Jones 1963

Jones #1

by Devin Cabrera

In the once-tranquil town of Briarwood, 1963 marked the year when peace shattered into chaos. A lifetime of torment and humiliation pushed Jones Jepsen to the brink, and within him, a dormant darkness awakened.

In a chilling rampage driven by a thirst for revenge, Jones embarks on a spree of violence that shakes the very foundation of Briarwood. As the body count rises, the town's inhabitants find themselves trapped in a nightmare, asking the harrowing Will anyone be safe from the wrath of Jones? In this heart-pounding tale of vengeance and suspense, the battle for survival takes center stage, and the fate of Briarwood hangs in the balance.

Genres: Horror, Thriller

213 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 31, 2023

Reviews

[Rhonda Bobbitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was absolutely thrilling and a bloody mess. The creep factor was 10/10...
"Come out ... Come out wherever you are.."...um no thank you Jones I will stay right here. Fantastic writing... I couldn't put the book down.
Not only was Jones tormented by his father his whole life, but he was tortured by the local high-school bullies daily.
This book gave me chills down to the bone.

[Carrie Ardoin · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF.

My mind is BLOWN at the five star reviews for this. Is it the first book yall have ever read or something?

I don't think the author knows that commas and periods should not be used interchangeably.

The writing is on an 8th or 9th grade level. "Smashed his voice box into next week"?

I had to stop after the first murder. It was too bad.

[Jesy Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The end of the book was a lot better than the beginning. I almost put it down. I know he's trying to build up this man's reasoning for becoming a serial killer but it's just so much. It's hard to get through. But I'm glad I finished it since it did get better. I did greatly prefer Welcome to Nightmare Island.

[Sarah * Between the Lines Book Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do you like books from a serial killers point of view on the edge of your seat books and gore?
Then, this book is for you!!

[Jen Ramsden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, wow, wow! If you like Welcome To Nightmare Island, you will love this story. Brutal, imaginative, dark, clever. A fast read, and the pace never let's up. Highly recommend.

[Alyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 rounded up to 5!

I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This one is gonna be a hit. I was anxious and emotional the whole read.... also confused about my feelings. Rooting for the bad guy isn't TYPICALLY my jam but lort I was sure rooting for that poor kid. Devin pumped up the brutality, rightfully so.

You do not need to read Devin's other book Welcome to Nightmare Island before picking this one up BUT, if you're anything like me, you'll want to read/reread it after finishing Jonesy's origin story.

[Sabrina · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was awful. I couldn’t even get past 30 pages. The writing is horrible with absolutely no flow in the sentence structure and grammatical errors out the wazoo. I hope this was a high school writing project that somehow got published, but I have a feeling it wasn’t.

[Keilani Flowers · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m sorry but no. Just no. The characters were assholes, but what really got me is the childish language that’s used in this book, like I’m listening for the boogeyman, watching scream, coming from the voice of a 10 year old. “Come at me, BOY!” Really.. 🙄😒

I think the intention of this book sounds like we are going through a bad haunted house and I was not horrified at all. So many reviews talking about the gore but I didn’t feel like it was anything special.

I fished this book because it was short and I really wanted to give it a chance, but I wish I would have picked up another book, unfortunately.

[P.K. Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can I say other than that Devin did it again!! Welcome to the nightmare island is one of my fav reads of the year, so upon receiving this book, I knew I was in for a treat, and oh boy, did he deliver....
As they say, evil is made, not born.
Amazing slasher story and I'm waiting for the next one of the series 😍

[Kelly Kwiatkowski · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disappointing

I'm glad I was able to get through this book quickly. It seemed to start with promise but then went from bad to worse. It was very predictable. I found errors in the writing and am wondering if it was even proofread. Almost seemed like it was written by a young teenager. The picture on the cover doesn't even match the character. Poorly written says it all.

