Genre: Children/Horror
Synopsis: It was just a bit of fun, a local legend. The Devil's Footsteps: thirteen stepping stones, and whichever one you stopped on in the rhyme could predict how you would die. A harmless game for kids-
But it's not a game to Bryan. He's seen the Dark Man, because the Dark Man took his brother five years ago.
And then Bryan meets two other boys who have their own unsolved mysteries. And it all comes back to the rhyme that every local child knows by heart: Thirteen steps to the Dark Man's door, Won't be turning back no more . . .
***
Review: I picked this book up purely by chance in my local charity shop. It had been put in with the adult horror/thriller books, and I guess from a quick look at the cover that's understandable. I thought it was an adult's book myself until I read the synopsis inside the cover. I absolutely adore childrens horror stories though (one of my favourite books of all time remains to this day Catchman, a Point Horror Unleashed novel), so I grabbed this and ran.
I was pleased to see it got good reviews on Amazon, and I have to say it didn't disappoint. I would have preferred this as a child - but not every good children's book works quite as well for adults. There were a couple of bits that I thought weren't very well written, but for the most part I think it's very good, especially considering it's a debut novel. It has a similar essence to Nightmare On Elm Street, and uses a lot of classic horror plot devices - a children's rhyme, disappearances, a haunted house and woods, a town with a dark past - but I actually love how they're all used. I think they're utilized in original enough a way to make the overall novel work.
It's not a hugely chunky book, and it's fairly easy to read, so it makes for a good inbetween-book if you don't want to read anything too heavy. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes childrens horror stories, it's among the best I've read in that genre. I noticed on Amazon that the author has since written several more books in the same genre, and I'll definitely be tracking them down.
Rating: 4/5
