Kill Creek is the first novel of the author Scott Thomas. And what an impressive debut! It will surely grab your attention from the first page up to the very end. And not only it is enthralling, it is also creepy especially the first part where the characters spend their time inside the house. The story is unique on its own, as it’s not only focused on the menacing haunted house but adding the horror writers made the story more absorbing. It is curious how each one of them views the haunted house. It contains a great set of well-developed characters, too, who each has interesting stories to tell. I appreciate how each author was given time to share not only their thoughts and secrets but a snippet of their lives, as well. It may be a bit longer but totally worth it especially as the author throws in a surprise twist to the end. Kill Creek is certainly one of the best haunted house story out there and the best horror book I’ve read in a while. It is an effective horror story that will definitely appeal to the readers of the genre or someone who’s looking for a frightening read.

When I open up a book, I've come to expect one of two things: a slow simmer with no reward, or something brimming with action. Rarely do I find one the former of those two to be worth the time spent building up to the climax. Scott Thomas's debut novel, Kill Creek, defies those odds with an amazing payoff to its agonizingly long crawl.

One of the things I liked early on about Kill Creek is its homage to several different types of horror authors. The main characters, T. C. Moore, Daniel Slaughter, Sebastian Cole, and Sam McGarver, all represent different corners of the genre - and vastly different personalities. It's a welcome relief from books filled with the same drab, rehashed characters of different names. (Seriously, I've read books where the main characters were pretty much identical and it's a bore!)

In Kill Creek, Thomas takes a rather unusual approach to the whole haunted house thing. Rather than having a locale of note infested with ghosts, he takes slightly different strides: i.e., he personifies the house itself - a welcome respite from your traditional ghost stories.

I think my biggest issue with this book is its pacing. Several times I nearly put it down and many other times, I fell asleep reading it. That's not to say that Thomas's prose is drab - it's not. Nor is the book a snoozefest. However, the first 70% of the novel is largely exposition and minor build-up. It's not until the final 30% of the novel that things start to get messy and fun. Fortunately, Thomas's ability to terrify, though more saturated near the end of the book, can be tasted subtly in that first, drier bit of his prose. (I had nightmares, y'all. Seriously.)

Because of that awfully slow burn, I can't give this book all five skulls. I want to, and the last bit of the book nearly redeemed it, but to have more than half the novel filled with something that drags on so horribly is a nope in my book. Nonetheless, I know this man can write and I gladly look forward to more of his books.

I'd like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased (albeit horribly late) review.

For a debut novel, this story was absolutely AMAZING! I love good horror stories and this one did not disappoint me.

A haunted house, 4 famous horror authors and, an internet wonder kid, what could possibly go wrong?

This book delivers along the line of Stephen King and Adam Nevill. I recommend this to all of the horror lovers out there and can not wait to see what the author gives us next!

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley.

Amazing! It’s surprising that this is Scott's first book as it’s written with the skill and confidence of a seasoned writer. The story starts with four writers brought together for an interview in a notoriously haunted house and as you can imagine it all goes downhill from there. The plot stays gripping and genuinely exciting throughout, I especially enjoyed the diverse cast of characters. Each one brought something to the story whilst also complementing each other.
In terms of creepiness this book delivers, with a cold and withered hand to the throat! There are many memorable scenes throughout that will stick in my mind and Scott’s depiction of horror really leapt out of the pages.
This is one of the best horror books I’ve read in some time, I would highly recommend it to anyone with even a passing interest in horror.

The fact that this is a debut novel is impressive. Scott Thomas knows his horror, and this book is full of it. As well as that it also has no less than 5 unique, individual characters, each with their own voice, that by novels end i cared deeply about. No mean feat.

Kill creek is so much more than just a haunted house novel but even when it starts as just that, its impressive. Each character has their own set piece that takes place in the house that flow majestically from one to the other. It was like a movie playing in my mind. It was scary, and even when familiar it was done well. It eventually morphs into something that i didn't see coming and from there the twists and turns come thick and fast.

