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The DeVine Devils
Two boys vow to deliver a reckoning for their father’s murder. But seeking divine justice may hand them to the Devil . . .
"...a dizzying adventure. One that deals with life, death, humor, loss, prejudice, love, and of course, music. I very simply loved it." - Eric Church, country music superstar
“The DeVine Devils is an exceptionally well-written and fantastically entertaining novel. Jeremy Spillman [pushes] forward a fast-moving and wholly engrossing narrative, particularly in the dialogue of his characters. The plot is original, something that's not easy to find when talking about Western literature. ”—5 stars Readers’ Favorite
“Prolific country songwriter Spillman moves into narrative fiction with a unique spin on the Wild West genre, combining outlaw violence with rock-star fame. . . Nonstop action, with two murderous heroes that Western fans will love.”— Kirkus Reviews
“. . . I devoured every Zane Grey and Louis L’Amour book ever written. Jeremy has taken that genre . . . and added a new exciting energy! The characters were so dangerous and likable . . . I never quite knew where it was going . . . I was blown away. I seriously loved it.”— Ted Danson, Emmy Award Winner Actor
“I read Jeremy Spillman’s book because I know him and am a fan of his as a songwriter and as a man. I also love westerns although they usually disappoint me as they are often formulaic and have no interesting female characters. I may have opened Jeremy’s book with a sigh of trepidation, but I closed it with a sigh of true disappointment that it was over. It is funny, unpredictable, musical, mysterious and yes! there are strong female characters! Badass even! You will not have read another Western like it! Enjoy!” — Mary Steenburgen, Academy Award Winning Actress and Film Producer
“Like [Spillman's] songs, his debut book illustrates the perfect landscape across the imagination. You can almost feel the midwestern heat on your skin.
Arizona Territory, 1867. Eleven-year-old Audie DeVine is thrilled to accompany his little brother Shane and missionary father deep into the Wild West. After making friends in an Apache camp, their world explodes when the Indian-hating US Cavalry arrives on the horizon. Audie can only hide and watch as the army brutally massacres the natives—and his father.
Nine-year-old Shane DeVine believed his dad may as well have been God’s personal messenger. But with his faith shattered by rivers of blood, any thoughts of divine mercy are consumed by his cold fire of hatred. Remaining with Audie and what’s left of their Apache allies, Shane swears to make those responsible pay for the devastating crime.
As the brothers mature and find an emotional outlet in music, they unexpectedly achieve fame and fortune in saloons across the frontier. But where Shane can drown his anger in whiskey and women, Audie seethes with an unquenchable lust for retribution. A dual life as notorious musicians and secret vigilantes may be their undoing.
Will Audie and Shane exact justice before their internal demons drive them to Hell?
The DeVine Devils is a powerful story of Wild West grit and determination. If you like colorful characters, toughness born from tragedy, and moral dilemmas that still ring true today, then you’ll love award-winning songwriter Jeremy Spillman’s dusty tale of revenge.
Buy The DeVine Devils today!"...a dizzying adventure. One that deals with life, death, humor, loss, prejudice, love, and of course, music. I very simply loved it." - Eric Church, country music superstar
“The DeVine Devils is an exceptionally well-written and fantastically entertaining novel. Jeremy Spillman [pushes] forward a fast-moving and wholly engrossing narrative, particularly in the dialogue of his characters. The plot is original, something that's not easy to find when talking about Western literature. ”—5 stars Readers’ Favorite
“Prolific country songwriter Spillman moves into narrative fiction with a unique spin on the Wild West genre, combining outlaw violence with rock-star fame. . . Nonstop action, with two murderous heroes that Western fans will love.”— Kirkus Reviews
“. . . I devoured every Zane Grey and Louis L’Amour book ever written. Jeremy has taken that genre . . . and added a new exciting energy! The characters were so dangerous and likable . . . I never quite knew where it was going . . . I was blown away. I seriously loved it.”— Ted Danson, Emmy Award Winner Actor
“I read Jeremy Spillman’s book because I know him and am a fan of his as a songwriter and as a man. I also love westerns although they usually disappoint me as they are often formulaic and have no interesting female characters. I may have opened Jeremy’s book with a sigh of trepidation, but I closed it with a sigh of true disappointment that it was over. It is funny, unpredictable, musical, mysterious and yes! there are strong female characters! Badass even! You will not have read another Western like it! Enjoy!” — Mary Steenburgen, Academy Award Winning Actress and Film Producer
“Like [Spillman's] songs, his debut book illustrates the perfect landscape across the imagination. You can almost feel the midwestern heat on your skin.
