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The Seventh Word
The First Word came with Cain, who killed the first child of man. The Third Word was Pharaoh’s instruction to the midwives. The Fifth Word was carried from Herod to Bethlehem. One of the Lost Words dwelt among the Aztecs and hungered after their children.
Evil hides behind starched white masks. The ancient Aztec demon now conducts his affairs in the sterile environment of corporate medical facilities. An insatiable hunger draws the demon to a sleepy Louisiana hamlet. There, it contracts the services of a young attorney, Jim David, whose unborn child is the ultimate object of the demon’s designs. Monsignor, a mysterious priest of unknown age and origin, labors unseen to save the soul of a small town hidden deep within Louisiana’s plantation country, nearly forgotten in a bend of the Mississippi River.
You'll be gripped from start to heart-stopping finish in this page-turning thriller from new author S.L. Smith.
With roots in Bram Stoker's Dracula, this horror novel reads like Stephen King's classic stories of towns being slowly devoured by an unseen evil and the people who unite against it.
The book is set in southern Louisiana, an area the author brings to life with compelling detail based on his local knowledge.
Evil hides behind starched white masks. The ancient Aztec demon now conducts his affairs in the sterile environment of corporate medical facilities. An insatiable hunger draws the demon to a sleepy Louisiana hamlet. There, it contracts the services of a young attorney, Jim David, whose unborn child is the ultimate object of the demon’s designs. Monsignor, a mysterious priest of unknown age and origin, labors unseen to save the soul of a small town hidden deep within Louisiana’s plantation country, nearly forgotten in a bend of the Mississippi River.
You'll be gripped from start to heart-stopping finish in this page-turning thriller from new author S.L. Smith.
With roots in Bram Stoker's Dracula, this horror novel reads like Stephen King's classic stories of towns being slowly devoured by an unseen evil and the people who unite against it.
The book is set in southern Louisiana, an area the author brings to life with compelling detail based on his local knowledge.
- GenresHorror
271 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 24, 2016
25 people are currently reading
123 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
November 27, 2022
Initially, the reader will be overwhelmed and slightly confused during the first 100 pages but this novels builds the terror. The disparate stories and characters share a commonality - an evil that feeds on sin. Centered around a hospital and abortion clinic, a dark slug-like creature (the rock) is on a rampage. The small Louisiana town of St. Maryville, Louisiana shudders with the arrival of two law firm partners, LaColt & Edward Teach. Their arrival and presence begins a series of preternatural events and deaths. Behind the personas of these men is an ancient Aztec jaguar demon who is focused on a young attorney Jim David and his pregnant wife, Anne & Sam and Erin. Fed by the existence and work of the local abortion clinic in St. Maryville, the jaguar demon brings malice, mayhem, and murder on the town. The attacks and details soon attract the attention of an elderly monisgnor who recognizes the demonic presence and the manifestation of evil among the townspeople. Soon, a small band of townsfolks (Thomas, Charlie, Smitty, Brian, Jana, Drip, and Isaiah) stand and join the monisgnor in confronting the demon in his underground lair. The monsignor also discovers that the Aztec jaguar demon is after the children of St. Maryville. The demon's minions and servantss are the two lawyers whose offices in the LaCour Building are also targeted for holy house cleansing and exorcism. This novel does intensify in the last 90 pages to a climax that resolves all the questions one has.
The major issues I had with this novel was the inconsistent pace of the writing which bogs down deveral times. The other problem was the introduction of too many characters and back stories. Still, it manages a good chill but they are too infrequent to maintain a scary level. The last third of the book is solid. I also wish that the author had better explained what is meant by "the seventh word" and at least given some clarity earlier in the novel. Overall, this is a good preternatural thriller and spiritual warfare novel with some chills, terror, and hope meshed in well,
The major issues I had with this novel was the inconsistent pace of the writing which bogs down deveral times. The other problem was the introduction of too many characters and back stories. Still, it manages a good chill but they are too infrequent to maintain a scary level. The last third of the book is solid. I also wish that the author had better explained what is meant by "the seventh word" and at least given some clarity earlier in the novel. Overall, this is a good preternatural thriller and spiritual warfare novel with some chills, terror, and hope meshed in well,
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 21, 2017
Truly fantastic story and [shiver] really scary. The Louisiana setting was captivating and a wonderful choice for a retelling of sorts of Dracula via Salem's Lot. The main characters were well developed and appear, I hope, bound for sequels, as many of the back stories were enticingly well-developed. Scary good!
May 21, 2017
Truly fantastic story and [shiver] really scary. The Louisiana setting was captivating and a wonderful choice for a retelling of sorts of Dracula via Salem's Lot. The main characters were well developed and appear, I hope, bound for sequels, as many of the back stories were enticingly well-developed. Scary good!
March 27, 2019
The first book to truly tackle the most horrifying and real of subjects. Amazing!
May 24, 2025
To start with- I enjoyed this book! I think it had a solid premise for a horror story, and it started off *strong*. Within the first couple chapters, we had creepy happenings, characters that I wanted to know more about, and that ingredient that you need for suspense- a need to know what happens next.
That said, as the book progressed, the questions started to pile up and not get answered. For example: A hook in the first couple chapters- six words uttered. But there never was an explanation of what the six words were, though later there are hints of fragments of those words. It never gets picked back up properly.
Towards the climax, there was some moments that felt very… deus ex machina. Mysterious character in for only a tiny segment, whom we never quite figure out who or what she is.
I appreciate the nods towards classic horror with the Dracula inspired scene- and especially liked the nods towards Frank Coppola’s Dracula movie. And, of course, I do enjoy the Tolkien references sprinkles throughout!
6.5/10. Would have absolutely loved to have been a beta reader on this. As it is- couldn’t put it down till it was done!
That said, as the book progressed, the questions started to pile up and not get answered. For example: A hook in the first couple chapters- six words uttered. But there never was an explanation of what the six words were, though later there are hints of fragments of those words. It never gets picked back up properly.
Towards the climax, there was some moments that felt very… deus ex machina. Mysterious character in for only a tiny segment, whom we never quite figure out who or what she is.
I appreciate the nods towards classic horror with the Dracula inspired scene- and especially liked the nods towards Frank Coppola’s Dracula movie. And, of course, I do enjoy the Tolkien references sprinkles throughout!
6.5/10. Would have absolutely loved to have been a beta reader on this. As it is- couldn’t put it down till it was done!
February 19, 2021
I quit on this one after 70 pages. The description made it sound like a supernatural thriller along the lines of Ted Dekker or Frank Peretti. Instead the book opens in a nightmarishly nonsensical way and goes downhill from there. The main character wastes no time making stupid choices, and other characters are introduced just to be killed off. The villain tries to be scary by stealing Bela Lugosi’s most famous line from “Dracula” almost verbatim and only succeeds in sounding ridiculous. The dialogue is awkward and the writing filled with errors, and the story has barely gotten started when Smith interrupts it for a tedious, overly long expository chapter.
Oh, and there’s something about Blackbeard. Yes, the pirate.
The last straw was this:
“At the front door, he let his hand drop softly onto the oval silver knob. It was silver and engraved with flowers. Ever so slowly, he gripped the silver knob and turned.”
Got it? The silver knob is silver.
That’s the level of writing you’ll find in this book.
I can’t force myself through it anymore. It’s unreadably bad.
Oh, and there’s something about Blackbeard. Yes, the pirate.
The last straw was this:
“At the front door, he let his hand drop softly onto the oval silver knob. It was silver and engraved with flowers. Ever so slowly, he gripped the silver knob and turned.”
Got it? The silver knob is silver.
That’s the level of writing you’ll find in this book.
I can’t force myself through it anymore. It’s unreadably bad.
November 1, 2022
I felt like this book struggled to get started and at one point, the nod to Bram Stoker's Dracula was overwhelming. That being said, once the book got its flow, it wasn't bad, at all. A unique blend of Catholic and Aztec horror with a pinch of fey.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews