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The Children of Red Peak
Bram Stoker Award-nominated author Craig DiLouie brings a new twist to the cult horror story in a heart-pounding novel of psychological suspense.
David Young, Deacon Price, and Beth Harris live with a dark secret. As children, they survived a religious group's horrific last days at the isolated mountain Red Peak. Years later, the trauma of what they experienced never feels far behind.
When a fellow survivor commits suicide, they finally reunite and share their stories. Long-repressed memories surface, defying understanding and belief. Why did their families go down such a dark road? What really happened on that final night?
The answers lie buried at Red Peak. But truth has a price, and escaping a second time may demand the ultimate sacrifice.
David Young, Deacon Price, and Beth Harris live with a dark secret. As children, they survived a religious group's horrific last days at the isolated mountain Red Peak. Years later, the trauma of what they experienced never feels far behind.
When a fellow survivor commits suicide, they finally reunite and share their stories. Long-repressed memories surface, defying understanding and belief. Why did their families go down such a dark road? What really happened on that final night?
The answers lie buried at Red Peak. But truth has a price, and escaping a second time may demand the ultimate sacrifice.
384 pages, Paperback
First published November 17, 2020
About the author
Craig DiLouie
57 books1,068 followersCraig DiLouie is an author of popular thriller, apocalyptic/horror, and sci-fi/fantasy fiction.
In hundreds of reviews, Craig’s novels have been praised for their strong characters, action, and gritty realism. Each book promises an exciting experience with people you’ll care about in a world that feels real.
These works have been nominated for major literary awards such as the Bram Stoker Award and Audie Award, translated into multiple languages, and optioned for film. He is a member of the HWA, International Thriller Writers, and IFWA.
In hundreds of reviews, Craig’s novels have been praised for their strong characters, action, and gritty realism. Each book promises an exciting experience with people you’ll care about in a world that feels real.
These works have been nominated for major literary awards such as the Bram Stoker Award and Audie Award, translated into multiple languages, and optioned for film. He is a member of the HWA, International Thriller Writers, and IFWA.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 722 reviews
May 10, 2023
My thanks to Redhook books, Craig DeLouie and Netgalley. I finished this book 7 to 19 days ago, and it still weighs on my mind. Not in a bad way. I couldn't swear to it, but I may be confounded by the darn thing! In my opinion, this isn't a bad thing at all! Hell, each and every time I think of that ending, I'm bamboozled! I'm of two minds about it! Funny, but I do believe I'm down with that! As for the first part of the book. It's not a cult. The Family are like minded, Christians who form a collective. Their spiritual leader is a good man! He guides. Quite honestly. Reading about these people and the way they lived struck a tone in me. Not the religious part, but the family. So, it was quite the shock to see how easily this was torn asunder! I'm still at odds ever the ending. It was so harsh on The Family, that it seems like it would be something this God would require. You get to the end. Is it God? A trickster? Does it matter? I guess the thing that bothers me most is that I'll probably have to read this book again! Yeah, I can honestly recommend this book. It does have a few layers..
November 18, 2020
I know I have quite a few friends who love a book involving a cult. I have one right here. This is also the perfect atmospheric read for the transition between fall and winter. The author, Craig DiLouie, is a Bram Stoker Award nominee.
David, Deacon, and Beth are survivors of a religious group’s final days living on Red Peak, a remote mountain. They were children at the time, and a lifetime later, the trauma has left its mark.
Another survivor passes away, causing the three to reunite. When they do, they begin to question all that happened and why. The secrets are well buried at Red Peak.
The Children of Red Peak is both chilling and compelling. There’s a tiny touch of horror here, but mostly it felt like mystery and suspense, while the characters examine their pasts in search of healing from the trauma they experienced. I was completely invested in the mystery of this slow-burning cult novel.
I received a gifted copy.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennnifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
David, Deacon, and Beth are survivors of a religious group’s final days living on Red Peak, a remote mountain. They were children at the time, and a lifetime later, the trauma has left its mark.
Another survivor passes away, causing the three to reunite. When they do, they begin to question all that happened and why. The secrets are well buried at Red Peak.
The Children of Red Peak is both chilling and compelling. There’s a tiny touch of horror here, but mostly it felt like mystery and suspense, while the characters examine their pasts in search of healing from the trauma they experienced. I was completely invested in the mystery of this slow-burning cult novel.
I received a gifted copy.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennnifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
June 8, 2020
Absolutely riveting... A tapestry of past and present come together in this chilling tale of family, faith, and redemption. Craig DiLouie has a new fan.
February 27, 2021
There are always multiple sides to every story, but rarely does the audience get to experience them all at the same time. This is a psychological thriller which presents an intriguing mystery to unravel centered on a religious cult and 4 childhood friends caught in the middle of it. Though it kept my attention the entire time as I desperately wanted to know what happened next, it definitly takes the "some thriller but mostly filler" technique.
Full review to come on my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/hollyheartsbooks
Full review to come on my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/hollyheartsbooks
November 6, 2020
Thank you Craig DiLouie, NetGalley, and Redhook Books for the opportunity to read this book!
The Children of Red Peak by Craig DiLouie is a horror novel mixed with religious cultism. Beth, David, and Deacon are reunited at a funeral for their friend Emily. However, the reason for their friendship remains secretive. They are the survivors of a religious cult when they were children. They all suffer from PTSD and memories that have yet to fully be uncovered. At their reunion, they begin to reveal what they do know. And what they know is that they need to go back to Red Peak to get answers.
This book had me at horror and cult. I thought it would be more of the psychological effects that the cult had on the survivors. It wasn’t. It is more about the characters taking a really long time to decide to go back to Red Peak and then with a supernatural twist at the end. The book ultimately follows two timelines, the past, and the present. I found the past way more fascinating as it showed the days in the cult and how it ultimately devolves. It is horrific. There are moments of mutilation that are pretty descriptive. However, the present storyline added absolutely nothing to the story. It dragged on and on.
Then it all came to a point where the author made it seem like cults aren’t that bad. It was bizarre. Then that ending. Ugh. Instead of answers, they get a supernatural twist that just left me like…that’s it? So unfortunately this book was not a win for me. It also may not have been the greatest choice of a read during the 2020 election. I rate this book 2 out of 5 stars.
If this sounds like something you might be interested in, it releases November 17th.
The Children of Red Peak by Craig DiLouie is a horror novel mixed with religious cultism. Beth, David, and Deacon are reunited at a funeral for their friend Emily. However, the reason for their friendship remains secretive. They are the survivors of a religious cult when they were children. They all suffer from PTSD and memories that have yet to fully be uncovered. At their reunion, they begin to reveal what they do know. And what they know is that they need to go back to Red Peak to get answers.
This book had me at horror and cult. I thought it would be more of the psychological effects that the cult had on the survivors. It wasn’t. It is more about the characters taking a really long time to decide to go back to Red Peak and then with a supernatural twist at the end. The book ultimately follows two timelines, the past, and the present. I found the past way more fascinating as it showed the days in the cult and how it ultimately devolves. It is horrific. There are moments of mutilation that are pretty descriptive. However, the present storyline added absolutely nothing to the story. It dragged on and on.
Then it all came to a point where the author made it seem like cults aren’t that bad. It was bizarre. Then that ending. Ugh. Instead of answers, they get a supernatural twist that just left me like…that’s it? So unfortunately this book was not a win for me. It also may not have been the greatest choice of a read during the 2020 election. I rate this book 2 out of 5 stars.
If this sounds like something you might be interested in, it releases November 17th.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 6, 2021
The Children of Red Peak delivered, hard. Five survivors, all children.
What happens to these children, and in their adult lives, unfolds. We move from past to present until the penultimate collision course, atop Red Peak..
Each survivor lives their life to the best of their ability, until they don't. A suicide becomes the catalyst to open old wounds. The story takes us through the lives of David, Amanda, Deacon, Beth, and Emily. We are invited to meet those they love/d, endure with them the horrific ending to what was meant to be an idyllic life, and the answers they have all been seeking. The journey is prolific; the conclusion filled with a freedom unexpected, yet filled with sadness.
This was a heartfelt read. When I come across a book like this, it will take me a considerable longer period of time to finish it. I felt for each character. This is not a happy feel good book. This is a book that will move you through the lives of those attempting to survive and/or thrive after great trauma. And maybe question their sanity along with your own.
Thanks to NetGalley and Redhook for an ARC in return for an honest review.
What happens to these children, and in their adult lives, unfolds. We move from past to present until the penultimate collision course, atop Red Peak..
Each survivor lives their life to the best of their ability, until they don't. A suicide becomes the catalyst to open old wounds. The story takes us through the lives of David, Amanda, Deacon, Beth, and Emily. We are invited to meet those they love/d, endure with them the horrific ending to what was meant to be an idyllic life, and the answers they have all been seeking. The journey is prolific; the conclusion filled with a freedom unexpected, yet filled with sadness.
This was a heartfelt read. When I come across a book like this, it will take me a considerable longer period of time to finish it. I felt for each character. This is not a happy feel good book. This is a book that will move you through the lives of those attempting to survive and/or thrive after great trauma. And maybe question their sanity along with your own.
Thanks to NetGalley and Redhook for an ARC in return for an honest review.
December 23, 2023
I really enjoyed DiLouie's Episode Thirteen, but this one dragged on too much and the ending felt anti-climatic.
February 28, 2022
Edit: I updated my rating to 5 ⭐️. I have not stopped thinking about this one since I finished it. This is gonna stick with me for a while!!!
Loved it!! While it was pretty slow in the beginning, it was never boring, and it really picked up in the second half. It kind of reminded me of Outlast 2 in a way, and was kind of disturbing and very thought provoking.
Loved it!! While it was pretty slow in the beginning, it was never boring, and it really picked up in the second half. It kind of reminded me of Outlast 2 in a way, and was kind of disturbing and very thought provoking.
Read
October 22, 2020DNF @ 30% no rating
I loved DiLouie's Suffer the Children but sadly this one just didn't do it for me. Most of that 30% I spent skimming or distracted by everything around me so it's time to call it quits.
I loved DiLouie's Suffer the Children but sadly this one just didn't do it for me. Most of that 30% I spent skimming or distracted by everything around me so it's time to call it quits.
Read
August 22, 2020I cannot wait to dive into my experience with this one for Cemetery Dance. Unique psychological cult horror
November 13, 2020
The Children of Red Peak is one of those books whose premise offers up a lot of tantalizing potential and demands your attention, but which ultimately fails to fully live up to expectations. Branded as "Heaven's Gate by way of Stephen King's IT" in author Peter Clines's blurb, I was fully expecting Craig DiLouie's latest to captivate and excite me. I mean, CULTS! Religious Terror! Ritualistic human sacrifice and group massacres! Unfortunately, while certain aspects of the story and execution worked me, I found an almost equal number of problems that ultimately left me cold.
Fifteen years ago, the Family of the Living Spirit packed up from their commune and headed into the desert, following the visions of their leader, Father Jeremiah. At the top of Red Peak, they sacrificed themselves, leaving behind only five children. In the present day, one of those former cultists, Emily, has taken her own life, and at her funeral the four remaining friends begin to reconnect and confront the traumas of their past. They begin to realize that if they're ever going to recover from the traumas of their old lives, they have to face their own personal demons -- real or imagined -- head on and return to Red Peak.
As far as set-ups go, DiLouie has a corker here, to be sure. The Living Spirit cult, in order to prove their love for God, subject themselves to self-inflicted mutilations and deprive themselves of food and water while constructing a massive staircase to the top of Red Peak. The emotional tolls and psychic damage that was inflicted upon this small group of surviving children, who we come to know as adults, is enormous, and the things they were forced to observe is absolutely horrific.
Unfortunately, The Children of Red Peak is a slow-burn, and I mean slooooooow. I almost hesitate to even call this book a work of horror, and if it weren't for the occasional and super brief glimpses of an ancient entity, this book would more easily be classified as literary psychological suspense. It deals with horrific elements to be sure, but DiLouie is heavily focused here on the aftermath of those incidents and the ways this group has learned to cope. It's not even until 70% of the way through that DiLouie begins to start revealing the awful memories buried in Beth's mind. Up to that point, we're treated to plodding visits to psychiatrist conferences and emo goth rock concerts where Deacon, the cult survivor turned band leader, plots out a concept album inspired by his childhood.
While the examination of cults and the long-term psychological abuse that is religious extremism (some might argue, not incorrectly, religious belief, period) are supremely fascinating and well researched, it literally takes forever for this book to go anywhere. This small group of survivors talk repeatedly about returning to Red Peak, and then talk about it some more, and then discuss it again, and then think about it for a while, and then think about discussing it again, and then wonder what the others in the group think and whether they should hash it all out once more, and then, holy fucking shit, are they EVER actually going to go there?! Hold on, let's talk about this some more!
Sorry, Peter Clines, but the return to Derry, this is not.
Yes, The Children of Red Peak does have a few sparks of interesting ideas, and yes, it is emotionally impactful. But. There's no real energy to it, and by the time we reach the big climax, the grand reveal, it all feels like such a massive copout that I wondered why I had invested so much of my time in this book when I could have just watched Star Trek V again. Sure, it would have been just as painful and numbing, but it would have been so much quicker...
Fifteen years ago, the Family of the Living Spirit packed up from their commune and headed into the desert, following the visions of their leader, Father Jeremiah. At the top of Red Peak, they sacrificed themselves, leaving behind only five children. In the present day, one of those former cultists, Emily, has taken her own life, and at her funeral the four remaining friends begin to reconnect and confront the traumas of their past. They begin to realize that if they're ever going to recover from the traumas of their old lives, they have to face their own personal demons -- real or imagined -- head on and return to Red Peak.
As far as set-ups go, DiLouie has a corker here, to be sure. The Living Spirit cult, in order to prove their love for God, subject themselves to self-inflicted mutilations and deprive themselves of food and water while constructing a massive staircase to the top of Red Peak. The emotional tolls and psychic damage that was inflicted upon this small group of surviving children, who we come to know as adults, is enormous, and the things they were forced to observe is absolutely horrific.
Unfortunately, The Children of Red Peak is a slow-burn, and I mean slooooooow. I almost hesitate to even call this book a work of horror, and if it weren't for the occasional and super brief glimpses of an ancient entity, this book would more easily be classified as literary psychological suspense. It deals with horrific elements to be sure, but DiLouie is heavily focused here on the aftermath of those incidents and the ways this group has learned to cope. It's not even until 70% of the way through that DiLouie begins to start revealing the awful memories buried in Beth's mind. Up to that point, we're treated to plodding visits to psychiatrist conferences and emo goth rock concerts where Deacon, the cult survivor turned band leader, plots out a concept album inspired by his childhood.
While the examination of cults and the long-term psychological abuse that is religious extremism (some might argue, not incorrectly, religious belief, period) are supremely fascinating and well researched, it literally takes forever for this book to go anywhere. This small group of survivors talk repeatedly about returning to Red Peak, and then talk about it some more, and then discuss it again, and then think about it for a while, and then think about discussing it again, and then wonder what the others in the group think and whether they should hash it all out once more, and then, holy fucking shit, are they EVER actually going to go there?! Hold on, let's talk about this some more!
Sorry, Peter Clines, but the return to Derry, this is not.
Yes, The Children of Red Peak does have a few sparks of interesting ideas, and yes, it is emotionally impactful. But. There's no real energy to it, and by the time we reach the big climax, the grand reveal, it all feels like such a massive copout that I wondered why I had invested so much of my time in this book when I could have just watched Star Trek V again. Sure, it would have been just as painful and numbing, but it would have been so much quicker...
August 19, 2020
2 Stars
"...In all endings there is a beginning."- The Children of Red Peak.
REVIEW: Thank you to NetGalley, Redhook Books, and Craig DiLouie for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This book follows a group of adults who as children survived a cult's last days at an isolated mountain called Red Peak. Throughout their lives, their experience at Red Peak has caused them significant trauma and has never left them. However, when one of the adults in their group commits suicide, they reunite and decide to share their stories and memories of their time in the cult. The group knows that the final answers to all their questions can only be found by going back to Red Peak, but they are afraid of what they might have to sacrifice.
I was super excited to read this book because I love books about cults or religious groups. Overall, I thought the story was okay. The story is told through two different timelines: one in the present day, and one when the characters were children and in the cult. I much preferred the timeline that showed the characters in the cult. I wasn't able to really connect with any of the characters and was not invested in their present day-to-day life.
Part of this story was a little confusing to me. Sometimes the text would randomly switch between two different character's point-of-view and I would have to reread the section to try to figure out who it was. Also, the story occasionally shifted between the past and the present without a clear indicator of this, and also who's perspective we were reading from. I thought the overall plot was fantastic, and there was so much to work with. I, unfortunately, just think it wasn't executed as well as it could have been.
SYNOPSIS: David Young, Deacon Price, and Beth Harris live with a dark secret. As children, they survived a religious group's horrific last days at the isolated mountain Red Peak. Years later, the trauma of what they experienced never feels far behind.
When a fellow survivor commits suicide, they finally reunite and share their stories. Long-repressed memories surface, defying understanding, and belief. Why did their families go down such a dark road? What really happened on that final night?
The answers lie buried at Red Peak. But truth has a price, and escaping a second time may demand the ultimate sacrifice.
RELEASE DATE: November 17, 2020
"...In all endings there is a beginning."- The Children of Red Peak.
REVIEW: Thank you to NetGalley, Redhook Books, and Craig DiLouie for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This book follows a group of adults who as children survived a cult's last days at an isolated mountain called Red Peak. Throughout their lives, their experience at Red Peak has caused them significant trauma and has never left them. However, when one of the adults in their group commits suicide, they reunite and decide to share their stories and memories of their time in the cult. The group knows that the final answers to all their questions can only be found by going back to Red Peak, but they are afraid of what they might have to sacrifice.
I was super excited to read this book because I love books about cults or religious groups. Overall, I thought the story was okay. The story is told through two different timelines: one in the present day, and one when the characters were children and in the cult. I much preferred the timeline that showed the characters in the cult. I wasn't able to really connect with any of the characters and was not invested in their present day-to-day life.
Part of this story was a little confusing to me. Sometimes the text would randomly switch between two different character's point-of-view and I would have to reread the section to try to figure out who it was. Also, the story occasionally shifted between the past and the present without a clear indicator of this, and also who's perspective we were reading from. I thought the overall plot was fantastic, and there was so much to work with. I, unfortunately, just think it wasn't executed as well as it could have been.
SYNOPSIS: David Young, Deacon Price, and Beth Harris live with a dark secret. As children, they survived a religious group's horrific last days at the isolated mountain Red Peak. Years later, the trauma of what they experienced never feels far behind.
When a fellow survivor commits suicide, they finally reunite and share their stories. Long-repressed memories surface, defying understanding, and belief. Why did their families go down such a dark road? What really happened on that final night?
The answers lie buried at Red Peak. But truth has a price, and escaping a second time may demand the ultimate sacrifice.
RELEASE DATE: November 17, 2020
July 25, 2022
Fact: I ate this up.
I didn't know anything about this book or its author when I started it. I realized pretty quickly that it's probably written by a 40-50 something-year-old dude because one of the characters had a 'no pain no gain' tattoo unironically. But, it was about child survivors from a religious cult who committed mass suicide and that was interesting enough to continue.
And again, I ate it up!! I think this subject is incredibly fascinating, not to mention it gave some lovecraftian hints as well.
Then the ending came and it was so anticlimactic and flat that I almost fell asleep.
It had so much potential and then it just killed me off. Too bad
I didn't know anything about this book or its author when I started it. I realized pretty quickly that it's probably written by a 40-50 something-year-old dude because one of the characters had a 'no pain no gain' tattoo unironically. But, it was about child survivors from a religious cult who committed mass suicide and that was interesting enough to continue.
And again, I ate it up!! I think this subject is incredibly fascinating, not to mention it gave some lovecraftian hints as well.
Then the ending came and it was so anticlimactic and flat that I almost fell asleep.
It had so much potential and then it just killed me off. Too bad
October 13, 2020
The Children of Red Peak is a horror novel about the survivors of a doomsday cult. When one of the survivors dies by suicide, the remaining survivors set out of discover what truly happen the last night everyone was still alive.
The Children of Red Peak is told from three of the survivors’ perspectives, David, Beth, and Deacon, and jumps from the present to the past. I enjoyed David and Beth’s perspectives as they both offered two different viewpoints on the trauma. Though they all suffer from psychological damage, David seems to have suffered the least. He was focused on his family and career as an exit counsellor. Beth is a psychologist so her perspective offered a more clinical look at the characters and what happened to them. Finally, Deacon is a rock star. His chapters were unbearable. DiLouie often got lost in the nuances of music and music making that I found myself skimming through multiple pages in hopes of getting back to the story.
I ended up rating the novel 3.5 stars for two reasons. First, the horror elements do not come into play until later in the novel. DiLouie takes his time situating the characters and setting making the novel feel long at times and not all that spooky. Secondly, the ending didn’t work for me. This is a purely subjective observation. It didn’t work for me, but it may work for me.
Though most of my review is negative, I did enjoy my time reading The Children of Red Peak. It’s an interesting story with enjoyable character dynamics. I especially enjoyed Beth’s more clinical perspective contrasted with David’s more human perspective.
Overall, The Children of Red Peak is an interesting enough horror novel centered around a mysterious doomsday cult. The horror scenes are brutal and not for the faint of heart.
*** I received an ARC via Netgalley for an honest review.
The Children of Red Peak is told from three of the survivors’ perspectives, David, Beth, and Deacon, and jumps from the present to the past. I enjoyed David and Beth’s perspectives as they both offered two different viewpoints on the trauma. Though they all suffer from psychological damage, David seems to have suffered the least. He was focused on his family and career as an exit counsellor. Beth is a psychologist so her perspective offered a more clinical look at the characters and what happened to them. Finally, Deacon is a rock star. His chapters were unbearable. DiLouie often got lost in the nuances of music and music making that I found myself skimming through multiple pages in hopes of getting back to the story.
I ended up rating the novel 3.5 stars for two reasons. First, the horror elements do not come into play until later in the novel. DiLouie takes his time situating the characters and setting making the novel feel long at times and not all that spooky. Secondly, the ending didn’t work for me. This is a purely subjective observation. It didn’t work for me, but it may work for me.
Though most of my review is negative, I did enjoy my time reading The Children of Red Peak. It’s an interesting story with enjoyable character dynamics. I especially enjoyed Beth’s more clinical perspective contrasted with David’s more human perspective.
Overall, The Children of Red Peak is an interesting enough horror novel centered around a mysterious doomsday cult. The horror scenes are brutal and not for the faint of heart.
*** I received an ARC via Netgalley for an honest review.
October 8, 2020
3.0 Stars
This is a horror story written for anyone obsessed with stories about religious cults. After reading this, I realized that I only have a mild fascination with the topic so the story didn't appeal to me as much as it will for other readers.
Told over two timelines, I found both the past and present to be equally compelling. Most of the story read like general fiction, following the characters as they faced the realities and consequences of cult life. The horror elements really didn't come into the narrative until late into the story and I personally wanted the creep factor to start sooner.
The strongest aspect of this story was the mystery behind the disappearances. I kept turning the pages because I really wanted to know what happened to the rest of the cult on that mountain. Endings in horror books are notoriously finicky and, unfortunately, this was one of those endings that did not entirely work for me.
If you are one of those people that are fascinated by the psychological power of religious cults then I would definitely recommend this novel. While it was not a personal favourite, I still appreciated the author's creativity in writing a unique horror twist on such a classic narrative.
Disclaimer: I received an ARC from the publicist.
This is a horror story written for anyone obsessed with stories about religious cults. After reading this, I realized that I only have a mild fascination with the topic so the story didn't appeal to me as much as it will for other readers.
Told over two timelines, I found both the past and present to be equally compelling. Most of the story read like general fiction, following the characters as they faced the realities and consequences of cult life. The horror elements really didn't come into the narrative until late into the story and I personally wanted the creep factor to start sooner.
The strongest aspect of this story was the mystery behind the disappearances. I kept turning the pages because I really wanted to know what happened to the rest of the cult on that mountain. Endings in horror books are notoriously finicky and, unfortunately, this was one of those endings that did not entirely work for me.
If you are one of those people that are fascinated by the psychological power of religious cults then I would definitely recommend this novel. While it was not a personal favourite, I still appreciated the author's creativity in writing a unique horror twist on such a classic narrative.
Disclaimer: I received an ARC from the publicist.
November 20, 2020
This story will haunt you long after you finish.
It is very consistent with my own experiences being raised in a cult.
I find it more than ironic that the group who I ran from still harasses me to the point, that among the many things they hack, they removed my original review...
How is that for true to life!
It is very consistent with my own experiences being raised in a cult.
I find it more than ironic that the group who I ran from still harasses me to the point, that among the many things they hack, they removed my original review...
How is that for true to life!
December 30, 2020
Cult, the atonement of sins and sacrifice. The ultimate act of faith committed by an entire community who followed their Reverend to cross over to be with God and only 5 children survived to tell about that awful night.
It’s been 15 years, and those five children, now all adults, are down to just four. They all received the same letter: I couldn’t fight it anymore. Sweet Emily took her life.
They haven’t seen each other in years. Not since their time in group therapy after the incident until each of them was sent to foster care or was adopted, but they all struggled in different ways to cope with their past while growing up.
This Bram Stoker award-nominated novel tells the story of these cult survivors in their pov’s alternating between the present and the past. It starts of so normal, not perfect by any means: broken families of oftentimes just one parent seeking refuge with Reverend Peale in his community near Red Peak, California. David and his sister Angela, for instance, commute for two days to make a new beginning with their mother, after their father cheated on her and left them. With the signs of an impending apocalypse per Reverend Peale, shortly after 9/11, their mom couldn’t give a darn about what would happen to him or his new girlfriend, as long as she brought her kids to safety. Now, years later, David practices Exit counseling for those trying to get away from Cults, which are plenty around in this country.
Unlike Deacon, who now pours all his feelings into music gigging from one low-brow bar to the next trying to catch a break, Beth is a phycologist and has it all together. Somewhat OCD, it is her way of coping: order, patterns, regularity, and that nightly glass of wine that keeps her centered and sane.
Angela was the most skeptical of them all during her childhood, and now that they are back in touch with each other, convinces them to go back to Red Peak to fully process and make peace with what happened.
In painstaking bits, we follow the characters in this eerie novel into the deepest and darkest places of their souls. There is this slow-burn element of events, that begins to become creepier and creepier giving insight into how easily manipulated the mind can be in the most vulnerable situations as well as the torment to overcome something so horrific.
I read this novel rather quickly because I became fairly glued to the suspense and lured into the drama with a need to find out what happened and what these characters will ultimately end up doing. I can’t say this was the most heart-pounding or engrossing novel I have read, but it certainly has the “I can’t look away from this train wreck” attributes. Most awful was the mutilation of the members/parents in the cult that voluntarily starved and sacrificed body parts of themselves to ready for the ultimate passage. Throw in the innocent children, helpless and brainwashed, and you have yourself a subtle and disturbing read such as this one.
Like I mentioned, the characters offer an array of personalities and I found myself connecting to many of their thoughts because deep down, they all exhibited vulnerable human traits easily to connect with such as underlying fears, worry, and anxieties, etc. But there were also positive vibes to come across such as their deep childhood connection and friendship, firsts of things like stolen kisses, and straight-up happy child’s play. While the entirety of this mysterious cult unfolds, the reader gains a real sense of the characters in it.
If you enjoy a little shock and chill…this could be your next read.
Enjoy!
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest and voluntary review. All opinions are my own. Thank you!
More of my reviews here:
Through Novel Time & Distance
It’s been 15 years, and those five children, now all adults, are down to just four. They all received the same letter: I couldn’t fight it anymore. Sweet Emily took her life.
They haven’t seen each other in years. Not since their time in group therapy after the incident until each of them was sent to foster care or was adopted, but they all struggled in different ways to cope with their past while growing up.
This Bram Stoker award-nominated novel tells the story of these cult survivors in their pov’s alternating between the present and the past. It starts of so normal, not perfect by any means: broken families of oftentimes just one parent seeking refuge with Reverend Peale in his community near Red Peak, California. David and his sister Angela, for instance, commute for two days to make a new beginning with their mother, after their father cheated on her and left them. With the signs of an impending apocalypse per Reverend Peale, shortly after 9/11, their mom couldn’t give a darn about what would happen to him or his new girlfriend, as long as she brought her kids to safety. Now, years later, David practices Exit counseling for those trying to get away from Cults, which are plenty around in this country.
Unlike Deacon, who now pours all his feelings into music gigging from one low-brow bar to the next trying to catch a break, Beth is a phycologist and has it all together. Somewhat OCD, it is her way of coping: order, patterns, regularity, and that nightly glass of wine that keeps her centered and sane.
Angela was the most skeptical of them all during her childhood, and now that they are back in touch with each other, convinces them to go back to Red Peak to fully process and make peace with what happened.
In painstaking bits, we follow the characters in this eerie novel into the deepest and darkest places of their souls. There is this slow-burn element of events, that begins to become creepier and creepier giving insight into how easily manipulated the mind can be in the most vulnerable situations as well as the torment to overcome something so horrific.
I read this novel rather quickly because I became fairly glued to the suspense and lured into the drama with a need to find out what happened and what these characters will ultimately end up doing. I can’t say this was the most heart-pounding or engrossing novel I have read, but it certainly has the “I can’t look away from this train wreck” attributes. Most awful was the mutilation of the members/parents in the cult that voluntarily starved and sacrificed body parts of themselves to ready for the ultimate passage. Throw in the innocent children, helpless and brainwashed, and you have yourself a subtle and disturbing read such as this one.
Like I mentioned, the characters offer an array of personalities and I found myself connecting to many of their thoughts because deep down, they all exhibited vulnerable human traits easily to connect with such as underlying fears, worry, and anxieties, etc. But there were also positive vibes to come across such as their deep childhood connection and friendship, firsts of things like stolen kisses, and straight-up happy child’s play. While the entirety of this mysterious cult unfolds, the reader gains a real sense of the characters in it.
If you enjoy a little shock and chill…this could be your next read.
Enjoy!
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest and voluntary review. All opinions are my own. Thank you!
More of my reviews here:
Through Novel Time & Distance
February 3, 2022
This is without a doubt going to go down as one of my top 5 favourite reads of 2022, it’s just bloody BRILLIANT. There is not a single thing about it that wasn’t perfect, it’s just that good. Everything about it drew me in from the start, I was completely hooked from page one and it only got better and better as it went on. I always get a little giddy when a horror story features cults, something about it just really does it for me, ESPECIALLY when they’re as deliciously evil and sinister as this one. The story starts off with a bang and doesn’t let up the whole way through, it’s shock after shock until BOOM, that crazy and absolutely bananas ending that I honestly didn’t see coming and that couldn’t have been more perfect. I could go on for days about how great this book was but you should just read it yourself instead, you won’t regret it!
August 23, 2020
This book had me at a cult. All things to do with cults hold a near magnetic fascination for me. And in that respect it certainly didn’t disappoint. The cult here is front and center and remains the most prominent feature of the novel. A peace loving Christian commune that evolves/devolves into a terrifying doomsday cult and results with its members self mutilating, dying and…disappearing. Yes, just vanishing. Dubbed The Medford Mystery after the cult’s second and most lethal location, it remains unsolved for 15 years. Meanwhile, it’s only survivors, five kids, had what seemed like sufficient amounts of therapy and managed to have pretty normal lives. Surprisingly normal, considering that they were teenagers and almost teenagers while witnessing these tragedies and the scarring on one’s psyche from such things must be considerable. Each of the five has developed their own coping techniques, drinking, music, denial, etc. One became a cult deprogrammer, one a shrink. And one killed herself just as the fifteen year anniversary of the tragedy approaches. It is her funeral and subsequent reunion of the now adult survivors that triggers a variety of unresolved emotions and it seems that the only way to get the answers they need is to do the very thing they’ve been so deliberately avoiding all this time and go back to the source. And so there you have it, the children of the Red Peak, young people indelibly emotionally crippled by a terrible tragedy, confronting their demons. Quite literally. So first off, while undeniably horrific, this is much more along the lines of dark psychological drama/thriller and very much a character driven one at that. As such, the characters are crucially important, but not all created equally. Some are most compelling, some less so. Deacon, the musician, is over the top emo, though he’d hate that, because he thinks of himself as more along the lines of punk goth. With his Latin and Greek profundities inked body and his unrealized romantic longings and his black clothing, he is goth, all right, but kind of emo mopey about it. Though his greatest tragedy seems to be no talent for song writing, from early years to now his song lyrics are just crap, very basic, very flat. If they hadn’t been included, my imagination would have provided him with much nicer writer tracks. Beth, the shrink, and Deacon’s love interest for all these years, is a tightly controlled mess of a person, with neatly organized life and career and wine for whenever the control threatens to slip away. There’s David, the soul of the novel, really, the youngest of the bunch, who went on to have a productive life as a family man and a talk therapist for cult members, not quite a deprogrammer, but an exit consultant. And his sister, the gorgeous cop, the eldest and therefore most cynical and most brave. And there was Emily, the suicide. So that’s the main cast of characters, variously unevenly likeable, but all admirable in their own way having been able to actively build a life overcoming such a devastating event. The thing of it is, though, the trick they all seemed to have employed, is putting their past aside, either deliberately of subconsciously, forgetting or forcing themselves not to think about it, which is arguably the best way to deal with this sort of thing. Though not according to the therapy ideology, which demands it all analyzed and processed. Well, some processes are deadly. And what if the thing they all agreed on had to be hallucinated by their disturbed minds was in fact real? Did the bodies levitate and disappear? Follow them to the Red Peak and find out. Frankly, the ending was something of a letdown for me, I expected more than vagueness provided and more from the characters, but it worked and I can (intellectually if not emotionally) understand how it did. But the book itself was really good, so well written, so excellently atmospherically dark, so engaging. Terrific introduction to a new (to me) author. Fans of dark supernatural tinged fiction ought to enjoy this. Fans of fiction about cults…it’s a must. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.
January 22, 2021
Booooooooooooooooooooooo
Cult? Yes. Mass suicide?! Hell yes. Sign me up. The 2005 cult timeline was way more interesting than present day - give me a whole book that's of the slow descent to madness. Less of the...idk, whatever was going on in present day. Alcoholism. Bad music. Lying to your wife. (why was David written like he was 38? He was 27?)
AND NOT THIS ENDING
WHAT THE FUCK
~~Oooooh so sorry guys, turns out the cult leader really was communing with ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ something? Maybe Jesus? Who knows? Anyway they all really did ascend into the afterlife! Kill yourselves now and you can too. Mystery solved hooray the end~~ EXCUSE ME?!
if you want to be speculative religious fiction, just be upfront about it. Don't bait me with cults and mass suicide and end with.... Whatever that was. Ugh.
It was a solid 4 stars until that mess
A begrudging 3 becaaue the writing was good, parts of the story were enthralling (that mutilation, wtf) but I just didn't like how the ending felt so totally at odds with the rest of the book.
Cult? Yes. Mass suicide?! Hell yes. Sign me up. The 2005 cult timeline was way more interesting than present day - give me a whole book that's of the slow descent to madness. Less of the...idk, whatever was going on in present day. Alcoholism. Bad music. Lying to your wife. (why was David written like he was 38? He was 27?)
AND NOT THIS ENDING
WHAT THE FUCK
~~Oooooh so sorry guys, turns out the cult leader really was communing with ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ something? Maybe Jesus? Who knows? Anyway they all really did ascend into the afterlife! Kill yourselves now and you can too. Mystery solved hooray the end~~ EXCUSE ME?!
if you want to be speculative religious fiction, just be upfront about it. Don't bait me with cults and mass suicide and end with.... Whatever that was. Ugh.
It was a solid 4 stars until that mess
A begrudging 3 becaaue the writing was good, parts of the story were enthralling (that mutilation, wtf) but I just didn't like how the ending felt so totally at odds with the rest of the book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 29, 2021
This was not good.
January 6, 2023
I thought this book was going to be better than it was. I think the first half was good and the last half could’ve been so much better.
November 12, 2020
Reading The Children of Red Peak gave me serious chills — but I’m not sure whether this story needed the horror/supernatural element to have that effect. How can a story about childhood survivors of a death cult be anything but horrifying?
In The Children of Red Peak, we meet the three main characters — David, Beth, and Deacon, at the funeral of their childhood friend, Emily. Emily has committed suicide, leaving a note that says simply “I couldn’t fight it anymore”.
Fifteen years earlier, these four people, plus David’s older sister Angela, were the sole survivors of a brutal yet mysterious mass suicide out in the desert at a location known as Red Peak. A religious congregation, led by their pastor, endured weeks of starvation, hard labor, and mutilations before finally drinking poison (and murdering those who balked) — all with the goal of gaining eternal life in heaven, leaving behind the rest of the world to suffer the end times.
The survivors were all teens at the time, and after their rescue and extended psychological treatment, they eventually went their separate ways and made lives for themselves. But none are truly happy, and none can really explain what happened on that terrible day at Red Peak.
Through chapters that alternate between Beth, David, and Deacon’s perspectives, we learn about their varied current lives — Beth is a psychologist, Deacon an up-and-coming rock star, and David a cult exit counselor. We also see the characters start to allow their memories to resurface, so we get the backstory of the Family of the Living Spirit, its road to ruin, and the events of the final day in bits and pieces, until they eventually add up to a disturbing, terrible whole.
While there is a mysterious supernatural (religious?) element that comes into play, for me the true impact of this book lies in the description of the Family of the Living Spirit’s trajectory toward destruction. When we’re introduced to this community, they are a peaceful, religious, spiritual group living off the land on a small farm, devoted to the worship of the Living Spirit, but also living a joyful, celebratory life.
It’s only when the pastor discovers a miracle in the desert that the group’s emphasis on gaining eternal life kicks into high gear. With growing fervor for the apocalypse and their crossing over, the congregation evolves quickly into a doomsday cult. Choices are removed, blind obedience is emphasized, and increasingly destructive behaviors are held up as testaments to faith. It’s horrible, especially as we see these events through the eyes of people who were children at the time.
I’m not sure that I loved the climax and conclusion of The Children of Red Peak. The story of the cult and its destructive power is the true horror — for me, the addition of a supernatural element seems almost beside the point. Yes, it’s all very scary and horrifying, but even if this story were just about the delusions and failings of a group of brainwashed people, it would be just as scary and horrifying.
Maybe even more so?
The ending gives us a way out, so to speak. It allows for the possibility that the group’s beliefs might actually have had some sort of fulfillment, in its own awful way. And truly, there are no excuses. Whether the events were the work of a supernatural or divine being, it still resulted in suffering, death, and the permanent psychological damage done to the children who survived.
The Children of Red Peak is thought-provoking and utterly devastating. I came to really care about the characters, and found the entire story and the characters’ various endings heart-breaking and tragic.
This is a powerful read, and I just wish I had someone to talk about it with! Craig DiLouie is a gifted writer, and I will gladly read whatever he writes next.
Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley. Full review at Bookshelf Fantasies.
In The Children of Red Peak, we meet the three main characters — David, Beth, and Deacon, at the funeral of their childhood friend, Emily. Emily has committed suicide, leaving a note that says simply “I couldn’t fight it anymore”.
Fifteen years earlier, these four people, plus David’s older sister Angela, were the sole survivors of a brutal yet mysterious mass suicide out in the desert at a location known as Red Peak. A religious congregation, led by their pastor, endured weeks of starvation, hard labor, and mutilations before finally drinking poison (and murdering those who balked) — all with the goal of gaining eternal life in heaven, leaving behind the rest of the world to suffer the end times.
The survivors were all teens at the time, and after their rescue and extended psychological treatment, they eventually went their separate ways and made lives for themselves. But none are truly happy, and none can really explain what happened on that terrible day at Red Peak.
Through chapters that alternate between Beth, David, and Deacon’s perspectives, we learn about their varied current lives — Beth is a psychologist, Deacon an up-and-coming rock star, and David a cult exit counselor. We also see the characters start to allow their memories to resurface, so we get the backstory of the Family of the Living Spirit, its road to ruin, and the events of the final day in bits and pieces, until they eventually add up to a disturbing, terrible whole.
While there is a mysterious supernatural (religious?) element that comes into play, for me the true impact of this book lies in the description of the Family of the Living Spirit’s trajectory toward destruction. When we’re introduced to this community, they are a peaceful, religious, spiritual group living off the land on a small farm, devoted to the worship of the Living Spirit, but also living a joyful, celebratory life.
It’s only when the pastor discovers a miracle in the desert that the group’s emphasis on gaining eternal life kicks into high gear. With growing fervor for the apocalypse and their crossing over, the congregation evolves quickly into a doomsday cult. Choices are removed, blind obedience is emphasized, and increasingly destructive behaviors are held up as testaments to faith. It’s horrible, especially as we see these events through the eyes of people who were children at the time.
I’m not sure that I loved the climax and conclusion of The Children of Red Peak. The story of the cult and its destructive power is the true horror — for me, the addition of a supernatural element seems almost beside the point. Yes, it’s all very scary and horrifying, but even if this story were just about the delusions and failings of a group of brainwashed people, it would be just as scary and horrifying.
Maybe even more so?
The ending gives us a way out, so to speak. It allows for the possibility that the group’s beliefs might actually have had some sort of fulfillment, in its own awful way. And truly, there are no excuses. Whether the events were the work of a supernatural or divine being, it still resulted in suffering, death, and the permanent psychological damage done to the children who survived.
The Children of Red Peak is thought-provoking and utterly devastating. I came to really care about the characters, and found the entire story and the characters’ various endings heart-breaking and tragic.
This is a powerful read, and I just wish I had someone to talk about it with! Craig DiLouie is a gifted writer, and I will gladly read whatever he writes next.
Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley. Full review at Bookshelf Fantasies.
September 13, 2020
Craig DiLouie’s THE CHILDREN OF RED PEAK is a terrifying look into life in a religious cult where the children are the innocent victims. From memories suppressed to memories that are continual nightmares four adults attempt to cope with their pasts and one take the final escape and then there were three who will come together to finally put the ghosts of the past to rest.
Thought-provoking and frightening, one leader will use abuse, fear and religion to control his flock. Years later, will delving into the mysteries of Red Peak free three souls to heal and move forward?
The element of horror and mystery is excellent, the atmosphere is dark and heavy as long buried secrets come to the surface. My only issue: the characters fell rather flat for me as adults although the reliving of their pasts was very well done. A little horror, a lot of veiled mystery and pain in this intense read.
I received a complimentary ARC edition from Redhook Books! This is my honest and voluntary review.
Publisher : Redhook (November 17, 2020)
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Print Length : 384 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews, Giveaways, Fabulous Book News, follow: http://tometender.blogspot.com
Thought-provoking and frightening, one leader will use abuse, fear and religion to control his flock. Years later, will delving into the mysteries of Red Peak free three souls to heal and move forward?
The element of horror and mystery is excellent, the atmosphere is dark and heavy as long buried secrets come to the surface. My only issue: the characters fell rather flat for me as adults although the reliving of their pasts was very well done. A little horror, a lot of veiled mystery and pain in this intense read.
I received a complimentary ARC edition from Redhook Books! This is my honest and voluntary review.
Publisher : Redhook (November 17, 2020)
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Print Length : 384 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews, Giveaways, Fabulous Book News, follow: http://tometender.blogspot.com
July 9, 2021
When I write I often get tired and peter out before the end. I'm not good at strong finishes, or at returning to work at a later date. The thing that makes this okay is that I'm not a writer professionally, so I've never written a 400+ page book and then tried to wrap it up in a few pages.
The Children of Red Peak are the five children who survived the last days of what had become a suicide cult. It didn't used to be one, according to the children it wasn't even a cult until it moved to red peak, but once there it transformed into something horrifying leaving only four children in its wake. Now the children are adults reuniting for the funeral of one of their number, and have become convinced they have to return to Red Peak to confront what had happened there.
I found the writing of this book sloppy and unsubtle and I had worked out structurally what was going to happen incredibly early, which didn't help matters. I usually like character studies, but I found the characters surprisingly shallow considering how complicated they are supposed to be. Most of this book struck me as boring.
The biggest problem though is the climax. Almost all of the book is spend building up to red peak, and the flashbacks of the peak were appropriately dark, but once the children got there we spent maybe about one chapter or so on the peak confronting the past, and then it was over. The Red Peak confrontation itself felt very Star Trek V if Kirk had kind of given up mid conversation.
The concept and message of the book could be really interesting, a confrontation of the possibility that a cult could be right and what the appropriate response to that would be. This is really muddled though, especially with the book's focus on trauma, making the conclusion weirdly feel as though it is saying that some survivors should live if they want to, but maybe others should kill themselves. It's the most pro suicide book I've read since I'm Thinking of Ending Things. And then even that fizzles out into a half hearted life affirming thing for the main character.
I wanted to like this. I like a lot about it in theory. In practice I found almost nothing about it worked.
The Children of Red Peak are the five children who survived the last days of what had become a suicide cult. It didn't used to be one, according to the children it wasn't even a cult until it moved to red peak, but once there it transformed into something horrifying leaving only four children in its wake. Now the children are adults reuniting for the funeral of one of their number, and have become convinced they have to return to Red Peak to confront what had happened there.
I found the writing of this book sloppy and unsubtle and I had worked out structurally what was going to happen incredibly early, which didn't help matters. I usually like character studies, but I found the characters surprisingly shallow considering how complicated they are supposed to be. Most of this book struck me as boring.
The biggest problem though is the climax. Almost all of the book is spend building up to red peak, and the flashbacks of the peak were appropriately dark, but once the children got there we spent maybe about one chapter or so on the peak confronting the past, and then it was over. The Red Peak confrontation itself felt very Star Trek V if Kirk had kind of given up mid conversation.
The concept and message of the book could be really interesting, a confrontation of the possibility that a cult could be right and what the appropriate response to that would be. This is really muddled though, especially with the book's focus on trauma, making the conclusion weirdly feel as though it is saying that some survivors should live if they want to, but maybe others should kill themselves. It's the most pro suicide book I've read since I'm Thinking of Ending Things. And then even that fizzles out into a half hearted life affirming thing for the main character.
I wanted to like this. I like a lot about it in theory. In practice I found almost nothing about it worked.
February 19, 2021
One of the better books I've read. Religious cults, mass hallucinations. Want to hear the story of the children who escaped and what happens when they return to Read Peak for the 15 year anniversary? Pick this one up! A very hard piece of fiction to put down.
May 12, 2022
This book I listened to through hoopla through my library as a bonus what kept me going was the writing style the dual time lines the characters and the narrator he did great yes it had slow moments I would put this book as more of a drama horror then just horror or fiction yes its disturbing and so messed up the author goes into depth about the cult that made me go damn these people are insane! I would read this if your looking for a slow burn mystery thriller with some horror elements the people who got out etc and the ending was very good!
November 16, 2020
I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.The nitty-gritty: DiLouie explores the emotional aftermath of surviving a doomsday cult in his latest, a dark and atmospheric tale steeped in mystery.
The Children of Red Peak is my third Craig DiLouie book, and once again I’m in awe of his storytelling skills and the way he is able to evoke emotions. DiLouie tends to choose dark topics for his stories—racism, war and now cults—and his books are not always easy to read, but each one has been a powerful experience for me, and his latest is no exception. And while Our War is still my favorite of his books that I’ve read, I thought The Children of Red Peak was a solid story with plenty of emotional impact.
DiLouie alternates between the past and the present and tells the story of a group of children—now adults—who were the only survivors of a doomsday cult called the Family of the Living Spirit. Back in 2005, Deacon, Beth, Angela, David and Emily managed to escape that horrifying night when over a hundred cult members died. Despite a bloody crime scene, none of the bodies were ever found, and the infamous event is now referred to as the Medford Mystery.
Now fifteen years later, the survivors find themselves together again under unfortunate circumstances. Emily has committed suicide, and the other four are attending her funeral. This fateful meeting triggers horrifying memories and emotions, as Deacon, Beth, Angela and David are faced with the biggest mystery from their past: what actually happened that last night on Red Peak? With the anniversary date of the event approaching, the four must come to terms with their feelings about the cult by confronting their past one final time.
I’ve always been fascinated with cults, and I have vague memories from childhood of some of the more infamous ones. I remember the Jonestown Massacre and how shocked I was that something like that could even happen. DiLouie bases his story on cults like that one, giving the Family a charismatic leader named Jeremiah Peale who convinces his followers that only by dying can they hope to escape the coming apocalypse. The most horrific part of all this, at least for me, was that so many children were involved in his scheme, forced into it by their parents and brainwashed to believe that death was the way to salvation. DiLouie’s most emotional scenes were the ones when the bad shit is going down and the kids suddenly realize that they are actually going to die. It would have been heartbreaking enough without children involved, but adding them to the mix made it nearly unbearable.
Overall, I really loved the structure and the author’s decision to use a dual timeline to tell his story. We get to see the effects of childhood trauma and how each survivor has been able to move forward with their lives—or not, in some cases. Beth seems to be the most settled, and has become a successful clinical psychologist. Her personal life is neat and tidy, at least on the outside, but we later learn that Beth is not doing well at all emotionally, and has suppressed her memories of the final night at Red Peak. Over the course of the story, her weaknesses are revealed little by little. David is the only one who is married with children, his family acting as an anchor of sorts and allowing him the semblance of a normal life. David has dealt with his trauma by becoming an “exit counselor,” someone who tries to get cult members to leave their cults before it’s too late. His job is hard and emotional, but it makes him feel like he’s helping others, the sort of help he wasn’t able to get himself.
Then there’s Deacon, who hasn’t really grown up at all. He fronts a rock band called Cats are Sad, which seems to be on the brink of success, but Emily’s suicide changes his focus. Deacon feels compelled to write a concept album with fellow band member Laurie about his experiences in the cult, but the emotions it stirs up make him question everything he’s doing. The fourth surviving member, David’s older sister Angela, decides that the only way to put the past to rest is to revisit Red Peak on the day of the fifteenth anniversary, and the others reluctantly agree to join her. I loved that all four adults are dealing with the aftermath of their experience in different ways, which all seemed on point and believable.
Interspersed among the chapters that take place in the present, DiLouie slowly reveals how these characters came to be part of the Family of the Living Spirit, the idyllic beginnings when the Family lived on a remote farm in central California, growing their own crops and raising livestock for food, the carefree days when the children of the group were free to wander the land and form bonds with each other. The author drops hints about the impending horror to come—hard labor, starvation and even mutilations—but the reader doesn’t get the full story until much later in the book.
And this might be a good time to throw in a couple of trigger warnings, although you’ve probably already guessed what they are. The “mutilation” teaser obviously comes into play near the end, as well as murder, withholding food and drink (especially upsetting with the children), and forced suicide. DiLouie packs a lot of action and pain into the final chapters of his story, and he even suggests a supernatural reason for the disappearance of all the bodies. But it isn’t until the four survivors make the fateful trek back to Red Peak that we finally get some answers about what happened. I'm still not sure how I feel about the ending, to be honest. It wasn't at all what I was expecting, but it was DiLouie’s trademark emotional gut punch, and even if it was a bit over the top, it certainly made an impact on me.
I do have one issue that might be fixed in the final book as I write this review, but I want to mention it anyway. Obviously DiLouie wrote his story before Covid, hence the present day setting in 2020. However, I have to admit the "2020" chapters felt awkward to me, knowing that the 2020 I was reading about wasn’t the 2020 we’re all experiencing today. I did read an ARC, however, and it's possible the dates were changed in the final edition. Writing this has made me realize that Covid has forever changed the way we think about 2020 (and probably 2021), and that writers are going to have to decide whether or not to set their books during this time period. I guess that’s a topic for another blog post, but I had to mention it because it did affect my reading experience.
Craig DiLouie’s books always give me plenty to think about, and I’m still mulling over the events of The Children of Red Peak , days after I finished reading it. Readers who aren’t afraid to dive deep into the realities of cults will most likely find this book both fascinating and terrifying.
Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy. This review originally appeared on Books, Bones & Buffy
The Children of Red Peak is my third Craig DiLouie book, and once again I’m in awe of his storytelling skills and the way he is able to evoke emotions. DiLouie tends to choose dark topics for his stories—racism, war and now cults—and his books are not always easy to read, but each one has been a powerful experience for me, and his latest is no exception. And while Our War is still my favorite of his books that I’ve read, I thought The Children of Red Peak was a solid story with plenty of emotional impact.
DiLouie alternates between the past and the present and tells the story of a group of children—now adults—who were the only survivors of a doomsday cult called the Family of the Living Spirit. Back in 2005, Deacon, Beth, Angela, David and Emily managed to escape that horrifying night when over a hundred cult members died. Despite a bloody crime scene, none of the bodies were ever found, and the infamous event is now referred to as the Medford Mystery.
Now fifteen years later, the survivors find themselves together again under unfortunate circumstances. Emily has committed suicide, and the other four are attending her funeral. This fateful meeting triggers horrifying memories and emotions, as Deacon, Beth, Angela and David are faced with the biggest mystery from their past: what actually happened that last night on Red Peak? With the anniversary date of the event approaching, the four must come to terms with their feelings about the cult by confronting their past one final time.
I’ve always been fascinated with cults, and I have vague memories from childhood of some of the more infamous ones. I remember the Jonestown Massacre and how shocked I was that something like that could even happen. DiLouie bases his story on cults like that one, giving the Family a charismatic leader named Jeremiah Peale who convinces his followers that only by dying can they hope to escape the coming apocalypse. The most horrific part of all this, at least for me, was that so many children were involved in his scheme, forced into it by their parents and brainwashed to believe that death was the way to salvation. DiLouie’s most emotional scenes were the ones when the bad shit is going down and the kids suddenly realize that they are actually going to die. It would have been heartbreaking enough without children involved, but adding them to the mix made it nearly unbearable.
Overall, I really loved the structure and the author’s decision to use a dual timeline to tell his story. We get to see the effects of childhood trauma and how each survivor has been able to move forward with their lives—or not, in some cases. Beth seems to be the most settled, and has become a successful clinical psychologist. Her personal life is neat and tidy, at least on the outside, but we later learn that Beth is not doing well at all emotionally, and has suppressed her memories of the final night at Red Peak. Over the course of the story, her weaknesses are revealed little by little. David is the only one who is married with children, his family acting as an anchor of sorts and allowing him the semblance of a normal life. David has dealt with his trauma by becoming an “exit counselor,” someone who tries to get cult members to leave their cults before it’s too late. His job is hard and emotional, but it makes him feel like he’s helping others, the sort of help he wasn’t able to get himself.
Then there’s Deacon, who hasn’t really grown up at all. He fronts a rock band called Cats are Sad, which seems to be on the brink of success, but Emily’s suicide changes his focus. Deacon feels compelled to write a concept album with fellow band member Laurie about his experiences in the cult, but the emotions it stirs up make him question everything he’s doing. The fourth surviving member, David’s older sister Angela, decides that the only way to put the past to rest is to revisit Red Peak on the day of the fifteenth anniversary, and the others reluctantly agree to join her. I loved that all four adults are dealing with the aftermath of their experience in different ways, which all seemed on point and believable.
Interspersed among the chapters that take place in the present, DiLouie slowly reveals how these characters came to be part of the Family of the Living Spirit, the idyllic beginnings when the Family lived on a remote farm in central California, growing their own crops and raising livestock for food, the carefree days when the children of the group were free to wander the land and form bonds with each other. The author drops hints about the impending horror to come—hard labor, starvation and even mutilations—but the reader doesn’t get the full story until much later in the book.
And this might be a good time to throw in a couple of trigger warnings, although you’ve probably already guessed what they are. The “mutilation” teaser obviously comes into play near the end, as well as murder, withholding food and drink (especially upsetting with the children), and forced suicide. DiLouie packs a lot of action and pain into the final chapters of his story, and he even suggests a supernatural reason for the disappearance of all the bodies. But it isn’t until the four survivors make the fateful trek back to Red Peak that we finally get some answers about what happened. I'm still not sure how I feel about the ending, to be honest. It wasn't at all what I was expecting, but it was DiLouie’s trademark emotional gut punch, and even if it was a bit over the top, it certainly made an impact on me.
I do have one issue that might be fixed in the final book as I write this review, but I want to mention it anyway. Obviously DiLouie wrote his story before Covid, hence the present day setting in 2020. However, I have to admit the "2020" chapters felt awkward to me, knowing that the 2020 I was reading about wasn’t the 2020 we’re all experiencing today. I did read an ARC, however, and it's possible the dates were changed in the final edition. Writing this has made me realize that Covid has forever changed the way we think about 2020 (and probably 2021), and that writers are going to have to decide whether or not to set their books during this time period. I guess that’s a topic for another blog post, but I had to mention it because it did affect my reading experience.
Craig DiLouie’s books always give me plenty to think about, and I’m still mulling over the events of The Children of Red Peak , days after I finished reading it. Readers who aren’t afraid to dive deep into the realities of cults will most likely find this book both fascinating and terrifying.
Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy. This review originally appeared on Books, Bones & Buffy
August 14, 2023
God, this was boring. Find it hard to believe this is by the same guy who wrote Suffer the Children! Not a fan - also think maybe I’m tiring of the same generic cult stories.
May 18, 2023
My jaw is hanging on the floor. DiLouie is quickly becoming my favorite voice in horror.
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