366 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 24, 2019
11 people are currently reading
330 people want to read
About the author
Jeremy Spillman
3 books7 followersKentucky born and bred, Jeremy Spillman moved to Nashville, Tennessee to pursue his dream of success as a songwriter at 24. It would be five years before he landed his first cut by a major label artist and signed a publishing deal. Since then, Jeremy has had songs recorded by Eric Church, Tim McGraw, Keith Urban, LANCO, Trace Adkins, Brandy Clark, Midland, Little Big Town, Reba McEntire, Brantley Gilbert, Jon Pardi, Luke Bryan and many more.
Spillman lives with his wife and four sons south of Nashville, TN. He considers his role as a father the most important in his life. When he’s not writing novels and songs or recording music, Spillman is supporting his sons at football and basketball games and spending time with them at home.
Spillman will release his first novel, The DeVine Devils, in September with accompanying soundtrack. The music was written by Spillman with Nashville artist and songwriter Randy Montana, Hall of Fame songwriter Dean Dillon, and Clint Ingersoll, and recorded and produced by Spillman at his home studio.
Spillman lives with his wife and four sons south of Nashville, TN. He considers his role as a father the most important in his life. When he’s not writing novels and songs or recording music, Spillman is supporting his sons at football and basketball games and spending time with them at home.
Spillman will release his first novel, The DeVine Devils, in September with accompanying soundtrack. The music was written by Spillman with Nashville artist and songwriter Randy Montana, Hall of Fame songwriter Dean Dillon, and Clint Ingersoll, and recorded and produced by Spillman at his home studio.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
December 27, 2019
A nice outing for Mr. Spillman's debut novel. Already a highly successful country music songwriter, Jeremy Spillman has no problem transitioning to fiction as you'll see in 'The DeVine Devils".
Great cast of characters, unique but enjoyable storyline, with a few very effective surprise twists thrown in for good measure.
A novel anyone will enjoy whether a Western fiction fan or not. I did and will read another by this talented artist.
Great cast of characters, unique but enjoyable storyline, with a few very effective surprise twists thrown in for good measure.
A novel anyone will enjoy whether a Western fiction fan or not. I did and will read another by this talented artist.
October 26, 2019
I won this book in a goodreads drawing.
An introduction by country music artist Eric Church really woke me up. I'm going to see Church sing on his Double Down tour in a couple of weeks!
This is an off beat sort of western, that might have been made as a movie in the 1970's. A preacher is tending to the Jicarilla Apache. He brings his two sons out with him confident God will protect them from the Indians. Unfortunately, a group of white men come and kill almost everybody.
The two boys become Indians, and go on the vengeance trail. Meanwhile, their Mama is waiting at home for them.
Interesting, but a bit meandering. With some editing, this would be a near classic.
An introduction by country music artist Eric Church really woke me up. I'm going to see Church sing on his Double Down tour in a couple of weeks!
This is an off beat sort of western, that might have been made as a movie in the 1970's. A preacher is tending to the Jicarilla Apache. He brings his two sons out with him confident God will protect them from the Indians. Unfortunately, a group of white men come and kill almost everybody.
The two boys become Indians, and go on the vengeance trail. Meanwhile, their Mama is waiting at home for them.
Interesting, but a bit meandering. With some editing, this would be a near classic.
