Red Hill Paradise

by Caleb Jones

After welcoming their first child to their family and exhausted from all the new responsibilities that come with parenthood, Elliot and Erica decide a trip to the mountains is just what their new family needs.

They find a rental online - a cabin listed as Red Hill Paradise. They arrive at the beautiful, isolated hillside retreat, and everything seems perfect.

The cabin is quaint and cozy. The woods are peaceful and the sunset on the hillside is gorgeous. The neighbors, folks who have lived on Red Hill for decades, are strange, but nice.

There are sounds from the trees though. A quiet slithering through the dead, fallen leaves. Soft whispers of danger to come. Red Hill holds secrets, and this young family is about to find out that this place may not be an idyllic paradise after all.

Genres: Horror

272 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 6, 2024

Reviews

[Stitching Ghost · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one is kind of hard to review without spoilers. I liked the main characters, they felt like they could be real people even though they suffered from "I will go look at what that weird noise was alone and without telling anyone" syndrome. I liked how dark the story got.

Content warning for dog torture (mostly off page) and death (on page), human torture including using insects (worms) both on and off page , I don't normally include these and I only included the 2 biggest ones but the first one is such a big no-go for so many people that I think it's fair to have them here.

[Kate Victoria RescueandReading · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a pretty gross horror story. A couple, their baby, and dog rent a vacation home in the West Virginian hills. They soon discover the community of Red Hill is harbouring some weird and disturbing secrets. Things go off the rails when their dog goes missing.

It was definitely bizarre and creepy reading about some of the crazy people and their beliefs. I too have a hound dog and that was really hard to read about (going missing and everything else). I felt sick at some parts for sure.

My main issue was the ending; I just felt it was too abrupt. It wasn’t for me, I like things tied up neatly and resolutions either good or bad for the main characters. The way things are left… I still think it could swing either way for this family. Overall the story was a little more “out there” but certainly different than any other books in the horror genre.

[Sally · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love reading a book when you can feel that the author put their entire heart and soul into it. I truly felt that with this one. Caleb shows tremendous growth in his writing in Red Hill Paradise, and I am thrilled. I've enjoyed everything I've read by him, but his skill and craft are definitely elevated here.

Red Hill Paradise begins with a young couple and their 4 month old firstborn arriving at a rental cabin in the remote woods of West Virginia. Caleb lulls you into thinking this will be a well-written vacation gone wrong tale. Nope! I mean, lots of things go wrong, no doubt, but it's so much more than that. At some point, this book turns into a full-blown nightmare. It switches from a slow burn, creepfest, into a tale of one of my greatest fears. I'm not telling you what that is, it would be a spoiler, but it's terrifying. Caleb captures the panic and fear of these characters so brilliantly, and these feelings are compounded because he does some terrific work early on in the book to establish a strong reader/ character relationship.

There are some scenes in this book that are so damn weird, and I loved them! There is also a good bit of well-executed body horror, never gratuitous, always serving the plot well.

I highly recommend picking this up, Caleb really went for it this time, and succeeded 100%

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the author and Wicked House Publishing for providing a review copy.

Let me start off by saying that books, for me, rarely induce real-world anxiety. Red Hill Paradise chucked that right out the window. This book oozes dread. Caleb Jones does such a good job getting us to care about the characters. They felt like people I might know, which made what happens to them that much more devastating. 5 stars

[Milt Theo · Rating 5 out of 5]

The plot of Caleb Jones' "Red Hill Paradise" sounds deceptively familiar: a family of three (baby Louise just arrived) with their cute doggie, Howie, decide to spend a week in a beautiful West Virginia cabin, the eponymous Red Hill Paradise of the title; glorious sunsets, impressive land all around, a nice view of the mountains. Then, a strange statue is found in a clearing closeby; the neighbors act weird; the people in the nearby town seem to hold secrets about Red Hill; and the peaceful mountain retreat slowly becomes a portal to hell. Not literally - that would be far too easy for what Jones has in mind for his characters.

