter was possessed by the Wendigo, but it also raises questions. Every time the Wendigo possessed someone, they're a bloodthirsty monster. But this time there's no sign of that. If this possibility had been explored or mentioned earlier, it would've made Carter's bleak ending much better and more believable. Overall it was a pretty good book, but there's still a lot of room for improvement. I hope the author writes a sequel and makes it better than this one
The Wendigo is a great myth to cover. The author does a good job making the Wendigo seem unstoppable and pure evil. But the protagonist is an idiot. He constantly makes mistakes, comments that he knows the decision is a mistake, and yet does it anyway. As the book enters the third act, Carter keeps second guessing himself. He makes a decision and then a few pages later, says that decision was the wrong one. This wouldn't be a problem if it only happened once or twice. It's expected that he gets out smarted by the Wendigo, but nearly every other decision he makes turns out to be wrong. I did like the back and forth between Carter and his brother. I think it was a missed opportunity to have a big reveal that the Wendigo was posing as Bill, since Bill basically lead Carter to releasing the Wendigo. Little Bear was pretty good too. He seemed to be the only character with any kind of common sense. He deserved a much better ending. And then there's the ending. Several other reviewers liked it, some hated it. I both liked and disliked it. The final showdown between Carter and the Wendigo was good, but then it happens again, making the previous fight pointless. How many times does Carter have to defeat the Wendigo before it stays gone? I liked the reveal that Carter was possessed by the Wendigo, but it also raises questions. Every time the Wendigo possessed someone, they're a bloodthirsty monster. But this time there's no sign of that. If this possibility had been explored or mentioned earlier, it would've made Carter's bleak ending much better and more believable. Overall it was a pretty good book, but there's still a lot of room for improvement. I hope the author writes a sequel and makes it better than this one
April 25, 2024
Wendigos are scary 😱
Devil's Ridge by Joseph Sackett went beyond my expectations with its page-turning prose. Jason Carter, the MC, is a tormented soul
returning from war and haunted by his brother's death. He ends up in
Devil's Ridge wanting to decompress but finds himself caught up in a crazy adventure involving hidden gold, Native American myths, and corrupt cops. This novel is rich with memorable characters and dialogue, particularly between Jason and his late brother, Bill, who is now a ghost. The villain, Hogan, is both amusing and appalling, loved him. Filled with clever quips and a blend of horror and the supernatural, Devil’s Ridge is one compelling read.
Devil's Ridge by Joseph Sackett went beyond my expectations with its page-turning prose. Jason Carter, the MC, is a tormented soul
returning from war and haunted by his brother's death. He ends up in
Devil's Ridge wanting to decompress but finds himself caught up in a crazy adventure involving hidden gold, Native American myths, and corrupt cops. This novel is rich with memorable characters and dialogue, particularly between Jason and his late brother, Bill, who is now a ghost. The villain, Hogan, is both amusing and appalling, loved him. Filled with clever quips and a blend of horror and the supernatural, Devil’s Ridge is one compelling read.
February 27, 2024
It was a very quick read. I was a little disappointed that the windigo was more of a TV show than Native American lore, look to the game Until Dawn, to see what I mean.
I was really annoyed with how town people referred to the native American character.
The narration jumps between first person of the main character, JC, two third person of all the other characters. Which I thought was weird.
My only spoiler is... The dog lives. That's all I cared about.
I was really annoyed with how town people referred to the native American character.
The narration jumps between first person of the main character, JC, two third person of all the other characters. Which I thought was weird.
My only spoiler is... The dog lives. That's all I cared about.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 13, 2023
Picked this one up on amazon. Loved the other books by this author. This one is probably my favorite so far! Dark with lots of unexpected twists. It kind of reminds me of Victor LaValle. Great read! Highly recommend!!
November 29, 2023
Very fascinating tale! If you're into history, paranormal activity, and old mining towns, this book is for you! I was invested the entire story and have a desire to go search through some old Colorado ghost towns.
December 5, 2023
Ending could have been better
It was a faced paced book. It had excitement in practically every chapter. The ending could have been better. I think the ending was written to let the door open for another book in the future.