Yes by novels end it does get slightly bogged down and just a little bit predictable, but all that is forgivable as the novel stays fun and feels fresh throughout. As a horror fan whos seen it all i say its well worth your time and money. Scott Thomas is definitely one i will be looking out for in the future.

This debut horror title is up for a Stoker this year for best first novel, and it's good fun. There's a Bad Place and a money-hungry producer who wishes to capitalize on it, so he brings in four very different well-known horror writers to interview them and spend the night in the Bad Place. Things go awry. There's a twist at the end. It's not a new formula. The fun of the book is seeing how the formula's employed. Trying to figure out who Thomas has based his four authors on (they're definitely Types), and enjoying how things play out. Because it's definitely enjoyable. Main protagonist Sam McGarver's middle name is not given in the text, but I wouldn't be surprised if it were Winchester.

KILL CREEK, by Scott Thomas, is apparently his first novel.  After reading that, I was positively stunned.  I went into this book without any preconceived notions, and ended with giving it a full five-star rating.  For any novel, this was fantastic--when you factor in the knowledge that it was the author's debut, it's astonishing!

"No house is born bad . . . "

The premise of KILL CREEK begins with a billionaire's horror-loving son's podcast, in which he strives to bring the horror genre back into the mainstream.  Justin Wainwright arranges to get four vastly different-styled horror authors together on Halloween--in a reputedly haunted house--to do a live "interview" with them.

". . . Sometimes stories have too much power.  They change who people think you are."

The set up for this particular story was quite original.  Instead of your standard-fare haunted house, the author insures that there is no neat, definitive explanation  as to how--or even, if--the old Finch House on Kill Creek is haunted.  All we, and the characters, have to go on is atmosphere and ancient, ambiguous rumors.  The only thing known for certain is that two sisters, Rachel and Rebecca Finch, were the last to own, live--and die--there.  According to the will of the last living sister, everything in the home, including the furnishings, were to remain exactly as they were when she died.

"Funny thing about rumors . . . It doesn't matter if they're true or false, only that people believe them."

Aside from the initial builder's death, anything else concerning a "haunting" nature is pure conjecture, with absolutely nothing grounded in a factual basis to back it up.  Yet despite this, just being in the proximity of this large estate is enough to give anyone pause.

". . . Its very existence seemed impossible without the help of the supernatural."

Thomas does a superb job in the characterizing of each of the novel's main characters.  I could easily differentiate between the four novelists, and felt that even their backstories were woven into the story in a seamless, natural manner.  I "felt" each of these personalities, and by the end of the book, it was as if I had known them intimately for years.  Even the arrogant Wainwright and his "assistant", Kate, fit into the story so perfectly, that the entire project had a sense of "reality" to it that I find missing in so many novels.

". . . If you believe it's real, then it's real."

Another thing that this book has going for it is an indisputable, uneasy atmosphere that actually caused me to break out in goosebumps a couple of times.

". . . The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear . . ."

Thomas' descriptions of eerie silences, muted noises, half-glimpsed shadows, and little more than what amounted to rumors about the old estate are what drives the readers' minds to enter into that "terror zone", in which just about anything--real or supernatural in origin--is not only possible, but expected . . .

". . . When our fate is uncertain, our minds naturally lead us to the worst possible scenario . . . "

By NOT giving us a tangible menace, Thomas makes his novel even more frightening because the ambiguous nature causes our minds to automatically expect the worst, and most evil haunting presence possible.  This technique worked extraordinarily well, in my opinion, and gave me the feeling that the tension and suspense just continued to ratchet up all throughout the story.  Not once did I feel as if the supernatural element "let up", or left our characters alone for even a moment.

"The insects won't cross the creek.  They won't come over to this side."

Overall, this is one of the best novels I've read this year in terms of suspense, tension, fear, and realistic characters.  Just when I thought I'd figured out part of the story, something else would come up to derail my current thoughts.  This book commanded my complete attention each time I picked it up, and not once did my excitement wane.

"Perhaps the house is waking up . . . "

If this is Scott Thomas' first novel, then I can only imagine what his future might bring.

Highest recommendation!

Kill Creek: HEY NETFLIX buy the rights to make this a 10 ep series

Xposted from my Instagram acct

RAISE YOUR HAND if you have read Scott Thomas’s Kill Creek?? Finished reading yesterday and been digesting it.

It took me nearly a month to read this novel (no fault of the work itself). Sick family and company deadlines got in the way of my reading. By way of this slow throughput, I spent the month dwelling on the topics of ghosts and haunted houses (see all the comics i was posted).

For those unfamiliar, Kill Creek centers on a small house in Kansas, cursed from the day it was built when a loving couple was violently murdered for being northerner/freed slave. Since then, strange stories and rumors follow the house, and it has been featured several times as one of he most hanuted places in America.

Cue protagonists.. Four horror authors (of various genre staples) are brought to the house on Halloween to self promote their current projects in a live syndicated web broadcast. Whether they are believers in the supernatural or naysayers, they all sit in the same rooms, eat the same food, and the house at Kill Creek sits idle.. waiting.

The broadcast is put together by a rich asshole with aims at capitalizing on the combined audiences of his interviewees.

This is probably one of my top 5 horror novels in the last few years.. Just enough twists, not very many obvious areas of thin or predictable plot.

I do have a gripe about the primary protagonist. Sam McGarvy has horrific writers block. He is stuck waiting for a single sentence which will inspire him and carve away his funk. Half of the observations he makes internally would be amazing first sentences. Like this ine about his personal writig/author hero.. unfortunately, Sam cannot hear his own genius

‘This is the voice you hear right before you’re born, Sam thought. The voice that says, “Fight the good fight,” before you are thrust into the unforgiving world.’

Author: @scottthomascaresaboutyou
Awesome cover art by @corleyms

———
Disclosure: This book was provided for review purposes by the author or publisher. To loosely quote the great Nina Hagen ‘my love for you is greater than your love for me, surely you see i have found the key.’ This has nothing to do with the honest perspective applied in this review. I just like the song.

This book was a real struggle to get through. I still can't believe I finally made it after two weeks of repeatedly forcing myself to pick it up, only to put it away again after a few chapters because I was so freaking bored.

While the premise was intriguing and I did encounter glimpses of original ideas in this book, the delivery was subpar.
Its main weakness was definitely the pacing. During the first half of the book (with more than 400 pages a rather long one as it is) I felt like nothing happened at all. It dragged so much I had to skip entire chapters in order to finally get through to the supposedly interesting parts. And then, even the big climax was so drawn out and repetitive, the little suspense the author had managed to build up was totally ruined by making me wish for the whole ordeal to finally be over.
It felt like a rehashed version of basically any bad horror movie out there, starring dumb-ass characters stumbling into dumb-ass situations because they kept making dumb-ass decisions - only the characters weren't naive blonde teenagers or clichéd stupid college jocks but supposedly grown adults with lots of life experience and an, albeit theoretical, background in all things paranormal/ horror.

Add to that the flowery (at times bordering on pretentious) writing that didn't appeal to me at all, and I'm not a happy reader.

I didn't hate this book. I just didn't find it in me to care.

Kill Creek by Scott Thomas: For years, the legacy of the Finch House has pervaded the Kansas countryside as the abandoned house lies in wait of its next victim, until a chilling expose threatens to wake the long-forgotten beast. A celebration of the horror genre, Kill Creek brings the classic haunted house to life as four authors delve past the pages to unlock the mysteries left behind. (4 Stars)

DNF @ 20%

I really appreciate the strong female roles in novels, but I hate the jerky, over confident ones. I couldn't agree with T. C. Moore on any level. Her ferociousness was too much and I found her 100% totally irritating. I didn't even really get into the plot for this one but I knew I couldn't enjoy anything when I disliked a character so much, so in the end I had to put it down.

Thanks to Netgalley and Inkshares for giving me the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review. Sorry I didn't enjoy it!

An excellent spin on the haunted house tale. Engaging characters and unexpected twists keep the reader guessing, as the author leads them into a unique haunting. Definitely an author to watch.

‘Well...I suppose whatever it is, it’s there in the dark right now, isn’t it? It must have been here when we arrived. And now it’s watching us.’

Four horror authors, each a master in their own way, are invited to spend Halloween night in a haunted house. I mean really...what could go wrong!

Kill Creek has just the right amount of creepy spookiness. It is a slow burn that will keep you invested until the very end.

Scott Thomas does a great job in describing the unsettling mood of the haunted house. He uses such detail you can see it clearly in your mind. His characters are richly described and you slowly get to know them and all their secrets.

This is a great read for any horror fan.

Fantastic story. The whole book was just fabulous. It really lived up to my expectations. It flowed really well and was a good book to sit and enjoy all in one go

https://lynns-books.com/2017/12/07/kill-creek-by-scott-thomas/

Kill Creek was initially a book that I wanted to read for Halloween, and I must say it would have been absolutely perfect. As it was the best laid plans didn’t quite work out, that being said this book is a great read for this time of the year with the dark nights, in fact if you enjoy horror I’m pretty certain you can be chilled by this book on any given month of the year. In fact if you’re easily scared you might prefer the lighter nights.

Horror is one of those cateogories of reads that can go horribly wrong for me. I don’t want too much blood and viscera, bodies being torn to pieces or other atrocities. I want to be scared and also surprised and Kill Creek managed to fulfil all those criteria for me and on top of that provided a downright bone chilling ghost story, the sort where you want to hide behind a cushion – although can anybody explain why or how that really helps.

We start off with an introduction to our main character Sam McGarver. Sam is an author of horror books. He seems to be having something of a blip in his writing and is currently lecturing whilst trying to give off the impression that he’s in the process of drawing up his next novel. Sam receives a mysterious invitation to take part in an interview on the creepiest night of the year, Halloween. The interview will take place in one of the most notoriously haunted houses in the country and unbeknownst to Sam, three other horror writers have been invited to take part. Basically this is a publicity stunt dreamt up by Justin Wainwright, the man behind a website known as WrightWire. Wainwright is hellbent on stirring up a frenzy of visitors to his website and has concocted the idea of an interview with four famous horror writers, in a haunted house – who knows what will happen!

What worked really well for me in this story were a number of things.

Firstly the characters. We have four very different authors and their own egos and feelings of insecurity. They come together in a way that creates a wonderful feeling of uncertainty and just plain old paranoia. Thomas does a great job of giving them all individual personalities and bringing them to life quite vividly. There’s also Wainwright. Ruthlessly calculating, he’s hoping for a showdown and comes across as arrogant and self serving. Then we have the final character of the piece. The house. This place has a terrible history. It lies derelict, off the beaten track in the Kansas countryside. For years people have been too scared to approach apart from the odd child on a dare and now it is almost forgotten.

Secondly the tempo of the book. It’s relentless and perfectly pitched. We have an almost old fashioned feel start, a brief introduction to each of the characters before they come together for the evening almost in the fashion of Then There Were None. Each of them seems to be harbouring some personal issue or fear that helps to crank up the tension. At first, as a reader you’re just plain old worried about the house and what it’s going to throw at you but Thomas seems to lull you into this sense of security, a warm fire, good food and drink, cosy lighting. You forget to be afraid. The interview takes place and everyone goes to bed. I don’t want go into the other issues but the book takes an unexpected turn after this point and it’s anything but cosy.

Finally the style, I love the way the book develops from an almost classic horror that taps into your psyche to something that becomes almost predictably and comfortingly haunting but then swiftly moves down the path of out and out twisted horror. It’s gripping stuff and the writing is good, it just keeps you completely until the very last chapter.

I definitely have no hesitation in recommending this book. It had me sitting tense and occasionally looking over my shoulder but more than that it made me want to shout at the characters – just like you do in a good horror film. It sounds a bit trite or cliched but you know you’re scared when you’re shouting instructions at characters in a book or film.

I received a copy through Netgalley courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. the above is my own opinion.

The nitty-gritty: Clever, scary, entertaining and well written, Kill Creek is a slick and polished debut.

With each new Inkshares book I read, I become more and more impressed with the quality of not only the writing, but the complete package. I was lucky enough to get a finished paperback copy of Kill Creek from the publisher, and it’s just gorgeous! It has French wraps and deckle edges and atmospheric artwork on the cover. I don’t think there is an Inkshares book I’ve read this year that I haven’t enjoyed, and Kill Creek is one of my favorites. Scott Thomas starts his story in the tradition of many haunted house stories--a group of strangers gathers for a night in a haunted house--but he surprised me by veering off the predictable path. Horror fans take note: this story will most likely push all your buttons!

Kill Creek has an awesome concept: An eccentric young internet sensation named Justin Wainwright, who is famous for staging horror-centric live video streams on YouTube that get millions of hits, announces his next big thing: he’s invited four of the world’s most famous horror writers to join him in a group interview, but the kicker is that they will be spending the night in a haunted house on Halloween night. The writers are bestselling author Sam McGarver, who is currently suffering from writer’s block, young adult sensation Daniel Slaughter, a church-going Christian whose fans are starting to shun his scary stories, T.C. Moore, a young, edgy female writer whose cutting edge ideas are shocking to most readers, and the granddaddy of horror, Sebastian Cole, who is deeply worried about his flashes of memory loss. Wainwright brings his photographer/videographer girlfriend Kate along to catch all the action, and the group assembles in the house at Kill Creek, an old house with plenty of horrific history. It was once owned by sisters Rachel and Rebecca Finch, whose ghosts are rumored to still haunt the place. Even though none of the authors believes in the stories, they can’t deny that an air of creepiness hangs over the house.

Wainwright conducts his interview, which turns out to be a personal attack on each author--after all, he is going for the entertainment value and he unapologetically unearths each author’s deepest secrets--and the six turn in for the night. But strange things begin to happen. Several people think they see shadows moving, which disappear when they turn around. An odd scratching sound is coming from behind the walls. And what the heck is up with the brick wall that’s been built in front of the door to the third floor bedroom?

To tell you much more about the story would be spoiling things. What I will say is that if you are expecting your typical “night in a haunted house” story, you are going to be surprised. Scott Thomas’ story did not go where I was expecting it go, but boy did I have fun anyway! The story twists and turns, almost throwing the reader off, until Thomas gets us back on track near the last third of the story, but up to that point I had no idea what was going to happen. The first part of the story is fairly tame, and the scares are mostly psychological. The characters think they see strange things in the house, but then they look again and everything appears to be normal. There is a particularly creepy part that involves the mysterious brick wall, and don’t worry, I won’t go into details, but that wall comes back into play several times throughout the story.

But in the last section, watch out, because the story takes a violent turn, and I almost felt as if I were watching a slasher film. The change in tone sounds abrupt, but trust me, it all worked so well together. Fans of atmospheric horror may not like this change, so fair warning if graphic violence is a trigger for you.

Part of what made this book so much fun was that each writer had a weak spot that Wainwright goes out of his way to exploit. Sam’s was the most interesting, I thought. Sam is hiding a big secret that is hinted at throughout the story, but it isn’t until the end that he finally reveals the source of his nightmares. And the book he's currently working on isn't going anywhere, and his editor isn’t happy. Sebastian is trying to hold it together, even when he has terrifying memory lapses. He’s also afraid that his writing isn’t relevant anymore, and he’s hoping the exposure on Wainwright’s video will win him back his fans. Moore has just optioned one of her books to a movie studio, and in fact, filming is about to begin. But after meeting with the production team, she’s furious because the director wants to tone down her hard-core storyline. Each one agrees to the interview in the hopes of helping their careers, but unfortunately they each get way more than they bargained for.

Which brings us to the house. Thomas lulls the reader into a false sense of security by making us question whether the house is actually haunted or not. But then he pulls out the big guns, and the house becomes a character, of sorts. I read big chunks of this book at night, and I didn’t sleep well until I was finished!

Since this story is about writers, the author adds in lots of clever asides about the publishing business and the pitfalls of social media. I also felt as though this book is an homage to the horror genre, as it seems to touch on many aspects of horror publishing, and even seems to represent real-life horror writers we know and love. Think of the first three or four famous horror writers that pop into your head and you’ll get an idea of what I’m talking about.

I don’t know if Scott Thomas is planning a sequel to Kill Creek, but there are hints that there could be more to this story. Horror fans take note: this is one book you don’t want to miss.

Big thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy.

Scott Thomas delivers a cracking haunted house tale with a twist in this brilliant debut novel. A moody and well-crafted tale that's part House on Haunted Hill and part Shining, it's a confidently written story that embraces its influences yet finds an authentic and original voice of its own.

The set up is pretty simple: four horror authors are invited to spend a night in a haunted house ensuring a night of things that go bump in the night. But the overnight stay is just the beginning of the house's influence as the authors own dark secrets are brought home to roost.

A bright and scary debut from a name to watch.

Kill Creek started with a slow burn, but then exploded into a terrifying thriller. Scott Thomas takes a simple plot and turns it upside down.

Four acclaimed horror writers are "invited" to spend Halloween night in a historic....and haunted house in Kansas. And that's the first part of the plot. The Finch House has been empty for years but has a history that would rival any 'haunted house' story.

What the writers and two associates experience that Halloween night doesn't stay in the house, instead it follows them home, and brings them back one more time, in a fight for survival.

This is not a light-hearted thriller. This a gory, bloody and terrifying at parts. This is the stuff of nightmares...delicious, delicious nightmares.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

"Kill Creek" by Scott Thomas was absolutely brilliant. The first-time author should be proud of his twisted, demented creation, and I am in absolute awe of his skill. Much more then a typical ghost story, this novel is a reflection of the darkest fears of the human soul, revealing the fine line between sanity and insanity. Each character is driven by their own demons and the house of Kill Creek welcomes them hungrily. Do you dare accept the invitation?

No doubt about it, the author has a promising future, and I cannot wait to read what nightmare he conjures up next.

***5 out of 5 stars***

First of all I want to thank NetGalley and Inkshare for an ARC of this book!
For a few sentences let me fangirl about this cover for a bit. It's purely amazing. It's haunting, it's scary and above all - fits the mood of the book completely. I rarely choose books because of covers, the plot is what lures me in for the most of the time, but this cover enchanted me and almost solely because of it I wanted to read this book.
Keeping this in mind I have to say that I rarely misjudge my senses. I'm from one of those people who can buy something without knowing everything about it and in the end love it completely. It happens with pretty much every technology piece I buy and apparently it now moved onto books.
Now I'll jump right into my opinion.
I read this book in three days (sadly not continuous) and last night I stayed up past 3 in the morning so I could finish this. It captivated me, it drew me in and didn't want to let go. Characters jumped out of the page for me, I was in the Kill Creek myself, I felt the rain, the wind, the fear. I loved how narrative changed between characters sometimes even in the middle of the chapter. It didn't get boring and at no point I wondered if I should put down this story.
Maybe because I'm a female, or maybe because I just love kick-ass ladies, I loved Moore the most. I loved how she was described, how she was recreated in my imagination and I wanted more of her. At least to me, every other character was a cliche except for her. She was a fresh breeze of air but that can partially be blamed that among six main characters she was the only female. Of course we have another female, but she didn't give much to the story, except maybe being the source of one of the character's man-pain.
Another thing I found as a bonus, as I am a busy person, was that the chapters were short. One chapter didn't take up 50 pages or more and it felt like I was skimming through a book when in reality I devoured each and every word.
What's really special about this book is that it is about horror throughout. It's not the typical model of "everything was fine but then it wasn't". No, Scott Thomas gives us horror right from the start. From Sam giving lectures about horror as a literary and movie genre from each and every person carrying some dark, often painful stories in them. Things weren't good, they weren't nice, they weren't joyful even at the start. Maybe this is what I loved the most about this book. It took a grip on me and kept me nailed to my couch.
To all the praise I keep giving this book I will add one more - this is the second best book I've read in the year 2017 and I'll be looking forward to more horror from Mr.Thomas. He has a great thing going on and he made a right choice dipping his fingers into horror waters.