The plot follows familiar tracks only till the middle of the book; then things become so incredibly dark, I got so strong Midsommar and Rosemary's Baby vibes, I experienced the analogue of vertigo in fiction: out of nowhere, the story takes a very sharp turn, and dives deep into cult and body horror! It'd be pointless to try to convey how bleak things have gotten by the novel's last third (and triggers abound, especially about the dog) - one has to experience this oneself: disturbing visuals bombard one's mind relentlessly, violent plot twists keep coming till the very end, and it's impossible for any reader to stay unfazed by the horrors revealed a few pages before the finish line.

I'm not going to spoil it for anybody, but that ending... Mr. Jones, you owe us an apology (of the "sorry, not sorry" kind!). And don't you dare stop writing books like this!

Honestly, this book blew me away, and I recommend it highly to anyone who's after a creepy and wild ride into the depths (pun intended!) of cult horror!

[Joe Scipione · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great characters and a haunting vacation horror story. This one gets you asking questions right from the beginning. Jones keeps building a sense of dread throughout the book and then he takes the story to some very dark places. I could not stop reading for the last third of the book. If you pick this up, give yourself some time because you won’t want to stop reading.

[ScarlettAnomalyReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

The ending knocked me out of the fucking stratosphere, Damn.

Elliot and his family are just going on a tiny vacation, nothing crazy just a cabin, it will be fine.

After he, and his wife and very small baby get to the area, shit is already going a little weird, the neighbors were off, people in town acting secretive and very very weird statues appearing.

I personally would have hauled it out of town but when you're struggling as is, sometimes that little vacation is the most important thing, to save your sanity and relationship.

This one is a hard one for me to review, it was so amazing, but if i say too much, you wont get the punch to the face i got at the end when things, come together.

I finished this in one sitting, then had to think about it before i could even say anything.

I cant wait to see what's next , what a horror.

[Dale Robertson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this was a 3.5 read for me. It was kinda creepy, and plenty gory, but I just didn't feel invested in the story. There were a few things - I felt the story could have been shorter, some sections of writing just rambled on and I found myself skim reading parts. I couldn't make a connection with Elliot and Erica, they actually annoyed me in parts, just the way they were. And the overall "big reveal" of what was going on seemed a bit bonkers (which is fine), but it just didn't land with me.

Overall, it was ok. I enjoyed some parts, and not others.

[Terry and dog · Rating 5 out of 5]

((staring into space…blink….blink))

[Randy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book got into my head and under my skin.
Great work Caleb.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first read by Caleb Jones and I'm definitely excited to read more. I loved the characters and felt they were relatable and easy to get attached to. You felt for both of them and their emotions and I found myself torn "picking a side" in some of the moments where they disagree. He paints a beautiful picture of the scene, and as I read, images were constantly moving through my mind of the landscape and the people he was describing. Even a few pages in I felt like this could easy be turned into a movie with how descriptive he was. I love scary movies but this is my first book of this genre. I like when the endings feel plausible enough to really scare me. Technically everything that happened in this book could in theory happen, and while graphic and captivating, it was hard for me to wrap my head around. But in a world where I feel like l've seen every scary movie under the sun with little ingenuity, this certainly was creative and like nothing l've read or seen before. Can't wait to read more by this author!

[Ali O · Rating 5 out of 5]

Red Hill Paradise by Caleb Jones
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟➕➕!!
WOW!!!! This is an amazing and crazy horror story! Four months after the birth of daughter, Elliot and Erica decide to take a trip to a remote cabin for some re-connecting and getaway time. This cabin is in a small town called Red Hill and it was beautiful and everything they had hoped for. Until they started to encounter some strange things happening around the cabin and met some odd neighbors. As peaceful as this story starts out, it changes to scary and dark quickly! There’s lots of creep, some gore and overall suspense! The storyline is very original and bizarre and the ending left me speechless! The story is super intense and I read it every free moment I had!

Thank you to Caleb Jones for an arc of this fantastically written and horrific book! 🪱🪱
*It’s a definite must read!! This one will stick with me for a while!!*
**This book comes out December 6th!**

[DA · Rating 5 out of 5]

Caleb Jones hits the ball out of the park with this book! A slow burn culty psychological body horror story with an ever increasing sense of dread. As I began reading I immediately pictured the author and his family, I just felt it was supposed to represent them. Then I read a blog post from the author explaining where the idea for this book came from and I was right.
Jones used his soul as the ink to write these pages upon paper made of his heart. This book is his magnum opus.

