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Book 3 of 3

The final nerve-shredding chapter of the Devil's Cove trilogy.

Six months have passed since the horrific events at Burnt House Farm and peace has finally been restored in Devil’s Cove. But trouble is on the horizon.

As the town prepares for the annual Devil’s Day festival, Carrie is coming to terms with her son's crimes while trying to salvage what's left of her family. Meanwhile, Nat is on a dangerous path of self-destruction as she seeks revenge on the mysterious Dawn Children.

But they are all unaware that a terrifying plan has been set in motion. One that cannot be stopped.

Death is coming to Devil's Cove. And this time, only the chosen will survive...

314 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 31, 2019

61 people are currently reading
116 people want to read

About the author

Malcolm Richards

43 books104 followers
Malcolm Richards crafts stories to keep you guessing from the edge of your seat. He is the author of several crime thrillers and mystery novels, including the PI Blake Hollow series, the award-nominated Devil’s Cove trilogy, and the Emily Swanson series. Many of his books are set in Cornwall, where he was born and raised.

Before becoming a full-time writer, Malcolm worked for many years in the special education sector, teaching and supporting children with complex needs. After living in London for two decades, he has now settled in the Somerset countryside with his partner and a cat named Sukey.

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5 stars
169 (50%)
4 stars
109 (32%)
3 stars
47 (13%)
2 stars
10 (2%)
1 star
1 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
Profile Image for Julie.
672 reviews
June 18, 2020
I don't know what I expected from this third book in the Devils Cove trilogy. The first book drew me in because of the sympathetic characters dealing with missing children.

The second book took a turn I didn't appreciate, but still looking for some sort of redemption for the characters I had come to feel for, I sought out the last book.

Oh, it was a page turner, I will give you that, but when you get to the end of a book, never mind a trilogy, and feel like you have been played, that does not make for a good book, for me, anyway.

Suspense is all well and good, but there has to be something worth reading at the end of it, something to justify the time spent reading it. There was no redemption in this book, just a great deal of killing and so many lives lost.

I won't be searching out any more by this author.
Profile Image for Jodi Pomerleau.
634 reviews8 followers
April 23, 2022
The first book was great...the second not so much. I felt like the author was just padding pages with no real sense of where the story was going. I decided to read the third since I already had it.....it was okay....but books 2 and 3 could have been combined into one solid story. I suspected Rachel was not who she seemed to be and it was plain to me where this was going, though I did think it would end with the cider toast...not the bloodbath that ensued. All in all a good start to the series and a disappointing end.
12.7k reviews190 followers
June 29, 2021
A last unbelievable book in this trilogy. You get caught up with the characters and wonder how things will end. I was definitely hooked and can’t wait to read more books by this author.
Profile Image for Elsa Hoffmann.
158 reviews5 followers
September 9, 2019
This, sadly, is the last book in the Devil's Cove series. I tried not to read it in a day but that didn't work. And as usual Malcolm Richards did no disappoint.

We were taken back to the seaside village where Carrie is trying to put her life together, Nat is drowning in guilt because she is sure she could have done more to stop the cult from murdering her journo friend, and the cult is evolving into a particularly nasty killing machine.

No one has an idea how well the Dawn Children will execute their murderous intent, or when, or where.

They do. Horrifically.

Brilliantly written. Mr Richards writes in such a way that I was in that little village, in the street, I could actually feel the breeze from the sea. I could also feel the undertone of something bad, really bad, waiting to happen.
He still is one of my favourite thriller authors!

Please note for those who don't like blood and graphic violence, this book has a lot of that - as did the previous books. We are not taking a little holiday at the seaside here, although some people did just that....This is a sad and violent story of epic proportions from the first book to the last.

Thank you to the author for the ARC copy - I try to review every book I read.
17 reviews
May 15, 2020
Ridiculous

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6 more unique words required
Ridiculous
226 reviews3 followers
February 27, 2022
I deliberately waited to write a review until I'd finished this trilogy and I'm glad I did. The first book was excellent. I appreciated that after being taken and missing after several years, Cal was portrayed as a deeply disturbed young man rather than another "love conquers all" fantasy. The second book was good, although not as good as the first, in my opinion. The introduction of a cult, without real explanation, was a little strange, but not an impossibility. The third book? Well, let's just say I think the second book could have been lengthened in order to complete the story. "The Devil's Gate" had me skimming just to reach the end. I have no idea where all the players came from. From a small group to one capable of the final attack is never addressed. They were just "there." As for the characters? To stay away from spoilers, I'll leave it at caring about Nat and Rose, loathing Carrie, wondering what happened to some, and having no interest at all in most of the others. The finale in the third book was beyond ridiculous; just my opinion. I feel as though the author stretched this out to a trilogy for what? To make few more dollars/pounds/euros? That sounds very harsh, I know, but I simply found no purpose for the third book. Questions left unanswered, story lines incomplete (Cal, Grady, Heath, Jacob, e.g.), and a fantastical climax left me cold. If it was supposed to be tied up in a nice little "complete" ribbon, it didn't work.
Profile Image for Cath.
950 reviews17 followers
February 12, 2020
This is the last book in the Devil’s Cove trilogy and takes place six months after events reached a climax at Burnt House Farm, with the discovery of the burnt body of little Luke’s father and the video captured by Aaron Black before his death. The video showed Cal killing the man as Jacob, the Dawn Children leader, urged him to whilst surrounded by the other children. Since then, all of these teenagers and the younger children have disappeared and the police have been unable to find any trace of them. Cal rescued his mother and she ended up leaving him in the hands of the police and hasn’t seen him since.

Cal in due to be on trial soon, for murder of Luke’s father and the attempted murder of Carrie’s mother. He was placed in a young offenders unit, but didn’t deal with that well and then was placed in a mental health institute. Carrie hasn’t dealt with issues well since her escape and Cal’s imprisonment, with her husband Dylan and daughter Melissa now staying with his parents. She is drinking heavily again and is being told she needs to choose between her son, her first born and then her daughter from her second relationship. She also gets a surprise visitor from her past, who throws a curve ball into the situation.

The town is preparing for the annual Devil’s Day parade, where they make a sacrifice – of alcohol – to try and appease the devil and in the hope he won’t take their children from them, as the story goes. Nat has been placed in the middle of helping with the younger kids to create artwork for the parade, mainly by Rose, her foster mother, pushing her into it. Rose is trying to push Nat to go to London for university, but Nat believes she would be thrown out once she was eighteen and that she can’t rely on Rose to help fund her. On top of that, Rose has gotten her a cleaning job at the local caravan park, part-time, but Nat really wants to look into the Dawn Children cult and the devastation they have left behind. She is especially guilty about the death of Aaron Black and feels she ignored him in his time of need!

What nobody knows, is that the new leader of the Dawn Children, the young man called Heath, has plans for Devil’s Cove and other areas, making sure that the children can go into the New Dawn, into the Light! In order to make the word safe for the children, those like Luke’s father, who was accused of child molestation, and others are targeted by the Dawn Children cult, with more vicious attacks taking place. But, what they have planned for Devil’s Cove is worse than anyone could ever imagine! Inside information will be obtained from an unsuspecting character, which will make this plan more devastating and terrifying than anyone could possibly comprehend.

Another dark and perilous storyline for the main characters from each of the books. The story is wrapped up in this final book, but it is not an ending that anyone might expect! I would advise readers to ensure that have read all three books in order, for this trilogy. Definitely dark and destructive action takes place in these books and they aren’t fort the faint hearted! I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
Profile Image for Gatorman.
729 reviews96 followers
November 13, 2025
Generally entertaining final entry in the Devil's Cove trilogy as the town deals with the aftermath of the goings on in Book Two and the cult known as the Children of the New Dawn begins its march towards its ultimate goal. The cult aspect becomes somewhat silly and overdramatic, which takes away from the overall effectiveness of the book. It was more enjoyable watching the main characters trying to stop the bad guys in the first two books. In addition, the ending was a bit anti-climactic. Still, it has more than its share of impactful moments and there are some intense scenes. Plus, it's well-written for the most part, and the characters are likeable. Could have been better but still a worthwhile read.
7 reviews
July 4, 2022
I chose the 5 star rating because all 3 books kept me on the edge of my seat and I couldn't put it down and read into the small hours of the morning. Unfortunately I couldn't understand why Rose had to die. Anyway all 3books kept me rivited to my kindle till the very end. It's now 1:30 a.m. and I have to go to bed.

I chose the 5 star rating because all 3 books kept me on the edge of my seat and I couldn't put it down and read into the wee small hours of the morning. Unfortunately, I couldn't understand why Rose had to die. Anyway all 3 books kept me riveted to my kindle till the very end. It's now I:30 a.m and I have to go to bed. Keep writing

Profile Image for Alexis Ciccone.
36 reviews
June 26, 2020
Definitely the least compelling out of the whole trilogy. I personally feel like book 2 (Desperation Point) could have been 100 or so pages longer and wrapped up the story just as effectively, but I’m by no means disappointed in Devil’s Gate.

Still great. The ending teeters on the edge of too unbelievable at times, in my opinion, but not in a way that detracts from its successful storytelling. No, it’s not the neatest bow to tie things into, but — as I said — still great.

I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again: I think I’m in love with this series.
181 reviews2 followers
January 1, 2025
The Devil's Gate
Malcolm Richards

A chilling close to the trilogy.

This one is definitely a thriller and not for the faint-hearted. It is so excellently written that I'm not sure if I will be able to sleep tonight. I can literally see what happened to all the characters I grew to love.
Profile Image for Jessica Randall.
43 reviews2 followers
May 16, 2024
The concluding book in this trilogy and I’m sad to say to didn’t enjoy it as much as the other two. I was still intrigued by the storyline and wanted to know what happened to the characters but I feel like it became a bit rushed and somewhat repetitive. I know cults do exist out there I just couldn’t imagine any doing something so messed up 😂😅 I would still recommend this series to any crime lovers but sadly this was my least favourite book of the trilogy.
1,537 reviews13 followers
February 7, 2023
I'm surprised that so many reviewers complain about this one. It's Malcolm Richards's version of Needful Things, destroying most of a town where we spent this series. It's another good thriller, this time without animal torture/killings, but with some human murders, including children. It ends with a huge bang.
2 reviews
August 23, 2020
Great ending to a great trilogy

I don't want to spoil the read, so some unexpected shocks in a thrilling book that's a very satisfying - and very grizzly - and to the trilogy....no character is safe though
227 reviews4 followers
February 23, 2022
Wow, what a ride! I read all three of the trilogy and I was hooked from the beginning. I was a bit shocked at how much violence there was. Some of the characters were beyond evil, but I loved Carrie's determination and staying power.
Profile Image for Sandra.
1,106 reviews29 followers
February 24, 2024
Ugggh, totally not what I was expecting and so unsatisfying. I liked the first book in this trilogy, the second not as much and the last was just unbelievable. So many unanswered questions! Too bad, the story had some great elements but really needed more clarity.
2 reviews
October 8, 2024
great!!!

This series is wonderful!! Great character development. I didn’t want it to end. Very good writing and story line. Had me clenching my teeth and crying all at the same time.
Profile Image for Rebekah.
27 reviews
March 3, 2025
Good (?) end to the trilogy. Probably the best of the three as it's quite action-packed. Suspend disbelief that the cult has been culting so efficiently without anyone knowing where/who/what they were doing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Donna.
1,554 reviews38 followers
May 11, 2020
Wow! What a thrill ride!

Wow! Just wow!
This was an ending I could never imagine!
This was a thrill ride from beginning to end. Yes, I highly recommend this book.
26 reviews
May 29, 2020
My God, like nothing I have read before - what a trilogy, and what an indication of what danger cults can be!
Profile Image for Robert.
111 reviews1 follower
October 2, 2020
I certainly enjoyed this trilogy, but for me personally the masacre at the end of 826 people was a bit too much. But nevertheless a great read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
456 reviews1 follower
April 21, 2021
A riveting end to the Devils Cove trilogy.
1 review1 follower
January 31, 2022
Spellbinding

The book was intense and fast moving.unable to put it down . was waiting to see what heart stopping thing was going to happen. Really liked this book!
14 reviews
February 20, 2022
Great read!

The Devil's Cove Trilogy kept me up quite a few nights. It's one of those stories you just can't seem to stop reading even when you're dead tired!
51 reviews
April 8, 2022
Scary

Would have like to hear about the drugs used on the children was discovered as a reason for their behavior.
Profile Image for Miss Dizzy Read .
599 reviews6 followers
March 4, 2024
4.5, was really enjoying it but didn't like the last part, went on a bit too long aswell.
16 reviews
April 17, 2024
Thrilling to read, but a deeply unsatisfying end to the trilogy.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews

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