Death is but a doorway.

I liked the book all the way up until the GRAPHIC animal mutilation. Dnf'd afterwards. If you can stomach this kind of thing, you are a stronger person than I. The human murders, fine. The phantom woman from a weed field hallucination having sex with a 17 year old boy, a little iffy, but I can handle it, it's a horror. But the graphic way a dog is brutally killed? Nope. Couldn't do it. Otherwise I was enthralled. I'm honestly slightly bummed that I couldn't finish the book, because I was immersed in the story. The pacing is a little slow at first, but all things considered, it's decent. Nothing to write home about, but it wasn't the worst thing I have ever read.

For the Conway family, moving into their ancestral home in Louisiana after the death of an estranged aunt promised a fresh start for them - a completely new beginning. Situated in the small town of St. Albans, the sprawling Victorian house seems to swallow up the sunlight. Surrounded by dense woods and a stifling sense of melancholy, the residence has sat abandoned for the last forty years.

Deep within the cold cellar and etched into the very walls, is the long dark history of the Conway name - a grim bloodline tainted by suicide, strange disappearances, poisoned by voodoo rituals, and rumors of murders. Such a house has developed a life of its very own - an eeriness which is palpable, dwelling in the shadows and biding its time.

The Conway family knows nothing of the soul-shattering secrets that snake through generations of their past. They do not realize the terror that awaits them. For with each successive generation of Conways there ultimately comes a hellish day of reckoning...

I do have several books by John Saul on my bookshelf, but I believe that this is the first book by this author that I've read. I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The book was extremely well-written, the plot captured my attention and held it all the way through the story. I will say that I found the story slightly repetitive at certain points - at least in my opinion. Overall, though, I give this book a definite A! and look forward to reading more from John Saul in the future.

It was a lot like his other books. I know he writes mostly about horror, but it seemed to me too much like Nightshade. Maybe I just read the books too close together.

Slow burn....Hoakey and animal torture

I grew up reading John Saul and several of his books will always stick with me, such as Creature and The God Project. I can't remember all of his books that I have read but I really enjoyed them when I was younger. This is an okay book, but nothing really happens until the very end, and even that is lack luster. It is a very readable book, just not very engaging. The possessions could have been really cool but seemed cut short.

I highly recommend John Saul, but don't make this your first choice as an introduction.

Love you, John.

A really cheesy melodrama of a horror novel, complete with an alcoholic main character, demonic rites, sacrificial babies, dead animals and lots of vomit. I'm sure it's OK if you like that sort of thing, but it was just too hokey for me.

It’s your run of the mill possessed house and cursed family read. There were a couple of surprising plot developments though. It could have done with a bit more denouement. It’s a slow burn and then flashes over and closes too quickly for my liking. Decent little read though.

I love John Saul's older books

As John Saul being one of my favourite mystery and horror authors I can only praise this novel as well as the other ones of him I have read. I love to read about haunted houses etc. And this one is very good. Always very good description of characters and events. A must read.

John Saul has been my favorite author for over a decade now and this one didn't disappoint. It's been a while since I read one of his books and straight from the prologue I remembered how much I love them. Was this the best book ever? No. But god damn it was fun. I loved the vivid imagery throughout the story. Docking a star cause some plot points were very predictable and I don't care for the "god is good" message. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who wants a fun spooky read.

Two stars might not be fair. I think I’m just done with true horror at this age.