[Tcancel · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG I love this disgusting, visceral horror. I especially love when authors don't shy away from hurting kids ( and on a lesser note, dogs) when they are the prime candidates for violence by crazy old killer cults.

Good job author, I was nervous throughout the whole train wreck and have a lifelong fear of secluded mountain cabins<3

[Mallory Krebs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yikes! This book felt as if The Hills Have Eyes and House of Wax had a baby. The writing was superb. It made me feel like I was really there. I could picture all of the scenery, some of which I wish I couldn't. It's definitely more of a slow burn book, but the ending was great!

[Emily Haynes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Paradise

Erica, and Elliot take their infant daughter on vacation to Red Hill Paradise in West Virginia. It seems perfect until the statue moves at night. Then things get really weird. Can Elliot keep everyone safe.

[Will · Rating 4 out of 5]

This taught me to have patience and appreciate the slow burn that this book was.
There’s not a lot of books that can get a physical reaction out of me, in this one it was just dread for the family, but this one sure did.
Also Caleb, if you ever see this review, I want justice for Howie the most.

[Bob · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overly dark and disturbing for the story development. Character development only mediocre. Disappointing.

[Cynthia Martinez · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is dark and it is painful, but it is a great read. If you like horifying revelations and can live with unanswered questions, then I highly recommend this book

[Mike Hughes · Rating 5 out of 5]

what a great book! very creepy and keeps you engaged the entire book. Caleb Jones is one to watch! a beautiful vacation into a brutal nightmare in this WV based novel. make sure you check it out.

[❤ArtfullySinful❤ · Rating 2 out of 5]

“Just praise the worms once they’ve had their meal, right? Once my daughter is dirt and nothing more to you—less to you than worms?”

Four months after bringing their beautiful daughter Louise into the world, Elliot and Erica are more than ready to enjoy some quality time together and escape the hustle of city living. Tucked away in the backcountry of West Virginia lies a cabin set in the middle of the Appalachian Mountains where more misery then pleasure is taking residency. ‘Paradise’, the name of the cabin constructed in Red Hill Loop was picture perfect from the moment Erocia booked the reservation all the way to when the young family and believed hound Howie first arrived. Greeted by the bizarre owners; Silas and Theodora (Theo) Abbott, the couple chose to shrug off any off putting feelings towards the couple and focus more on the trip of relaxation ahead. Meeting August (Angie) Hawthorne only adds to the couple’s unease as he holds an air of violence and mystery around him. Constructing large stone statues of women, dogs, babies and worms, he sneaks the property as they sleep and constantly change the statues out to something new before the first breaks of dawn. When Howie mysteriously vanishes, Elliott and Erica are desperate to locate him and take to combing the woods and calling local animal shelters for help. Most distributing, the night before Howie went missing the statue presented of a similar looking dog had vanished from the clearing. Now, Elliott sees a baby held in the crook of the statue woman vanish and knows deep inside something as is about to happen to their own baby.

I can’t explain what death smells like if you haven’t experienced it yourself. Just know this—in a situation like that, the smell starts to leak off the ones already dead and linger on the ones still left alive.

Warned by Sam and Harry from the local hardware store, the young couple ignored the warnings and still attended a dinner with the Abbotts that ended in odd circumstances. Hearing the story of the works from when Silas from a POw in Vietnam, the couple tries to just laugh off the niggling fear as they returned home to the cabin that night. Hearing the horrors of the amputated man and the pit full of worms, neither Erica or Elliott really wanted to spend another night in the woods locked upright behind them, the two would indulge in one another right as someone snuck inside and carried Louise away. When authorities arrived, hardly any residents of Red Hill were willing to assist son a search, and Erica was refusing to take her daughter being stolen lying down. Ready to confront August, they never expected him to succeed in capturing Erica and leaving Elliott the number one suspect with the police. Under suspicion for both his baby and his wife’s disappearance, nobody batted an eye when he also vanished. Kept locked away, he was subjected to the hole filled with worms where he would be greeted by the amputee body of his own dog still slowly dying.while he descended deeper into madness, he desperately wished to save his wife and daughter but as the nights grew longer he came to realize they’re truly wasn’t a way out from the cult of worms.

