Devil’s Island . . . an abandoned island in the Caribbean Sea with a dark and bloody past . . . an island with a terrible secret.Nick Gorman, a billionaire movie producer, assembles a team of ghost hunters and scientists to investigate the Thornhill Manor on Devil’s Island . . . the most haunted place in the world that no one’s ever heard of. He’s there to find proof of ghosts, evidence of an … evidence of an afterlife. But he’s also there to uncover a secret hidden on the island that could change all of humanity.
The ghost hunting team is led by Shane Edwards, who lost his TV show in a scandal and now is a disgrace in the ghost hunting world; this is his last chance to redeem himself and revive his career. But as soon as he steps foot on Devil’s Island, he realizes this is no ordinary haunted manor – this is a place where everyone will face horrors they never could have imagined, an island that brings their darkest fears to life.
As Nick gets closer to unearthing the secret on the island, Shane begins to wonder if any of them will survive their two-night stay on Devil’s Island.
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This book was creepy and chilling!
A small backstory:
Nick Gorman is a famous Hollywood producer and he gathers a team together of ghost hunters along with a couple of scientists as he knows of an island that is considered to be haunted and he wants to film a documentary of the haunting.
When the team arrive to the island they find out that there is a house called Thornhill Manor where they will be staying which is also haunted as people have been injured there and no one ever wants to stay in the manor.
Though Nick has other reasons that he brought the team to the island as he is in search of something that he learned while in the process of researching the island, but he does not divulge the true reason to the team. The team soon learns that the house and island are haunted and they will be fighting for their lives before all is said and done as when the house comes alive there truly will be no escape!
Why is the island and the manor haunted? What secret is Nick keeping from the team? Does the team make it out alive? No spoilers here as you will just need to read the book!
Thoughts:
This was a great creepy atmospheric haunting and this was my first time reading this author as well. The writing style just flowed along smoothly and the world building of the island/manor slowly built up to a crescendo until finally the author lowered the boom and the haunting went into
full blown ghost mode!
The last half of the book I could barely put it down as so much was happening within the story from chapter to chapter that I had nights where I just couldn’t sleep as I wanted to keep reading to see what the team had to experience next. Giving this story five “Macabre Manor” stars!
I really enjoyed this book. The characters were well-drawn and the writing was atmospheric and there were no glaring errors to take you out of the story. I was engrossed and “had” to keep reading to find out what would happen next. I did guess what the overarching theme was before getting to the end, but did not expect the final twist.
Good night time read before lights out….boo ooo!!!
This book has a great ending. Too often in horror novels the buildup is not matched by the discovery of what is causing all the supernatural trouble, but this time it did in a fascinating and even thought-provoking way. If you like the history of the Caribbean, you will likely be very pleased with Lukens’ explanation for why this island has come to be called Devil’s Island.
The plot is pretty straightforward. A dying billionaire has decided to make a documentary on a haunted island and the mansion that still stands on it. To accomplish this, he draws together some desperate individuals and pays them lots of money to help him make his film. The reader recognizes right from the beginning that the documentary is a scam and that there is something on this island that the billionaire thinks will save his life. Seeing as there is a lot of supernatural horror here (and in the opening chapter we actually witness demonic things kill and chase people) it feels like the unwitting employees are serving a role as primarily sacrifices or bait.
The only thing wrong with this part of the book is that it takes a lot of time before people start disappearing and dying. In the opening chapter, the impression is given that the horror begins in earnest about a half hour after they arrive, but with this larger group of stranded (the boat isn’t coming back for two days) individuals the demons are a little more patient. I actually think it would have been better not to give us that first chapter because it set in me expectations that weren’t fulfilled and I still don’t know why, but that’s really the only problem I have with the story. If I had started reading at chapter two, none of those expectations would have existed and I would have been totally happy with the way Lukens rolls out his plot. There is a ton of creepiness along the way and as I said before, the ending was great and the reason that all of this happened really resonated with me.
If you like horror and haunted houses, give this one a try.
Thought this was a pretty good Horror Book.
I like Mark Lukens writing. Really enjoyed the Ancient Enemy series as well as the Exorcist Apprentice. He has a few more that I’m eager to read. For me, Devils Island hit most of the notes of a Good Horror Story. Really can’t say anything bad.
An absolutely classic horror tale. Cunningly written with well developed characters, the tension builds slowly with the monsters only coming into focus as the story reaches its climax. Don’t turn off the lights!
An excellent horror story with an interesting twist. Definitely recommended!
I have never read anything by this author before, but I was blown away by the exceptional writing and story . It takes you in and it’s like your right there, the characters are great, it was an excellent read. Like Darcy Coates but with a different twist. But to each his own I always say
I don’t usually give 5 Stars to books I review, so I really liked this book!
The book moved fast, the characters were quickly introduced, and were original, with enough background history to be able to tell them apart, and to care about them (one way or another.) You knew that the movie producer was after something more than just making a documentary, but what? Why and what was causing so many entities to appear? Entities that were the characters’ personal demons? The clues are there. I hope you like it.
Better than average ghost story. Didn’t scare me, but my bar for scary is pretty high.
I found it to be very suspenseful and scary.
Good book, lots of twist.
A great chill for a hot day on the beach.
I loved the the way these characters were explained so you know what to expected from them and the you got what you didn’t expect loved it this is a must read
I thought the book was really not that scary and was fairly predictable. A little twist at the end. Fair piece of work but nowhere near a Stephen King.
If the author would have cut down on some repetitive phrasings, I would have enjoyed the novel a bit more. Interesting characters, yet an ultimate predictable storyline.
Don’t usually read ghost stories, but this one held my interest.
I couldn’t put it down
The book starts out wonderfully scary; but unfortunately, for me, the ending is sudden, short and weak. Some one looking for a quick read may enjoy it.
Waste of my time