It was a faced paced book. It had excitement in practically every chapter. The ending could have been better. I think the ending was written to let the door open for another book in the future.
December 12, 2023
Everybody likes a book they can't put down.
This has been a fun and exciting book! It is populated by people you love and people you love to hate. Devils Ridge is my first experience reading Joseph Sackett's work. I will be looking for more adventures by this author.
This has been a fun and exciting book! It is populated by people you love and people you love to hate. Devils Ridge is my first experience reading Joseph Sackett's work. I will be looking for more adventures by this author.
June 18, 2024
This seemed more like a mixture of a crime novel, with the Wendigo splashed in. It was a good read, except it was slow in parts. Also, the Wendigo origin, was completely different from Native American stories.
January 4, 2025
Wow what a book!!
Absolutely thrilling story! So well written it was like I watched the movie while reading. I couldn't put it down. An ex soldier, a native American and a wendigo! The price of greed in Devil's Ridge is a very high price indeed.
Absolutely thrilling story! So well written it was like I watched the movie while reading. I couldn't put it down. An ex soldier, a native American and a wendigo! The price of greed in Devil's Ridge is a very high price indeed.
January 22, 2024
An easy read
Love the style that this author wrote this book it. Feels like I was listening to a friend, it was heartwarming and the characters were well developed.
Love the style that this author wrote this book it. Feels like I was listening to a friend, it was heartwarming and the characters were well developed.
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February 1, 2024What a read
Very good read that is very entertaining from start to finish. Characters in the novel were really interesting that kept you from interested.
Very good read that is very entertaining from start to finish. Characters in the novel were really interesting that kept you from interested.
March 4, 2024
Well written, quick & easy read. It wasn’t too scary. It had some humor thrown in from time to time. If you’re looking for a book to binge in a weekend then this is perfect. Very likable characters.
October 10, 2024
I enjoyed this. Almost like an episode of supernatural!
November 12, 2024
Anything Wendigo, I’m here for!
Growing up surrounded by many Ojibwe families, I heard so much about the Wendigo and was absolutely terrified. (For a great reason)
Although there were some things that could have maybe been more intricately described, I honestly feel that this was a phenomenal Wendigo read. While I wasn’t peeing my pants, I was engrossed in it and couldn’t stop myself from binging in one sitting.
Growing up surrounded by many Ojibwe families, I heard so much about the Wendigo and was absolutely terrified. (For a great reason)
Although there were some things that could have maybe been more intricately described, I honestly feel that this was a phenomenal Wendigo read. While I wasn’t peeing my pants, I was engrossed in it and couldn’t stop myself from binging in one sitting.
May 7, 2025
I should know better than to get excited about a book that I’m planning on reading by looking at its cover illustration. The associated platitude has been around long before I existed, but again, I ignored it.
I forced myself to finish this book so that I could digest it fully, but it didn’t satisfy or sit well.
The storyline and characters and writing seemed to be created by someone in junior high school; it just wasn’t a ‘deep enough’ read for me.
Shallow character development and a choppy, simple storyline had me disappointed a few pages in.
I feel guilty posting a review like this, but I’m only one bacterium in a big Petri dish. I’m sure it won’t much matter.
I forced myself to finish this book so that I could digest it fully, but it didn’t satisfy or sit well.
The storyline and characters and writing seemed to be created by someone in junior high school; it just wasn’t a ‘deep enough’ read for me.
Shallow character development and a choppy, simple storyline had me disappointed a few pages in.
I feel guilty posting a review like this, but I’m only one bacterium in a big Petri dish. I’m sure it won’t much matter.
October 11, 2024
I found this book on Kindle Unlimited and decided to give it a try. I'm fascinated by the paranormal, and this book did not disappoint. It was genuinely creepy with the occasional gory scenes. There's a tiny bit of romance, but it focuses more on the main character who is struggling with his own demons.
December 28, 2024
A captivating, thoughtful horror story with excellent writing and plotting. The story interweaves ancient horrors of native lore with modern horrors of war that haunt the characters for just as long. Well done, and I look forward to reading more from Mr. Sackett!
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews