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Disappearance at Devil's Rock
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Horror (2016)A family is shaken to its core after the mysterious disappearance of a teenage boy in this eerie tale, a blend of literary fiction, psychological suspense, and supernatural horror from the author of A Head Full of Ghosts. A Head Full of Ghosts scared the living hell out of me, and I’m pretty hard to scare,” raved Stephen King about Paul Tremblay’s previous novel. Now, Tremblay returns with another disturbing tale sure to unsettle readers. Late one summer night, Elizabeth Sanderson receives the devastating news that every mother her thirteen-year-old son, Tommy, has vanished without a trace in the woods of a local park. The search isn’t yielding any answers, and Elizabeth and her young daughter, Kate, struggle to comprehend Tommy’s disappearance. Feeling helpless and alone, their sorrow is compounded by anger and the local and state police have uncovered no leads. Josh and Luis, the friends who were the last to see Tommy before he vanished, may not be telling the whole truth about that night in Borderland State Park, when they were supposedly hanging out a landmark the local teens have renamed Devil’s Rock. Living in an all-too-real nightmare, riddled with worry, pain, and guilt, Elizabeth is wholly unprepared for the strange series of events that follow. She believes a ghostly shadow of Tommy materializes in her bedroom, while Kate and other local residents claim to see a shadow peering through their windows in the dead of night. Then, random pages torn from Tommy’s journal begin to mysteriously appear—entries that reveal an introverted teenager obsessed with the phantasmagoric; the loss of his father, killed in a drunk-driving accident a decade earlier; a folktale involving the devil and the woods of Borderland; and a horrific incident that Tommy believed connects them.
As the search grows more desperate, and the implications of what happened become more haunting and sinister, no one is prepared for the shocking truth about that night and Tommy’s disappearance at Devil’s Rock.
336 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 21, 2016
1250 people are currently reading
24417 people want to read
About the author
Paul Tremblay
127 books11.8k followersPaul Tremblay has won the Bram Stoker, British Fantasy, the Sheridan Le Fanu, and Massachusetts Book awards and is the author of the New York Times bestselling Horror Movie, The Beast You, Are, The Pallbearers Club, Survivor Song, Growing Things, Disappearance at Devil’s Rock, A Head Full of Ghosts, and the crime novels The Little Sleep and No Sleep Till Wonderland. His novel The Cabin at the End of the World was adapted as the Universal Pictures film Knock at the Cabin. His short fiction and essays have appeared in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Entertainment Weekly online, and numerous year’s-best anthologies. He has a master’s degree in mathematics and lives outside Boston with his family. He is represented by Stephen Barbara, InkWell Management.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,367 reviews
October 21, 2016
Barely 2 stars . . . I almost gave it 1
It's just blah. No suspense, lots of monotonous, pointless, and repetitive dialogue. Some places where you think something exciting and interesting will happen . . . and it doesn't. No climax, no payoff, not really any resolution.
They talked about a lot of modern pop culture stuff. Sort of sounded like the author went to the mall, listened to what kids talked about, and then shoved it into the story so that it would seem modern. Instead, it just got in the way ("Oh, hey, they are talking about Minecraft again . . . and . . . it doesn't matter and no one cares)
It would probably be more interesting reading about me sitting on the couch and watching TV in the evenings.
Sorry to be so harsh, but I spent a couple weeks of my life with this book and I was hoping for more. Kind of felt cheated.
It's just blah. No suspense, lots of monotonous, pointless, and repetitive dialogue. Some places where you think something exciting and interesting will happen . . . and it doesn't. No climax, no payoff, not really any resolution.
They talked about a lot of modern pop culture stuff. Sort of sounded like the author went to the mall, listened to what kids talked about, and then shoved it into the story so that it would seem modern. Instead, it just got in the way ("Oh, hey, they are talking about Minecraft again . . . and . . . it doesn't matter and no one cares)
It would probably be more interesting reading about me sitting on the couch and watching TV in the evenings.
Sorry to be so harsh, but I spent a couple weeks of my life with this book and I was hoping for more. Kind of felt cheated.
June 27, 2018
congratulations! semifinalist in goodreads' best horror category 2016!
after reading enough* books by an author, usually you learn to anticipate their beats, you have certain reasonable expectations and you know the general path they're going to follow.
not so with paul tremblay.
he plays all sides of the tonal field, from the over-the-top-grotesquerie of Swallowing a Donkey's Eye to the ambiguity and restraint of A Head Full of Ghosts.
this one is much closer to the slow-dread unfolding of A Head Full of Ghosts, and for 3/4 of it i really thought i was predicting his angles, seeing the threads and what they would become when all was eventually revealed, but i swear it's like he felt me tracking him through his own narrative and just violently shook me off into a completely unexpected ending, leaving me baffled and spluttering "who wrote these words??"
it's absolutely not the direction i saw this going.
and i can see how that reaction might read like a complaint or a criticism, but it isn't, not exactly. i like having my expectations so emphatically destroyed, i do. i thought i'd figured out what was going on, using my close reading skills and my experience in worlds he'd previously built but it's like he knew i was going there in my head and pushed me down with some violent I WRITE THIS WAY NOW maneuver that completely threw me. which is not to say that the ending doesn't make sense. it does. it's a case of "boy, i didn't see that coming!" only in the opposite way that it usually means.
i don't know how to explain it. i'm confused, but in a good way. up until the ending bits, i was very confident in where i was going and i thought it was a perfect follow-up to A Head Full of Ghosts: he has such an aptitude for atmosphere; the way he builds it and drags it out and does that straddle over the line that separates the supernatural from the psychological explanations, between magic and the mundane, between hope and fear and answers. and it's really intense and creepy and utterly riveting, but it's ultimately a completely different kind of story from A Head Full of Ghosts. again, not a bad thing, just … different. it's like a pretty girl with a baboon heart - it'll work fine, but you still have to acknowledge she's full of monkey parts.
* three novels plus one co-authored novel, one short story collection, and one novella
**********************************************
best week ever - in which i receive three books in the mail i really really want to read and maggie really really wants to sleep on.
best week ever part one:
however, there are zero characters named "karen brissette." paul tremblay, this is what they call "backsliding."
best week ever part two
best week ever part three
come to my blog!
after reading enough* books by an author, usually you learn to anticipate their beats, you have certain reasonable expectations and you know the general path they're going to follow.
not so with paul tremblay.
he plays all sides of the tonal field, from the over-the-top-grotesquerie of Swallowing a Donkey's Eye to the ambiguity and restraint of A Head Full of Ghosts.
this one is much closer to the slow-dread unfolding of A Head Full of Ghosts, and for 3/4 of it i really thought i was predicting his angles, seeing the threads and what they would become when all was eventually revealed, but i swear it's like he felt me tracking him through his own narrative and just violently shook me off into a completely unexpected ending, leaving me baffled and spluttering "who wrote these words??"
it's absolutely not the direction i saw this going.
and i can see how that reaction might read like a complaint or a criticism, but it isn't, not exactly. i like having my expectations so emphatically destroyed, i do. i thought i'd figured out what was going on, using my close reading skills and my experience in worlds he'd previously built but it's like he knew i was going there in my head and pushed me down with some violent I WRITE THIS WAY NOW maneuver that completely threw me. which is not to say that the ending doesn't make sense. it does. it's a case of "boy, i didn't see that coming!" only in the opposite way that it usually means.
i don't know how to explain it. i'm confused, but in a good way. up until the ending bits, i was very confident in where i was going and i thought it was a perfect follow-up to A Head Full of Ghosts: he has such an aptitude for atmosphere; the way he builds it and drags it out and does that straddle over the line that separates the supernatural from the psychological explanations, between magic and the mundane, between hope and fear and answers. and it's really intense and creepy and utterly riveting, but it's ultimately a completely different kind of story from A Head Full of Ghosts. again, not a bad thing, just … different. it's like a pretty girl with a baboon heart - it'll work fine, but you still have to acknowledge she's full of monkey parts.
* three novels plus one co-authored novel, one short story collection, and one novella
**********************************************
best week ever - in which i receive three books in the mail i really really want to read and maggie really really wants to sleep on.
best week ever part one:
however, there are zero characters named "karen brissette." paul tremblay, this is what they call "backsliding."
best week ever part two
best week ever part three
come to my blog!
June 20, 2016
Full Disclosure: I still need to read A Head Full of Ghosts which I’ve heard amazing things about. Due to this I cannot compare the two. My excitement to get my hands on it has only increased..for what that is worth.
So completely atmospheric, creepy, and page-turning. If I had to pick three words to describe this book, these would do the book justice. Paul Tremblay sets a tone maintaining it well while giving off an eerie vibe. He teeters over that line of the supernatural keeping you guessing whether these are the elements at play or if it could be something a little more logical, maybe psychological.
Thirteen going on fourteen year old Tommy Sanderson is missing. His mother Elizabeth gets the call in the middle of the night. He is supposed to be spending the night at Josh’s house with Luis - his two best friends. It’s the end of the summer and no one knows where he could be.
What follows is the family trying to pick up the pieces and find out what happened to Tommy. What were the boys up to that summer before 8th grade? The police investigation begins right away with Detective Allison Murtagh leading the case. It doesn’t take long for the first lies to be uncovered. Where did Tommy go? What else could these boys be hiding? Who is leaving pages from Tommy’s secret diary on the living room floor at night?
We spend most of the time following Elizabeth’s perspective, but there is also some of her twelve year old daughter Kate’s, and a little of Josh, Luis, and Detective Murtagh as well. We get Tommy’s POV through the diary pages. And at one point the storytelling switches to police interview transcripts.
It is hard not to appreciate the blend of genres at play here: mystery and thriller with elements of horror. I love the way suspense was built up over time. The multiple perspectives gave additional insight to scenes other characters may have viewed differently. Some may view this as repetitive, but I think it adds to the whole unreliable narrator aspect. A lot of mystery/thrillers focus on teenage girls lately, so it was rather exciting having one focused on teenaged boys for once. Paul Tremblay has a knack for writing absolutely believable, realistic characters and it shows in Disappearance at Devil’s Rock. The man has talent.
Read this if you’d like some fear mixed with your mystery.
So completely atmospheric, creepy, and page-turning. If I had to pick three words to describe this book, these would do the book justice. Paul Tremblay sets a tone maintaining it well while giving off an eerie vibe. He teeters over that line of the supernatural keeping you guessing whether these are the elements at play or if it could be something a little more logical, maybe psychological.
Thirteen going on fourteen year old Tommy Sanderson is missing. His mother Elizabeth gets the call in the middle of the night. He is supposed to be spending the night at Josh’s house with Luis - his two best friends. It’s the end of the summer and no one knows where he could be.
What follows is the family trying to pick up the pieces and find out what happened to Tommy. What were the boys up to that summer before 8th grade? The police investigation begins right away with Detective Allison Murtagh leading the case. It doesn’t take long for the first lies to be uncovered. Where did Tommy go? What else could these boys be hiding? Who is leaving pages from Tommy’s secret diary on the living room floor at night?
We spend most of the time following Elizabeth’s perspective, but there is also some of her twelve year old daughter Kate’s, and a little of Josh, Luis, and Detective Murtagh as well. We get Tommy’s POV through the diary pages. And at one point the storytelling switches to police interview transcripts.
It is hard not to appreciate the blend of genres at play here: mystery and thriller with elements of horror. I love the way suspense was built up over time. The multiple perspectives gave additional insight to scenes other characters may have viewed differently. Some may view this as repetitive, but I think it adds to the whole unreliable narrator aspect. A lot of mystery/thrillers focus on teenage girls lately, so it was rather exciting having one focused on teenaged boys for once. Paul Tremblay has a knack for writing absolutely believable, realistic characters and it shows in Disappearance at Devil’s Rock. The man has talent.
Read this if you’d like some fear mixed with your mystery.
January 7, 2017
To say I am disappointed would be an understatement. A really big understatement. I don't know if there are adjectives strong enough to describe how I feel after reading this book, so we're gonna go with disappointed just to keep things mild and family-friendly.
A Head Full of Ghosts was awesome. It was a breath of fresh air into the ghost story genre that was actually scary and thrilling and exciting and all that. I was so anxious to read this book, man. It started out just fine, too. I mean, the title of the book essentially describes what happens. Some friends go out into the woods, one of them runs off into the woods for some reason, the family struggles to find answers, weird stuff starts happening, clues and journal entries are discovered, whatever, it's called Devil's Rock, yeah. .
The whole thing felt like it wanted to take off and be something better, but it was just so bland. And the writing this time around was just awful and distracting. It was like Tremblay thought he could make something creepy and literary all at the same time, but it just came off as boring and pretentious. It read like R.L. Stine was trying to be Charles Dickens. The chapter titles were so dumb, too. I'm too lazy to grab the book and give you a real example, but the chapters would read something like "A journal entry, so-and-so talks to whoever, a clue is found, a search, and a few pages of pointless conversation for filler". I only exaggerated a little bit.
And, oh yes, the conversations! No need for quotation marks says Mr. Paul Tremblay! That's the old me! I'm a different kinda writer now so dialogue will be presented like you're reading from a script! It will be amazing, but even this new stylistic device won't be enough to breathe any life at all into these useless conversations!
Also, the mom reminded me too much of the mom from Stranger Things. I mean, sure, that's how any mother is gonna react, but there was just way too much time spent reminding me as the reader that the mom is going crazy. I get it.
And the guy Arnold.... hahahahahaha.
This book would fit better in the YA section, but the teens are so poorly written that it probably would be out of place there anyway. Their conversations felt way off from how kids talk these days, unless I'm just getting old, but I'm still cool so whatever. Their stupid made-up words and all that were just awful.
The whole book just became harder and harder to read, but I finished it. I wouldn't recommend starting it or finishing it. I would recommend reading A Head Full of Ghosts and then moving on with your life and forget you ever heard of this book.
A Head Full of Ghosts was awesome. It was a breath of fresh air into the ghost story genre that was actually scary and thrilling and exciting and all that. I was so anxious to read this book, man. It started out just fine, too. I mean, the title of the book essentially describes what happens. Some friends go out into the woods, one of them runs off into the woods for some reason, the family struggles to find answers, weird stuff starts happening, clues and journal entries are discovered, whatever, it's called Devil's Rock, yeah. .
The whole thing felt like it wanted to take off and be something better, but it was just so bland. And the writing this time around was just awful and distracting. It was like Tremblay thought he could make something creepy and literary all at the same time, but it just came off as boring and pretentious. It read like R.L. Stine was trying to be Charles Dickens. The chapter titles were so dumb, too. I'm too lazy to grab the book and give you a real example, but the chapters would read something like "A journal entry, so-and-so talks to whoever, a clue is found, a search, and a few pages of pointless conversation for filler". I only exaggerated a little bit.
And, oh yes, the conversations! No need for quotation marks says Mr. Paul Tremblay! That's the old me! I'm a different kinda writer now so dialogue will be presented like you're reading from a script! It will be amazing, but even this new stylistic device won't be enough to breathe any life at all into these useless conversations!
Also, the mom reminded me too much of the mom from Stranger Things. I mean, sure, that's how any mother is gonna react, but there was just way too much time spent reminding me as the reader that the mom is going crazy. I get it.
And the guy Arnold.... hahahahahaha.
This book would fit better in the YA section, but the teens are so poorly written that it probably would be out of place there anyway. Their conversations felt way off from how kids talk these days, unless I'm just getting old, but I'm still cool so whatever. Their stupid made-up words and all that were just awful.
The whole book just became harder and harder to read, but I finished it. I wouldn't recommend starting it or finishing it. I would recommend reading A Head Full of Ghosts and then moving on with your life and forget you ever heard of this book.
June 17, 2016
Disappearance at Devil's Rock had me twisted around its little finger right up until the last two chapters. Then I was saddened by the fact that it was over.
Elizabeth gets that dreaded middle of the night call from one of her son's friend's asking if her son was home. Of course, he wasn't and so begins the masterful telling of this taut, mystery thriller. Where was Tommy? He ran into the woods, but to where? Why are there so many reports of "shadowmen" in their small town of Ames? Are they related to Tommy's disappearance? What about Tommy's diary pages that show up in the middle of the floor during the night?
I can't say anything more about the plot, but I can say more about the writing. This book flowed easily, the smooth writing carried me along, even when I wanted to start dragging my feet to make the experience last a little longer. I only had one issue with this book that left me briefly disappointed, and that was that
Disappearance at Devil's Rock was a pleasing, quick read, with a flowing writing style that flies right along until all the secrets concealed within are revealed. Trust me, you want to be there when that happens.
Highly recommended to fans of mystery thrillers!
You can pre-order your copy here: https://www.amazon.com/Disappearance-...
*Thank you to Edelweiss and to William Morrow for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.*
Elizabeth gets that dreaded middle of the night call from one of her son's friend's asking if her son was home. Of course, he wasn't and so begins the masterful telling of this taut, mystery thriller. Where was Tommy? He ran into the woods, but to where? Why are there so many reports of "shadowmen" in their small town of Ames? Are they related to Tommy's disappearance? What about Tommy's diary pages that show up in the middle of the floor during the night?
I can't say anything more about the plot, but I can say more about the writing. This book flowed easily, the smooth writing carried me along, even when I wanted to start dragging my feet to make the experience last a little longer. I only had one issue with this book that left me briefly disappointed, and that was that
Disappearance at Devil's Rock was a pleasing, quick read, with a flowing writing style that flies right along until all the secrets concealed within are revealed. Trust me, you want to be there when that happens.
Highly recommended to fans of mystery thrillers!
You can pre-order your copy here: https://www.amazon.com/Disappearance-...
*Thank you to Edelweiss and to William Morrow for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.*
September 10, 2016
It's 1:50 PM here and I just now woke up, thanks to my having stayed up all night to finish this eerie, disturbing (and at times profoundly moving) gem. Other books don't interest me anymore. I want to read more of this one. Full review to come.
Update 7/17/16:
While billed as a horror novel, Disappearance at Devil's Rock is actually more of a mystery/thriller, with ambiguous undertones of supernatural goings-on. This story of a missing teenage boy, lost in the immense woodlands surrounding his New England home, and his mother and younger sister left behind to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives, is totally heartbreaking. And riveting.
I love the fact that the reader is never on solid footing, never quite sure whether the paranormal events are real or imagined. Are the pages from Tommy's diary that mysteriously show up on the Sandersons' living room floor being left by Tommy's ghost, or is there a more rational explanation? What about the creepy face that appears in their (and others') windows late at night? Or the "presence" of Tommy that Elizabeth Sanderson feels during the witching hour? Real, or just a grieving mother's imagination getting the best of her?
The characterizations of Tommy's family and friends, as well as the lead investigator, are fully realized, and I came to care about and sympathize with their plight. The unsettling revelations sprinkled throughout seemingly impacted me as much as they did Tommy's loved ones, as I was entirely absorbed in the story, and it took me a few days before I was able to fully move past it and get into another book.
There were several moments that sent serious chills down my spine, as well as a couple that were gut-wrenchingly disturbing, and I still think about them occasionally even though it's been nearly two weeks since I'd finished this book. Tremblay's imagery is so vivid that during one particularly horrifying scene, I actually felt like I was witnessing the event, and had to set the book down for a while in order to fully process it. It was one of the most disturbing things I'd ever read, and yet I was strangely moved by it at the same time. It's an emotion I'll rarely if ever feel again, I'm sure.
Anyone looking for a captivating blend of mystery/thriller and supernatural horror would do well to check out Disappearance at Devil's Rock. Just be prepared for a marked decrease in the amount of sleep you get in the nights to come.
5 Stars.
Update 7/17/16:
While billed as a horror novel, Disappearance at Devil's Rock is actually more of a mystery/thriller, with ambiguous undertones of supernatural goings-on. This story of a missing teenage boy, lost in the immense woodlands surrounding his New England home, and his mother and younger sister left behind to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives, is totally heartbreaking. And riveting.
I love the fact that the reader is never on solid footing, never quite sure whether the paranormal events are real or imagined. Are the pages from Tommy's diary that mysteriously show up on the Sandersons' living room floor being left by Tommy's ghost, or is there a more rational explanation? What about the creepy face that appears in their (and others') windows late at night? Or the "presence" of Tommy that Elizabeth Sanderson feels during the witching hour? Real, or just a grieving mother's imagination getting the best of her?
The characterizations of Tommy's family and friends, as well as the lead investigator, are fully realized, and I came to care about and sympathize with their plight. The unsettling revelations sprinkled throughout seemingly impacted me as much as they did Tommy's loved ones, as I was entirely absorbed in the story, and it took me a few days before I was able to fully move past it and get into another book.
There were several moments that sent serious chills down my spine, as well as a couple that were gut-wrenchingly disturbing, and I still think about them occasionally even though it's been nearly two weeks since I'd finished this book. Tremblay's imagery is so vivid that during one particularly horrifying scene, I actually felt like I was witnessing the event, and had to set the book down for a while in order to fully process it. It was one of the most disturbing things I'd ever read, and yet I was strangely moved by it at the same time. It's an emotion I'll rarely if ever feel again, I'm sure.
Anyone looking for a captivating blend of mystery/thriller and supernatural horror would do well to check out Disappearance at Devil's Rock. Just be prepared for a marked decrease in the amount of sleep you get in the nights to come.
5 Stars.
December 24, 2025
**4.5-stars rounded up**
This was an incredibly-told story; completely immersive. I was drawn in quickly and couldn't stop.
The inclusion of the Coming of Age elements, combined with various real world horrors, really played into my tastes. I thought the audiobook narration was perfect for the tone of the story as well. Overall, just really well done.
Full review to come...stay tuned!!!
This was an incredibly-told story; completely immersive. I was drawn in quickly and couldn't stop.