[Justin Campana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. I love books like this, but I wasn’t expecting to love this one so much. It was short, but to the point and very chilling and scary. While I would’ve liked a bit more development and time taken, I liked that it wasn’t too long. It was just right. And that ending… WOW.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jones 1963 is the backstory of Jones Jepson from Welcome to Nightmare Island so going into the book you already have somewhat of an idea what may happen. Even knowing he's going to be the bad guy you can't help but feel sorry for him and understanding of how he turns into the person he does; his family and girlfriend are awful to him and he is heavily bullied at school for years. When he finally snaps after finding his girlfriend cheating on him with his bully after he got kicked out of his home just for joining the military to try to have a better life you're like yeah, I get it. And when he goes crazy after his father tries to attack him after Jones embarrasses his family for being the victim of a prank at graduation you don't even feel bad for anyone anymore except for Jones.
Obviously him murdering people isn't a good answer to the abuse he suffers but he gets pushed to his breaking point.
This was a pretty short read, I read the first couple chapters one day and then plowed through the rest in one night. It was hard to put down because once it gets going you want to just keep reading.
I really hope Devin Cabrera does more books about the backstories of the other ghosts from his first novel because this was great

[sarah_eliza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jones Jensen was abused by his alcoholic father and tormented by high school bullies. Who wouldn't go on a murderous rampage of everyone who did you wrong?
As someone who find the motivations and thought process of killers fascinating, I really liked how this book was 95% told from the killers pov. The gruesome scenes were expertly described. This book was impossible to put down.

[kasey culp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow what a book. I picked it up yesterday to read on a little drive, turned out once I started I couldn’t stop and read it in a day. This book will have you feeling so many emotions for the main character including anger, sadness and triumph and will have you rooting for for him. This story includes ab*se, bullying, addiction and doesn’t skimp out of the gore. 5 ⭐️ for me.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Look. I read Welcome to Nightmare Island for last year’s brawl, but I don’t remember it. I still enjoyed the overall story of Jones going from a regular guy to the ghost who terrorized Nightmare Island.

But, here’s the thing. If you write a story that takes place in 1963, please PLEASE take a few seconds to google if the thing you’re writing about actually existed in the 60s.

For instance, the first 911 call was made in 1968. So in 1963 a 911 call/recording would not exist.

The term “serial killer” was not in use in the US in the 60s. It was coined here in 1974. Now, maaaaaybe the police chief in Jones’ small town was up to date on German and Dutch criminal history and media publications. But, doubtful.

Jones wearing a backpack. This one sent me down a rabbit hole. Based solely on movies I’ve watched, when jones was grabbed by his backpack and yanked backwards, I thought, “in movies back then kids never had backpacks; was that even a thing?” Turns out, yes and no. I talked to my parents who were teenagers in the 60s, and did some googling. No, backpacks as we know them today did not exist in schools. But some kids used satchels or army rucksacks, though it was rare. If you’re interested (my husband was decidedly not and thought I was bonkers for even caring about the history of backpacks in schools), here’s an interesting article:

https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2015/...

All this to say, it takes me out of the story when there are glaring mistakes like this. I half expected a character to whip out a cell phone and use it.

Storywise, grammar mistakes aside, good time. But I can’t move past the lack of research. 😔

[Kassandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has heavy descriptions of mutilations and torture. If that’s not your boat then I would suggest skipping this.

I really enjoyed this back story… like a lot! It started out as a story about a small town teenager down on his luck. Jones has a hard home life and school life. He’s not particularly liked by anyone other than his girlfriend.

What ensues is the beginnings of a mad man…
Devin Cabrera really pulled out the depraved part of his mind to create every horrible thing Jones does and has done to him and booooy was it entertaining as hell!! Am I fucked up for that?? I felt a twinge of satisfaction reading about what Jones does. I don’t feel sorry for him one bit though. This being a work of fiction is what has me feeling this way.

This is Cabreras second book, his first “Welcome To Nightmare Island” was released in March of this year and I read it in June. It was a blast to read and so was this one as it ties into his first novel, but can be a standalone novel as well. WTNI is Jurassic Park with 13 Ghosts thrown together and I liked the nostalgia I got from reading it.

5 stars and here’s to hoping we get more of Cabreras work!

[Hanna Palmer · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book felt very repetitive and grammatically like high school writting. It was basic and underdeveloped. I found myself glazing over parts of the storyline because they were unnecessary fodder that wasn't descriptive and helpful to the story or plot.

There are time gaps that do not make sense, places where it should've been given more detail to drive the point across or give depth to the section and unbelievable plot lines.

I think given more thought and consideration, this could've been a five-star read. I was drawn in by the cover art and expected something sinister and malevolent. The thriller portion of the book has details on the murders that lend to visualization of the scene, but there is no character growth. Plot is predictable and basic.

It is an easy read, but I do leave it feeling a bit underwhelmed and expectant of something much more given the amount of 5 star reviews this received.

[Milt Theo · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded to 4. Devin Cabrera's new book deals with the origins of a favorite evil character from his 'Welcome to Nightmare Island': Jones Jepsen, the demented, mallet wielding ghost. Here we get the full story of that mallet, the reason for Jones' anger, his tormented young life, as well as some hints about his managing to secure a blackhearted afterlife. I enjoyed Jones' story: it felt like an old small-town slasher, despite its somewhat YA atmosphere. I would have preferred, though, a far stronger involvement of the supernatural. Still, if you found Jepsen an interesting character (and I certainly did!), do pick this up! Thanks to the author for the chance to review an ARC!

[Catherine Whitaker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somewhere between pretty good and OK. Would have rated it higher, the story was good, but there were a good few spelling mistakes and content errors. There was also one of the dumbest things I've ever read - a shard of glass cutting a leg off - and it made me roll my eyes so hard they basically touched the back of my head.
Could have been great, fell short.

[Brandon Reviews Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bloody, brutal, and depressing

I really don't know how to begin with this book. On one hand, you have Jones Jespen, a teenager who is tortured and bullied, not only by his schoolmates but also by his own family. On the other hand, you have Jones Jepsen, the serial killer, exacting his revenge on all those who have wronged him in his life.

This was a book with no good guys, no one to really root for. And, sadly, this is something that is all too common nowadays with the rise in school shootings and suicides.

Let's just say the last line of this book really makes me want a sequel, and I hope Devin is working on one.

I give this story a solid 4 stars.

[Kate Victoria RescueandReading · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I’ll be back.”

This was an origin story for one of the characters in Devin Cabrera’s other book “Welcome to Nightmare Island”.

There were some pretty intense scenes of bullying and abuse. I actually felt really bad for Jones and could see why he became so cold hearted and evil.

Some of the writing/descriptions were a little repetitive (by the third explanation of why the town keeps their doors unlocked I wanted to bang my head against the wall), but overall I found this to be a fairly smooth story to read.

[Jamie Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very easy read. Started off pretty slow but once the pace picked up and Jones began his path of revenge, I couldn’t put it down. I really liked the figure that I conjured up of Jones through Devin Cabrera’s words - large trench coat, elegant top hot, sinister grin and a blood coated mallet. Every victim was killed off in different, torturous ways in Jones’ mission to seek justice for himself when nobody else would. The relentless bullying and humiliation combined with the lack of love that Jones faced ultimately created a monster.

[Kaylyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jones 1963 by Devin Cabrera is a haunting, intense ride from start to finish! This horror novel is fast-paced, brutal, and horrifying in all the best ways. The atmosphere is thick with tension, and the story pushes boundaries, making it an unforgettable read. Cabrera doesn’t hold back, and I loved every chilling second of it.

If you’re looking for a gripping, edge-of-your-seat horror experience, Jones 1963 will not disappoint. It’s dark, disturbing, and totally engrossing!

[Rachel Strojny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cabrera brings to light the question of what could happen when a person is abused at home, bullied at school, and no one steps up to stop it. Jones is pushed to his limits when he tries to please his father and fails. His life begins to unravel, paving a path of revengeful destruction. Descriptively written, you are taken on an emotional ride as you struggle to maintain your own sanity and choose who you feel more sorry for Jones or those within his path?

[Jolita Valinciute · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another blood chilling story from Devin. I couldn't put it down and kept turning the next page seeking to find out what happened next. I finished the entire book in two sittings. Captivating narrative, gore and the high tension, a full 4 starts from me on this one. I picked up some repetition in descriptions but that did not stop me from enjoying the book.

[Trisha Tropiano · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a brutal and bloody tale of revenge. The beginning has you feeling all the emotions as you get to know Jones and learn of the bullying he is subjected to from not only his classmates, but his father as well. The end will leave you shocked and horrified! I’d recommend picking this up before the sequel is released - I can’t wait to see what Jones 1993 brings!

[Kristen Wolfe · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick read that hooks you immediately! I don’t know what I was expecting, but I didn’t expect to want to finish it in one setting! A perfect short read to help someone get out of a reading slump.

[Fallan Bendewald · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this! Jones is perfectly hateable.

[Kaytlan Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simultaneously rooting for the bad guy and hoping he gets caught was not what I was expecting. Excellent read.

[Fran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy read. Really creepy and gory.