December 28, 2019
I don’t typically read westerns but had the opportunity to read an ARC of The Devine Devils. I was pulled into this story quickly, shedding tears at an emotional plot point on an airplane!
A rollicking adventure story with grit, feeling, and interesting explorations of violence, passion, adoption, and cultural boundaries in the 19th century that don’t feel so different always from our current day.
A rollicking adventure story with grit, feeling, and interesting explorations of violence, passion, adoption, and cultural boundaries in the 19th century that don’t feel so different always from our current day.
November 1, 2019
This was a goodreads Kindle giveaway, that I won. I had to wait a couple of days after I finished reading it because there were problems with at least two characters that I found disturbing. The names of both were the names of actual historical personages, one of whom I am well acquainted with.
Jefferson Randolph "Soapy" Smith was a well-known character in Denver, Creede and Leadville, Colorado, and finally Skagway, Alaska in the late 1800s. I own two books that are, as far as I know, the only ones based on his biography, and I was planning to write a script about him with a friend when I found out his grandson had the same desire and announced to anyone that he had the sole rights. I spoke to this grandson on the phone and he informed me he would sue me if I wrote a script and tried to get it produced. I informed him back that I doubted he could sue anyone who wrote a script based on a public domain character, but left it at that. I had been working in the motion picture business for about 16 years at that time, and eventually became a member of the WGAw (Writers Guild of America west) by selling stories and writing scripts for the television series "Young Riders". The grandson was not employed in the entertainment business at all, and was taking advice given by a stuntman.
Anyway, Stillman's depiction of "Soapy Smith" is a total fake, and I was annoyed that he felt he had to use the name. First, there is a reason for the nickname "Soapy", which is not explained in this book. The real man ran a soap game that was similar to a medicine show. It was a con and it earned him lots of money. He never owned a gambling hall or any hotels in Denver. All of his money was earned from the soap game and his dexterity at the shell game, which, by the way, he learned from the master H.A.W. Tabor. Tabor eventually did get into politics, but it wasn't as the mayor of Denver; he became a senator. Both men remained good friends and never became enemies. Tabor never had a son, only a daughter. He became quite wealthy, but ended up a pauper.
Soapy did have a gang of men who also ran cons under Soapy's guidance; men with almost comical names like Doc Baggs, The Great Gobblefish, Yank Fewclothes, Eat -'em-up Jake Cohen, et al. Soapy was not from New York, he came from a well-to-do Georgia family. He was not a died-in-the-wool nasty criminal. He was actually well-liked. One of the most charismatic sides of his personality was his need to help those in need. He built a church when the women in Leadville wanted one, and he found the preacher to man its pulpit; which lead to their feeling they needed a sheriff or marshal, who eventually ran Soapy out of town. Widows and orphans were eased of their burdens because of Soapy's charity. And, in Skagway even totally unacceptable dogs, like cocker spaniels and poodles, were sent to pull sleds for the miners during the winter. Instead, because they were worthless for that job, they were just set loose. Eventually they were gathered up by Soapy, who found good homes for them. He then posted a warning in the San Francisco newspapers about not sending any more unusable breeds of dogs to the Klondike.
Otherwise..., this was a fairly entertaining book.
Jefferson Randolph "Soapy" Smith was a well-known character in Denver, Creede and Leadville, Colorado, and finally Skagway, Alaska in the late 1800s. I own two books that are, as far as I know, the only ones based on his biography, and I was planning to write a script about him with a friend when I found out his grandson had the same desire and announced to anyone that he had the sole rights. I spoke to this grandson on the phone and he informed me he would sue me if I wrote a script and tried to get it produced. I informed him back that I doubted he could sue anyone who wrote a script based on a public domain character, but left it at that. I had been working in the motion picture business for about 16 years at that time, and eventually became a member of the WGAw (Writers Guild of America west) by selling stories and writing scripts for the television series "Young Riders". The grandson was not employed in the entertainment business at all, and was taking advice given by a stuntman.
