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Kill Creek
At the end of a dark prairie road, nearly forgotten in the Kansas countryside, is the Finch House. For years it has remained empty, overgrown, abandoned. Soon the door will be opened for the first time in decades. But something is waiting, lurking in the shadows, anxious to meet its new guests…
When best-selling horror author Sam McGarver is invited to spend Halloween night in one of the country’s most infamous haunted houses, he reluctantly agrees. At least he won’t be alone; joining him are three other masters of the macabre, writers who have helped shape modern horror. But what begins as a simple publicity stunt will become a fight for survival. The entity they have awakened will follow them, torment them, threatening to make them a part of the bloody legacy of Kill Creek.
When best-selling horror author Sam McGarver is invited to spend Halloween night in one of the country’s most infamous haunted houses, he reluctantly agrees. At least he won’t be alone; joining him are three other masters of the macabre, writers who have helped shape modern horror. But what begins as a simple publicity stunt will become a fight for survival. The entity they have awakened will follow them, torment them, threatening to make them a part of the bloody legacy of Kill Creek.
416 pages, Paperback
First published October 31, 2017
About the author
Scott Thomas
4 books930 followersScott Thomas is the Stoker-nominated author of Kill Creek, which was selected by the American Library Association's reader committee as the top horror book of 2017. Originally from Coffeyville, Kansas, Scott attended the University of Kansas where he earned degrees in English and Film. He has written TV movies and teleplays for various networks including Netflix, Syfy, MTV, VH1, the CW, Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, and ABC family. Scott was nominated for a Daytime Emmy for his work on R.L. Stein's The Haunting Hour. He lives in Sherman Oaks, California with his wife and two daughters. Violet is his second novel.
(source: Amazon)
(source: Amazon)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,439 reviews
May 11, 2018
Simply said, KILL CREEK was AWESOME! I've long been suspecting that a really good haunted house book was a thing of the past. I'm happy as hell to be proven wrong on that.
At first, I'm not going to lie, the standard trope of four people staying overnight in the oh-so scary house, did not impress me. But between the characters themselves, the background of the house, and how everyone came together, slowly this story began to win me over. In this case, we actually had 6 people staying overnight, on Halloween, to boot. Four famous horror authors, Wainwright, the man who orchestrated this affair, (being the founder of a website dedicated to all things horror), and his girlfriend Kate who is there to photograph any happenings. Then, (and get this surprising twist), not all that much happens and everyone goes home! So where's the scary stuff? What occurs that makes so many people rave about this book? Don't look at me, I'm not going to spoil it. You'll have to read it for yourself.
These characters burrowed down deep into my psyche, and I felt like I knew them all intimately. Every single one of them changed throughout, and be they good changes or bad, they were all different people by the denouement. I love that. I love unpredictability in both my books and my characters-who wants to read about boring flat Stanley?
The writing had a vivid feel to it and the author is terrific in his descriptive passages as well as with his dialogue. It all rang very true to me. I have to admit that I am impressed-even more so when I take into account that this is a debut novel. For many years, my favorite book was GHOST STORY by Peter Straub, and in my mind, I can't help but compare the two and KILL CREEK holds up to that comparison. That's the highest praise I can give.
Lastly, the narrator: Bernard Setaro Clark? You rock, man! You nailed it! What else is there to say?
I'm sure this audio will be in my top ten at the end of the year and as such it gets my highest recommendation. You should read it. Right now!
*I bought this e-book and the audio with my hard-earned cash and this opinion is my own.*
At first, I'm not going to lie, the standard trope of four people staying overnight in the oh-so scary house, did not impress me. But between the characters themselves, the background of the house, and how everyone came together, slowly this story began to win me over. In this case, we actually had 6 people staying overnight, on Halloween, to boot. Four famous horror authors, Wainwright, the man who orchestrated this affair, (being the founder of a website dedicated to all things horror), and his girlfriend Kate who is there to photograph any happenings. Then, (and get this surprising twist), not all that much happens and everyone goes home! So where's the scary stuff? What occurs that makes so many people rave about this book? Don't look at me, I'm not going to spoil it. You'll have to read it for yourself.
These characters burrowed down deep into my psyche, and I felt like I knew them all intimately. Every single one of them changed throughout, and be they good changes or bad, they were all different people by the denouement. I love that. I love unpredictability in both my books and my characters-who wants to read about boring flat Stanley?
The writing had a vivid feel to it and the author is terrific in his descriptive passages as well as with his dialogue. It all rang very true to me. I have to admit that I am impressed-even more so when I take into account that this is a debut novel. For many years, my favorite book was GHOST STORY by Peter Straub, and in my mind, I can't help but compare the two and KILL CREEK holds up to that comparison. That's the highest praise I can give.
Lastly, the narrator: Bernard Setaro Clark? You rock, man! You nailed it! What else is there to say?
I'm sure this audio will be in my top ten at the end of the year and as such it gets my highest recommendation. You should read it. Right now!
*I bought this e-book and the audio with my hard-earned cash and this opinion is my own.*
February 14, 2018
I'm a huge fan of creepy houses -- House of Leaves, Haunting of Hill House, and on and on -- so I was primed to love this book, but sadly, did not.
My largest problem with the entire book is that every character is seen, and sees, through the author's eyes. Which means every female character is relegated to how attractive she is (there are at least two places where the main female character's clothes can "barely restrain her breasts", which makes me thinks she's got a pair of badgers in her bra instead of, you know, breasts), even down to one character's daughter. Which is pretty disappointing, because up till then, the father/daughter relationship had been portrayed in a refreshing way: they were a super-Christian family, but the dad makes it a point to trust his daughter to make her own decisions.
Then, we get a scene from the POV of her father, where he notes her "budding curves". Ew. Just...ew.
There are many ways that observation could have been played off as "okay, something is wrong with this dude", but no attempt was made to do so, so the observation just sits there, gross and unnecessary.
The worst offense in the entire book is that there are only two POC characters, both of them women, and only one of whom has any speaking lines, and they're both fridged to provide angst for their white boyfriends.
From a writing perspective, it's a bit clunky and anvilicious. The female protagonist, a writer of shock-horror with a lot of deviant sexuality (shots fired at Clive Barker's early work, maybe?), who's fought against sexism and the publishing industry, spends most of her time yelling and starting fights, all admirable qualities buried under her constant railing against her enemies. I wanted to like her, because she had many excellent points, but good LORD. She's portrayed so unsympathetically I can only imagine how the author really feels about people who share her opinions.
Of course, the nice, bland, Midwestern male horror author with a tragic backstory is forgiven, and gets as happy an ending as possible.
Yeah, I'm bitter. There was potential here, but it's marred by the casual sexism/racism. The writing itself is serviceable, though the climax of the book is an utter mess, and not in a good way. And the amount of sexualized violence against the female characters is a bit unnerving. I'm not saying that there isn't a place for stories that involve those elements, but coming from a male writer? I get creeped out.
My largest problem with the entire book is that every character is seen, and sees, through the author's eyes. Which means every female character is relegated to how attractive she is (there are at least two places where the main female character's clothes can "barely restrain her breasts", which makes me thinks she's got a pair of badgers in her bra instead of, you know, breasts), even down to one character's daughter. Which is pretty disappointing, because up till then, the father/daughter relationship had been portrayed in a refreshing way: they were a super-Christian family, but the dad makes it a point to trust his daughter to make her own decisions.
Then, we get a scene from the POV of her father, where he notes her "budding curves". Ew. Just...ew.
There are many ways that observation could have been played off as "okay, something is wrong with this dude", but no attempt was made to do so, so the observation just sits there, gross and unnecessary.
The worst offense in the entire book is that there are only two POC characters, both of them women, and only one of whom has any speaking lines, and they're both fridged to provide angst for their white boyfriends.
From a writing perspective, it's a bit clunky and anvilicious. The female protagonist, a writer of shock-horror with a lot of deviant sexuality (shots fired at Clive Barker's early work, maybe?), who's fought against sexism and the publishing industry, spends most of her time yelling and starting fights, all admirable qualities buried under her constant railing against her enemies. I wanted to like her, because she had many excellent points, but good LORD. She's portrayed so unsympathetically I can only imagine how the author really feels about people who share her opinions.
Of course, the nice, bland, Midwestern male horror author with a tragic backstory is forgiven, and gets as happy an ending as possible.
Yeah, I'm bitter. There was potential here, but it's marred by the casual sexism/racism. The writing itself is serviceable, though the climax of the book is an utter mess, and not in a good way. And the amount of sexualized violence against the female characters is a bit unnerving. I'm not saying that there isn't a place for stories that involve those elements, but coming from a male writer? I get creeped out.
October 12, 2020
A new all time favorite. I love this so much. I loved the concept, I love the execution, and the writing style was perfect. I love the idea of this story: four of the worlds most influential horror authors spending Halloween night in one of the most haunted houses in the country. This book is just as fun as it sounds. My mind was blown by how much I enjoyed this.
You can see my full thoughts and reaction here: https://youtu.be/ZO7sc4ouDqc
You can see my full thoughts and reaction here: https://youtu.be/ZO7sc4ouDqc
March 24, 2021
The Written Review
Just published my October Book Vlog and whew! It was a lot of reading but so worth it!
The Kill Creek House is infamous - one of the most haunted locations in America.
And as the hands of the clocks clicked to eight past one, the house awoke to the sudden and definite realization that now was the time.
It had waited long enough.
It was time to play.
Death and destruction go hand-in-hand at this house. But, it's been empty for decades.
Sam McGarver, along with three other famous horror writers, have all agreed to be interviewed in this house of horrors.
They all could use a boost in their careers and while they may be writers in the horror genre, they certainly don't believe it.
Until now.
Until that night.
Whewwww!
This was a wild one.
I absolutely loved the concept of this one - the four authors were each so unique and realistic.
Reading about their personalities and the types of books they wrote really made me wish they were real.
The actual "scary" moments of the book didn't get me in the way I hoped but I was definitely intrigued by the book throughout.
I was sooo curious about the mystery of the house that I devoted to figuring out all the details.
The ending was definitely the cherry on top!
With thanks to Scott Thomas and Inkshares Press for sending me a free copy in exchange for an honest review
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April 29, 2018
If you haven't heard the hype surrounding this book, you might be one of those annoying people who exists off the grid enough that you never installed a social media app on your smart phone because you don't even *have* a smart phone...you still have a rotary phone and an answering machine. "Leave a message at the beeeeeeep."
Message: BUY THE BOOK KILL CREEK!
Seriously. This is why I'm a huge fan of horror. And this book is also a good example of why horror has ruined me for every other genre. I'm addicted to the thrills, the chills and the blood spills!
Of which Scott Thomas gives in abundance.
Probably the most shocking thing about this story, (NO SPOILER-KEEP READING) is that this is Scott's first novel. What the what?!
My first praise is for Inkshares: what a gorgeous book design. I have a paperback-ish edition and the glossy, sleek "jacket" is a wrap around cover with "dust jacket" folds for the synopsis and the author bio. The edges are deckled (yes!) and the title page is bold and interesting. I loved the font and the cover graphic too. Sorry! I've been obsessed with book design lately.
Okay, so this book is told in four main parts with some fun stuff at the end.
Part one was the best horror book set up for a haunted house tale, EVER.
Part two was fun because we got to explore some character development and such, which--let me say--I love the characters. I especially liked Sam who personified any up and coming, modern horror writer these days. ( I had a wee crush on him)
TC Moore grew on me but I didn't especially like her at first. I don't like women with a huge chip on their shoulder but she grew on me. A lot.
Sebastian Cole is like your Stephen King or Peter Straub, you know, a best selling-older gentleman vibe and then Daniel Slaughter is our R L Stein. (for some reason I pictured Josh Malerman and his fiance, Alison for Wrainwright and Kate. Ha!)
(not getting into the plot because it's something you just jump into blind)
Part three was great--lots of haunted house fun.
Part four was like: Hold on to your butt!
And then the last part of the book was a perfect wrap up. I loved the ending to the ending.
I'm not sure why anyone would have any complaints. This is the most fun I've had reading a book, ever. I looked forward to getting in bed and letting the story crawl under my skin every night.
BEEEEEEEEEP
*End Message*
Message: BUY THE BOOK KILL CREEK!
Seriously. This is why I'm a huge fan of horror. And this book is also a good example of why horror has ruined me for every other genre. I'm addicted to the thrills, the chills and the blood spills!
Of which Scott Thomas gives in abundance.
Probably the most shocking thing about this story, (NO SPOILER-KEEP READING) is that this is Scott's first novel. What the what?!
My first praise is for Inkshares: what a gorgeous book design. I have a paperback-ish edition and the glossy, sleek "jacket" is a wrap around cover with "dust jacket" folds for the synopsis and the author bio. The edges are deckled (yes!) and the title page is bold and interesting. I loved the font and the cover graphic too. Sorry! I've been obsessed with book design lately.
Okay, so this book is told in four main parts with some fun stuff at the end.
Part one was the best horror book set up for a haunted house tale, EVER.
Part two was fun because we got to explore some character development and such, which--let me say--I love the characters. I especially liked Sam who personified any up and coming, modern horror writer these days. ( I had a wee crush on him)
TC Moore grew on me but I didn't especially like her at first. I don't like women with a huge chip on their shoulder but she grew on me. A lot.
Sebastian Cole is like your Stephen King or Peter Straub, you know, a best selling-older gentleman vibe and then Daniel Slaughter is our R L Stein. (for some reason I pictured Josh Malerman and his fiance, Alison for Wrainwright and Kate. Ha!)
(not getting into the plot because it's something you just jump into blind)
Part three was great--lots of haunted house fun.
Part four was like: Hold on to your butt!
And then the last part of the book was a perfect wrap up. I loved the ending to the ending.
I'm not sure why anyone would have any complaints. This is the most fun I've had reading a book, ever. I looked forward to getting in bed and letting the story crawl under my skin every night.
BEEEEEEEEEP
*End Message*
April 25, 2022
Evidently, my autumn 2018 aesthetic is devouring every haunted house story I can get my hands on, and Kill Creek has been one of the strangest, most unexpected stories yet. It makes perfect sense that it’s being adapted for Showtime right now, because I don’t think I’ve ever read a book that felt as much like a horror movie/show as this one does.
First, the house itself is easily my favorite aspect of this novel. It’s got this incredibly morbid past with a slew of haunting incidents, bizarre old ladies (because what’s a good haunted house without a creepy old lady haunting it, honestly?), and a stairway leading to a solid brick wall. The atmosphere? On point.
Not only do I love a good, atmospheric location, but Kill Creek brings a cast of complex and interesting characters to the table, too. There’s Sam McGarver, the primary main, who won me over from the very beginning by introducing himself with a tangent about subgenres and what defines gothic horror. He’s got a twisted background that is only revealed to us in snippets here and there, each one darker than the last, but he’s a genuinely good guy and you can’t help but root for him.
Next up is TC Moore, who I initially held conflicted feelings about but grew to enjoy. She’s an extreme horror author, and consistently the butt of jokes about the sexual and graphic content in her stories (which felt very true-to-life considering the way much of the horror literature fandom treats fans of extreme horror, as well as the authors themselves). Sam is quick to come to her defense in a way that’s just obvious enough to indicate that the petty teasing isn’t the author’s own perspective on extreme horror.
Then comes Daniel Slaughter, the Christian teen horror author whose entire character arc cracked me up, because I grew up in a strict religious home where I was limited to religious or “clean” fiction for a long time, and Daniel reminded me way too much of a few authors I reached for as a kid. I’m seeing a lot of reviewers call him the RL Stine knock-off character of the story, and I could see that, but I’d also say he reminds me of Frank Peretti. (Hangman’s Curse, anyone?)
And finally, my favorite—Sebastian Cole, our King-esque trendsetter. He’s an older gentleman who’s been a bestseller for nearly as long as the other three have been alive, and he’s full to the brim of advice despite holding a few outdated opinions on the genre. He’s downright full of surprises—both good and bad—but ultimately, I’m always a sucker for the “old mentor” character archetype.
So far, we’ve got the mood, setting, characters—all that’s left to rave about is the action, which doesn’t pick up right away, but bear with it, because the second half makes up for it. The ending had me on the edge of my seat, totally unwilling to tear myself away for even a moment, and just when I thought I had figured things out, a wrench would be thrown in the works that totally threw my guesses out the window.
I only have two negative things to say about Kill Creek, so let’s get them out of the way:
1. The pacing, at times, is a struggle. There are segments that dragged, though they are filled with enough character building that I was never necessarily bored. I just wanted a little bit more from those chapters.
2. TC Moore. Don’t get me wrong, I love angry feminist characters. I relate to them (ha!). Moore just takes it to this unreasonable level at times, so there were occasional moments where I couldn’t tell if these features were just part of her character, or if it was intended to be an exaggerated, caricature. Given that she progresses into a tremendously more likable person as the story goes on, and I found myself rooting for her by the end, I think the intentions were good, but she grated on me for the first 100 pages or so.
That’s it! All that raving and only two (pretty minor) issues, so I’m sure it’s no surprise that I gave this 4.5 stars (and felt comfortable rounding up to 5). If you enjoy unique haunted house stories and don’t mind a solid helping of character development and world-building within your horror, I strongly recommend grabbing a copy of Kill Creek and settling in. This would be a perfect addition to your Halloween reading list!
---
Buddy read with Reg!
No house is born bad. Most are thought of fondly, even lovingly. In the beginning, the house on Kill Creek was no exception.
First, the house itself is easily my favorite aspect of this novel. It’s got this incredibly morbid past with a slew of haunting incidents, bizarre old ladies (because what’s a good haunted house without a creepy old lady haunting it, honestly?), and a stairway leading to a solid brick wall. The atmosphere? On point.
“Funny thing about rumors,” Sebastian said softly. “It doesn’t matter if they’re true or false, only that people believe them.”
Not only do I love a good, atmospheric location, but Kill Creek brings a cast of complex and interesting characters to the table, too. There’s Sam McGarver, the primary main, who won me over from the very beginning by introducing himself with a tangent about subgenres and what defines gothic horror. He’s got a twisted background that is only revealed to us in snippets here and there, each one darker than the last, but he’s a genuinely good guy and you can’t help but root for him.
Next up is TC Moore, who I initially held conflicted feelings about but grew to enjoy. She’s an extreme horror author, and consistently the butt of jokes about the sexual and graphic content in her stories (which felt very true-to-life considering the way much of the horror literature fandom treats fans of extreme horror, as well as the authors themselves). Sam is quick to come to her defense in a way that’s just obvious enough to indicate that the petty teasing isn’t the author’s own perspective on extreme horror.
Then comes Daniel Slaughter, the Christian teen horror author whose entire character arc cracked me up, because I grew up in a strict religious home where I was limited to religious or “clean” fiction for a long time, and Daniel reminded me way too much of a few authors I reached for as a kid. I’m seeing a lot of reviewers call him the RL Stine knock-off character of the story, and I could see that, but I’d also say he reminds me of Frank Peretti. (Hangman’s Curse, anyone?)
And finally, my favorite—Sebastian Cole, our King-esque trendsetter. He’s an older gentleman who’s been a bestseller for nearly as long as the other three have been alive, and he’s full to the brim of advice despite holding a few outdated opinions on the genre. He’s downright full of surprises—both good and bad—but ultimately, I’m always a sucker for the “old mentor” character archetype.
She stayed because the men did. She stayed because of pride. She had fought too hard against these condescending pigs to walk out now.
So far, we’ve got the mood, setting, characters—all that’s left to rave about is the action, which doesn’t pick up right away, but bear with it, because the second half makes up for it. The ending had me on the edge of my seat, totally unwilling to tear myself away for even a moment, and just when I thought I had figured things out, a wrench would be thrown in the works that totally threw my guesses out the window.
I only have two negative things to say about Kill Creek, so let’s get them out of the way:
1. The pacing, at times, is a struggle. There are segments that dragged, though they are filled with enough character building that I was never necessarily bored. I just wanted a little bit more from those chapters.
2. TC Moore. Don’t get me wrong, I love angry feminist characters. I relate to them (ha!). Moore just takes it to this unreasonable level at times, so there were occasional moments where I couldn’t tell if these features were just part of her character, or if it was intended to be an exaggerated, caricature. Given that she progresses into a tremendously more likable person as the story goes on, and I found myself rooting for her by the end, I think the intentions were good, but she grated on me for the first 100 pages or so.
The house on Kill Creek still stands. Empty. Quiet. But not forgotten. Not entirely. Rumors are its life, stories its breath.
That’s it! All that raving and only two (pretty minor) issues, so I’m sure it’s no surprise that I gave this 4.5 stars (and felt comfortable rounding up to 5). If you enjoy unique haunted house stories and don’t mind a solid helping of character development and world-building within your horror, I strongly recommend grabbing a copy of Kill Creek and settling in. This would be a perfect addition to your Halloween reading list!
---
Buddy read with Reg!
October 6, 2021
This book was good and I enjoyed the audio!
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
October 22, 2018
5 STARS!!
I finished this yesterday morning and I’m still thinking about it!
WOW!! Kill Creek was excellent! I loved everything about this book and did not expect that ending. Great job Scott Thomas on your debut novel. I’m blown away that this is your first book.
Kill Creek is my favorite horror book of the year. Without a doubt!
Kill Creek starts off with the reader being introduced to the Finch House and all the past tragedies that occurred there. The writing by Scott Thomas was excellent, creepy and descriptive.
I could see the empty and abandoned Finch House standing proudly, waiting for visitors. I could feel the lurking evil waiting for someone to open the door. I could hear the complete silence of the house and property since no animals or insects came close. I could see the long hallway with a dark shadow standing at the end. EEK!!
The plot is a simple one and I’m sure we’ve all seen or read this before. A group of people decide to stay the night at a haunted house.
Wainwright is the founder of a horror website and finds out about the Finch House. He decides to invite four of the most famous horror authors to spend a night at Finch House. Each author decides to go along with this charade for their own personal reasons.
The interesting thing about Kill Creek is by the half way point in the book, all the authors have stayed the night at Finch House and head home. Well, buckle up because that’s where this whole plot completely changes in a fantastic and creepy way!
I loved all the characters in this book.
Sam McGarver was my favorite character of the four authors. I know he’s the main character, but I loved this guy. I was cheering him on throughout the whole book. He’s tough, a bit broken and reserved with his personal life. I could really relate with him.
TC Moore is the angst writer that writes taboo horror. She’s about as angry of a feminist as you’ll meet. I didn’t really feel anything for her in the beginning, but she grows on you and I liked her in the end.
Sebastian Cole was the older author in the group that’s super successful and all the other authors admire. I got Ray Bradbury vibes from him and I was all about that!
Daniel Slaughter was my least favorite of the four horror authors and writes teen horror that tries to show good vs evil. He’s super devoted to God and tends to be too judgmental for my liking.
Seriously, I LOVED this book! I was so obsessed with reading this at the end. And that end?! YES!
The creep factor in this book was fucking fantastic!!
Recommended to ALL horror lovers. Go read it!
I finished this yesterday morning and I’m still thinking about it!
WOW!! Kill Creek was excellent! I loved everything about this book and did not expect that ending. Great job Scott Thomas on your debut novel. I’m blown away that this is your first book.
Kill Creek is my favorite horror book of the year. Without a doubt!
Kill Creek starts off with the reader being introduced to the Finch House and all the past tragedies that occurred there. The writing by Scott Thomas was excellent, creepy and descriptive.
I could see the empty and abandoned Finch House standing proudly, waiting for visitors. I could feel the lurking evil waiting for someone to open the door. I could hear the complete silence of the house and property since no animals or insects came close. I could see the long hallway with a dark shadow standing at the end. EEK!!
The plot is a simple one and I’m sure we’ve all seen or read this before. A group of people decide to stay the night at a haunted house.
Wainwright is the founder of a horror website and finds out about the Finch House. He decides to invite four of the most famous horror authors to spend a night at Finch House. Each author decides to go along with this charade for their own personal reasons.
The interesting thing about Kill Creek is by the half way point in the book, all the authors have stayed the night at Finch House and head home. Well, buckle up because that’s where this whole plot completely changes in a fantastic and creepy way!
I loved all the characters in this book.
Sam McGarver was my favorite character of the four authors. I know he’s the main character, but I loved this guy. I was cheering him on throughout the whole book. He’s tough, a bit broken and reserved with his personal life. I could really relate with him.
TC Moore is the angst writer that writes taboo horror. She’s about as angry of a feminist as you’ll meet. I didn’t really feel anything for her in the beginning, but she grows on you and I liked her in the end.
Sebastian Cole was the older author in the group that’s super successful and all the other authors admire. I got Ray Bradbury vibes from him and I was all about that!
Daniel Slaughter was my least favorite of the four horror authors and writes teen horror that tries to show good vs evil. He’s super devoted to God and tends to be too judgmental for my liking.
Seriously, I LOVED this book! I was so obsessed with reading this at the end. And that end?! YES!
The creep factor in this book was fucking fantastic!!
Recommended to ALL horror lovers. Go read it!
November 3, 2018
"They were human minds set into paper, and Sebastian loved every single one of them, even the ones he considered disposable."
Four horror authors agree to spend the night in a haunted house as part of a publicity stunt.
Let me get one thing straight - if I needed a horror book to scary in order for me to enjoy it, I would not be a horror fan. I can count on one - maybe two hands - the number of books that have actually scared me (Pet Sematary, Summer of Night, The Exorcist, Naomi's Room, to name a few), so it's actually a rare occurrence that a book will actually unsettle me. However, if I'm going into a book expecting to be scared or wanting to be - as a lot of previous reviews had hyped up - then yeah, I will be disappointed if it doesn't deliver. But as we've found time and time again, what one person finds scary, another will not. And that's fine, that's all part of reading, we all have different personal experiences that we bring to the table each time we venture into a new book. So in this instance, not being scared WAS a letdown for me, but this is not the case for all horror books I read.
Kill Creek is still a pretty enjoyable read, it's well-written and almost reads like a movie (which I've seen a few criticise), but I don't find that off-putting. If anything, it being written in that way makes it easy to binge and breeze through about 50-100 pages without even realising it. One of my favourite aspects of this book was the interactions and conversations between the four horror authors. It was so interesting that all four wrote such different types of horror and their discussions around horror and the publishing world were probably the highlights of the book for me!
I did have an issue with how the female author, TC Moore, was written. She had a chip on her shoulder from the get-go and came across as this really cold, distant woman who had to be this way in order to thrive in this male-dominated field. It just felt very stereotypical to me and I didn't appreciate it. She was overly sexualised and actually listed "fucking" as one of her essential activities. Oh, and she enjoys writing naked. Of course. I'm not a prude by any stretch of the imagination, I am a Barker fan for heaven's sake, where sex literally oozes from the pages! But in this instance, it didn't work for me, I wanted to like her because she did have some badass qualities but overall it felt like a cliche "female-written-by-a-man" character.
As I was reading and enjoying certain parts, I just kept getting that niggling feeling that something was missing? I needed something more. A bit more bite, perhaps. I'm looking forward to the adaptation for this, because I get the impression that it might be more chilling to see the events described on the screen as opposed to reading about them.
3 stars.
Four horror authors agree to spend the night in a haunted house as part of a publicity stunt.
Let me get one thing straight - if I needed a horror book to scary in order for me to enjoy it, I would not be a horror fan. I can count on one - maybe two hands - the number of books that have actually scared me (Pet Sematary, Summer of Night, The Exorcist, Naomi's Room, to name a few), so it's actually a rare occurrence that a book will actually unsettle me. However, if I'm going into a book expecting to be scared or wanting to be - as a lot of previous reviews had hyped up - then yeah, I will be disappointed if it doesn't deliver. But as we've found time and time again, what one person finds scary, another will not. And that's fine, that's all part of reading, we all have different personal experiences that we bring to the table each time we venture into a new book. So in this instance, not being scared WAS a letdown for me, but this is not the case for all horror books I read.
Kill Creek is still a pretty enjoyable read, it's well-written and almost reads like a movie (which I've seen a few criticise), but I don't find that off-putting. If anything, it being written in that way makes it easy to binge and breeze through about 50-100 pages without even realising it. One of my favourite aspects of this book was the interactions and conversations between the four horror authors. It was so interesting that all four wrote such different types of horror and their discussions around horror and the publishing world were probably the highlights of the book for me!
I did have an issue with how the female author, TC Moore, was written. She had a chip on her shoulder from the get-go and came across as this really cold, distant woman who had to be this way in order to thrive in this male-dominated field. It just felt very stereotypical to me and I didn't appreciate it. She was overly sexualised and actually listed "fucking" as one of her essential activities. Oh, and she enjoys writing naked. Of course. I'm not a prude by any stretch of the imagination, I am a Barker fan for heaven's sake, where sex literally oozes from the pages! But in this instance, it didn't work for me, I wanted to like her because she did have some badass qualities but overall it felt like a cliche "female-written-by-a-man" character.
As I was reading and enjoying certain parts, I just kept getting that niggling feeling that something was missing? I needed something more. A bit more bite, perhaps. I'm looking forward to the adaptation for this, because I get the impression that it might be more chilling to see the events described on the screen as opposed to reading about them.
3 stars.
November 4, 2021
Reading Vlog: https://youtu.be/R5lROdTLUvc
This book is fat phobic and we need to talk about it.
I don't mean lightly brushing on derogatory words. I mean full on hate speech. Like it's revolting. Daniel, a very sweet and kind young horror author is only ever described as fat and disgusting. Moore's character was constantly insulting him and commenting on what he was eating. At one point, they're in an elevator and it creaks. Moore says it's because Daniel is overweight. Excuse the fuck out of me??? Who asked you bitch? Then they're all eating dinner and Moore out of nowhere says "All I can see if you (Daniel) shoveling food in your mouth". Imma beat this bitches ass, I swear to god.
Let's talk about Moore for a second. She is reprehensible. Truly demonic.
And the worst part is that she is glorified for her actions and words. We are supposed to think she's badass and edgy which she's really cruel and egotistical.
Scott Thomas can't write women. Period.
Moore wears a blouse that 'barely contains her breasts'. How is that adding to the story except to disgust me? Do you know how many times her boobs are mentioned? Or how scary she is? Or how much she works out? Or that she wears all black? Or that she's so goth and hot and better than everyone? I don't have enough fingers and toes to count all the times.
She has art in her house of a child looking down the barrel of an assault rifle. That's what she considers art. Not to mention the big art print of a fist wrapped around a penis that are both wrapped in barbed wire. I'm sick. I'm so sick.
And the plot is bad. It really gets you in the first half with Kill Creek's backstory. Then halfway through the book we leave the house and I'm like "dafuq? Where did the original plot of the movie go??"
I hate it. I have so many feelings about this. This might be my worst book of 2021.
This book is fat phobic and we need to talk about it.
I don't mean lightly brushing on derogatory words. I mean full on hate speech. Like it's revolting. Daniel, a very sweet and kind young horror author is only ever described as fat and disgusting. Moore's character was constantly insulting him and commenting on what he was eating. At one point, they're in an elevator and it creaks. Moore says it's because Daniel is overweight. Excuse the fuck out of me??? Who asked you bitch? Then they're all eating dinner and Moore out of nowhere says "All I can see if you (Daniel) shoveling food in your mouth". Imma beat this bitches ass, I swear to god.
Let's talk about Moore for a second. She is reprehensible. Truly demonic.
And the worst part is that she is glorified for her actions and words. We are supposed to think she's badass and edgy which she's really cruel and egotistical.
Scott Thomas can't write women. Period.
Moore wears a blouse that 'barely contains her breasts'. How is that adding to the story except to disgust me? Do you know how many times her boobs are mentioned? Or how scary she is? Or how much she works out? Or that she wears all black? Or that she's so goth and hot and better than everyone? I don't have enough fingers and toes to count all the times.
She has art in her house of a child looking down the barrel of an assault rifle. That's what she considers art. Not to mention the big art print of a fist wrapped around a penis that are both wrapped in barbed wire. I'm sick. I'm so sick.
And the plot is bad. It really gets you in the first half with Kill Creek's backstory. Then halfway through the book we leave the house and I'm like "dafuq? Where did the original plot of the movie go??"
I hate it. I have so many feelings about this. This might be my worst book of 2021.
October 4, 2021
Second Time Around Was Just As Awesome As The First Time!
A small backstory:
Justin Wainwright has his own podcast show called WrightWire and he reaches out to four well known horror authors as he wants to give them the opportunity to do an interview in the famous haunted Finch house on Halloween night and to stay overnight in the haunted house.
The authors are intrigued, but they have a hard time deciding if that is what they want to do, but Wainwright talks them into it and they make their way to the house.
When they get to the house and get settled nothing happens right at first, but the longer they are there little things start happening within the house. Whispers, drafts, apparitions, along with a bricked wall that was built on the third floor landing keeping anyone from entering past that point. The house starts to slowly come alive to the point that the authors wonder if it was such a good idea after all to come out to the house! Not only that but the haunting continues to hound them long after they have left the house.
What happens to the authors while they stay in the house? Why is the house haunted? What is the mystery of the brick wall? What happens to the authors once they leave the house? No spoilers here as you will just have to read the book!
Thoughts:
The first time I read this book I was amazed that this book was a debut novel as this book just slowly draws you into the story. The author builds up the suspense, tension, and atmosphere of this spooky read bringing everything to a rising crescendo and then lowers the boom as the house comes alive leaving the authors bewildered as they didn't really expect much to happen.
This time reading on my second time around I wanted to absorb the story and take my time with it which I did. I loved it the second time around even more as there were just a few little things I had forgot about that happen within the story and it was like rediscovering the book all over again.
Once again I would find myself staying up late at night or into the middle of the night reading the book as I just did not want to put it down. Out of all the ghost stories I have read over the course of my lifetime and I have read quite a few, this story climbs up into my top three all time haunting/ghost stories.
All of the horror author characters were perfect as they were suppose to be from different horror genres, so I really liked the characters in this story. The pace of the book just flows along and I love the writing style of the author as well. This book was already on my favorites shelf and there it will stay. I plan on making it a tradition to reread it every October around Halloween as this would be one of those stories that could eventually become a classic ghost story!
This was an awesome ghost story and perfect for this time of year! Giving this book five "Haunted Horror" stars!
Highly Recommend!
For more thoughts on this review, please see my blog:
https://crusader1515.blogspot.com/202...
A small backstory:
Justin Wainwright has his own podcast show called WrightWire and he reaches out to four well known horror authors as he wants to give them the opportunity to do an interview in the famous haunted Finch house on Halloween night and to stay overnight in the haunted house.
The authors are intrigued, but they have a hard time deciding if that is what they want to do, but Wainwright talks them into it and they make their way to the house.
When they get to the house and get settled nothing happens right at first, but the longer they are there little things start happening within the house. Whispers, drafts, apparitions, along with a bricked wall that was built on the third floor landing keeping anyone from entering past that point. The house starts to slowly come alive to the point that the authors wonder if it was such a good idea after all to come out to the house! Not only that but the haunting continues to hound them long after they have left the house.
What happens to the authors while they stay in the house? Why is the house haunted? What is the mystery of the brick wall? What happens to the authors once they leave the house? No spoilers here as you will just have to read the book!
Thoughts:
The first time I read this book I was amazed that this book was a debut novel as this book just slowly draws you into the story. The author builds up the suspense, tension, and atmosphere of this spooky read bringing everything to a rising crescendo and then lowers the boom as the house comes alive leaving the authors bewildered as they didn't really expect much to happen.
This time reading on my second time around I wanted to absorb the story and take my time with it which I did. I loved it the second time around even more as there were just a few little things I had forgot about that happen within the story and it was like rediscovering the book all over again.
Once again I would find myself staying up late at night or into the middle of the night reading the book as I just did not want to put it down. Out of all the ghost stories I have read over the course of my lifetime and I have read quite a few, this story climbs up into my top three all time haunting/ghost stories.
All of the horror author characters were perfect as they were suppose to be from different horror genres, so I really liked the characters in this story. The pace of the book just flows along and I love the writing style of the author as well. This book was already on my favorites shelf and there it will stay. I plan on making it a tradition to reread it every October around Halloween as this would be one of those stories that could eventually become a classic ghost story!
This was an awesome ghost story and perfect for this time of year! Giving this book five "Haunted Horror" stars!
Highly Recommend!
For more thoughts on this review, please see my blog:
https://crusader1515.blogspot.com/202...
September 11, 2018
This book was a real struggle to get through. I still can't believe I finally made it after two weeks of repeatedly forcing myself to pick it up, only to put it away again after a few chapters because I was so freaking bored.
While the premise was intriguing and I did encounter glimpses of original ideas in this book, the delivery was subpar.
Its main weakness was definitely the pacing. During the first half of the book (with more than 400 pages a rather long one as it is) I felt like nothing happened at all. It dragged so much I had to skip entire chapters in order to finally get through to the supposedly interesting parts. And then, even the big climax was so drawn out and repetitive, the little suspense the author had managed to build up was totally ruined by making me wish for the whole ordeal to finally be over.
It felt like a rehashed version of basically any bad horror movie out there, starring dumb-ass characters stumbling into dumb-ass situations because they kept making dumb-ass decisions - only the characters weren't naive blonde teenagers or clichéd stupid college jocks but supposedly grown adults with lots of life experience and an, albeit theoretical, background in all things paranormal/ horror.
Add to that the flowery (at times bordering on pretentious) writing that didn't appeal to me at all, and I'm not a happy reader.
I didn't hate this book. I just didn't find it in me to care.
ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
October 28, 2021
A captivating and eerie story about a group of horror authors who are invited to go to a house known to be haunted (on Halloween) to take part in an online interview. Afterwards they all live to regret it…
I really enjoyed this story. I was curious to see how everything would work out in the end. The scenes at the house were spooky and atmospheric.
An enjoyable read by Scott Thomas.
I really enjoyed this story. I was curious to see how everything would work out in the end. The scenes at the house were spooky and atmospheric.
An enjoyable read by Scott Thomas.
April 13, 2021
this one gets an extra star because there's a couple really cool ideas that manage to not get lost inbetween all of the bullshit and nonsense. and I dig that cover with those two old ladies standing on the roof (a scene that is not even in the book, for chrissakes).
cool idea #1: different authors writing the same story without realizing it, due to the horror, the horror. I loved this idea of various books written in various styles, featuring differing locations & characters but still working the same theme and still featuring the same terrible brick wall.
cool idea #2:
other than those two cool ideas, this was a blah experience for me with its flat characters, uninteresting prose, and inability to scare me in any way. even the annoying House of Leaves scared me more, which is saying something.
bonus annoyance: why do some authors love repetition so much? I mean really, why do some authors love repetition so much? I guess what I'm saying is, why do some authors repeat themselves so much? It gets really repetitious when they do all of that repeating.
cool idea #1: different authors writing the same story without realizing it, due to the horror, the horror. I loved this idea of various books written in various styles, featuring differing locations & characters but still working the same theme and still featuring the same terrible brick wall.
cool idea #2:
other than those two cool ideas, this was a blah experience for me with its flat characters, uninteresting prose, and inability to scare me in any way. even the annoying House of Leaves scared me more, which is saying something.
bonus annoyance: why do some authors love repetition so much? I mean really, why do some authors love repetition so much? I guess what I'm saying is, why do some authors repeat themselves so much? It gets really repetitious when they do all of that repeating.
March 22, 2022
Four authors come to a supposedly haunted house on Halloween night to put on a publicity stunt. Their styles are all completely different; one writes popular mainstream horror, one writes classic literary horror, another violent and sexual horror, and the final horror for a teenage audience. The only thing they have in common is a love for the genre and a need for the public to look into their fiction a bit more seriously. Unfortunately for them, the house on Kill Creek has a need too, and nothing that they have written comes even close to the horrors they will encounter.
Fear, much like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. I begin with this statement because I feel it is important to reinforce that what scares me may not be the same thing that scares you and vice versa. We can pretty much reinforce this statement by looking at any given horror novel and seeing the inevitable “scariest book ever” review that follows the genre. Plenty of times I’ve read those reviews and rolled my eyes, but as I said fear is in the eye of the beholder, so who am I to say that those books aren’t the scariest to that specific reader? Fear is a personal thing, so what I may find ridiculous or boring another may be terrify another.
Well, now it is my turn; Kill Creek is the scariest novel that I have ever read. It was tailor made to play with just about every phobia, every single thing that gives me chill, they make an appearance in this book.
Here is the funny thing though; I’ve read a few reviews here that say that they felt the book started off slow then got scary as it moved along. For me the book started off fine, introducing a cast of interesting characters and suitably playing up different styles of horror writing (appropriate given the plot) but before we even got to the half way point I sat on the edge of my seat and had more than one occasion where I had to put the book down. There was one scene that had me putting down the book for the night and strongly considering giving the book an extended break while I read something a bit more light hearted. The point that many people think the book picks up at, I actually considered a solid breather until the rather intense final.
Now let me explain what I mean by all this; there is a wonderful point in the novel where one of the authors gives his theories on horror and what is most effective in terms of scaring his readers. “This is the key to true horror… if you believe it’s real, then it’s real.” This is practically the thesis of much of this book. Horror comes not from what happens but the possibility of what could happen. For example, there is something of a running joke early on where the authors play with the house’s history and how they would write it. If the power goes out, they play with the possibilities of what COULD be in the room in the dark, not what is. The possibilities make the imagination run wild in both the characters and this reader, and as I’ve said several times, the reason I find books to be a scarier medium for horror than cinema is that my brain can come up with worse possibilities than what will be shown. This is a book that tries to play with the reader’s own imagination, trying to make you think “What could be behind that bricked up room… what is on the other side waiting to get out?” This element of horror worked far more for me than when the actual “scary stuff” happens. This is the sort of thing that induces paranoia, as even the most innocent noise can create a world of terrifying possibilities.
As I said, this won’t affect everyone the same way. That is inevitable and also one of the more enjoyable aspects of the novel, as it plays with the possibilities of the genre. The focus is on four horror authors with four different styles of horror, I would have been disappointed if the book only followed one of those four philosophies… and was pleased that it played with them all.
Before this book, I would have told you the best and most frightening horror novel I had ever read was The Haunting of Hill House. I would still say that Hill House is my personal favorite horror novel, but this takes a solid second place, and it comes in first in terms of being the scariest by a large margin. Recommended to all horror fans. A rare perfect 5 out of 5.
Fear, much like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. I begin with this statement because I feel it is important to reinforce that what scares me may not be the same thing that scares you and vice versa. We can pretty much reinforce this statement by looking at any given horror novel and seeing the inevitable “scariest book ever” review that follows the genre. Plenty of times I’ve read those reviews and rolled my eyes, but as I said fear is in the eye of the beholder, so who am I to say that those books aren’t the scariest to that specific reader? Fear is a personal thing, so what I may find ridiculous or boring another may be terrify another.
Well, now it is my turn; Kill Creek is the scariest novel that I have ever read. It was tailor made to play with just about every phobia, every single thing that gives me chill, they make an appearance in this book.
Here is the funny thing though; I’ve read a few reviews here that say that they felt the book started off slow then got scary as it moved along. For me the book started off fine, introducing a cast of interesting characters and suitably playing up different styles of horror writing (appropriate given the plot) but before we even got to the half way point I sat on the edge of my seat and had more than one occasion where I had to put the book down. There was one scene that had me putting down the book for the night and strongly considering giving the book an extended break while I read something a bit more light hearted. The point that many people think the book picks up at, I actually considered a solid breather until the rather intense final.
Now let me explain what I mean by all this; there is a wonderful point in the novel where one of the authors gives his theories on horror and what is most effective in terms of scaring his readers. “This is the key to true horror… if you believe it’s real, then it’s real.” This is practically the thesis of much of this book. Horror comes not from what happens but the possibility of what could happen. For example, there is something of a running joke early on where the authors play with the house’s history and how they would write it. If the power goes out, they play with the possibilities of what COULD be in the room in the dark, not what is. The possibilities make the imagination run wild in both the characters and this reader, and as I’ve said several times, the reason I find books to be a scarier medium for horror than cinema is that my brain can come up with worse possibilities than what will be shown. This is a book that tries to play with the reader’s own imagination, trying to make you think “What could be behind that bricked up room… what is on the other side waiting to get out?” This element of horror worked far more for me than when the actual “scary stuff” happens. This is the sort of thing that induces paranoia, as even the most innocent noise can create a world of terrifying possibilities.
As I said, this won’t affect everyone the same way. That is inevitable and also one of the more enjoyable aspects of the novel, as it plays with the possibilities of the genre. The focus is on four horror authors with four different styles of horror, I would have been disappointed if the book only followed one of those four philosophies… and was pleased that it played with them all.
Before this book, I would have told you the best and most frightening horror novel I had ever read was The Haunting of Hill House. I would still say that Hill House is my personal favorite horror novel, but this takes a solid second place, and it comes in first in terms of being the scariest by a large margin. Recommended to all horror fans. A rare perfect 5 out of 5.
June 15, 2018
This book was really derivative and dull and not well written and I regret wasting my time reading it and I honestly can't understand all the praise. The characters are offensive stereotypes, the plot is a pastiche of other horror novels, and the pacing is like a particularly slow snail on a bad day. The author clearly is not a huge fan of women, or fat people, or anyone who isn't the Sad Everyman who happens to be the protagonist of every other horror story ever and the ending was like "The Shining" as performed by Kids Bop
Blargh
Blargh
October 4, 2021
"Even now, as I sit hundreds of miles from that lonely patch of forgotten America, I can sense the house calling out to me. It is in my darkest dreams, it's emptiness swallowing me, it's secrets enticing me with a knowledge no mortal man was meant to comprehend. I cannot forget the house. Because the house has not forgotten me."
I'm a huge fan of the horror genre and thought the haunted house trope had nothing left to offer. How wrong I was as Scott Thomas revamps things and takes us right into the twenty first century with his debut novel Kill Creek. A Bram Stoker award nominee for best novel that in my humble opinion should have won. Let me tell you why...
This one grabbed me right from the start. Four famous horror authors are mysteriously invited for an interview at an unknown location that just so happens to be a notoriously haunted house situated in the aptly named Kill Creek. Events unfold quickly and we discover this is set to be a live streamed Halloween extravaganza, hosted by Wrightwire (a successful horror and pop culture website). What could possibly go wrong?
"A house stained by spilled blood cannot escape the harsh sentence passed by rumour."
Our four main characters represent the different streams of the horror genre and Thomas pulls this off brilliantly. We have Sebastian Cole, the old school and highly successful writer who's body of work has heavily influenced the others (HP Lovecraft). Then there's Sam McGarver, the main stream author who writes about everyday life and occurrences and injects the supernatural to dramatic effect (Stephen King). TC Moore is the extreme horror author who is the only woman in the group (Ania Ahlborn, Monica O'Rourke). Think Lisbeth Slander from Girl with the Dragon Tattoo if she wrote horror. Finally, there's Daniel Slaughter, the teen horror writer who promotes a Christian message within his toned down scary tales (RL Stine).
Thomas first part of the novel provides a fantastic commentary on the horror genre and Thomas utilises the diversity and interaction between the characters to fully explore this. There's one particular scene where Sam gives a lecture on gothic horror that I was completely wrapped up in. These are amongst the highlights of the book and it really feels like Thomas is writing a ode to the horror genre. I absolutely loved it.
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Other highlights include the well crafted suspense and some intense action scenes. There's a very high standard of writing on display here, particularly for a debut novel. Tension is built quite subtly at the onset during some superb scenes within the house. Events take a flip in the second half and things get really ramped up with an absolutely fantastic ending. No spoilers here, just read the damn book.
I don't have a lot to criticise with Kill Creek, but you could say it follows a lot of well established horror tropes. Particularly those associated with the haunted house genre. However, I felt this was absolutely appropriate with the author paying tribute while featuring those tropes in a fresh and exciting way. It really gets into the craft and creative process and how authors draw inspiration for their work. So I think exploring established tropes within the genre is completely fitting.
"Just beyond the light, in the shadows, things shifted restlessly. Faces. Staring. Silent. Hungry."
Final word, this book is a horror fan's absolute dream. I was in my element throughout the entire of this novel and my only concern was why I hadn't read this sooner. So please don't make the same mistake I did and get on this straight away. Either that or hang your head in complete shame. Thanks very much Scott Thomas for this magnificent book.
Scott Thomas
May 29, 2018
KILL CREEK, by Scott Thomas, is apparently his first novel. After reading that, I was positively stunned. I went into this book without any preconceived notions, and ended with giving it a full five-star rating. For any novel, this was fantastic--when you factor in the knowledge that it was the author's debut, it's astonishing!
"No house is born bad . . . "
The premise of KILL CREEK begins with a billionaire's horror-loving son's podcast, in which he strives to bring the horror genre back into the mainstream. Justin Wainwright arranges to get four vastly different-styled horror authors together on Halloween--in a reputedly haunted house--to do a live "interview" with them.
". . . Sometimes stories have too much power. They change who people think you are."
The set up for this particular story was quite original. Instead of your standard-fare haunted house, the author insures that there is no neat, definitive explanation as to how--or even, if--the old Finch House on Kill Creek is haunted. All we, and the characters, have to go on is atmosphere and ancient, ambiguous rumors. The only thing known for certain is that two sisters, Rachel and Rebecca Finch, were the last to own, live--and die--there. According to the will of the last living sister, everything in the home, including the furnishings, were to remain exactly as they were when she died.
"Funny thing about rumors . . . It doesn't matter if they're true or false, only that people believe them."
Aside from the initial builder's death, anything else concerning a "haunting" nature is pure conjecture, with absolutely nothing grounded in a factual basis to back it up. Yet despite this, just being in the proximity of this large estate is enough to give anyone pause.
". . . Its very existence seemed impossible without the help of the supernatural."
Thomas does a superb job in the characterizing of each of the novel's main characters. I could easily differentiate between the four novelists, and felt that even their backstories were woven into the story in a seamless, natural manner. I "felt" each of these personalities, and by the end of the book, it was as if I had known them intimately for years. Even the arrogant Wainwright and his "assistant", Kate, fit into the story so perfectly, that the entire project had a sense of "reality" to it that I find missing in so many novels.
". . . If you believe it's real, then it's real."
Another thing that this book has going for it is an indisputable, uneasy atmosphere that actually caused me to break out in goosebumps a couple of times.
". . . The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear . . ."
Thomas' descriptions of eerie silences, muted noises, half-glimpsed shadows, and little more than what amounted to rumors about the old estate are what drives the readers' minds to enter into that "terror zone", in which just about anything--real or supernatural in origin--is not only possible, but expected . . .
". . . When our fate is uncertain, our minds naturally lead us to the worst possible scenario . . . "
By NOT giving us a tangible menace, Thomas makes his novel even more frightening because the ambiguous nature causes our minds to automatically expect the worst, and most evil haunting presence possible. This technique worked extraordinarily well, in my opinion, and gave me the feeling that the tension and suspense just continued to ratchet up all throughout the story. Not once did I feel as if the supernatural element "let up", or left our characters alone for even a moment.
"The insects won't cross the creek. They won't come over to this side."
Overall, this is one of the best novels I've read this year in terms of suspense, tension, fear, and realistic characters. Just when I thought I'd figured out part of the story, something else would come up to derail my current thoughts. This book commanded my complete attention each time I picked it up, and not once did my excitement wane.
"Perhaps the house is waking up . . . "
If this is Scott Thomas' first novel, then I can only imagine what his future might bring.
Highest recommendation!
"No house is born bad . . . "
The premise of KILL CREEK begins with a billionaire's horror-loving son's podcast, in which he strives to bring the horror genre back into the mainstream. Justin Wainwright arranges to get four vastly different-styled horror authors together on Halloween--in a reputedly haunted house--to do a live "interview" with them.
". . . Sometimes stories have too much power. They change who people think you are."
The set up for this particular story was quite original. Instead of your standard-fare haunted house, the author insures that there is no neat, definitive explanation as to how--or even, if--the old Finch House on Kill Creek is haunted. All we, and the characters, have to go on is atmosphere and ancient, ambiguous rumors. The only thing known for certain is that two sisters, Rachel and Rebecca Finch, were the last to own, live--and die--there. According to the will of the last living sister, everything in the home, including the furnishings, were to remain exactly as they were when she died.
"Funny thing about rumors . . . It doesn't matter if they're true or false, only that people believe them."
Aside from the initial builder's death, anything else concerning a "haunting" nature is pure conjecture, with absolutely nothing grounded in a factual basis to back it up. Yet despite this, just being in the proximity of this large estate is enough to give anyone pause.
". . . Its very existence seemed impossible without the help of the supernatural."
Thomas does a superb job in the characterizing of each of the novel's main characters. I could easily differentiate between the four novelists, and felt that even their backstories were woven into the story in a seamless, natural manner. I "felt" each of these personalities, and by the end of the book, it was as if I had known them intimately for years. Even the arrogant Wainwright and his "assistant", Kate, fit into the story so perfectly, that the entire project had a sense of "reality" to it that I find missing in so many novels.
". . . If you believe it's real, then it's real."
Another thing that this book has going for it is an indisputable, uneasy atmosphere that actually caused me to break out in goosebumps a couple of times.
". . . The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear . . ."
Thomas' descriptions of eerie silences, muted noises, half-glimpsed shadows, and little more than what amounted to rumors about the old estate are what drives the readers' minds to enter into that "terror zone", in which just about anything--real or supernatural in origin--is not only possible, but expected . . .
". . . When our fate is uncertain, our minds naturally lead us to the worst possible scenario . . . "
By NOT giving us a tangible menace, Thomas makes his novel even more frightening because the ambiguous nature causes our minds to automatically expect the worst, and most evil haunting presence possible. This technique worked extraordinarily well, in my opinion, and gave me the feeling that the tension and suspense just continued to ratchet up all throughout the story. Not once did I feel as if the supernatural element "let up", or left our characters alone for even a moment.
"The insects won't cross the creek. They won't come over to this side."
Overall, this is one of the best novels I've read this year in terms of suspense, tension, fear, and realistic characters. Just when I thought I'd figured out part of the story, something else would come up to derail my current thoughts. This book commanded my complete attention each time I picked it up, and not once did my excitement wane.
"Perhaps the house is waking up . . . "
If this is Scott Thomas' first novel, then I can only imagine what his future might bring.
Highest recommendation!
May 16, 2018
A young internet tycoon lures four horror writers to the most haunted of haunted houses for a two-day interview under false pretenses. There’s some grumbling naturally, I mean who, besides me, would willingly want to stay the night at a scary old ghost filled place? But they all decide to do the right wrong thing and stay anyway and a whole lot of nothing too sinister happens. But just you wait!
The truly frightening things happen when they return back to their real lives and this is where the book excels. It takes that old setup and makes it fresh and new and terrifying. There was a lot of hype surrounding this book and everyone seemed to love it so I went in with very high expectations and a lot of fear that I would hate it or want to pick it apart because I can be a jerk like that. Fortunately, mostly all I can say is that it is amazing and the story will grab you from the beginning and if you like haunted house stories you NEED to read it next.
The four writers are all very different in style and personality and watching them interact was pretty fascinating in and of itself. Moore, the only female in the group, writes violent, in-your-face horror (the kind I honestly like best), Sam is your Stephen King type writing about the relatable good guys, Sebastian Cole is a Charles L. Grant quiet horror type and Daniel writes books for the tween/teen market with strong moral codes and little religious subtlety. Watching them struggle with their differences, rag on each other and later deal with their inner demons, secrets and tragedies was so interesting to me not just because I’m nosy but because they were so incredibly well written and believable.
Five star books are so hard for me to review. This one gets all five stars and it deserves each and every one of them. Kill Creek is the perfect blend of great characterization, growing dread, true terror and murderous bits. If you’re into audiobooks get the one narrated by Bernard Setaro Clark. He adds another level of fright to the terrors within with his professional narration.
I have nothing here to bitch about. Nothing at all. I know, I can hardly believe it myself!
The truly frightening things happen when they return back to their real lives and this is where the book excels. It takes that old setup and makes it fresh and new and terrifying. There was a lot of hype surrounding this book and everyone seemed to love it so I went in with very high expectations and a lot of fear that I would hate it or want to pick it apart because I can be a jerk like that. Fortunately, mostly all I can say is that it is amazing and the story will grab you from the beginning and if you like haunted house stories you NEED to read it next.
The four writers are all very different in style and personality and watching them interact was pretty fascinating in and of itself. Moore, the only female in the group, writes violent, in-your-face horror (the kind I honestly like best), Sam is your Stephen King type writing about the relatable good guys, Sebastian Cole is a Charles L. Grant quiet horror type and Daniel writes books for the tween/teen market with strong moral codes and little religious subtlety. Watching them struggle with their differences, rag on each other and later deal with their inner demons, secrets and tragedies was so interesting to me not just because I’m nosy but because they were so incredibly well written and believable.
Five star books are so hard for me to review. This one gets all five stars and it deserves each and every one of them. Kill Creek is the perfect blend of great characterization, growing dread, true terror and murderous bits. If you’re into audiobooks get the one narrated by Bernard Setaro Clark. He adds another level of fright to the terrors within with his professional narration.
I have nothing here to bitch about. Nothing at all. I know, I can hardly believe it myself!
October 8, 2021
OMG this book is so freakin awesome! and this is Scott Thomas' first book?! WHAT?!?! He is clearly a horror fan and it just makes this book that much more awesome. this is my favorite book of the year (so far). Bernard Setaro Clark narrates and he does such a good job. if your a horror fan and enjoy haunted houses, you should've already began reading or listening to this. you won't be disappointed.
2nd reading- Still great, still love it.
2nd reading- Still great, still love it.
April 8, 2019
[cross-posted from Amazon]
Do you hate fat people? Great. So does Scott Thomas. Daniel Slaughter, a character in "Kill Creek," is so fat he sometimes can't even get out of bed. He makes people anxious in elevators because he's so large. Simply standing sometimes is a touch-and-go proposal because sometimes Daniel Slaughter is too fat for the very ground he's on. Slaughter's whole existence is rounded with fat rolls.
One time, Daniel Slaughter was described as getting thinner. But don't worry, narrator Scott Thomas is right there to let you know immediately that Slaughter is not thin at all. He's fat.
Do you hate women? Boy, what a book I have in store for you. For the first time ever, a male author has written a tough-as-nails woman who breaks like a little girl. She weaponizes her sexuality and drinks whiskey straight from the bottle. She doesn't have any women in her life, because she's a Guy's Girl. And if you take a shot of tequila every time either her silver fingernails or her erect nipples are mentioned, boy oh boy the blackout you'll be in.
Do you love Adam Levine of Maroon 5? Great. There's a guy named Sam for you. He's a writer -- all the characters are writers -- who loves to write about rough men and the women who love them. Women have no agency of their own outside of their relationships with men. There are almost no scenes with two women, just talking to each other. A man must always be present.
Do you love good writing? Then this is absolutely not the book for you and I am so sorry.
Do you hate fat people? Great. So does Scott Thomas. Daniel Slaughter, a character in "Kill Creek," is so fat he sometimes can't even get out of bed. He makes people anxious in elevators because he's so large. Simply standing sometimes is a touch-and-go proposal because sometimes Daniel Slaughter is too fat for the very ground he's on. Slaughter's whole existence is rounded with fat rolls.
One time, Daniel Slaughter was described as getting thinner. But don't worry, narrator Scott Thomas is right there to let you know immediately that Slaughter is not thin at all. He's fat.
Do you hate women? Boy, what a book I have in store for you. For the first time ever, a male author has written a tough-as-nails woman who breaks like a little girl. She weaponizes her sexuality and drinks whiskey straight from the bottle. She doesn't have any women in her life, because she's a Guy's Girl. And if you take a shot of tequila every time either her silver fingernails or her erect nipples are mentioned, boy oh boy the blackout you'll be in.
Do you love Adam Levine of Maroon 5? Great. There's a guy named Sam for you. He's a writer -- all the characters are writers -- who loves to write about rough men and the women who love them. Women have no agency of their own outside of their relationships with men. There are almost no scenes with two women, just talking to each other. A man must always be present.
Do you love good writing? Then this is absolutely not the book for you and I am so sorry.
October 30, 2017
This book didn't turn out to be quite what I was expecting. As the story goes we have four horror authors of differing varieties that are brought together to be interviewed in the legendary haunted house of Kill Creek. That right there is enough to intrigue me. And this book did well enough until about the 48% mark and I realized that they are already leaving the haunted house with only a few bump scares and STILL we have more than half the book to go. That's when I knew this wasn't going in the direction I was hoping for.
I didn't find any of the characters all that interesting and I actually really disliked the one female horror author. She was constantly crass and vulgar to the point of silliness. I just didn't find her to be believable never mind likable.
I will say that the ending was decently gory (if you like that sort of thing) but the second half of the book dragged on so long that the gory payoff didn't really satisfy because I was already too bored.
Scott Thomas can write well it just so happens that this story wasn't for me. I'd still be curious to see what else he can come up with though.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.
I didn't find any of the characters all that interesting and I actually really disliked the one female horror author. She was constantly crass and vulgar to the point of silliness. I just didn't find her to be believable never mind likable.
I will say that the ending was decently gory (if you like that sort of thing) but the second half of the book dragged on so long that the gory payoff didn't really satisfy because I was already too bored.
Scott Thomas can write well it just so happens that this story wasn't for me. I'd still be curious to see what else he can come up with though.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Read
October 30, 2020I can’t even believe I am saying this but I am calling it quits.... DNF... I struggled through 180 pages...so if you see me pick up a horror book, kindly remind I don’t like them. I have struggled through 3 of them and nope🤷♀️...Done! BTW...Riley Sager doesn’t count. I have seen his classified as horror but I didn’t get that vibe with his books. 🖤
October 19, 2019
My thoughts in a nutshell
In October, I usually read some creepy, horror books because of the Halloween spirit. I really like the 'haunted house' trope so I'm always searching for the perfect book in this idea. Kill Creek was an okay book, but I didn't enjoy it as much as I wanted to.
The book is extremely slow. I can say that at some point, it was almost painfully uninteresting and dull. I think if it would have been a shorter book, then it could have been a much better read.
I don't like multiple POV in this case. It was confusing and we didn't learn too much about any character's background. It could have been better if we follow one of them and we get to more in-depth their motive.
I also don't admire the writing style. I don't want too much detail in a horror book. It ruined my enjoyment. If the author gives me too much information and he/she does it a cleaver way, I could live with it, but in this circumstance, Scott didn't do well (in my opinion).
I don't think it is a scary book. I read it at night, and I didn't feel any fear.
I liked the atmosphere in this one. Kill Creek was a great locale. I enjoyed the house's background story.
Overall, I would recommend it if you want to read a haunted house story and you can tolerate the monotonous parts. If you get easily bored like me, I suggest that you skip this book.
I gave it 3 stars because it was an okay novel.
April 30, 2023
Amazing. Review to follow...
October 17, 2018
4/5 Halloween Pumpkins! 🎃🎃🎃🎃
Four horror authors are invited to take part in a live-stream interview for a popular horror site. What they aren’t told is that the interview will be taking place in a said-to-be haunted farmhouse in Kansas, on Halloween night.
The first 40% was a slow build – flickering lights, glimpses of ghosts, unsettling noises and smells, a sense of foreboding. This is one of my favourite parts of a ghost story, as well as horror novels in general, when the characters know something isn’t right, that the house feels wrong, but they dismiss it, try to rationalise it – “The generators low on power”, “It’s just my imagination”, “The light’s playing tricks on me”, etc. Kudos to Scott Thomas for drawing out that part of the story, the anticipation of what’s to come was executed brilliantly. The detailed descriptions of the architecture of the house, complete with it’s bricked-up wall at the top-of-the-stairs entrance to the third floor and it’s dark, dank surroundings, and dried-up creek bed that no animal would breach definitely evoked that creepy, unsettled feeling.
The rest of the book, in particular Part Four, was a tension-filled, action-driven, hold-your-breath, race-against-time thrill, that had me zooming through the pages, eager to discover the motivation for the haunting, and whether or not any of the characters would survive it.
But, what really made this book memorable were its characters, which was a bit of a bummer since it’s a horror novel, so you know at least some (possibly all) of them have the potential to be killed off. I especially enjoyed the four horror writers, all of whom really brought something different and unique to the table, and had me emotionally invested, and terrified for their well being. I also found it cool how they were all different types of horror authors – one wrote mainstream, another wrote YA, a third wrote dark disturbing content laced with sexual violence, and last but not least, a classic horror writer, who served as inspiration to the other three.
However, as clever and unexpected as the ending was, I would have preferred the last two chapters to have gone differently. Up until then the story felt like a tribute to the type of horror written in the 70’s and 80’s, with a modern technological spin, but the final twists just didn’t fit that mould. I feel a bit ridiculous writing this, because the actual ending was better than the one I craved, and I’m sure most readers will be satisfied with it, and I was up to a point, even while struggling to shake my disappointment. I also would’ve liked more resolution to the haunting, why it originated, but there was a solid explanation given for why this wasn’t possible.
All and all, a well above average haunted house story, that had me immersed in the macabre.
Four horror authors are invited to take part in a live-stream interview for a popular horror site. What they aren’t told is that the interview will be taking place in a said-to-be haunted farmhouse in Kansas, on Halloween night.
The first 40% was a slow build – flickering lights, glimpses of ghosts, unsettling noises and smells, a sense of foreboding. This is one of my favourite parts of a ghost story, as well as horror novels in general, when the characters know something isn’t right, that the house feels wrong, but they dismiss it, try to rationalise it – “The generators low on power”, “It’s just my imagination”, “The light’s playing tricks on me”, etc. Kudos to Scott Thomas for drawing out that part of the story, the anticipation of what’s to come was executed brilliantly. The detailed descriptions of the architecture of the house, complete with it’s bricked-up wall at the top-of-the-stairs entrance to the third floor and it’s dark, dank surroundings, and dried-up creek bed that no animal would breach definitely evoked that creepy, unsettled feeling.
The rest of the book, in particular Part Four, was a tension-filled, action-driven, hold-your-breath, race-against-time thrill, that had me zooming through the pages, eager to discover the motivation for the haunting, and whether or not any of the characters would survive it.
But, what really made this book memorable were its characters, which was a bit of a bummer since it’s a horror novel, so you know at least some (possibly all) of them have the potential to be killed off. I especially enjoyed the four horror writers, all of whom really brought something different and unique to the table, and had me emotionally invested, and terrified for their well being. I also found it cool how they were all different types of horror authors – one wrote mainstream, another wrote YA, a third wrote dark disturbing content laced with sexual violence, and last but not least, a classic horror writer, who served as inspiration to the other three.
However, as clever and unexpected as the ending was, I would have preferred the last two chapters to have gone differently. Up until then the story felt like a tribute to the type of horror written in the 70’s and 80’s, with a modern technological spin, but the final twists just didn’t fit that mould. I feel a bit ridiculous writing this, because the actual ending was better than the one I craved, and I’m sure most readers will be satisfied with it, and I was up to a point, even while struggling to shake my disappointment. I also would’ve liked more resolution to the haunting, why it originated, but there was a solid explanation given for why this wasn’t possible.
All and all, a well above average haunted house story, that had me immersed in the macabre.
December 17, 2020
Story: 4 stars ⭐️⭐⭐⭐
“Funny thing about rumors, it doesn’t matter if they’re true or false, only that people believe them.”
*****
“This is the key to true horror. If you believe it’s real, then it’s real.”
Audio: 4.25 stars 🌟
“Funny thing about rumors, it doesn’t matter if they’re true or false, only that people believe them.”
*****
“This is the key to true horror. If you believe it’s real, then it’s real.”
Audio: 4.25 stars 🌟
July 17, 2019
This book is bloody damn amazing! It instantly sunk its claws into me and still hasn’t let go, it’s been days since I finished reading it and I still can’t stop thinking about it. The idea is absolutely fabulous, I mean, who doesn’t want to read about 4 horror authors spending the night in a haunted house?! It takes a lot to frighten and scare me, I’ve got a very high tolerance for horror so when a book manages to scare me, you KNOW it’s good. And this book sent shivers racing down my spine more than once and had me wanting to sleep with the lights on. This book is bloody phenomenal, by far one of THE best horror books I’ve ever been lucky enough to read!
October 11, 2020
Solo le case silenziose e addormentate nei boschi potrebbero rivelare i segreti di ciò che è nascosto da secoli... A volte vien fatto di pensare che sarebbe un atto di pietà abbatterle, perché devono fare sogni spaventosi.
H.P. Lovecraft
Quattro popolari scrittori di best seller dell'Orrore vengono invitati a rilasciare un'intervista per un popolare sito internet la notte di Halloween in una delle più famose e famigerate case infestate d'America... non andrà a finire bene.
Non si salvarono. Il corpo dell'amata fu allontanato dal suo e impiccato all'unico albero del giardino, un faggio dal tronco nodoso. La donna era già morta, eppure l'appesero a un ramo come ultimo insulto. I corpi si raffreddarono quanto permetteva l'umida notte d'agosto, e il silenzio della casa e del terreno si allungò sopra di loro come un sudario.
Un gran bel debutto questo primo libro di Scott Thomas, un racconto che attinge a piene mani da storie classiche e moderne di case infestate, orrore gotico, e tanto Shining,
con quattro protagonisti ispirati a scrittori realmente esistiti o esistenti che ho riconosciuto quasi tutti subito, ed una intervista rilasciata dall'autore qui ha fugato ogni mio possibile dubbio al riguardo:
Sebastian Cole - Ray Bradbury, Robert Bloch, Shirley Jackson, H.P. Lovecraft, Edgar Allan Poe.
Sam McGarver - Stephen King, Peter Straub (con un pizzico del John McClane di Die Hard quando cerca di salvare il suo matrimonio...).
T. C. Moore - versione al femminile di Clive Barker e James Ellroy.
Daniel Slaughter - R. L. Stine, Christopher Pike.
Moore si passò la lingua sul fondo dei denti davanti, fermandosi al minimo accenno di una scheggiatura. «Basta con le stronzate. Che stiamo facendo davvero qui?»
Wainwright sorrise. Si era aspettato che qualcuno facesse proprio quella domanda.
«Chi vuole passare la notte in una casa infestata?»
La storia può non essere originale, ma resta comunque uno splendido omaggio a letteratura e cinema horror, che regala più di qualche brivido, e che tiene incollati a leggere a partire dal classico incipit stile L'Incubo di Hill House di Shirley Jackson fino alla fine in un crescendo di paura, tensione e violenza, spezzato da una originale ed inattesa parte centrale dove il ritmo rallenta considerevolmente, per poi premere nuovamente sull'acceleratore senza più fermarsi, mescolando l'orrore de La Casa d'Inferno di Richard Matheson con quello fracassone e truculento di vecchi e nuovi film horror pieni di sangue e jump scares, il tutto condito da un interessante messaggio di fondo che fa da corollario a quello lovecraftiano sulla paura dell'ignoto: le più grandi paure sono quelle create da noi.
Il suono della sua voce si insinuò nell’alcova, oltre la finestra con i vetri colorati adesso oscurata dalla notte, e su per la stretta e ripida scalinata fino al muro di mattoni. Perfino li, le parole scivolarono attraverso invisibili crepe.
«È questa la chiave del vero orrore» disse Sebastian con una fiducia che nessuno di loro poteva mettere in dubbio. «Se credete che sia vero, allora è vero.»"
Purtroppo, quando stavo quasi per mettere cinque stelle, la mia lettura è stata rovinata da un finale fin troppo debole e prevedibile che avevo visto arrivare con quaranta pagine di anticipo, una delusione che non provavo dalla visione dell'IT televisivo del 1990, quando alla fine tutte le inquietudini causate dal Pennywise magistralmente interpretato da Tim Curry lasciarono il passo al ragnone meccanico ricoperto di cartapesta malamente animato in slow motion...
Ovviamente non era del tutto vero. La casa sonnecchiava, ma non aveva completamente dimenticato quella volgare accozzaglia di intrusi. Cosi, quando le lancette segnarono otto minuti dopo l'una, la casa si svegliò, con l'improvvisa e netta consapevolezza che fosse arrivato il momento.
Aveva aspettato a sufficienza.
Era tempo di giocare.
A parte questo, Kill Creeknon sarà magari la storia di fantasmi definitiva, ma si legge che è un piacere e, dopo aver chiuso il libro prima di dormire, la casa delle sorelle Finch è venuta a visitarmi in sogno a tarda notte.
Lo avrebbe saputo abbastanza presto. Nei mesi a venire, infatti, avrebbe capito di essersi sbagliato su due cose.
Quella era davvero una storia di fantasmi. Tutta, fino in fondo.
E avrebbe dovuto fare a pezzi quella troia quando ne aveva avuto l'occasione, un'asse dopo l'altra.
Speriamo che non ritorni.
September 27, 2020
I really enjoyed this book. While I found the characters to be rather stereotypical and some of the plot twists to be unsurprising, the suspense and pure enjoyment of this entertaining horror novel quenched my need for an engaging and page turning read.
3.5 wicked stars
3.5 wicked stars
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