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Welcome back to the third recap of Preacher Book Three. This is one of my favorite books of the series. We unveil the Saint of Killers and his brutal history. Meanwhile Cassidy’s haunted past comes back to bite him – and everyone close to him – in the ass.

A History Lesson

“There ain’t worse than me in all of hell.”

As I mentioned in my article on Book Two, the Saint of Killers has no memory of how he became what he is. He made it Jesse’s mission to find out, and in return will leave Jesse alone. Jesse gets the low down on the Saint, but we readers learn about his backstory first.

The Saint of Killers, before he was the Saint of Killers, was a Civil War veteran who made a living killing. He eventually met a woman, with whom he fell in love and raised a daughter. They became a quaint, loving family. It was the happiest time of their lives until a deadly illness takes hold. The Saint searches for medicine, but is interrupted along the way. This interruption extends his journey, thus resulting in his wife and daughter’s deaths.

The Saint seeks his revenge, but dies and descends to hell before his mission is complete. Satan tortures the newcomer of hell, whipping the skin off his lifeless body. But the Saint is emotionless. All that is left in him is hatred for Gumbo McCready, the man most responsible for the Saint’s family’s deaths. Satan doesn’t know what to do with the Saint, but the Angel of Death comes up with a plan.

The rest is history.

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Present Day

In the not to too far past, Cassidy made a detour to New Orleans and met a vampire Eccarius. The only thing the two had in common was their immortality and inability to be in sunlight. Cassidy had learned long ago that all the myths of vampires — not eating garlic, invisbility in mirrors — were just myths. Eccarius, on the other hand, had no idea and fell into every stereotype. Cassidy takes it upon himself to teach Eccarius a few things about living as an immortal, a seemingly innocent venture that results in deadly consequences.

Now we’re in present day, and Tulip is still plenty pissed that Jesse left her in France to save Cassidy. She seeks revenge on him, then catches up with her longtime friend Amy. They talk about anything and everything, and she hooks Tulip up with some new gear.

Tulip and Jesse eventually make amends, but now Cassidy has brought more unnecessary drama in the mix when he confesses his love for Tulip. This guts her; she was beginning to like and trust him, only for him to show more of his true colors and stab Jesse in the back. She can’t decide whether to tell Jesse or not, especially because he has so much else on his plate.

The Verdict

This is one of my longest posts on the Preacher series, and I barely scratched the surface of everything that happens in Book Three. Allfather Starr is still on the hunt for Jesse, Arseface has a major career change, and there is an entire underground club for vampires in New Orleans.

Ennis’ writing gets better and better with each issue. He knows his characters well and Steve Dillon’s artwork compliments the story nicely. The color pallets and mirage-like panels add more power to the story. And did I mention Dillon’s impeccable skill of drawing terrifying villains?

If I could change anything, it would be the writing for Tulip’s character. She is very developed, but still exists solely for the male character arcs. We don’t know much about Tulip’s history yet, and it’s already the third of six books. All of her dialogue is about Jesse or Cassidy, while the men go on plenty of tangents unrelated to the plot. In short, Tulip and all the other women in the series deserve better. Hopefully book four will give them (and us) that. 4 out of 5 stars (4 / 5)

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Want to read Preacher? Check out the link below to get your own copy!

CourtCourt is a writer, horror enthusiast, and may or may not be your favorite human-eating houseplant.

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Book Reviews

The Wretched Valley: Body Horror in the Wilderness.

“This trip really went shit.”

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Published in January of 2024, This Wretched Valley is Jenny Kiefer’s debut novel and is a horror written for hikers, campers, and all of your general outdoorsy type people. Reminiscent of Scott Smith’s The Ruins, with a healthy helping of Adam Nevill’s The Ritual, This Wretched Valley is a story of restless and vengeful spirits with some spectacular body horror scenes you will not forget.

The Plot.

Set in Kentucky, This Wretched Valley’s main plot covers a week in March of 2019. The time-stamped chapters follow four college friends and their faithful Australian Shepherd. One of the four friends, Clay, has discovered a rock formation that appears to have never been climbed or explored. The group embark on an expedition that is part rock climbing exploration and part scientific research. From the moment they enter the valley at the base of the rock things don’t feel right. Their dog, Slade, is acting funny and the plant life grows in unusual varieties and patterns for this part of Kentucky.
After an accident climbing the rock things go from bad to worse, with strange apparitions appearing before them and dead animals being left at the edges of the camp. The worst thing is that despite following their GPS, they can’t seem to find their way back to the car. Tempers flare, but is it because of the situation they find themselves in, or is something influencing their emotions?

Highlights.

One of the highlights of This Wretched Valley is the short chapters that are dotted throughout the book. These chapters tell the stories of other people who came before our hikers, from other centuries, that suffered due to their presence in the valley. As the main chapters culminate the characters from the historical chapters begin to pop up in the present.


The descriptions of the injuries the hikers suffer, real and imagined, are excellent. Kiefer really knows how to make a reader squirm, if you enjoy blood and gore this book is for you. There is one scene in particular with a swarm of flies that I read twice.

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Drawbacks.

I know it is a necessary evil in horror, that the main characters must miss things that may seem obvious to the reader for the story to build. I mean, if the hikers in This Wretched Valley picked up on how the dog was acting in the first chapter and left we wouldn’t have this excellent book. That being said, so many things begin to go wrong, but each is shrugged off or explained away. The ignorance of huge things that were happening right in front of them seemed a little too wilful. Perhaps we can give Kiefer the benefit of the doubt and assume that maybe this was the point, the wilfully ignorant get what they deserve.  

Another grip I have with this book is the head-hopping. Rather than focus on one character in a chapter and reading their point of view, Kiefer has head hopped. Delivering various points of view within a chapter, sometimes within a paragraph. And that’s fine, many authors do this. However, at times it was hard to figure out who was seeing or thinking a particular thing. Going back to reread some paragraphs did help, but stopping in the middle of the action to reread is not ideal.

The Final Take.

While I’m not an avid outdoorsman myself – camping, hiking, and climbing aren’t my passions. I found myself thoroughly engaged with the descriptions of the natural world in this novel. Kiefer, a rock climbing enthusiast, clearly brings a genuine passion and expertise to her depictions of This Wretched Valley. I believe any reader who enjoys these pursuits will find a particular resonance in her writing.

For those interested, I discovered that Jenny Kiefer owns Butcher Cabin Books, a unique horror bookstore in Louisville, Kentucky. If you’re in the area perhaps pop in and explore a book store dedicated to the world of horror literature. 4 out of 5 stars (4 / 5)

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Book Reviews

This Work of Darkness: the people of Salem are waiting.

“Old Mother Gossip says something is wrong in Salem village.”

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“Lives coil within lives. Dreams coil within dreams.”

First and foremost, I would like to thank Lucretia Grindle for providing me with an ARC of This Work of Darkness. Being immersed in 17th-century Salem Massachusetts was just what I needed to escape the insanity of the holiday season. With a planned publication date of January 16, 2025, This Work of Darkness is Book 2 of Grindle’s Salem duology. For anyone who has not read The Devil’s Glove, Book 1 of this series, please see my review here.

The Plot.

In the opening chapters of This Work of Darkness, we meet back up with Resolve Hammond. Now a young woman of means, living comfortably within the English family home in the heart of Salem, Massachusetts. Her days are filled with the rhythms of life in the bustling town – tending to the English family store and interacting with the townsfolk.
However, beneath this veneer of contentment lies a deep-seated guilt. Years ago, Resolve made a solemn promise to Thaddeus and Abigail Hobbs: she would always protect and care for Abigail as a sister. Driven by a conscience burdened by her broken promise, Resolve seeks out Abigail. The stark contrast between her own privileged existence and the abject poverty and despair she witnesses at the Hobbs farm does nothing to alleviate her guilt. Abigail’s deteriorating mental state serves as a painful reminder of Resolve’s failings.
As Resolve grapples with her guilt and the haunting memories of her past, a sinister undercurrent begins to stir within Salem. Accusations of spectral visitations and inexplicable afflictions erupt within the community, casting a pall of fear and suspicion over the townsfolk. One by one, the women in Resolve’s life – her friends, her confidantes, the very fabric of her social circle – are swept away by the hysteria, accused of witchcraft, and dragged before the court.

Highlights.

A key highlight of This Work of Darkness lies in Grindle’s masterful weaving of historical figures and events with her compelling fictional characters. This is historical fiction at its finest. The novel is rich with recognizable names and occurrences from the Salem Witch Trials, prompting me to frequently delve into further research, eagerly verifying the historical accuracy of characters I didn’t immediately recognize. To my delight, many of these were indeed real figures, and the book itself served as a fascinating gateway to deeper historical exploration. Grindle deserves significant praise for her poignant portrayal of the human suffering that unfolded during this period. Unlike many novels on the Salem Witch Trials, This Work of Darkness delves deeply into the individual experiences of its characters, meticulously exploring their motivations, relationships, and the profound impact of the hysteria on their lives.

Drawbacks.

This Work of Darkness is a sequel and as such of course must make references to the first work as a way to join the two together. However, I found that Grindle spent a lot of time in the first half of this novel recounting and rehashing the events of The Devil’s Glove. This can feel somewhat repetitive for readers experiencing this book as a sequel, and overwhelming for those approaching the novel as a standalone work.

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As I mentioned in my review of The Devil’s Glove, Grindle is a wordsmith. This has not changed. However, while the phrase “Mother Gossip” (not a character but the gossip trending through the social circles of the story) initially adds a unique flavor to the novel’s language, its frequent recurrence throughout the narrative detracts from the overall reading experience. This repetitive use of the phrase, despite its initial charm, becomes somewhat tedious and disrupts the flow of the otherwise creatively written story.

The Final Take.

This Work of Darkness had me digging through the back of my bookshelf and rediscovering the joy that is Henry Miller’s, The Crucible. While the complete truth of the Salem Witch Trials may forever remain shrouded in mystery, Grindle’s exploration of the social and psychological factors that fueled the accusations was particularly insightful and entertaining.

As with its predecessor, I found myself captivated by the narrative, marking numerous passages and quotes. Perhaps my favorite from the entire series, is found in Chapter 29:

‘Truth, I would remind him, had little to do with anything these days. What mattered was what people chose to believe. That was what turned the jail keys.”

Pretty profound if you ask me.

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4.5 out of 5 stars (4.5 / 5)

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Book Reviews

The Devil’s Glove: Before the Salem Witch Trials.

“The Devil does wear beautiful gloves.”

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“Skin to skin. Blood to blood. Heart sister to heart sister.”

In Lucretia Grindle’s The Devil’s Glove: Salem Book 1 (May 2023), readers are transported to the chilling precipice of the Salem Witch Trials. This meticulously researched novel blends historical accuracy with supernatural elements. Grindle crafts a captivating tale of fear, mistrust, and the enduring power of human connection.

Set in the remote Puritan village of Falmouth, on the eve of the infamous trials, the story unfolds amidst the clash of cultures. A war is brewing between the English settlers and the existing Native American community, fueling suspicion and resentment. Grindle masterfully explores the themes of colonialism, othering, and the enduring human need for connection.

The Plot.

In 1688, on the eve of the Salem Witch Trials, we meet Resolve Hammond. A young woman with the unsettling gift of seeing beyond the veil of reality. When Avis Hobbs dies, Resolve’s mother, a healer with deep ties to the local Native American tribe, suspects foul play.

Despite the growing tension between the villagers and their Native American neighbors, Resolve’s mother remains silent, fearing accusations of witchcraft. But Resolve, privy to unsettling visions, senses a sinister truth. Who would poison Avis, and why does Avis’s daughter, Abigail, seem eerily pleased?

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As the village descends into paranoia and the threat of war with the neighboring native community looms, Resolve must confront her unsettling gift and use it to uncover the truth, even as the men in power manipulate events for their own gain.

Highlights.

Lucretia Grindle is a wordsmith. I rarely find myself stopping to reread sentences and passages just because once was not enough. The prose in this book is unrivaled. Beautiful metaphors and turns of phrase adorn every page. I was so pleased to be reading on Kindle, highlighting line upon line, “murmur piles upon murmur like rotting leaves”, “feel for the flutter of the soul at the neck” and “the kitchen is a cave of shapes” are just a few of my favorites.

The research that Grindle must have completed for this novel must also be noted. This is not only obvious with the inclusion of real people but also in the immersiveness of the setting. Details so small you might miss them are dropped like rain throughout the chapters, each contributing to filling the bucket that is 1688 New England.

Drawbacks.

There are no drawbacks to The Devil’s Glove in so far as the plot, characters, and writing are involved. I did find some repeated metaphors and spelling errors; this however is not a problem with the story or the author but an editing issue that takes nothing away from the story or prose.
Not so much a drawback, but perhaps a misrepresentation was that The Devil’s Glove would tell the story of a mother and daughter who are suspected or accused of witchcraft. This is not this book. Although there is deep distrust between the Hammonds and the Puritan townsfolk, there is little in the way of actual accusations until the novel’s end.

The Final Take.

The Devil’s Glove is an exquisitely written novel that was a pleasure to read. It is reminiscent of Outlander with splashings of A Discovery of Witches. I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of the sequel, This Work of Darkness. I will be beginning this as soon as this review is posted. After reading the last lines of The Devil’s Glove there is no way I’m wasting a second to find out what comes next.

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5 out of 5 stars (5 / 5)

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