A period piece at first, complete with horse drawn carriages and farm estate... quickly became a tragic episode of murder on murder, with lots of blame on ghosts from the past. Parts enjoyable, but also a lag until I got halfway into it.

I pretty much read every John Saul book that I could find in the 80ies from my local library and then for some reason I either fell out of love with his brand of ghoul or my library no longer carried his books and I have not read one in a very long time.

I wanted a little more creepy story, but over all I enjoyed the book.

I don't really know what to think. The writing was good and the characters were fleshed out, but they were all either really good or really bad and no real intermediate levels. It was like watching a slow burn horror movie only instead of a slow burn there were several scenes that went real quick and then went back to almost nothing. By the end I just really wanted to see what was going to happen and the ending was perhaps the most disappointing part. I found no satisfaction in either the last chapter or the epilogue and feel as though there was a better way to end it that would bring some sense of closure. So as I sit here writing this review I give it 3 stars on literary merit alone, but with the note that I didn't find it as entertaining as I would've liked. I will definitely try Saul again as I've come across a couple of his books and I always give authors a second chance.

We all die sooner or later…

Hellfire is all about rich people problems, jealous horse girls, and a vengeful spirit which all make for a rough and rowdy soap opera good time. Perfect? Not at all. Entertaining escapism? Sure thing. My only wish is more gore. Thanks.

90% family drama. 10% PG-13 supernatural spooks.

Good enough to finish.

Also, no one told me John Saul was gay. Go off. I will be looking for more of his gentle horrors to read in the future.

A decent read by Saul. Blue blood Phillip marries a 'common' wife much to the displeasure of his family, and especially his teenage daughter. Besides the nasty family dynamics (Phillip's daughter Tracy is really evil), the novel centers on an old shoe mill in the small New England town that has been shut for 100 years. Phillip wants to turn the old building into a shopping mall, but we soon learn that the mill has a very dark history, and one that is still haunting the place.

Not one of my favorite John Saul books. Was pretty slow for most of it... But in the end, was a decent ghost story.

Oh Beth

very good horror story

I was slightly reluctant to pick up this book because of the numerous comments comparing Stephen King and John Saul, but in my opinion they are incorrect. I have never been one to be interested in thriller/horror, but this book captivated me from the get-go. There were multiple points in the book in which I audibly gasped. Specifically the last line in the epilogue made me get the chills and check behind my shoulder for no reason other than reflex of being scared.

I heard it was from 1986 but I hadn't read it; I enjoyed it. Talk about a spoiled child--and evil behavior (literally!!!)

I have read this book three times. if your into ghost stories, you will enjoy it. Even though I have read it multiple times, it creeps me out everytime.