Devil's Creek

Written by Todd Keisling

Narrated by Danny Campbell

About fifteen miles west of Stauford, Kentucky, lies Devil's Creek. According to local legend, there used to be a church out there, home to the Lord's Church of Holy Voices—a death cult where Jacob Masters preached the gospel of a nameless god.



And like most legends, there's truth buried among the roots and bones.



In 1983, the church burned to the ground following a mass suicide. Among the survivors were Jacob's six children and their grandparents, who banded together to defy their former minister. Dubbed the "Stauford Six," these children grew up amid scrutiny and ridicule, but their infamy has faded over the last thirty years.



Now their ordeal is all but forgotten, and Jacob Masters is nothing more than a scary story told around campfires.



For Jack Tremly, one of the Six, memories of that fateful night have fueled a successful art career—and a lifetime of nightmares. When his grandmother Imogene dies, Jack returns to Stauford to settle her estate. What he finds waiting for him are secrets Imogene kept in his youth, secrets about his father and the church. Secrets that can no longer stay buried.



Contains mature themes.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Nov 23, 2021
• ISBN: 9781666165067

[Brea · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

While the book was plenty grizzly and gruesome, it also kind of overstuffed itself with that idea. Rather than using a light hand to pepper the pages with inpactful imagery, it became almost bogged down by blase gore.
I really love hideous body horror and creative kills, but I found myself glazing over some of the descriptions.

[carol420 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

About fifteen miles west of Stauford, Kentucky lies Devil’s Creek. According to local legend, there used to be a church out there, home to the Lord’s Church of Holy Voices...a death cult where Jacob Masters preached the gospel of a "nameless god". Like most legends, there’s some truth buried among its roots and bones
If you like "cult horror" you sure won’t go wrong with this one. The writing is more than engaging and the setting of the small Kentucky town, stuck in the past, is perfectly portrayed. Jacob is a charismatic and totally terrifying character as the head of a death cult and is intent on spreading his influence. His whispered voice reaches his devoted followers from the "beyond", and it is nothing short of creepy and terrifying. Be aware that this is a no holds barred, super dark read. The characters engage in occult and Satanic rituals. Child abuse, sexual depravity, and incest all make an appearance. The story itself does have a tad of humor, believe it or not, and some heart as well. Just enough to allow the characters to leave a lasting impression.

The theme of fatherhood also is big, and important, to the storyline. "The Stauford Six", as they call themselves, all share the same father, Jacob. However, they all have different mothers. The six struggle to come to terms with where they come from, and who they are. Jack takes the lead, and we meet the others...Steph: the owner of a hard rock radio station, Chuck: a lawyer, Bobby: a pastor, Susan: who is estranged with plans all her own, and Zeke: who is most of the time, high on drugs. Bobby is also the father of a rebellious teenage son, Riley, who is pulled into his father’s past when his friends go missing. In addition, Jack’s late grandmother, Imogene, plays a large part in bringing the entire story together through notes that she left behind...hoping to end Jacob Masters’s "unholy reign" once and for all. I was rooting for Jack and the good guys just to make it out alive and in one piece.

"The Lords's Church" in the story is of course fictional; but like all fiction, there is usually a base somewhere in reality...and some similar religions do exist. They aren't always "this in your face" as the one in this story...but they are out there, and they have followers just as faithful and willing as this fictional one did.

The history of the founding of the "Lord’s Church" was interesting. The book touches some of the town's racist past and how they had hidden it like a "dirty little secret". I also wished that we could get a better idea of how that little secret had affected Jacob. We needed more information about his childhood and his turn to "the dark side". The book was a bit repetitive at times, and I wanted the ending to be a little "more" after we were let in on so much. I could, however, definitely understand how and why the story ended the way it did.

Overall, I really, really enjoyed this book...and believe me, it will kill any desires you might EVER have had, to join any cult of any kind.

[kerrazyscott · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I don't even know where to start about this story. I've read some sprawling, multi-layered books in my life, but this one just had everything. Very well written, fantastic plot and chilling ambience...as Ronald Malfi said about this book, "It whispers." Horror has a home, and its Stauford at Calvalry Hill.

[irenecole · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Jacob Masters was a child molesting cult leader who demanded human sacrifice in worship of his nameless god. Fire may be cleansing, but when the Church Of Holy Voices burned after the dramatic rescue of 6 children, the evil did not die. The 6 children grew up, and as children do, some flourished and some flailed. These days, some people think the old stories of Jacob Masters and his church are just empty tales of the boogie man to scare each other with over s'mores around the campfire. Now that Jack Tremly has come home the town is about to find out there's more truth than legend to the old stories. I love small town horror, and Devil's Creek delivers it's share of villains among the few brave heroes. It's graphic and gory with huge helpings of anxiety inducing suspense, and supernatural terror. I would recommend it to all horror fans.

I received an advance copy for review

[booknookretreat7 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Unfortunately I am not finishing this book as it is literally doing nothing for me. Some parts are spooky but then some of the book is long and drawn out. There are tons of characters to keep up with as well. It took a long time for anything to even happen in the story and though this book has been getting rave reviews, it just isn't for me.




My thanks to Netgalley and Silver Shamrock Publishing for letting me review this ARC.

[veronica.sparrow · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Destined to make Todd Keisling a household name in horror fiction.

I have read so many fictional books about cults but this one is definitely in the top 10 for me. I had never heard of the author before when I requested this book and had expected it to be a typical run of the mill evil cult story. Boy was I wrong.
Todd Keisling has a way of weaving a story that has been told so many times and giving it new life. He sets the background so exquisitely and the character development is very well done. So many horror novels rely on sex and gore to fill a storyline but Keisling rises above that. Make no mistake. There is sex, blood and gore BUT it is only part and parcel of the story itself. The book is so very rich and just so much "more". It was definitely a treat to read.