The inclusion of the Coming of Age elements, combined with various real world horrors, really played into my tastes. I thought the audiobook narration was perfect for the tone of the story as well. Overall, just really well done.
Full review to come...stay tuned!!!
November 18, 2017
IMPORTANT PSA: Please, for the love of tiny grasshoppers and baby hedgehogs, DO NOT under any circumstances get the Kindle edition as it currently stands. It's terrible. It makes crucial parts of the story unreadable, and unless you can zoom and enhance times infinity, you will not be able to read it.
*Thankfully, this has been corrected in updates on the Kindle edition! Yay for readability!*
Please learn from my mistakes. I struggled through 2/3 of the Kindle edition before giving up and getting the hardcover. I thought surely it was just me. That there was some mistake. That maybe I was just fucking dumb, that I didn't know how to read it?
Examples, because what is life without visual evidence.
A key point of the story is revealed through handwritten diary entries. Here's a look at Tommy's diary on Kindle.
And the same page in the hardcover.
Hello shitty formatting issues!
Okay. Now that we've established that you will learn from my mistakes, (also don't move furniture on your own and don't mainline dark rum), let's talk about Disappearance at Devil's Rock!
"He could only see the devil out of the corners of his eyes. You know what I mean? You know how to look out of the corners of you eyes, right? You can only see him when you're not really looking at him."
Disappearance at Devil's Rock is a excellent read. My anticipation was up at the top of the beanstalk, and that can be hard on a book. But despite the Kindle formatting fuckery, I was very happy. It feels less horrory than A Head Full of Ghosts, which isn't a negative. It's a less forward horror, more insidious. There's some creepy, lurky shadowy stuff going on. I love what Tremblay does with mixing more human horrors with those of the supernatural sort .
I didn't find it to be scary as AHFUG. (I was going to abbreviate A Head Full of Ghosts, but I can't type AHFUG with a straight face either.) It's not as scary as that other book he wrote, which you should also read in addition to this one. But you know straight up scary isn't everything. I don't need something to grab me by the balls and scream in my face and scare me. First, because I do not have balls, and second, because sometimes building a spine tingling tension can be just as effective.
She believes ghosts are everywhere and anywhere. They are always watching and they are always coming for you. They can be in any room, in any closet, under any bed or desk, behind the door, in any dark corner, more dark or less dark it doesn't really matter.
A big thing I loved? The family dynamic. Elizabeth, her daughter and mother, and of course her missing son Tommy round out the family story in many ways. They are so well written. I felt their anxiety, fear, and panic. When they shut down and stopped communicating, when they turned to distrust and accusations, I cared so much what happened.
I particularly liked Kate. As a general rule, I'm not a fan of children in fiction. That sounds super bitchy? Probably is. Whatever. But Kate is old enough and smart enough that she feels real. She wasn't there to be the precocious kid, or the creepy horror movie child. She was herself, and I liked that.
(Side note: If I leave this review unfinished, it's not my fault. I was typing, but then Chloe farted on me. What the fuck, cat? I can't even be in the living room. What part of Lucifer's ass did she eat? If I fall victim to cat-butt-fumes, someone read The Winds of Winter to my grave.)
The writing, as I have already come to expect, was A+. Dude's got a way with words that I have not. It's a very easy style to read and enjoy.
Final Thoughts: I can't say I liked it more than A Head Full of Ghosts. That book is still one of my favorites. However, they are such different animals that comparing them may do them both a disservice in the end. I'm not chilled to my core and sleeping with the lights on, but I was sufficiently creeped and thrilled by Disappearance at Devil's Rock. It was a story that I enjoyed reading. My gut says yes to it as a whole, and I go with my gut. When it comes to pizza and books, it has yet to steer me wrong.
---------------------
Original pre-release book flailing:
I need this right now or I may explode from book-craving.
*Thankfully, this has been corrected in updates on the Kindle edition! Yay for readability!*
Please learn from my mistakes. I struggled through 2/3 of the Kindle edition before giving up and getting the hardcover. I thought surely it was just me. That there was some mistake. That maybe I was just fucking dumb, that I didn't know how to read it?
Examples, because what is life without visual evidence.
A key point of the story is revealed through handwritten diary entries. Here's a look at Tommy's diary on Kindle.
And the same page in the hardcover.
Hello shitty formatting issues!
Okay. Now that we've established that you will learn from my mistakes, (also don't move furniture on your own and don't mainline dark rum), let's talk about Disappearance at Devil's Rock!
"He could only see the devil out of the corners of his eyes. You know what I mean? You know how to look out of the corners of you eyes, right? You can only see him when you're not really looking at him."
Disappearance at Devil's Rock is a excellent read. My anticipation was up at the top of the beanstalk, and that can be hard on a book. But despite the Kindle formatting fuckery, I was very happy. It feels less horrory than A Head Full of Ghosts, which isn't a negative. It's a less forward horror, more insidious. There's some creepy, lurky shadowy stuff going on. I love what Tremblay does with mixing more human horrors with those of the supernatural sort .
I didn't find it to be scary as AHFUG. (I was going to abbreviate A Head Full of Ghosts, but I can't type AHFUG with a straight face either.) It's not as scary as that other book he wrote, which you should also read in addition to this one. But you know straight up scary isn't everything. I don't need something to grab me by the balls and scream in my face and scare me. First, because I do not have balls, and second, because sometimes building a spine tingling tension can be just as effective.
She believes ghosts are everywhere and anywhere. They are always watching and they are always coming for you. They can be in any room, in any closet, under any bed or desk, behind the door, in any dark corner, more dark or less dark it doesn't really matter.
A big thing I loved? The family dynamic. Elizabeth, her daughter and mother, and of course her missing son Tommy round out the family story in many ways. They are so well written. I felt their anxiety, fear, and panic. When they shut down and stopped communicating, when they turned to distrust and accusations, I cared so much what happened.
I particularly liked Kate. As a general rule, I'm not a fan of children in fiction. That sounds super bitchy? Probably is. Whatever. But Kate is old enough and smart enough that she feels real. She wasn't there to be the precocious kid, or the creepy horror movie child. She was herself, and I liked that.
(Side note: If I leave this review unfinished, it's not my fault. I was typing, but then Chloe farted on me. What the fuck, cat? I can't even be in the living room. What part of Lucifer's ass did she eat? If I fall victim to cat-butt-fumes, someone read The Winds of Winter to my grave.)
The writing, as I have already come to expect, was A+. Dude's got a way with words that I have not. It's a very easy style to read and enjoy.
Final Thoughts: I can't say I liked it more than A Head Full of Ghosts. That book is still one of my favorites. However, they are such different animals that comparing them may do them both a disservice in the end. I'm not chilled to my core and sleeping with the lights on, but I was sufficiently creeped and thrilled by Disappearance at Devil's Rock. It was a story that I enjoyed reading. My gut says yes to it as a whole, and I go with my gut. When it comes to pizza and books, it has yet to steer me wrong.
---------------------
Original pre-release book flailing:
I need this right now or I may explode from book-craving.
August 8, 2023
3'5 en realidad.
Con su primera novela me conquistó, Una cabeza llena de fantasmas me removió muchísimo, ese final es impactante. Por ello había puesto mis expectativas quizás demasiado altas en ésta nueva novela. Digamos que no está del todo mal pero esperaba más, mucho más.
Nos encontramos ante una novela de misterio con tintes sobrenaturales. La atmósfera está muy lograda y en algunos pasajes logra que se te pongan los pelos de punta pero en otros se me hacía demasiado lento por ejemplo, el grupo de amigos hablan demasiado del Minecraft y me aburría soberanamente 😂😂 porque no tengo ni idea de videojuegos.
El inicio te atrapa, es indudable que la angustia de esa madre al recibir la llamada de que su hijo mayor, Tommy, ha desaparecido, logra atravesar el papel y emocionarte. Y nos adentraremos con ella en los sentimientos de la familia involucrada, la hija menor (Kate) y la abuela materna (Janice). Así como su grupo de amigos; Luis y Josh.
A medida que vamos avanzando en la trama nos vamos encontrando con hechos que en un principio no tienen explicación y que nos harán preguntarnos una y otra vez que pasó esa noche con Tommy en la llamada Roca Partida que pasa a ser bautizada como La Roca del Diablo por una terrorífica leyenda del lugar. Esa parte me encantó y sobre todo llegando al final es cuando más interesante se pone al nombrar conceptos tan interesantes como el Síndrome del Tercer Hombre o los Doppelgänger (los dobles que dicen algunas teorías que todos tenemos y que en muchos casos son augurios de mala suerte e incluso de muerte).
Los personajes están todos muy trabajados y tienen una gran profundidad, de hecho, prácticamente todo el peso de la trama cae sobre ellos y pasa muy por encima de la investigación policial propiamente dicha.
Como en su primera novela, hace una brutal crítica al sistema de medios de comunicación que nos rodea, así como a las redes sociales.
En resumen, es una buena novela de misterio que peca de un ritmo quizás demasiado lento hacia la mitad de la novela pero que retoma el ritmo hasta llegar a un final un poco a libre interpretación. La investigación policial se cierra pero queda algo un poco sobrenatural en el aire.
Leánla y juzguen ustedes mismos 😉
💀"Cuando rebatir lo posible resulta imposible, lo imposible se convierte en verdad."
💀"... los fantasmas no son blancos ni brillantes. Los fantasmas son sombras de alguien o de algo que ha salido mal..."
Pueden leerme también en mi página de Facebook ➡➡➡ https://m.facebook.com/La-loca-de-los...
Para seguir el blog ➡➡➡ https://lalocadeloslibrosdemisterio.b...
Con su primera novela me conquistó, Una cabeza llena de fantasmas me removió muchísimo, ese final es impactante. Por ello había puesto mis expectativas quizás demasiado altas en ésta nueva novela. Digamos que no está del todo mal pero esperaba más, mucho más.
Nos encontramos ante una novela de misterio con tintes sobrenaturales. La atmósfera está muy lograda y en algunos pasajes logra que se te pongan los pelos de punta pero en otros se me hacía demasiado lento por ejemplo, el grupo de amigos hablan demasiado del Minecraft y me aburría soberanamente 😂😂 porque no tengo ni idea de videojuegos.
El inicio te atrapa, es indudable que la angustia de esa madre al recibir la llamada de que su hijo mayor, Tommy, ha desaparecido, logra atravesar el papel y emocionarte. Y nos adentraremos con ella en los sentimientos de la familia involucrada, la hija menor (Kate) y la abuela materna (Janice). Así como su grupo de amigos; Luis y Josh.
A medida que vamos avanzando en la trama nos vamos encontrando con hechos que en un principio no tienen explicación y que nos harán preguntarnos una y otra vez que pasó esa noche con Tommy en la llamada Roca Partida que pasa a ser bautizada como La Roca del Diablo por una terrorífica leyenda del lugar. Esa parte me encantó y sobre todo llegando al final es cuando más interesante se pone al nombrar conceptos tan interesantes como el Síndrome del Tercer Hombre o los Doppelgänger (los dobles que dicen algunas teorías que todos tenemos y que en muchos casos son augurios de mala suerte e incluso de muerte).
