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Graveyard: Classified #3

The Belly of the Beast

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May all your nightmares come true.Lies. Deceit. Betrayal. These are the weapons of the damned.For ghost hunter Ford Atticus Ford, and his partner, Mike Long, the stakes have never been higher as they ready themselves for a supernatural war with the most powerful demonic entity they have ever encountered.This isn’t just about ghosts and things that go bump in the night. This is abject fear. This is the ultimate horror.It's good versus supreme evil in a winner-take-all fight for redemption, the soul of little Chelsea Hopper, and possibly even the future of humanity itself......because everything is worse than it seems in this thrilling, terrifying conclusion to the Classified paranormal thriller series.

354 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 18, 2016

87 people are currently reading
91 people want to read

About the author

Desmond Doane

4 books56 followers

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5 stars
239 (49%)
4 stars
160 (33%)
3 stars
67 (13%)
2 stars
12 (2%)
1 star
5 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews
Profile Image for Montzalee Wittmann.
5,266 reviews2,352 followers
September 20, 2017
The Belly of the Beast (The Graveyard: Classified Paranormal Series Book 3) by Desmond Doane is the third book in this great trilogy. I had to finish this series. I had to finish this creepy series. I loved it. It was scary, creepy, and wonderful. If you like a good scare, this is the series for you! All kinds of hair raising things are in these three books! Awesome!
Profile Image for Riya Joseph Kaithavanathara.
Author 5 books18 followers
May 1, 2021
THE GRAVEYARD CLASSIFIED SERIES

#Book3

BOOK : The Belly of the Beast

AUTHOR: Desmond Doane

RATING : 4.3 ✨

🔸Thrilling paranormal Investigation series.

🔸Style of writing is engaging.

🔸Chelsea Hopper's case is indeed a mystery and thriller to read.

🔸The friendship between ford and Mike is portrayed well.

🔸I felt there was an exaggeration when they found out which demon was haunting Chelsea, I felt it was not that necessary.

🔸Truly spooky with fun elements.

Suggested to all horror lovers!

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#thegraveyardclassified #thebellyofthbeast #horror #book3 #fantasy #paranormal #paranormalinvestigation #fiction #supernatural #thriller #thrillernovel #fantasynovel #suspense #demons #haunting #haunted #spinechilling #interesting #horrorseries #supernaturalnovel #ghosts #reader #reviewer #readerssnapshot #readingcommunity #goodreads
Profile Image for Kelly.
272 reviews1 follower
January 1, 2021
That was a fun trilogy. The parallels to real world characters (Zac Bagans from Ghost Hunters, anyone? Except a far smarter version; Justin Bieber... etc.) made it even more fun, and while the story was cool, the character interactions are what really make these books. Well done, Desmond/Ernie.
Profile Image for Burberi.
614 reviews5 followers
July 18, 2025
that was actually a pretty interesting trilogy
Profile Image for Gilbert Stack.
Author 99 books79 followers
December 28, 2020
Who is the “she” who ghosts warn will betray Ford Atticus Ford? It’s an increasingly important question as Ford and Mike prepare for their final confrontation to save a little girl from a demon they believe to be at the “right hand” of Satan. The problem is, there are a lot of women close to the problem including the little seven year old girl herself who the reader knows is being touched by the demon in her dreams every night.

The final book in the Graveyard trilogy is every bit the conclusion I was hoping for. Ford and Mike are back and in every single chapter the odds against them seem to grow worse. But they have grown tremendously in the past two books and it’s easy to believe that their heads and values are finally in the right place to wage war with the devil. It’s no longer about the money, or the fame, or their wrecked careers. They’re putting it all on the line for a little girl whom the reader is pretty sure is being manipulated by pure evil into making them lose their souls.

I thoroughly enjoyed this trilogy and this book is the best of the lot. Stake out some time. You won’t want to read them one at a time, but straight through like it was one massive book.

If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.
25 reviews1 follower
July 4, 2022
This is a must read trilogy! I am a avid reader of horror and the supernatural; I love the thrills of the unknown. Trust me, Its hard to frighten me to the point I won't read a book after dark, but Doane was successful with his excellent writing and well developed characters of scaring the crap,out of me! The "Belly of the Beast" was so scary that I had to leave my Kindle in the family room so that I could get a peaceful night's sleep. You will not be able to predict the survival or demise of Ford, Mike or Little Chelsa. This is one of the absolute most exciting, the edge of your seat page turners I've read in a very long time. I would highly recommend it if you enjoy reading the supernatural as much as I do!
Profile Image for Ieva Upeniece.
305 reviews22 followers
November 18, 2017
One of those books, which might give you chills and probably a bit of nightmares as well. I bought the first book in the series because there was a discount on Amazon and I didn’t regret it. I really like paranormal books – specifically those about possessions, demons and so on. I love watching paranormal horror movies like Conjuring or Insidious. I’ve read also about Ed and Lorraine Warren and their demonologist career (those who do not know – a movie Conjuring was based on one of their investigations). If you can relate and if you like watching movies or reading books about it, I definitely suggest The Graveyard series.

You can read my full review of The Graveyard series here: http://www.notesofabookdragon.com/201...
14 reviews1 follower
September 23, 2016
FANTASTIC!!!!!!!

I have long anticipated Book 3 of Graveyard Classified. I was not let down. I will, however, miss Ford, Mike and the rest of the cast. I have thoroughly enjoyed all three books with the wit, friendly banter, fingernail- biting anticipation of what could possibly top this scary scene and human emotion in the way most peoples thought process works. I would definitely put you down as one of my three favorite authors. Thank you for a great read.
Profile Image for Ken.
65 reviews
May 28, 2022
Loved it

This was an absolute page turner read it in two sittings. The writing is class all the way. Usually when I read books of the paranormal, fiction any way, I am left wanting more. Desmond doane delivers a riveting book. I have read all three of the graveyard series and I highly recommend them to anyone
3 reviews1 follower
October 17, 2016
Just WOW

The 3 book series is the best I've read in a long time. I kept reading until my eyes couldn't stay open and I went off to La-La land, hoping I wouldn't have nightmares and scare my hubby to death! As a person of few words, it kept me thoroughly entertained and wanting more!
Profile Image for Laura.
116 reviews
October 4, 2016
I enjoyed the conclusion to this series by Desmond Doane. This one wasn't as scary as the 2nd book (black-eyed children, no thank you) so I was able to finish it last night before going to bed. Overall the series was a good read.
Profile Image for Tara Wallis.
1 review1 follower
January 16, 2017
Awesome

I read this in less than 24 hours. It was an awesome ending to this series. Although, I hope its not really the end. Seeing a grown up Chelsea fighting demons would be awesome. Also Deanna, did she get away unscathed?
71 reviews62 followers
June 15, 2020
These were GREAT books. Seriously. Thank you Desmond/Ernie. It is always a happy surprise to find a "new" author (new to me, anyway). I laughed, I was scared, yeah, the whole gamut. Thank you for sharing your gift.

Melissa
Profile Image for WendyB .
667 reviews
November 11, 2020
Very good.
The plot jumps around a bit more than the other two books in the series but has a satisfying ending.
Profile Image for Tiffany Murphy.
849 reviews84 followers
November 1, 2018
For “Almighty” Ford Atticus Ford and his partner, Mike “The Exterminator” Long, the stakes have never been higher as they prepare for a supernatural war against the most powerful demonic entity they’ve ever faced. This time they aren’t just facing ghosts and the things that go bump in the night. This time it’s a no holds barred, OK Corral style showdown between good and evil as they face down the incredibly powerful demon that attacked little Chelsea Hopper on their show. And this time, everything is at stake: Ford’s chance at redemption, his and Mike’s happy new lives,and even more importantly, Chelsea’s soul and, possibly, the future of humanity itself because what they’re up against is so much worse than they could have imagined!

I just finished reading The Belly of the Beast and Wow! What a ride! What an amazing conclusion to the trilogy! Desmond, I really don’t know how you sleep with all of this going on in your mind! Desmond did such a great job wrapping everything up in this one. Many questions were answered, including how Ford has the same first and last name. I loved seeing Ford’s new attitude, how he was working so hard to do the thing and protect Chelsea. It was also great seeing him and Mike happy. But I wanted to punch Chelsea’s parents a few times. Ultimately they explained their reasoning but before that? All in all this was an awesome adventure of a trilogy and I absolutely have to read more by this author!
Profile Image for Bart.
23 reviews
June 28, 2023
After the more lukewarm second part of this trilogy, I was a bit hesitant to start this final chapter. I was definitely interested in what fate Chelsea Hopper would befall, but in the previous installment I started to get annoyed by both Ford and Mike fawning over every female that crossed their paths and lack of real 'investigation' story. I was afraid the this book would be no different.

However, I was very pleasantly surprised by the turn of events. Not only was there way more detective work going on, Ford and Mike seem to have grown up a bit. More mature conversations and taking responsibility for their situations, both characters really resonated with me and made the story more engaging. Also, instead of stumbling from the first paranormal events into the next, there is more agency and reasoning going on. The investigators are actively working towards their end goal, making the story more coherent and deliberate instead of they just happen to encounter a paranormal event.

Of course, given this is the final entry in the series (for now), there had to be a payoff. In this one, it was well deserved. Although I had an eye-roll at the reveal of the Big Bad, it was only a minor annoyance in an otherwise very satisfying conclusion. Loose ends get tied up satisfyingly and by the end I had a good feeling about the whole trilogy. I had a great time and would definitely recommend this book.
Profile Image for Lori.
1,401 reviews69 followers
November 7, 2016
3.5 stars
Rating: MA for scary demonic stuff and mature themes

Hmmm... I'm really not sure how to review this book. It's always difficult when the last book in a major story acr comes out - easy to devour whole without really reading and absorbing it. And I find that I have some definite opinions about how the story will/should end.

I'm not disappointed in the resolution... not exactly. It had me on the edge of my seat, nibblinb my fingers and jumping at every little sound. The story contained several elements that I expected and still provided many that I did not expect.

Here's what I really liked:
* The linguistics and language discussion... and the players that were involvedin that. What a great mystery! What a great way to foreshadow and terrify!

* The author and butler characters- the house, the circumstances under which the author became famous... all about this was delightful and unexpected! Really added dimension and depth to the story.

* The pop star - I couldn't help but giggle frequently at both the commentary and the actions of this person. And roll my eyes multiple times. The Author nailed it on the head as to how the various audiences would react to this this so-called pop star, especially since the model for that character was so obvious and yet still somewhat disguised. (In other words, tough to sue, if said pop star would bother. He'd probably be flattered.) Yep, I'd pay to see that real pop star lost it in such a documentary!

* The documnentary details, the meetings with Carla, and the dealings with executives - Ford and Mike showed that they still had it... the acumen and strenth to deal with an industry and executives who are aonly after the almightly dollar and don't really care about who gets hurt as long as they get their payday.

* The mysterys of "she will... betray you". Very chilling and very clever with so many possibilities of who "she" could be. And, of course, wondering IF and WHEN it would occur.

* Mike's and Ford's relationship -I appreciated how they kept grwoing into something reminiscent of their Old Pal Days and yet became something so much more. They didn't just settle for the past; they forged a new future together.

* The dealings with Chelsea and her family - creepy, frightening, sad, bittersweet, and just awesome!

* The reparation of Ford's and Melanie's relationship.. the growth of Mike's and Chef Dakota's relationship

Here's where I felt a bit let down:
* My biggest "let down" was the lack of true prepartion and ritual. One of hte things that impressed me so much about this series from the beginning (and kept me reading) was the way in whgich Ford & Mike prepared themnselves with what some might see as religous ritual. Buyt the prayers, holy water, commanding in Christ's name - so much preparetion and so much battle armour that they solemnly atended to. It told me that they tok all of this very seriouslyl. It wasn't just a fluff/fun "scare" or trendy horror/demon series.

I take evil very seriously. I don't typically read books like these for that very reason - I believe that this is very real. And even rfeading such things can allow an inroad to supernatural and evil that we don't want or intend. To combat such evil I'd use several of the methods that Ford & Mike use in books 1 & 2.

But these methods weren't used in this book.. or were very glossed over, such as the holy water. And don't say that they simply weren't mentioned, because that WAS the preparation and armour for the Battle. They KNEW that they were dealing with a BIGGIE, BADDIE!

Did the Author forget? He did mention that he'd had difficulty writing this book - it didn't feel right and he needed to keep writing or rewriting it. Perhaps he was so caught up in getting hte book "right" that he left these things out, assuming them as part of his process?

Or was the Author lambasted for bringingin "religion" and such rituals into his sreies? There are some who can't abide any form of religion, especially giving any power to Christianity. If they were offended, the Author might have felt he had to tone it all down. If this was the cxase, by doing so, the characters, the story, and especially the Final Battle lost all of its true power. And it showed, Sure, I expected a last minute 'hail Mary' so to speak, but still....

The focuse was so much on learning the demon's name, that almost everything else fell away. And yes, the name is very important. People scoff a stories such as Rumplestilskin, where the power or a real name is so important. But it's very true that there IS power in knowing a ture name. And I appreciate the search for the demon's true name. But it's not ALL.

Frankly, I believe that's why so much was lost at the end... and so much barely saved. "By the skin of their teeth" is the phrase that comes to mind.

* The identity of the demon - it just felt contrived and over-the-top. Not enough reasons for why or what the real gain was all about for the demon. I can see the build-up and appreciated what it gave to the story. But Boogerface was scary enough!

I am curious as to where the "true name" came from, though. And the way that Ford figured it out was genius storytelling! I was frustrated with the Author for stringing us along all that while, because I KNEW that the dream had to do with the true name. I wasn't as interested in the actual name as I was in what made Ford know it. And that payoff was fantastic!

Overall
Are there more books coming in this series? Hard to tell, because this seemed to wrap so completely. But, I'm hoping there are more headed our way soon.

The Belly of the Beast really is a good read! I canbew hard to please when I find a series that captivates me to the extent that this series has. I'm very selective about the genres that I read, especially anything that smacks of demons and "horror". Because of that, I can be very opinionated about the story arc. This book didn't take me where I expected to go - good thing - but it did transport me to another place and fully engaged me while I was there.
Profile Image for Shamina.
630 reviews18 followers
March 16, 2025
I haven’t watched a ghost hunting show since the first couple seasons of “Ghost Hunters” or “TAPS”. Like with that show I found this series repetitive and got bored after a while. I’m a huge fan of dark humor. The JDATE books are some of my favorites. This felt like it was going for that same genre but missed the mark. The humor wasn’t funny and it only managed to make anything that could have been creepy… silly.

The main characters were not likable. Ford got a little better as Mike got immensely worse as the story progressed. The women were just as ridiculous as the men. The author failed to describe the settings and atmosphere. It made the story feel choppy.

These weren’t the worst books. They kept me engaged enough to finish the series. That’s a major achievement these days. I’d round up to 2.5 stars for the entire series.
1,382 reviews13 followers
September 22, 2021
This series is PHENOMENAL!

Such a fantastic book! This one had me on the edge of my
seat throughout the entire book. I kinda had a sneaking
suspicion that Gunner Creek was Justin Bieber. Sounded
just like him. I absolutely loved the story line in this one and
definitely lost some sleep over it. Just couldn't put it down.
This was truly "one hell" of a series!!!!! Just wish it would
keep on going, but if that was the ending it went out with
a bang! FANTASTIC, FABULOUS, PHENOMENAL!!!!!
Profile Image for Mabel.
37 reviews1 follower
December 29, 2017
A great book, a great subject done in an eye opening way. However,there were 2 section where the writing became confusing for me. I wasn't able to determine who was speaking or to whom. And the other instance, I was confused about where the person speaking was. He was speaking of the lights of Portland as he looked down from the airplane, but he was in his living room trying to help Mike recover from a hangover.
I still enjoyed this book immensely.
Profile Image for Hunter.
289 reviews1 follower
December 7, 2021
A stunning conclusion to an amazing series. It was written so believably and the character arches were so well done that by the end I was happy everyone got to ride off into the sunset. The twist near the middle of the book surprised me and I would never have guessed exactly how it was going to end. My favorite part of the entire series was the repeated dialoged from Ully's perspective about Ford - it was heart warming and sweet that it made it into each book in the series.
3 reviews
October 16, 2018
Top notch chills with this one

From book 1 thru 3 his writing had me up at night not able to put the books down. Definitely doggie hugging blanket snuggle cant stop kind of novels. The suspense and characters pull you into their world I cried and laughed with them. And a few moments of bedtime reading scared the pee outta me. Great read..
Profile Image for Nibor.
170 reviews1 follower
March 6, 2020
The finale

Belly of the beast was the best of the 3. However, you do have to read the 1st 2 books to understand the 3rd one. All of your questions will be answered. You also find yourself rooting for the 3, Ford Aticaus Ford, Mike and Chelsey. You even begin to understand why they are so driven.
170 reviews1 follower
May 18, 2021
Excellent!!

I have really enjoyed the journey of Mike and Ford in thie 3 book series and look forward to reading his other books under the name of Ernie Lindsey.

Defiantly a change in genre for me, it is hard to find books with good paranormal storylines and this is a biggy! I can only say I wish it was longer but as endings go, well played.
3 reviews
March 3, 2018
This series is awesome


I couldn't put this book down... I started reading it and I actually got mad when I had to stop to sleep, go to work, eat, or go to the bathroom. Very good series!!!!
Profile Image for Jim Kratzok.
1,070 reviews3 followers
July 28, 2018
Excellent book.

This is the final book of the series and it is wonderful. Rather than fade out like some other series do, this book ramps the suspense and excitement levels to even higher amounts.
9 reviews
September 11, 2018
An entertaining trilogy

Just finished this trilogy. Let me say I wouldn't have read all 3 if I hadn't enjoyed the writing style. It was a good way to spend a long, hot weekend. Interesting take on ghost hunting, better than the TV shows, actually. Buddy ghost hunters, yeah.
Profile Image for Todd Joseph.
4 reviews
March 8, 2019
A great final chapter!

A great, fitting ending for a great series. Yet the characters and dialogue are so well done, I can't help but want more... If only the reality TV ghost hunting shows my wife watches were half as entertaining.
Profile Image for Catherine Rickard.
295 reviews3 followers
June 8, 2024
Brilliant! I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and the series. I have loved the engaging and witty characters and the exciting storyline. If you like a good paranormal investigation, then you are bound to enjoy this series.
66 reviews
February 8, 2017
Wow just wow. Intense ride of the imagination. I

I waited with baited breath for this last installment and it did not dissapoint. I am sad its over wish there was more.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews

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