The Devil's Key

by Kevan Dale

A horror novel steeped in atmosphere, racing through the midnight alleys and gaslit streets of 1862 Massachusetts.

Someone stole the Devil’s key. Now he wants it back.

Finn Carey never quits. A young Irishman working in the mills of Massachusetts, he’ll fight tooth and nail for his family. But when the ship carrying them from Ireland drifts ashore with no one left alive, Finn confronts an evil beyond anything he’s ever faced.
Soon tales spread of a soulless evil escaped from the ship. Churches and cemeteries defiled by strange vandalism. To protect his surviving kin, Finn leaps into a desperate race against a foe whose determination matches his own. But when a beautiful devil-hunting nun from Latvia arrives claiming to hold the terrifying truth, Finn realizes there’s more at stake than just his and his family’s lives.

What really happened on the doomed ship? Can he stay one step ahead of the darkness stalking the canals? And can Finn keep the Devil himself from finding what he came looking for?

From the bestselling author of The Books of Conjury comes this richly detailed, page-turning horror novel.

Genres: Horror, Audiobook, Demons

ebook

Published February 1, 2020

About the author

Kevan Dale grew up in a Massachusetts home full of books, next to a winding patch of woods full of stories (in his already vivid imagination). Books and stories eventually pointed him to a degree in English. That degree in English inspired him to pursue a career as a professional guitar maker (long story.) A decade of luthiery led to a second career, this time in video games (another long story) where he remains. It all made sense at the time, honestly.

Throughout all, books and stories. History, fantasy, horror. All of them tug at his imagination, and he happily follows.

Kevan is once again in Massachusetts, glad to live in his own home full of books, next to a winding patch of woods full of stories.

Join Kevan's private newsletter: www.kevandale.com

Reviews

[Michael Sorbello · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amid the chaos of a deadly shipwreck in 1862 Massachusetts, someone stole the Devil's Key, and the Devil desperately wants it back. Finn is an Irishmen living under oppression who just barely managed to escape from the carnage with his life and family intact, but from the wreckage something else emerged, a sinister shadow that wishes to paint the gaslit streets of night red with blood in search of what was stolen from him. Enlisting the aid of a lovely devil-hunting nun from Latvia, Finn uncovers long buried secrets from the distant past and confronts pure evil for the sake of protecting his family.

A very unique novel. While the book is promoted as a horror novel, I think it would be more accurate to call it a gothic thriller. It's less about scares and more about the smothering atmosphere of vengeful seas, vampiric shadow creatures and 18th century drama. It feels like it could fit right in next to the classics of the genre like Dracula and Frankenstein, capturing the visuals, superstitions and historical struggles of the age extremely well. It gave me similar vibes to Penny Dreadful which I really enjoyed.

Finn and his nun companion were badass leads, the villain was like a better-written version of Nosferatu and the overall grim atmosphere tinged with dark fantasy elements made for a very unique modern horror story that feels like it originated from two-hundred years ago.

***

If you're looking for some dark ambient music for reading horror, dark fantasy and other books like this one, then be sure to check out my YouTube Channel called Nightmarish Compositions: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPPs...

[Richard K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first but most definitely NOT my last by this author! I LOVED this creepy story!

Man! Oh, man when I saw that this was a Full Length Audiobook available on Youtube......I about choked!!! This book was SO SO SO well done, and so creepy that I actually think that I liked it more than Stoker's Dracula and King's Salems Lot! NO joke!

The story takes place in 1862 Massachusetts and Finn Carey's family arrives too late and dead on a boat coming to America......yes, this is going to immediately make you think of 'Dracula' and others, but let me tell you what......this is NOT what you think it is going to be. He is not about to give up researching to what happened to everyone on the boat, and after losing his 7 year plus job at the local shoe making factory he meets up with a Catholic nun from Latvia and what pursues has got to be one of the best turn of the century horror, creepy, thrillers that I have read in Years!! If you loved Dracula (one that I STiLL have not been able to complete.....), Salems' Lot you MUST listen to this book.....it is terrifyingly creepy. NOT extremely gory or sexually explicit.....but I would recommend it to anyone over the age of 13. Here is the link to the audiobook version on Youtube:
https://youtu.be/J1CRzWlOJEA?si=GVVfI...

5 scary steeples

[Werner · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Devil's Key is a page turner filled with rich eerie descriptions and ever-building tension to the very end. Kevan has a natural ability to create fully formed believable characters. The setting is done so well you can see, feel, hear and smell the mill city of 1860s Lawrence, Massachusetts. If you enjoy demonic horror stories, you'll really enjoy this take on it.

[Amie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Devils Key did keep me reading, but for me I didn't find as scary as I hoped. We got a little detail for a few parts of the story, the corpse and the examination of one of them was interesting to read, and I think I wanted more form the murders too. 2.5 stars.

[Vikas Jadon · Rating 4 out of 5]

LOVED IT.

[Rebecca M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very good book. Will probably read again.

[Fátima Perochena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Este es mi segundo audiolibro del año. Me llamó la atención debido a que comparan esta historia con Salem's Lot y Drácula, ambos libros que amo con pasión.

La historia se centra en Finn Carey, un joven irlandés que vive en Massachusetts, EE.UU. Por circunstancias de la trama, la vida de Finn da un giro cuando seres sobrenaturales empiezan a causar estragos en el pueblo y él debe luchar para proteger a los suyos.

Debo admitir que al comienzo esta novela me resultó un poco difícil de seguir. Esto se debe al acento irlandés del narrador, que ayuda enormemente a la inmersión, pero que puede complicar la experiencia a aquellos que no tienen el oído acostumbrado.

Por otro lado, la ambientación me pareció excelente, el ritmo ágil y la trama muy interesante. Definitivamente se nota la inspiración que el autor tomó de Stephen King y Bram Stoker. Sin embargo, a pesar de las obvias similitudes, esta es una historia para mí bastante original en sí misma, llena de acción, misterio, momentos escalofriantes y algunas buenas reflexiones. Eso sí, a mí no me causó mucho miedo, aunque por momentos puede llegar a ser un poco gráfica, así que ojo con las advertencias de contenido.

En cuato a los personajes, definitivamente Finn fue mi favorito. Me encantó especialmente su férrea fuerza de voluntad, su adaptabilidad ante nuevas situaciones y el amor tan grande que tiene por su familia. También me gustó mucho el personaje de la monja caza-demonios, cuyo nombre nunca me quedó del todo claro. Me pareció que ambos hacían una buena dupla, completamente platónica. Maggie también fue un personaje excelente, con una férrea voluntad y buen corazón, aunque me pareció que quedó un poco desperdiciada. Me hubiera encantado que figure un poco más.

En resumen, esta me pareció una novela muy interesante, que me encantó experimentar en su formato de audio. Veré si puedo conseguir una versión impresa o al menos digital. Muy recomendable.

[David Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story. This is a very atmospheric tale set in America where a washed up ship is located full of dead bodies. If this sounds similar to Bram Stoker's Dracula, yes, the influence is obvious, but this is a great read in its own right. There are some really nice gritty descriptions of the squalid areas that the Irish immigrants are living in and the stereotypical fights that take place. Among this, the story details how some of the characters came to America to make a better life, but something else came with them. There are some very graphic images, violent outbursts between the residents, and a nice tense, doom ridden atmosphere in certain parts, that all gel really well to add substance to make this a book that you easily get drawn into. The human element is nicely described between the 'haves' and 'have nots' in an almost Dickensian manner and the infighting amongst themselves adds an extra challenge for the local law enforcement and the lead characters when it becomes apparent that things are not well.

A must read for fans of vampire fiction, historical horror or anyone who likes a well thought out story that is easy to get into and will keep you interested to the final page.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars. I really wanted a scare but this story lacked that. It’s quite adequate as a period piece with sprinklings of devilry. Really covers life as it was for the working class Irish in America post potato famine

[John Cramer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cool characters, great setting. I thought the dialogue ran smooth and added to the fun. This book would make a fun movie.

[Barakiel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm always wary going into a book with angels and demons. There's always a chance for blasphemy. And while one would expect it from the evil side, our culture being anti-Christianity lately, the chances are it's the protagonists who are going to be swearing and blaspheming. And sure enough, there is some of that in here.

I actually enjoyed it, in spite of the above. It might have been fully due to the audiobook's Irish accent. XD

This book is a mixture of Dracula and Fallen (with Denzel Washington). "Tiiiiime is on my side... yes it is." If you know you know. Instead of a male Van Helsing we have a pretty bad-ass nun.

Age restriction PG 16, I'd say.