Los personajes están todos muy trabajados y tienen una gran profundidad, de hecho, prácticamente todo el peso de la trama cae sobre ellos y pasa muy por encima de la investigación policial propiamente dicha.
Como en su primera novela, hace una brutal crítica al sistema de medios de comunicación que nos rodea, así como a las redes sociales.
En resumen, es una buena novela de misterio que peca de un ritmo quizás demasiado lento hacia la mitad de la novela pero que retoma el ritmo hasta llegar a un final un poco a libre interpretación. La investigación policial se cierra pero queda algo un poco sobrenatural en el aire.
Leánla y juzguen ustedes mismos 😉
💀"Cuando rebatir lo posible resulta imposible, lo imposible se convierte en verdad."
💀"... los fantasmas no son blancos ni brillantes. Los fantasmas son sombras de alguien o de algo que ha salido mal..."
Pueden leerme también en mi página de Facebook ➡➡➡ https://m.facebook.com/La-loca-de-los...
Para seguir el blog ➡➡➡ https://lalocadeloslibrosdemisterio.b...
September 25, 2016
This book. *sigh* I don't want to give too much away. Paul Tremblay breaks all the rules here. He breaks technical, writing rules with head hopping, weird dialog tags and some other literary tricks. But it's fine with me, he can do what he wants-I'll read all his books. He also breaks genre rules. Is this a paranormal thriller? Ghost story? Horror? What is it? I'll tell you all the things he did right: Tremblay can write teens. He's got them down. I loved all the teens in this story so hard. I loved the mother, Elizabeth, like I was in her head-like I could feel all her feels. The book wrecked me. Straight ruined me for the rest of the day. Good job Paul Tremblay. You seriously drew me in, grabbed me by the heart and gut punched me. Well done.
July 24, 2023
I am a Paul Tremblay fan. I like his style. Bleak and eerie with a touch of horror.
Three bffs spend their summer playing video games and hanging out in the woods before their high school years begin. One day they meet Arnold. He causes a riff in their dynamic and summer takes a sinister turn. One of the boys goes missing. Through the missing kids diary which mysteriously appears page by page to be found by his mom tells us more about this Arnold and what transpired before he went missing. We also have police interviews between the other 2 boys and Arnold to help unravel the mystery. What really happened that night in the woods? Where do the lies end and the truth begin? This author always leaves me in a "mood". A little shocked, and wondering long after I finish the last page.
Three bffs spend their summer playing video games and hanging out in the woods before their high school years begin. One day they meet Arnold. He causes a riff in their dynamic and summer takes a sinister turn. One of the boys goes missing. Through the missing kids diary which mysteriously appears page by page to be found by his mom tells us more about this Arnold and what transpired before he went missing. We also have police interviews between the other 2 boys and Arnold to help unravel the mystery. What really happened that night in the woods? Where do the lies end and the truth begin? This author always leaves me in a "mood". A little shocked, and wondering long after I finish the last page.
June 5, 2017
Kindle version is $1.99 at Amazon US today!
This is a slower paced mystery about a missing 14-year-old boy, his devastated mother and his heartbroken sister. It is a good story but it is not a horror novel. Do not be led astray like me.
A family is shaken to its core after the mysterious disappearance of a teenage boy in this eerie tale, a blend of literary fiction, psychological suspense, and supernatural horror from the author of A Head Full of Ghosts.
I think I missed the supernatural horror bits. First The Turner House disappoints with its false ghost promises and now there’s this one. Damn, I am totally striking out in January.
Anyway, I listened to this book on audio and though it was too long and I drifted here and there, I never felt an urge to shut it off. I’d probably give it a 3 ½ but I’ll bump it up to a 4 because it was quite a bit better than “meh”.
The story revolves around what really happened the day (or was it night? The mind fails me once again) Tommy and his two pals went out to Devil’s Rock to do something . . . Tommy’s two buddies returned home safe and sound but Tommy did not. Now it’s up to Tommy’s mom to piece together exactly what happened. When Tommy’s diaries pages start appearing out of the ether she begins to question everything.
And I don’t blame her. I really felt compassion for Tommy’s mom. She was a well written character and even had some realistic flaws, eventually breaking down and losing her cool. I loved to read that. It made the story come alive for me.
Basically, the story is one long, slow reveal of what happened prior to that fateful day (evening?) at Devil’s Rock. It’s set in the present day but the past is shown via the diary entries and through flashbacks and that's all I'm going to say so I don't spoil the reveals for you.
It's an enjoyable thriller only marred by too much inane and repetitive dialogue between the boys. They are teenagers and their conversations always go a little like this:
Josh: Anyone up for Mindcraft?
Luis: Mindcraft is AWESOME man but dad says I need to get homework done tonight.
Tommy: Your dad is such a Hard-o! (I did not mean hard-on pervy spellcheck)
Josh: Chirps!
They have their own lingo, which is normal for most teen boys, but that doesn’t mean it’s fun to read and, believe me, it's even less fun to listen to. Almost immediately that lingo annoyed me and when the boys were together it never let up.
The narrator, Erin Bennett, does a decent job with the work but she's just a little too polished at times and I did feel pulled out of the story quite a few times, especially when she calls out a name before speaking their dialogue. I’m not sure if it was a narrator choice or if the book was written that way but it was off-putting and kind of strange.
The actual mystery is doled out slowly as it should be, I take no issue with that. I only wish the book had been pruned a bit where the silly conversations and sometimes repetitive scenes were involved.
Audiobook Challenge: Book #4
HA Mount TBR Challenge: Book #5
HA Pages Read Challenge
2017 Horror Reading Challenge Book #2
See this and the rest of the crap I write at my blog.
This is a slower paced mystery about a missing 14-year-old boy, his devastated mother and his heartbroken sister. It is a good story but it is not a horror novel. Do not be led astray like me.
A family is shaken to its core after the mysterious disappearance of a teenage boy in this eerie tale, a blend of literary fiction, psychological suspense, and supernatural horror from the author of A Head Full of Ghosts.
I think I missed the supernatural horror bits. First The Turner House disappoints with its false ghost promises and now there’s this one. Damn, I am totally striking out in January.
Anyway, I listened to this book on audio and though it was too long and I drifted here and there, I never felt an urge to shut it off. I’d probably give it a 3 ½ but I’ll bump it up to a 4 because it was quite a bit better than “meh”.
The story revolves around what really happened the day (or was it night? The mind fails me once again) Tommy and his two pals went out to Devil’s Rock to do something . . . Tommy’s two buddies returned home safe and sound but Tommy did not. Now it’s up to Tommy’s mom to piece together exactly what happened. When Tommy’s diaries pages start appearing out of the ether she begins to question everything.
And I don’t blame her. I really felt compassion for Tommy’s mom. She was a well written character and even had some realistic flaws, eventually breaking down and losing her cool. I loved to read that. It made the story come alive for me.
Basically, the story is one long, slow reveal of what happened prior to that fateful day (evening?) at Devil’s Rock. It’s set in the present day but the past is shown via the diary entries and through flashbacks and that's all I'm going to say so I don't spoil the reveals for you.
It's an enjoyable thriller only marred by too much inane and repetitive dialogue between the boys. They are teenagers and their conversations always go a little like this:
Josh: Anyone up for Mindcraft?
Luis: Mindcraft is AWESOME man but dad says I need to get homework done tonight.
Tommy: Your dad is such a Hard-o! (I did not mean hard-on pervy spellcheck)
Josh: Chirps!
They have their own lingo, which is normal for most teen boys, but that doesn’t mean it’s fun to read and, believe me, it's even less fun to listen to. Almost immediately that lingo annoyed me and when the boys were together it never let up.
The narrator, Erin Bennett, does a decent job with the work but she's just a little too polished at times and I did feel pulled out of the story quite a few times, especially when she calls out a name before speaking their dialogue. I’m not sure if it was a narrator choice or if the book was written that way but it was off-putting and kind of strange.
The actual mystery is doled out slowly as it should be, I take no issue with that. I only wish the book had been pruned a bit where the silly conversations and sometimes repetitive scenes were involved.
Audiobook Challenge: Book #4
HA Mount TBR Challenge: Book #5
HA Pages Read Challenge
2017 Horror Reading Challenge Book #2
See this and the rest of the crap I write at my blog.
April 15, 2017
This is my Book Of the Month- August2016, with GR group- Horror Aficionados
I am not even going to classify this as horror because it is more of a psychological thriller with small elements of paranormal added in it.
This is an OK read and I felt myself dragging through it. Something interesting happened and then it went into the same slow paced routine......
The thing is all that happens till 50% of the story is already in the blurb. The story-line does not diversify much and nothing much happens apart from what is written in the blurb of the book.
After that it does pick up a bit of pace and then dwindles away. The last few chapters are a page turner but the reveal is just ok-
I know there are folks who really enjoyed this one but it was not for me as I was looking for more of a horror than thriller from this read.
I am not even going to classify this as horror because it is more of a psychological thriller with small elements of paranormal added in it.
This is an OK read and I felt myself dragging through it. Something interesting happened and then it went into the same slow paced routine......
The thing is all that happens till 50% of the story is already in the blurb. The story-line does not diversify much and nothing much happens apart from what is written in the blurb of the book.
After that it does pick up a bit of pace and then dwindles away. The last few chapters are a page turner but the reveal is just ok-
I know there are folks who really enjoyed this one but it was not for me as I was looking for more of a horror than thriller from this read.
Want to read
July 25, 2017The Kindle edition is currently on special offer - $1.29 in the States and 0.99p in the UK. It's the same price for A Head Full of Ghosts, too.
July 17, 2023
Actual rating is 3.5 stars.
This book is about a mother who gets a call saying that her son is missing. This book details the several days afterwards and the effects on the family while they do not know what happened to him.
This was my introduction to this author as I recently watched a movie that was based on one of his other novels. I believe this listed as horror but I would say it is more of a mystery/thriller genre novel with a touch of supernatural. That is where this book excels. It crosses over many avenues as we get little pieces of the puzzle throughout the story. We get the investigation by the police but also journal entries from the missing son that details his thoughts and his daily activities. My favorite aspect about this book was the effect on the family with the unknown. I have read reviews where it was said nothing happened. I liked this as it put me into the state of the family and how it must be for them. I cannot imagine what it would be like but it must feel like time has stopped as the unknown becomes unbearable. So the highlight for me was the psychological aspect of the narrative. I did think the ending was a bit of a let down and why I deducted a half star. There is no payoff at the end and it is ambiguous. It is up to the reader to ponder and I wanted a little more.
Like I said this is my first novel by this author and I will definitely be reading another one. Even though the story was told by various methods the writing was pretty straightforward. Before I knew it I was sucked into the story and wondering what happened. I guess this author is known for his ambiguity in his stories and I did not enjoy it here. Now that I know this I will know what to expect when I read the next book from him.
This book is about a mother who gets a call saying that her son is missing. This book details the several days afterwards and the effects on the family while they do not know what happened to him.
This was my introduction to this author as I recently watched a movie that was based on one of his other novels. I believe this listed as horror but I would say it is more of a mystery/thriller genre novel with a touch of supernatural. That is where this book excels. It crosses over many avenues as we get little pieces of the puzzle throughout the story. We get the investigation by the police but also journal entries from the missing son that details his thoughts and his daily activities. My favorite aspect about this book was the effect on the family with the unknown. I have read reviews where it was said nothing happened. I liked this as it put me into the state of the family and how it must be for them. I cannot imagine what it would be like but it must feel like time has stopped as the unknown becomes unbearable. So the highlight for me was the psychological aspect of the narrative. I did think the ending was a bit of a let down and why I deducted a half star. There is no payoff at the end and it is ambiguous. It is up to the reader to ponder and I wanted a little more.
Like I said this is my first novel by this author and I will definitely be reading another one. Even though the story was told by various methods the writing was pretty straightforward. Before I knew it I was sucked into the story and wondering what happened. I guess this author is known for his ambiguity in his stories and I did not enjoy it here. Now that I know this I will know what to expect when I read the next book from him.
April 4, 2022
-De la pérdida y el desasosiego que provoca.-
Género. Narrativa fantástica (o no…).
Lo que nos cuenta. El libro Desaparición en la Roca del Diablo (publicación original: Dissapearance at Devil`s Rock, 2016) nos presenta a Elizabeth Sanderson, una madre que recibe de madrugada una llamada telefónica de un amigo de su hijo adolescente Tommy preguntando si está en casa, cuando se suponía que estaban juntos en los bosques de Borderland. Al parecer, durante una excursión nocturna a la Roca Partida, más conocida como la Roca del Diablo por los lugareños, Tommy se separó del grupo y no son capaces de localizarlo. Comienza una búsqueda durante la que, aparentemente, pasan cosas inexplicables en casa de los Sanderson.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
Género. Narrativa fantástica (o no…).
Lo que nos cuenta. El libro Desaparición en la Roca del Diablo (publicación original: Dissapearance at Devil`s Rock, 2016) nos presenta a Elizabeth Sanderson, una madre que recibe de madrugada una llamada telefónica de un amigo de su hijo adolescente Tommy preguntando si está en casa, cuando se suponía que estaban juntos en los bosques de Borderland. Al parecer, durante una excursión nocturna a la Roca Partida, más conocida como la Roca del Diablo por los lugareños, Tommy se separó del grupo y no son capaces de localizarlo. Comienza una búsqueda durante la que, aparentemente, pasan cosas inexplicables en casa de los Sanderson.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
July 27, 2016
3 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2016/07/27/...
Earlier this year I had the pleasure of reading Paul Tremblay’s A Head Full of Ghosts, which promptly landed him on my “I must read more of this author!” list. So when I found out about his new book Disappearance at Devil’s Rock, I simply couldn’t resist checking it out.
Now that I’m finished reading though, I feel torn. Don’t get me wrong; I didn’t think the book was bad, but I also definitely didn’t think it was as good as A Head Full of Ghosts, not even close. Yes, it’s entirely possible that my expectations were way too high going into this, but there were also some pacing problems and other issues I couldn’t ignore, not to mention I also didn’t enjoy the premise as much, which I’m sure played into my overall tepid feelings for this novel.
The book opens with a moment all parents dread. Elizabeth Sanderson, the story’s protagonist, receives a phone call in the middle of the night telling her that her thirteen-year-old son is missing. The caller is her son Tommy’s friend, Josh, who tells her that the two boys and another friend Luis have all been in the woods of Borderland State Park. The three of them had stolen some beer from their parents and had snuck out to do some drinking, Josh says, just hanging out at landmark nicknamed the Devil’s Rock, when Tommy suddenly ran into the trees. This was hours ago, and no one has seen him since.
The next few days are a nightmare for Elizabeth and her daughter Kate as they wait for news. The townspeople are searching the woods tirelessly, police have been called in to investigate, and the media is giving the case national attention. But still, no sign of Tommy. Stressed with worry and grief, Elizabeth starts to think she’s seeing things that aren’t there. That first night, she could have sworn she saw a shadow of Tommy visiting her as a ghost, but believing that also makes her feel terrible because she doesn’t want to give up hope her son is still alive. Then there are the mysterious pages from Tommy’s diary, inexplicably appearing in places for Elizabeth to find. The journal entries reveal a complicated young man who has become increasingly troubled by the loss of his father, Elizabeth’s ex-husband who abandoned his family years ago and died in a drunk-driving accident. Tommy also writes about his experiences in the days leading up to his disappearance, which sheds light on the testimonies of his friends Josh and Luis, indicating that the two boys might not be as forthcoming as they claim. Will these diary pages ultimately lead to the truth behind Tommy’s disappearance?
Like A Head Full of Ghosts, there’s an air of ambiguity that shrouds the story. Paul Tremblay gives just enough to blur the lines between the mundane and the paranormal, keeping readers wondering if there’s more than meets the eye. The book is like a puzzle, providing us with pieces of the narrative from Elizabeth, Kate, Josh, Luis, as well as Allison, the lead investigator on Tommy’s case. Then there are the diary entries from Tommy, words straight from the missing teen himself. Sometimes the different angles reveal answers, helping us fill in the gaps. At other times, they reveal inconsistencies, which is how we later find out some characters aren’t being as truthful as they claim.
I’m aware this style of storytelling usually relies on slower, more methodical pacing. Still, the plodding speed at which this book began was almost unbearable. At one point, I wondered how much of the boys’ shenanigans and their back-and-forth teenage jargon I would have to take before the story would finally get moving. After the initial report that Tommy is missing, the book slows to a crawl and doesn’t pick up again until later, and even then it’s a very gradual escalation without an immediate hook or much suspense.
As I said, I also didn’t enjoy the premise as much. A Head Full of Ghosts was definitely more my bag when it comes to horror, more so than Disappearance at Devil’s Rock which was less “horrific” in the traditional sense. I was unsettled by the story in that I sympathized with Elizabeth’s gut-wrenching sorrow of being a mom with a missing child, but if I was terrified at all, it was more at the idea that one day I’ll be a parent to teenagers, and it scares the hell out of me to read about the kinds of things kids can get up to these days. That left me neither here nor there with this book; it didn’t creep me out the way I would expect from a horror novel, but it was also too slow for me to see it as a true thriller.
That is why I think so much will depend on the kind of horror novel you prefer, and personally speaking this one just didn’t work as well for me—certainly not as well as A Head Full of Ghosts, which I found genuinely clever and creepy at the same time. I also thought that one was a much better book, in terms of writing and construction. Given my high hopes for Disappearance at Devil’s Rock, perhaps it was inevitable that I would be let down, but I suspect I’m in the minority on my feelings for this book. So if the premise sounds like something you’ll enjoy, I strongly urge you to give it a try.
Earlier this year I had the pleasure of reading Paul Tremblay’s A Head Full of Ghosts, which promptly landed him on my “I must read more of this author!” list. So when I found out about his new book Disappearance at Devil’s Rock, I simply couldn’t resist checking it out.
Now that I’m finished reading though, I feel torn. Don’t get me wrong; I didn’t think the book was bad, but I also definitely didn’t think it was as good as A Head Full of Ghosts, not even close. Yes, it’s entirely possible that my expectations were way too high going into this, but there were also some pacing problems and other issues I couldn’t ignore, not to mention I also didn’t enjoy the premise as much, which I’m sure played into my overall tepid feelings for this novel.
The book opens with a moment all parents dread. Elizabeth Sanderson, the story’s protagonist, receives a phone call in the middle of the night telling her that her thirteen-year-old son is missing. The caller is her son Tommy’s friend, Josh, who tells her that the two boys and another friend Luis have all been in the woods of Borderland State Park. The three of them had stolen some beer from their parents and had snuck out to do some drinking, Josh says, just hanging out at landmark nicknamed the Devil’s Rock, when Tommy suddenly ran into the trees. This was hours ago, and no one has seen him since.
The next few days are a nightmare for Elizabeth and her daughter Kate as they wait for news. The townspeople are searching the woods tirelessly, police have been called in to investigate, and the media is giving the case national attention. But still, no sign of Tommy. Stressed with worry and grief, Elizabeth starts to think she’s seeing things that aren’t there. That first night, she could have sworn she saw a shadow of Tommy visiting her as a ghost, but believing that also makes her feel terrible because she doesn’t want to give up hope her son is still alive. Then there are the mysterious pages from Tommy’s diary, inexplicably appearing in places for Elizabeth to find. The journal entries reveal a complicated young man who has become increasingly troubled by the loss of his father, Elizabeth’s ex-husband who abandoned his family years ago and died in a drunk-driving accident. Tommy also writes about his experiences in the days leading up to his disappearance, which sheds light on the testimonies of his friends Josh and Luis, indicating that the two boys might not be as forthcoming as they claim. Will these diary pages ultimately lead to the truth behind Tommy’s disappearance?
Like A Head Full of Ghosts, there’s an air of ambiguity that shrouds the story. Paul Tremblay gives just enough to blur the lines between the mundane and the paranormal, keeping readers wondering if there’s more than meets the eye. The book is like a puzzle, providing us with pieces of the narrative from Elizabeth, Kate, Josh, Luis, as well as Allison, the lead investigator on Tommy’s case. Then there are the diary entries from Tommy, words straight from the missing teen himself. Sometimes the different angles reveal answers, helping us fill in the gaps. At other times, they reveal inconsistencies, which is how we later find out some characters aren’t being as truthful as they claim.
I’m aware this style of storytelling usually relies on slower, more methodical pacing. Still, the plodding speed at which this book began was almost unbearable. At one point, I wondered how much of the boys’ shenanigans and their back-and-forth teenage jargon I would have to take before the story would finally get moving. After the initial report that Tommy is missing, the book slows to a crawl and doesn’t pick up again until later, and even then it’s a very gradual escalation without an immediate hook or much suspense.
As I said, I also didn’t enjoy the premise as much. A Head Full of Ghosts was definitely more my bag when it comes to horror, more so than Disappearance at Devil’s Rock which was less “horrific” in the traditional sense. I was unsettled by the story in that I sympathized with Elizabeth’s gut-wrenching sorrow of being a mom with a missing child, but if I was terrified at all, it was more at the idea that one day I’ll be a parent to teenagers, and it scares the hell out of me to read about the kinds of things kids can get up to these days. That left me neither here nor there with this book; it didn’t creep me out the way I would expect from a horror novel, but it was also too slow for me to see it as a true thriller.
That is why I think so much will depend on the kind of horror novel you prefer, and personally speaking this one just didn’t work as well for me—certainly not as well as A Head Full of Ghosts, which I found genuinely clever and creepy at the same time. I also thought that one was a much better book, in terms of writing and construction. Given my high hopes for Disappearance at Devil’s Rock, perhaps it was inevitable that I would be let down, but I suspect I’m in the minority on my feelings for this book. So if the premise sounds like something you’ll enjoy, I strongly urge you to give it a try.
June 12, 2021
Roca del diablo
Como thriller-suspense funciona en cierto grado, el problema es que a mi me dijeron que esto era de terror, y no.
El cómo va dándote la información sobre lo que hacían los chicos, y las pistas, en ratos esta muy bien, en ratos se siente alargado.
La parte “sobrenatural” bastante mínima al principio, y para el final es Meh.
Y una mezcla de referencias, de las cuales la mitad probablemente en 5 años ni quien entienda.
Spoilery
2.5 star (redondeando abajo por publicidad engañosa)
reto sugar - 6. Un libro con una gema, mineral o roca en el título
Como thriller-suspense funciona en cierto grado, el problema es que a mi me dijeron que esto era de terror, y no.
El cómo va dándote la información sobre lo que hacían los chicos, y las pistas, en ratos esta muy bien, en ratos se siente alargado.
La parte “sobrenatural” bastante mínima al principio, y para el final es Meh.
Y una mezcla de referencias, de las cuales la mitad probablemente en 5 años ni quien entienda.
Spoilery
2.5 star (redondeando abajo por publicidad engañosa)
reto sugar - 6. Un libro con una gema, mineral o roca en el título
February 26, 2021
Estoy conociendo a este autor gracias a esta novela, fue una lectura bastante ágil, por momentos no sabes si se trata de algo tangible o de algo sobrenatural, inclusive llegando al final pareciera que cualquier cosa puede pasar. Me gustan mucho las novelas que no son tan predecibles porque logran ese efecto de sorpresa.
Esta novela trata sobre la desaparición de un chico de 14 años, y de reacciones, acciones y declaraciones de su familia y de sus dos amigos. El principal atractivo de esta novela es el misterio alrededor de la desaparición del chico, un rapto? un asesinato? un ataque de fantasma o demonio? La lectura de momentos se vuelve adictiva y poco a poco se agregan migajas de respuesta para armar el rompecabezas.
Definitivamente leeré más novelas de este autor.
Esta novela trata sobre la desaparición de un chico de 14 años, y de reacciones, acciones y declaraciones de su familia y de sus dos amigos. El principal atractivo de esta novela es el misterio alrededor de la desaparición del chico, un rapto? un asesinato? un ataque de fantasma o demonio? La lectura de momentos se vuelve adictiva y poco a poco se agregan migajas de respuesta para armar el rompecabezas.
Definitivamente leeré más novelas de este autor.
November 2, 2018
This transformed from a mystery thriller, to supernatural horror. From a chilling story of child abduction to a fantastical tale where nothing can be trusted as real. And this ever twisting beast combined into an ending that defied classification, just like the rest of it.
Whilst I did enjoy my reading of this, the myriad of questions it raised consumed and haunted me, which mirrored the plot and enhanced my overall reading experience. I can now see why Tremblay is such a beloved author as he is certainly one I now wish to read more from.
Whilst I did enjoy my reading of this, the myriad of questions it raised consumed and haunted me, which mirrored the plot and enhanced my overall reading experience. I can now see why Tremblay is such a beloved author as he is certainly one I now wish to read more from.
November 16, 2021
Tenía mucho miedo de que este libro no me fuera a gustar tanto como cuando lo leí por primera vez, sin embargo, lo devoré sin parar. Aunque ya sabía el resultado final volví a acompañar a Elizabeth y Kate en este viaje emocional y sobrenatural que representa la pérdida de un ser amado en circunstancias extrañas (por calificarlas de algún modo). Lo he dicho antes y lo repito: Tremblay es mi escritor de terror contemporáneo favorito.
March 21, 2019
"But Tommy isn't a ghost. He can't be, because right now Tommy is the opposite of a ghost. He is nowhere."
Disappearance at Devil's Rock tells the story about a family's ordeal following the mysterious disappearance of thirteen-year-old, Tommy Sanderson. Creepy occurrences follow as his mother, Elizabeth, and his sister, Kate, try to unravel exactly what happened out at Devil's Rock...
After seeing Paul Tremblay all over bookstagram with rave reviews, I have been eagerly waiting for one of his books to come out of my TBR jar...and finally, it happened! Initially, it took me a while to get properly into the book due to the slow-building at the beginning, but then it got better thankfully.
Tremblay's writing is quite basic, which makes it easy to breeze through 80 pages or so without even noticing time has gone by. His characters are mostly well-written and generally quite believable. He appears to be very good at writing teenagers, who are often misrepresented and inaccurately portrayed in fiction. Reading their conversations and interactions with each other is almost like listening in on conversations behind the bike sheds near school. It just works! I believe it.
As for the story itself, it has some wonderfully eerie parts. To me, nothing is more petrifying than the thought of someone staring in your bedroom window while you sleep... even the thought just makes the hairs on my body stand on end. The story was totally unpredictable, I really didn't see it going down the route that it did - and that's exactly what I want from my books. To be surprised! To turn each page wondering what the hell is going on, what will happen next. This book also really brings home how gut-wrenching and heartbreaking it must be for those who have to suffer through the disappearance of their children (or their siblings), the not knowing where they are, what happened to them, are they okay? Will they ever come home? As for the ending, I really was left guessing until the final 30 pages or so.
Overall, it was decent, but I feel like the writing left a lot to be desired. It was just okay! But I’ll try his other books.
Disappearance at Devil's Rock tells the story about a family's ordeal following the mysterious disappearance of thirteen-year-old, Tommy Sanderson. Creepy occurrences follow as his mother, Elizabeth, and his sister, Kate, try to unravel exactly what happened out at Devil's Rock...
After seeing Paul Tremblay all over bookstagram with rave reviews, I have been eagerly waiting for one of his books to come out of my TBR jar...and finally, it happened! Initially, it took me a while to get properly into the book due to the slow-building at the beginning, but then it got better thankfully.
Tremblay's writing is quite basic, which makes it easy to breeze through 80 pages or so without even noticing time has gone by. His characters are mostly well-written and generally quite believable. He appears to be very good at writing teenagers, who are often misrepresented and inaccurately portrayed in fiction. Reading their conversations and interactions with each other is almost like listening in on conversations behind the bike sheds near school. It just works! I believe it.
As for the story itself, it has some wonderfully eerie parts. To me, nothing is more petrifying than the thought of someone staring in your bedroom window while you sleep... even the thought just makes the hairs on my body stand on end. The story was totally unpredictable, I really didn't see it going down the route that it did - and that's exactly what I want from my books. To be surprised! To turn each page wondering what the hell is going on, what will happen next. This book also really brings home how gut-wrenching and heartbreaking it must be for those who have to suffer through the disappearance of their children (or their siblings), the not knowing where they are, what happened to them, are they okay? Will they ever come home? As for the ending, I really was left guessing until the final 30 pages or so.
Overall, it was decent, but I feel like the writing left a lot to be desired. It was just okay! But I’ll try his other books.
June 30, 2016
Paul Tremblay is fast becoming the name to recognize when it comes to psychological suspense and horror. We received a generous taste of his talent in last year's A Head Full of Ghosts. Yet his latest novel reveals that last year's book was only the tip of the iceberg.
The plot of Disappearance at Devil's Rock centers around a fairly typical suburban family consisting of Elizabeth Sanderson and her two children, 13 year old Tommy and 12 year old Kate. Tommy is spending the night with his two friends but doesn't return home. What results is a town-wide search for the boy, a series of events that hint of the supernatural, and numerous lies and diversions that at first hide the truth but eventually reveal a turn of events that Elizabeth or any of the people searching for Tommy will not be prepared for.
This is not a fast-paced novel yet the author's quiet and determined phrasing pack more of a wallop as you think about them later. There is little violence . This is a character driven novel with protagonists that are well thought out and complex. We do not know what has actually happened to Tommy until the very end and the author gets us there through a series of events that relies on several character's perspective and even some mysterious diary pages whose appearance is a big part of the puzzle. The changes in perspective could cause a lesser writer to crumble but Tremblay writes through it like the expert storyteller he is.
Overall I must say Disappearance at Devil's Rock is as impressive a novel as they come. It is a literary feat that manages to combine mystery, psychological suspense, and horror yet feels unique and different. With the year only half over, I think we have a major contender for best novel of 2016.
The plot of Disappearance at Devil's Rock centers around a fairly typical suburban family consisting of Elizabeth Sanderson and her two children, 13 year old Tommy and 12 year old Kate. Tommy is spending the night with his two friends but doesn't return home. What results is a town-wide search for the boy, a series of events that hint of the supernatural, and numerous lies and diversions that at first hide the truth but eventually reveal a turn of events that Elizabeth or any of the people searching for Tommy will not be prepared for.
This is not a fast-paced novel yet the author's quiet and determined phrasing pack more of a wallop as you think about them later. There is little violence . This is a character driven novel with protagonists that are well thought out and complex. We do not know what has actually happened to Tommy until the very end and the author gets us there through a series of events that relies on several character's perspective and even some mysterious diary pages whose appearance is a big part of the puzzle. The changes in perspective could cause a lesser writer to crumble but Tremblay writes through it like the expert storyteller he is.
Overall I must say Disappearance at Devil's Rock is as impressive a novel as they come. It is a literary feat that manages to combine mystery, psychological suspense, and horror yet feels unique and different. With the year only half over, I think we have a major contender for best novel of 2016.
August 13, 2016
I read this in a single day....
DISAPPEARANCE AT DEVIL'S ROCK, by Paul Tremblay was the second book I had read from this author. I would have to classify this a more of a mystery/thriller, with a touch of supernatural subtly thrown in to give the readers a little something more to ponder afterwards.
The characterization--for most--of the main characters was great in this novel. The few that I didn't really "feel" for weren't any that detracted from my focus on the storyline in any way. We begin with what appears to be almost a coming-of-age premise, with three teenaged boys who spend their summer rotating between houses for sleepovers. When one of the boys winds up missing after an unapproved nighttime outing, the lives of the others--as well as all of their families--are irrevocably altered. Mysterious diary entries written by the missing boy begin coming to his family, and shed an entirely different light on the possible events that took place before and during that fateful night.
In this case, I felt that the inclusion of the journal did not break up the flow of the story at all, but rather served to heighten the tension and intensify the mystery, itself. The writing flowed very well, with only a few points around the middle where I felt some of the scenes could have been left out. Overall, this story scored high points with me due to the fact that Tremblay was able to sustain my attention and anticipation up until the very last page. A very emotional story, that I felt was done in good taste, and had just enough of the unknown thrown in to leave us with that "what if???" sensation at the end.
Recommended!
DISAPPEARANCE AT DEVIL'S ROCK, by Paul Tremblay was the second book I had read from this author. I would have to classify this a more of a mystery/thriller, with a touch of supernatural subtly thrown in to give the readers a little something more to ponder afterwards.
The characterization--for most--of the main characters was great in this novel. The few that I didn't really "feel" for weren't any that detracted from my focus on the storyline in any way. We begin with what appears to be almost a coming-of-age premise, with three teenaged boys who spend their summer rotating between houses for sleepovers. When one of the boys winds up missing after an unapproved nighttime outing, the lives of the others--as well as all of their families--are irrevocably altered. Mysterious diary entries written by the missing boy begin coming to his family, and shed an entirely different light on the possible events that took place before and during that fateful night.
In this case, I felt that the inclusion of the journal did not break up the flow of the story at all, but rather served to heighten the tension and intensify the mystery, itself. The writing flowed very well, with only a few points around the middle where I felt some of the scenes could have been left out. Overall, this story scored high points with me due to the fact that Tremblay was able to sustain my attention and anticipation up until the very last page. A very emotional story, that I felt was done in good taste, and had just enough of the unknown thrown in to leave us with that "what if???" sensation at the end.
Recommended!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 29, 2018
A good ending (though it was kick-my-ass sad) brings this one up to 3 stars. Rating only and thought I'd talk about something else.
I watched Joe Hill last fall, via a live online book signing, to promote his latest book, Strange Weather. (Sidebar: I totally have a copy). And right about now you may be wondering what in the sam hill does a Joe Hill promo have to do with a Paul Tremblay book. Well, Tremblay was conducting the interview. This was not professional gig by any means, which turned out to be exactly why it was fun to watch. I had expected a bookstore setting, with Joe facing a crowd or something along those lines, but it was just two guys sitting in front of a camera in what looked to be Joe's study. (There was a bookcase behind them, and what's cooler than seeing what a favorite author keeps on his bookshelf?) While Hill signed books, Paul asked a number of questions queued up from the online viewers: Stuff like, Where do you get your ideas? What are your top three books? What's next Joe!? The questions weren't original, but these two guys kind of are. It felt like watching two pals, who happen write within the same genre, having a little bit of fun away from the typewriter. I got the sense that they really wanted to talk shop - get into each other's head in front of their fans. Or, maybe that was just my wishful thinking taking over. But wouldn't that be a great idea for a podcast? I, for one, would be listening. Anyway, I learned more about Joe Hill during the live video, because ya know, he was on the receiving end of those questions. The positive side of the whole thing is that they both made me laugh, and seeing an author in person per se tends to put a different perspective to things. Now I'm hoping they'll reverse the scenario (Joe interviews Paul) for Tremblay's new book The Cabin at the End of the World due out this summer (and yep, I'll be reading it).
I watched Joe Hill last fall, via a live online book signing, to promote his latest book, Strange Weather. (Sidebar: I totally have a copy). And right about now you may be wondering what in the sam hill does a Joe Hill promo have to do with a Paul Tremblay book. Well, Tremblay was conducting the interview. This was not professional gig by any means, which turned out to be exactly why it was fun to watch. I had expected a bookstore setting, with Joe facing a crowd or something along those lines, but it was just two guys sitting in front of a camera in what looked to be Joe's study. (There was a bookcase behind them, and what's cooler than seeing what a favorite author keeps on his bookshelf?) While Hill signed books, Paul asked a number of questions queued up from the online viewers: Stuff like, Where do you get your ideas? What are your top three books? What's next Joe!? The questions weren't original, but these two guys kind of are. It felt like watching two pals, who happen write within the same genre, having a little bit of fun away from the typewriter. I got the sense that they really wanted to talk shop - get into each other's head in front of their fans. Or, maybe that was just my wishful thinking taking over. But wouldn't that be a great idea for a podcast? I, for one, would be listening. Anyway, I learned more about Joe Hill during the live video, because ya know, he was on the receiving end of those questions. The positive side of the whole thing is that they both made me laugh, and seeing an author in person per se tends to put a different perspective to things. Now I'm hoping they'll reverse the scenario (Joe interviews Paul) for Tremblay's new book The Cabin at the End of the World due out this summer (and yep, I'll be reading it).
September 11, 2020
I can't get too much into this one since I don't want to spoil, but what a great book this was! This is my first Paul Tremblay and it definitely will not be my last. I saw that some reviewers complained about this one since it wasn't "real horror." I disagree. I got a sense of unease while reading and kept jumping a few times when the book transitions over to Tommy's diary/writing and the picture he drew. Last night I refused to go to sleep until I had started a romance novel to cleanse my palate so to speak. The characters in this one were so well developed. The writing was top notch. The flow of the book just draws you in until you can't stop reading. The ending was heartbreaking. This book also reminded me a bit of House of Leaves since this book was slightly interactive. Not as much as that book was, but enough to make you feel like you are reading Tommy's actual diary that you happened to find.
"Disappearance at Devil's Rock" follows Elizabeth Sanderson and the fallout that occurs after her 14 year old son, Tommy, goes missing. Elizabeth, her daughter Kate, and Elizabeth's mother are in a holding pattern of waiting to hear what the police can find about what happened when Tommy apparently left his friend's (Josh and Luis) in the woods at Borderland State Park night. Elizabeth starts to believe that something awful has happened to Tommy, and that his friends are not telling them everything. The book follows all of these characters and Tommy too (via his diary) that lets his mother and sister know what led to Tommy's disappearance.
Elizabeth and Kate left me gutted. There's so many good scenes in this one and dialogue. Kate is the bravest character ever. When she starts to realize that maybe Josh and Luis are keeping things from everyone she does what she can to get to the truth. When the two of them (Elizabeth and Kate) start to mysteriously receive pages from Tommy explaining that long summer and what led to Tommy disappearing, you can feel their fear over what was going on that they didn't see.
Tommy, Josh, and Luis are typical 14 year old boys, but you know that Tommy feels different and apart from things due to him still missing his father who left the family when he was 4 and then died later. Tremblay taps into childhood and later teen friendships that grow and morph into something new and sometimes dark when we get older.
The writing in this one was great. I don't know what else to say besides that. The book starts off with Elizabeth getting a phone call that her son is missing and from there the tension just increases as we go back and forth among everyone I mentioned above.
The book takes place in a town near Boston, but seems like a thousand miles away. The whole town of Ames feels dark and threatening after people start to report that someone is in their backyards and appears to be peeking in their houses.
The ending was a gut punch. No spoilers, but when we get to that final scene of Elizabeth and her reading....your heart just stops. I think this book still is horror, but a realistic and quiet horror. Not everything has to be blood and gore for it to be horror.
I read this one for the "Genre: Suspense" square. This book fits a lot of other squares too though such as "Terror in a Small Town," "Genre: Mystery", "In the Dark, Dark Woods", and "Sleepy Hollow."
"Disappearance at Devil's Rock" follows Elizabeth Sanderson and the fallout that occurs after her 14 year old son, Tommy, goes missing. Elizabeth, her daughter Kate, and Elizabeth's mother are in a holding pattern of waiting to hear what the police can find about what happened when Tommy apparently left his friend's (Josh and Luis) in the woods at Borderland State Park night. Elizabeth starts to believe that something awful has happened to Tommy, and that his friends are not telling them everything. The book follows all of these characters and Tommy too (via his diary) that lets his mother and sister know what led to Tommy's disappearance.
Elizabeth and Kate left me gutted. There's so many good scenes in this one and dialogue. Kate is the bravest character ever. When she starts to realize that maybe Josh and Luis are keeping things from everyone she does what she can to get to the truth. When the two of them (Elizabeth and Kate) start to mysteriously receive pages from Tommy explaining that long summer and what led to Tommy disappearing, you can feel their fear over what was going on that they didn't see.
Tommy, Josh, and Luis are typical 14 year old boys, but you know that Tommy feels different and apart from things due to him still missing his father who left the family when he was 4 and then died later. Tremblay taps into childhood and later teen friendships that grow and morph into something new and sometimes dark when we get older.
The writing in this one was great. I don't know what else to say besides that. The book starts off with Elizabeth getting a phone call that her son is missing and from there the tension just increases as we go back and forth among everyone I mentioned above.
The book takes place in a town near Boston, but seems like a thousand miles away. The whole town of Ames feels dark and threatening after people start to report that someone is in their backyards and appears to be peeking in their houses.
The ending was a gut punch. No spoilers, but when we get to that final scene of Elizabeth and her reading....your heart just stops. I think this book still is horror, but a realistic and quiet horror. Not everything has to be blood and gore for it to be horror.
I read this one for the "Genre: Suspense" square. This book fits a lot of other squares too though such as "Terror in a Small Town," "Genre: Mystery", "In the Dark, Dark Woods", and "Sleepy Hollow."
November 10, 2025
Rating: ⭐⭐ ½
Genre: Horror
Summary
It starts with a summer night and a group of kids messing around in the woods. Thirteen-year-old Tommy Sanderson doesn’t come back. The search kicks off fast—police, helicopters, the usual—but it doesn’t take long before things stop feeling normal. His friends can’t seem to agree on what happened. Their stories don’t just conflict, but they hint at something darker. Something they’re scared to say out loud.
Tommy’s mother, Elizabeth, is barely holding it together. She’s desperate, clinging to whatever scraps she can find. Then weird things start happening: shadows where they shouldn’t be, noises in the house, and torn notebook pages showing up out of nowhere. Pages that look like Tommy’s, filled with strange drawings and ramblings about something called “Devil’s Rock.” It’s not clear if he was imagining things or if something really pulled him in.
The story jumps between Elizabeth’s unraveling in the present and the boys’ hazy memories of that night. Slowly, you start to piece together what might’ve happened, but the picture never fully clears. There’s talk of a man in the woods, secret dares, and a local legend that feels like it’s bleeding into real life. Tremblay doesn’t give you answers so much as questions that echo. Is this a ghost story? A breakdown? Just a tragedy warped by fear?
By the end, you get flashes of truth—panic, guilt, maybe a final moment that wasn’t meant to go that far. But it’s all fragmented. The emotional hit is there, but it’s softened by the slow, foggy way the story unfolds. You’re left unsettled, not because of what you know, but because of what you don’t.
Characters
The characters are deliberately ordinary. They are people who feel like they could live next door. Most of Tommy's emotional burden is placed on his mother, Elizabeth. Her grief hits hard in some scenes, but in others, it feels strangely muted. That might be due to the constant shifts in time and perspective, which keep us at arm’s length.
Tommy’s friends, Josh and Luis, are drawn with a kind of adolescent fuzziness. They’re scared, confused, and clearly hiding something, but their personalities start to blur together after a while. You’re left with impressions—guilt, fear, maybe shame—but not much depth.
Character development is subtle to the point of being almost static. Tremblay depended here a lot on ambiguity and realism, which results in nobody truly changing or maturing. In their own unique ways, they simply fall apart. Given the themes of loss and uncertainty, that may be the point, but it also makes the story feel emotionally flat at times. You want more reaction, more insight, but the narrative keeps its distance.
Writing Style
Tremblay writes in a fragmented, third-person limited style, mostly through Elizabeth’s eyes but occasionally shifting to others. I don’t know how to say it here, but the story has many abrupt transitions and half-thoughts that feel like they were all done on purpose to increase the suspense and the thrill. However, I feel this method has backfired, at least for me. It is intended to depict trauma, and occasionally it captures that hazy, uneasy sensation in a good way, but at times it also seems disjointed and disorganized.
The pacing is slow, and the timeline jumps around so much that it’s easy to lose your footing. There’s atmosphere, sure, but it often comes at the expense of clarity. You might find yourself rereading passages just to figure out where—or when—you are.
Setting and Atmosphere
The setting—a quiet New England town bordered by dense, whispering woods—is spot-on. Borderland State Park feels like a character on its own. It’s shady, damp, and at times even eerily ominous. You can practically smell the moss and hear the cicadas. It's the sort of place where stories linger and things disappear.
Atmosphere is where the book both succeeds and falters. It’s heavy, oppressive, and full of dread, but it rarely shifts. The mood stays locked in a kind of emotional stasis. That might be intentional, mirroring Elizabeth’s grief, but it can wear you down. The tension doesn’t build so much as hover, and after a while, that sameness starts to dull the impact.
Final Thoughts
Disappearance at Devil’s Rock has all the ingredients for something haunting: a missing child, eerie woods, unreliable memories, and hints of the supernatural. But the execution doesn’t quite land. The constant timeline shifts sap the suspense, and the emotional beats get lost in the fog.
There are moments of brilliance, no doubt. Tremblay captures the ache of loss and the unease of not knowing what’s real. But those moments are scattered, and the story never quite pulls them together into something cohesive. It’s a book that wants to haunt you, but instead of whispering, it sort of mutters and trails off.
If you’re into slow-burn mysteries where ambiguity is the point, this might work for you. For me, though, it felt like a great idea weighed down by its own structure. I’d call it a 2.5-star read—interesting, but not quite satisfying.
The Full review:
https://constantinebooks.blogspot.com/2025/11/disappearance-at-devils-rock.html
Genre: Horror
Summary
It starts with a summer night and a group of kids messing around in the woods. Thirteen-year-old Tommy Sanderson doesn’t come back. The search kicks off fast—police, helicopters, the usual—but it doesn’t take long before things stop feeling normal. His friends can’t seem to agree on what happened. Their stories don’t just conflict, but they hint at something darker. Something they’re scared to say out loud.
Tommy’s mother, Elizabeth, is barely holding it together. She’s desperate, clinging to whatever scraps she can find. Then weird things start happening: shadows where they shouldn’t be, noises in the house, and torn notebook pages showing up out of nowhere. Pages that look like Tommy’s, filled with strange drawings and ramblings about something called “Devil’s Rock.” It’s not clear if he was imagining things or if something really pulled him in.
The story jumps between Elizabeth’s unraveling in the present and the boys’ hazy memories of that night. Slowly, you start to piece together what might’ve happened, but the picture never fully clears. There’s talk of a man in the woods, secret dares, and a local legend that feels like it’s bleeding into real life. Tremblay doesn’t give you answers so much as questions that echo. Is this a ghost story? A breakdown? Just a tragedy warped by fear?
By the end, you get flashes of truth—panic, guilt, maybe a final moment that wasn’t meant to go that far. But it’s all fragmented. The emotional hit is there, but it’s softened by the slow, foggy way the story unfolds. You’re left unsettled, not because of what you know, but because of what you don’t.
Characters
The characters are deliberately ordinary. They are people who feel like they could live next door. Most of Tommy's emotional burden is placed on his mother, Elizabeth. Her grief hits hard in some scenes, but in others, it feels strangely muted. That might be due to the constant shifts in time and perspective, which keep us at arm’s length.
Tommy’s friends, Josh and Luis, are drawn with a kind of adolescent fuzziness. They’re scared, confused, and clearly hiding something, but their personalities start to blur together after a while. You’re left with impressions—guilt, fear, maybe shame—but not much depth.
Character development is subtle to the point of being almost static. Tremblay depended here a lot on ambiguity and realism, which results in nobody truly changing or maturing. In their own unique ways, they simply fall apart. Given the themes of loss and uncertainty, that may be the point, but it also makes the story feel emotionally flat at times. You want more reaction, more insight, but the narrative keeps its distance.
Writing Style
Tremblay writes in a fragmented, third-person limited style, mostly through Elizabeth’s eyes but occasionally shifting to others. I don’t know how to say it here, but the story has many abrupt transitions and half-thoughts that feel like they were all done on purpose to increase the suspense and the thrill. However, I feel this method has backfired, at least for me. It is intended to depict trauma, and occasionally it captures that hazy, uneasy sensation in a good way, but at times it also seems disjointed and disorganized.
The pacing is slow, and the timeline jumps around so much that it’s easy to lose your footing. There’s atmosphere, sure, but it often comes at the expense of clarity. You might find yourself rereading passages just to figure out where—or when—you are.
Setting and Atmosphere
The setting—a quiet New England town bordered by dense, whispering woods—is spot-on. Borderland State Park feels like a character on its own. It’s shady, damp, and at times even eerily ominous. You can practically smell the moss and hear the cicadas. It's the sort of place where stories linger and things disappear.
Atmosphere is where the book both succeeds and falters. It’s heavy, oppressive, and full of dread, but it rarely shifts. The mood stays locked in a kind of emotional stasis. That might be intentional, mirroring Elizabeth’s grief, but it can wear you down. The tension doesn’t build so much as hover, and after a while, that sameness starts to dull the impact.
Final Thoughts
Disappearance at Devil’s Rock has all the ingredients for something haunting: a missing child, eerie woods, unreliable memories, and hints of the supernatural. But the execution doesn’t quite land. The constant timeline shifts sap the suspense, and the emotional beats get lost in the fog.
There are moments of brilliance, no doubt. Tremblay captures the ache of loss and the unease of not knowing what’s real. But those moments are scattered, and the story never quite pulls them together into something cohesive. It’s a book that wants to haunt you, but instead of whispering, it sort of mutters and trails off.
If you’re into slow-burn mysteries where ambiguity is the point, this might work for you. For me, though, it felt like a great idea weighed down by its own structure. I’d call it a 2.5-star read—interesting, but not quite satisfying.
The Full review:
https://constantinebooks.blogspot.com/2025/11/disappearance-at-devils-rock.html
November 16, 2016
Ugh... Never thought there would come a day when I would give another 1-star rating to a book, but here it is. After reading the blurb I thought this novel would be a real treat. Little did I know that not much else was to happen beyond what was already exposed on the back of the jacket. A boy mysteriously disappears and his family is struggling to cope, and yeah... not much else.
I think this book failed due to wrong marketing and loss of identity. I was told this would be a horror novel. Not even close. While it had a slight supernatural angle, it really didn't feature enough to give you the spooks. There was no atmosphere built for a fright. It could have been a tight suspense thriller, but it's central mystery was as straightforward as it can get. There were really no loops or twists that threw you off balance. Your initial suspicions were pretty much the ending you get. Perhaps this novel was meant to be a family drama? That didn't work out for me either, because I disliked all of the characters and their unnecessary, illogical lying. If I was meant to spend all this time getting to know these characters, you'd think they would be sympathetic, charismatic, or complicated, which was not the case at all.
I don't know. I should have DNF'ed it at 30% like I wanted to, but I really had hope that I'd be surprised in the end. Instead I trudged along through stilted dialogue *shudder*, banal plot, and insipid characters. I was curious about the author's other book, A Head Full of Ghosts, but I'm not sure I even care about it anymore.
I think this book failed due to wrong marketing and loss of identity. I was told this would be a horror novel. Not even close. While it had a slight supernatural angle, it really didn't feature enough to give you the spooks. There was no atmosphere built for a fright. It could have been a tight suspense thriller, but it's central mystery was as straightforward as it can get. There were really no loops or twists that threw you off balance. Your initial suspicions were pretty much the ending you get. Perhaps this novel was meant to be a family drama? That didn't work out for me either, because I disliked all of the characters and their unnecessary, illogical lying. If I was meant to spend all this time getting to know these characters, you'd think they would be sympathetic, charismatic, or complicated, which was not the case at all.
I don't know. I should have DNF'ed it at 30% like I wanted to, but I really had hope that I'd be surprised in the end. Instead I trudged along through stilted dialogue *shudder*, banal plot, and insipid characters. I was curious about the author's other book, A Head Full of Ghosts, but I'm not sure I even care about it anymore.
May 11, 2023
Disappearance at Devil’s Rock takes place in a small town where a teenage boy mysteriously disappears. Through various perspectives and timelines, we see glimpses of his life through diary entries and his friends' accounts, as well as follow his family as they try to piece together what happened the night he went missing.
This is definitely one of my favorite mystery thrillers/horror books that I’ve recently read.
It is a bit slow-paced, so those who are looking for a lot of action and constant twists and turns probably won't enjoy it, but for me the story was gripping from beginning to end. It features realistic characters, portrays an unsettling and tragic tale, and explores grief and the horror of the events that took place.
The story is very reminiscent of Lake Mungo - one of my favorite found footage horror movies, while still being unique. It combines mystery and psychological suspense but also features tragic and gruesome scenes.
Despite the story being portrayed in a realistic way as something that we could see in a true crime documentary, it does include speculative elements which I always enjoy in Paul Tremblay’s books.
This is definitely one of my favorite mystery thrillers/horror books that I’ve recently read.
It is a bit slow-paced, so those who are looking for a lot of action and constant twists and turns probably won't enjoy it, but for me the story was gripping from beginning to end. It features realistic characters, portrays an unsettling and tragic tale, and explores grief and the horror of the events that took place.
The story is very reminiscent of Lake Mungo - one of my favorite found footage horror movies, while still being unique. It combines mystery and psychological suspense but also features tragic and gruesome scenes.
Despite the story being portrayed in a realistic way as something that we could see in a true crime documentary, it does include speculative elements which I always enjoy in Paul Tremblay’s books.
September 4, 2018
4/5
Me encanta este autor y ya me conquistó con su libro Una cabeza llena de fantasmas. Tenía mucha curiosidad por esta novela y aunque me haya gustado menos que el anterior lo he disfrutado enormemente. Lo acabé ayer y aún sigo dandole vueltas a todo e incluso he vuelto a releer según que cosas para teorizar.
Reseña completa:
-Wordpress: https://suenosentreletras.wordpress.c...
-Blogger: http://addicionaloslibros.blogspot.co...
Me encanta este autor y ya me conquistó con su libro Una cabeza llena de fantasmas. Tenía mucha curiosidad por esta novela y aunque me haya gustado menos que el anterior lo he disfrutado enormemente. Lo acabé ayer y aún sigo dandole vueltas a todo e incluso he vuelto a releer según que cosas para teorizar.
Reseña completa:
-Wordpress: https://suenosentreletras.wordpress.c...
-Blogger: http://addicionaloslibros.blogspot.co...
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