Snake? No, not exactly. But it was slithering. It had no legs. But it had fur, or something like patchy tufts of fur. It looked like patches of fur had given way to some kind of chemical burn all over its body. It was swollen and red and most of its flesh looked like it’d been rubbed raw. It had a snout, but big, open holes where ears would normally be. And it had stared at her with eyes that had become entirely pupil, dilated to the fullness the eyeball would allow. Only a little red shown. All of this monstrosity was encased in what appeared to be a thin film of mucus.

[Craig Matthews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Red Hill Paradise focuses on new parents Elliot and Erica, who, along with their four-month-old daughter Louise and hound Howie, are taking a trip to the rural mountains of West Virginia. You can feel their anxieties and concerns about parenthood pouring off of the page, along with their hope that this trip will be a chance to unwind and enjoy their alone time together—however, things quickly begin to unravel in a direction they are not prepared for. Whether it's the crunch of an unexpected footstep on gravel on their first night, a creepy statue in the woods near their house—and has that statue moved?—or unusual locals that don't seem to be acting quite right, the family can't escape the feeling that they've stumbled into something wrong.

It's very hard to describe this book without delving into spoiler territory. I had no idea where the story would end up, nor the journey it took to get there, and I'd hate to deprive anyone else of the same experience. It's enough to say that Jones explores multiple sub-genres here—from folk horror to home invasion, body horror to cult, tense thriller to war flashbacks to a small town where everything feels just a little off-kilter. It's rare to say a book feels like a tricky, unique experience while reading it, but Red Hill Paradise achieves it.

It feels like there have been a fair few horror novels in recent years set in the West Virginia and Appalachian mountains, and with Red Hill Paradise, Jones has given us a story that can proudly stand toe-to-toe with any of them. Rarely has an author had me feeling so off-guard, not knowing where the narrative is taking me, and never failing to be surprised at the next twist and turn. There were multiple moments when my jaw dropped and I felt stunned when I realised what was about to happen, or when I pieced together a vital piece of information—and I don't think there's much higher praise you can give to a story like this. 

[Alison Faichney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whooo buddy! I don’t know what you horror authors have been up to lately, but y’all are giving me phobias I’d never have even considered 🫠. I went into this book mostly blind and just kind of assumed it would be weekend away goes terribly wrong. While we can still summarize the book with that description, this goes way beyond your typical nightmare in the woods.

In Red Hill Paradise we follow Elliot, Erica and their fresh outta the womb babe, Louise. They travel to a rural area of WV to stay at a beautiful cabin. Shortly after arrival they discover a painted white statue of a woman near their cabin. Things start to derail from there and their unusual neighbors on the hill don’t help the situation.

This book goes from small town terror to WTF fairly quickly. It’s definitely a book you’ll be yelling at the characters to LEAVE constantly, but of course, this is horror and that’s not happening. When the war stories start coming out things very quickly spiral into a really well done WEIRD horror novel.

I enjoyed the characters and the dialogue and characterization rang true. Jones could’ve very easily gone with the dumb hick/hillbilly stereotype, but he instead crafts solid characters who may be flawed but don’t fit into those predictable neat boxes. It’s a bit of a slower burn in the beginning which allows for plenty of world building.

My only struggle with the book was it felt like there were two competing evils but we never learn much about the origins of one. Regardless, I still very much enjoyed the book and would be happy to read more from Caleb Jones moving forward. Please check tw if sensitive to animal harm but more than anything this is weird body horror threaded through with cult vibes and Jones nails it.

[M.J. Mars · Rating 5 out of 5]

Red Hill Paradise by Caleb Jones is one of the most fascinating books I’ve read in a long while. At about 50% through, I had to accept the fact that I wasn’t going to be getting to sleep before 3am because there was no way I was putting it down!
It starts with a fairly standard situation - a couple and their new baby take a much-needed break in a rental property. With their beloved dog, the pair try and relax into their holiday. But there is a strange statue on the grounds that changes each day, and Elliot takes an instant dislike to the sexy sculptor in residence who is responsible. With new dad and second-bread-winner insecurities growing, Elliot grows more aware of his flaws beside his pragmatic and go-getting wife, Erica.
Erica loves Elliot and his somewhat cowardly, flighty streak, and is keen to re-ignite their flame on this holiday.
So far, so domestic…(nothing at all against Jones here - the characters are excellent and engaging throughout the early chapters of scene setting).
THEN Red Hill’s eccentric property owners appear on the scene, and everything quickly goes bat-sht crazy (or even…worm-sht crazy?!!). An obsession that dates back to the Vietnam war and the atrocities his platoon faced during incarceration has made the old man and his wife harbour some very peculiar ideologies. When the backstory was being told I was completely gripped, and Caleb masterfully handles the suspense and reveal.
This is an individual, outstanding novel. One of my absolute favourites of recent times. Get it when it comes out on 6th December!
TW- 🐾🐾

[Jim Donohue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just when you think it's safe to think about a nice, relaxing vacation, Caleb Jones hits you over the head with Red Hill Paradise. This story of a couple who, with their newborn child, decides to get away into the Appalachians for a respite from the responsibilities (old and new) of daily life.
But, as you can expect, things don't go quite as planned. However, don't think you've read this before because the author takes us places we'd never have expected. I won't spoil anything, except to say that Mr. Jones has written a crackerjack of a horror novel that earns every one of the five stars I've given it. The woods, the neighbors, the statue, they all come alive to tell a fascinating and creepy yarn that will stay with you long after the last page. And don't get me started on the ending. I wish I could read it again for the first time.
Great ride? Yes, absolutely!! Great vacation? Ehhh...not so much.
5 stars!!

[Andrew Najberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, I just finished Red Hill Paradise by Caleb Jones last night, and I really enjoyed this one. It's well written novel about a married couple, their infant, and their dog on vacation in a rental cabin in the mountains that discovers a mysteriously changing statue just a short walk away from their stay. With a solid cast of characters and a strong sense of mystery, the novel offers a creepy opening build that establishes an atmosphere of tension.

Of course, as someone living in Appalachia, I connected with the setting, and I also enjoyed the fact that the scenes with the greatest tension actually tended to come from the most unexpected places (I'm not going to spoil anything). The story builds to a strong climax that I thought ended the story well.

If you're a fan of Caleb's work or just like mysterious mountain woods horror, check this one out!

[Matt W · Rating 2 out of 5]

The good: I think the writing is good overall. I thought the characters were pretty good. I could see the author has talent.

The bad, with spoilers: the characters make some really stupid decisions which neatly fit into the plot. Elliot leaving Erica in August’s workshop was bad enough but he doesn’t tell the police to look for her there. He just abandons her before he is captured. Who would do this in real life? I think most people would tell the cops they went looking for their baby and who cares if you get a trespassing charge. There really isn’t much horror to this. There is a ton of build up and then no real wrap up. We don’t see what happens to any of the characters and it just ends abruptly. If you like extremely understated horror maybe you will enjoy this but I want to feel some dread and fear. Once all the dumb decisions were made it was hard for me to stay invested.

[Joel Austin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely incredible! The premise is simple enough, a family and their dog go on vacation to a cabin named paradise but what they find is anything but. At first it seems like the ideal place to bring their newborn, but after a few encounters with the locals they suspect things may not be as perfect as they hoped.
This story pulled at my heart on numerous occasions and had my jaw on the ground by the end. Caleb Jones made my skin crawl with this one.

[Jeff Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm second guessing looking for property in West Virginia

This a started out lime any other vacation gone bad, isolation story, but then you got to know the characters and their motives a little better. These folks are wacky, and not in a good way. There are some scenes that made me shudder, and that's hard to do nowadays. I'm thinking g my next house by to g trip will NOT be to West Virginia now :)

[Jennifer Lindsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always had second thoughts about staying in Air BNB and this story does not help! I really enjoyed the character development and suspense throughout the story. It is unsettling on so many levels and just when you think you have it all figured out, another twist is thrown at you! I definitely recommend starting this on a day that you have nothing else to do because you will not want to put it down!