THE DEVIL CREPT IN is a creepy story about a young boy who discovers that there is something or someone hiding out in the woods in a rundown house. Or is it really so? Stevie Clark has been plagued with awful visions for years, seeing things that aren't there. Could the thing he saw be just a fragment of his imagination? But when his cousin Jude goes missing, Stevie is convinced that what he saw is real and that perhaps the thing has something to do with Jude's disappearance. Years ago a little boy, Max Larsen, disappeared and never returned, and the pets of the town of Deer Valley seem to disappear as well. Stevie doesn't know what to believe, could there really be a monster in the woods?
I found THE DEVIL CREPT IN to be an interesting story although with a bit of a slow start. But when the point of view shifted to a young woman's story, the story started to get to me and I felt the mystery of the town start to intrigue me. There is nothing as thrilling as reading a book about a small town with secrets, and there is something really wrong with Deer Valley. I think writing a book with a child's POV is always such a great move. They are more likely to believe in monsters and they have a disadvantage in that grown-ups seldom believe in them. Stevie has it worse since he has been seeing things for years, everyone thinks it's just his imagination.
I'm not easily scared, so I didn't think the book was scary, but it's creepy and mysterious and I was impressed with the story. I loved the two different POV, at one point we get Stevie's story and intertwined we get a background story to the rundown house in the woods. That meant that we readers get to know the backstory to what's going on, while poor Stevie has to figure out on his own.
THE DEVIL CREPT IN by Ania Ahlborn will thrill readers of creepy books. Even though I did not find it horrifying to read, it doesn't mean that for the right reader, those that are not as hardened as I am when it comes to horror, will find it scary. The book is well-written and without giving anything away, I will say that I'm really impressed with the way Ahlborn decided to end the book.
An unforgettable horror novel from bestselling sensation
Ania Ahlbornβhailed as a writer of βsome of the most
promising horror Iβve encountered in yearsβ (New York
Times bestselling author Seanan McGuire)βin which a
small-town boy investigates the mysterious disappearance of
his cousin and uncovers a terrifying secret kept hidden for
years.
Young Jude Brighton has been missing for three days, and
while the search for him is in full swing in the small town
of Deer Valley, Oregon, the locals are starting to lose
hope. Theyβre well aware that the first forty-eight hours
are critical and after that, the odds usually point to a
worst-case scenario. And despite Stevie Clarkβs youth, he
knows that, too; heβs seen the cop shows. He knows what each
ticking moment may mean for Jude, his cousin and best friend.
That, and there was that boy, Max Larsen...the one from
years ago, found dead after also disappearing under
mysterious circumstances. And then there were the animals:
pets gone missing out of yards. For years, the residents of
Deer Valley have murmured about these unsolved crimesβ¦and
that a killer may still be lurking around their quiet town.
Now, fear is rebornβand for Stevie, who is determined to
find out what really happened to Jude, the awful truth may
be too horrifying to imagine.
No excerpt available.
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