Anyway, Stillman's depiction of "Soapy Smith" is a total fake, and I was annoyed that he felt he had to use the name. First, there is a reason for the nickname "Soapy", which is not explained in this book. The real man ran a soap game that was similar to a medicine show. It was a con and it earned him lots of money. He never owned a gambling hall or any hotels in Denver. All of his money was earned from the soap game and his dexterity at the shell game, which, by the way, he learned from the master H.A.W. Tabor. Tabor eventually did get into politics, but it wasn't as the mayor of Denver; he became a senator. Both men remained good friends and never became enemies. Tabor never had a son, only a daughter. He became quite wealthy, but ended up a pauper.
Soapy did have a gang of men who also ran cons under Soapy's guidance; men with almost comical names like Doc Baggs, The Great Gobblefish, Yank Fewclothes, Eat -'em-up Jake Cohen, et al. Soapy was not from New York, he came from a well-to-do Georgia family. He was not a died-in-the-wool nasty criminal. He was actually well-liked. One of the most charismatic sides of his personality was his need to help those in need. He built a church when the women in Leadville wanted one, and he found the preacher to man its pulpit; which lead to their feeling they needed a sheriff or marshal, who eventually ran Soapy out of town. Widows and orphans were eased of their burdens because of Soapy's charity. And, in Skagway even totally unacceptable dogs, like cocker spaniels and poodles, were sent to pull sleds for the miners during the winter. Instead, because they were worthless for that job, they were just set loose. Eventually they were gathered up by Soapy, who found good homes for them. He then posted a warning in the San Francisco newspapers about not sending any more unusable breeds of dogs to the Klondike.
Otherwise..., this was a fairly entertaining book.
June 3, 2019
The DeVine Devils by Jeremy Spillman is a historical Western fiction novel about two young men, Audie and Shane DeVine. Set in the late 1860's in Verde Valley, Azariah DeVine, an evangelical preacher, takes his two sons with him to the Indian territory. Their mother Adalina has fierce reservations about her husband's plan, but as a dutiful wife trusts in the man and in the God he faithfully serves. When a brutal massacre destroys the Apache settlement and takes their father's life, Audie and Shane insist on not being returned to the loving mother who awaits them back home, and instead stay on with Grey Wolf and what's left of the tribe, where they are raised in the Apache way with an eye on vengeance. Throughout, the love of music instilled in them by their father never wavers, but when fame washes over the DeVine brothers, what does waver is a long-held desire to redress the wrongs that were done to themselves and the tribe by avenging the lives that were stolen.
The DeVine Devils is an exceptionally well written and fantastically entertaining novel. Jeremy Spillman shines as an author with this release, pushing forward a fast moving and wholly engrossing narrative, particularly in the dialogue of his characters. The plot is original, something that's not easy to find when talking about Western literature. Still, there's a timelessness and a real authenticity to the motivation brought on by fame and wealth, even when what drove the DeVine brothers in that direction was a childhood tainted by slaughter. It's a story that dishes out emotion in equal measure with the most basic vices and forces of life. Spillman weaves a spectacular and unique story and I would enthusiastically recommend this book to those who love historical, western, and musical fiction.
Review written for Readers' Favorite.
The DeVine Devils is an exceptionally well written and fantastically entertaining novel. Jeremy Spillman shines as an author with this release, pushing forward a fast moving and wholly engrossing narrative, particularly in the dialogue of his characters. The plot is original, something that's not easy to find when talking about Western literature. Still, there's a timelessness and a real authenticity to the motivation brought on by fame and wealth, even when what drove the DeVine brothers in that direction was a childhood tainted by slaughter. It's a story that dishes out emotion in equal measure with the most basic vices and forces of life. Spillman weaves a spectacular and unique story and I would enthusiastically recommend this book to those who love historical, western, and musical fiction.
Review written for Readers' Favorite.
November 15, 2019
Excellent! A well-crafted western tale full of love, violence, war, vengeance and with no small amount of whiskey and song.
Briefly, the story follows two brothers who are trained by the Apache after their Apache friends and their pastor Father were killed by the US Cavalry. They set off on a journey to discover the men who deliberately changed the boys path in life. Along the way, they encounter and save an African American man who is about to be killed by two no-good bounty hunters. From there, this new friend travels with the brother to their family home and their mother. After learning that her mother has remarried and spending time with her mother's family, they travel and discover that they have a talent for music that pays well and people that will do a lot to get a piece of that money. And so they decide to use that talent to make a profit while taking care of anyone in their way or anyone they deem a threat. Will the brothers get their pioneer justice or will they find peace?
The ending was a bit rushed and there are still some characters' fates that I would have liked to have been answered, but over all it was an excellent story.
**I received my copy in a goodreads giveaway.
Briefly, the story follows two brothers who are trained by the Apache after their Apache friends and their pastor Father were killed by the US Cavalry. They set off on a journey to discover the men who deliberately changed the boys path in life. Along the way, they encounter and save an African American man who is about to be killed by two no-good bounty hunters. From there, this new friend travels with the brother to their family home and their mother. After learning that her mother has remarried and spending time with her mother's family, they travel and discover that they have a talent for music that pays well and people that will do a lot to get a piece of that money. And so they decide to use that talent to make a profit while taking care of anyone in their way or anyone they deem a threat. Will the brothers get their pioneer justice or will they find peace?
The ending was a bit rushed and there are still some characters' fates that I would have liked to have been answered, but over all it was an excellent story.
**I received my copy in a goodreads giveaway.
September 8, 2025
There is a lot to enjoy in this novel, strong characters with agency, compelling story, and clear, crisp prose. The book plays out as expected and the story’s ending was telegraphed from the beginning. I found the middle 1/3 of the book a little slow and the pacing was bogged down by some needless and inconsequential subplots. Nevertheless it’s a very good book from a new author that I enjoyed reading.
April 30, 2020
Ohmygoodness! What a great book! I loved these broken complex characters and how they interacted with their world. This story has suspense, drama and romance. All of it.
And the Audible version is amazing! Great music to go along. What a tremendous work of art!
I can’t wait to see what Jeremy Spillman does next.
And the Audible version is amazing! Great music to go along. What a tremendous work of art!
I can’t wait to see what Jeremy Spillman does next.
September 24, 2019
I loved this book! Such a heartwarming story that spoke to my biggest Wild West Rock and Roll fantasies. It also came with a great soundtrack produced and written by Spillman, a hit songwriter in his own right. Highly recommend
November 1, 2019
This book is an old school page turner. Simply could not put this one down. It has a lot of everything for everyone - action, tragedy, comedy and most importantly... music! Highly recommend!
February 25, 2020
Amazing!! Once you start you don’t want to put it down. I thoroughly enjoyed every page of this book!
May 8, 2020
Really enjoyed this book. Don’t usually read western stories. But if you want a fun read about the old west and love music I highly recommend this book.
February 3, 2021
An incredible story!
June 8, 2021
Won in a goodreads giveaway. I really wanted to like this but struggled with the inconsistencies in it.
April 27, 2023
Wow.
I'd be speechless if "Absolutely Incredible" weren't in my vocabulary. Semi-predidictable ending, but so well written I'm glad I didn't give up on it. Enough adventure, romance, music, heartbreak, love, and all the other things that come with a good book to get you through this masterpiece. Truly. Masterpiece.
I felt like I was living in the Wild West whenever I was reading. HIGHLY recommend.
I'd be speechless if "Absolutely Incredible" weren't in my vocabulary. Semi-predidictable ending, but so well written I'm glad I didn't give up on it. Enough adventure, romance, music, heartbreak, love, and all the other things that come with a good book to get you through this masterpiece. Truly. Masterpiece.
I felt like I was living in the Wild West whenever I was reading. HIGHLY recommend.
March 19, 2020
Just fun as hell to read. A modern day dime novel that I couldn’t put down. Highly recommended.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews