Kill Creek

This horror novel is set on Kill Creek in rural Kansas (there is actually a town in Kansas called Kill Creek with a population of 35). The novel centers around a house on Kill Creek that was built in 1859 and has generations of mysterious deaths and tales of hauntings. The house remains vacant for decades until an internet mogul gets the country's 4 most famous horror authors together at Kill Creek for a live "interview". The house seems to wake up as the visitors question whether they are alone in the house on Kill Creek.

I could not put this book down. Literally. I read it without stopping. It was a great horror story. I hope the author writes more.

The prologue was promising. From chapter one the characters are one-dimensional and predictable. The reading level was easy - maybe 8th grade? I suppose that's why it's gotten so many positive reviews. It really tells you how you should feel every. single. god. damn. moment of the book. Now you should be outraged at the publisher's treatment of the female author. Now you should feel sympathetic for the hunky but troubled male author. Ugh. Beat me over the head why don't you. I get it. They're "troubled." They have a "past." Scares? Nope. I almost feel like two stars is too encouraging.

The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown. - H.P. Lovecraft

It was perfect timing for me to be reading and finishing this book - the night before Halloween. I enjoyed this creepy ghost/haunted house book. I don't find too many of this genre of story that I REALLY like but this is one of them.

Four horror authors are approached by an internet tycoon whose website specializes in horror and fantasy. He wants to do a live video streaming event while he does a group interview of the four of them. And to top it off he wants to go to a "haunted house" outside Lawrence, Kansas - a house with a troubled history - and spend the night and conduct the interviews.

The four authors are totally different. One is older, has written tons of books in the literary horror subset. One is a woman, goth, that writes shock-and-awe in-your-face bloody erotica. One is mild mannered, Christian and writes "lite" horror for teens. And the final author has written a few mainstream horror books, is a college professor also, and has had writer's block for the last few months.

I loved the group dynamics of these authors and their interviewer (oh, and there's a camerawoman too).

Rather than stopping where many horror books normally end, this book keeps going and just keeps getting better.

My favorite books of this genre are GHOST STORY by Straub and THE SHINING by King. This story doesn't top theirs but then it's a different story. And I liked it a lot.

I received this book from Inkshares through Net Galley in exchange for my unbiased review.

A young internet tycoon lures four horror writers to the most haunted of haunted houses for a two-day interview under false pretenses. There’s some grumbling naturally, I mean who, besides me, would willingly want to stay the night at a scary old ghost filled place? But they all decide to do the wrong thing and stay anyway and a whole lot of nothing too sinister happens. But just you wait!

The truly frightening things happen when they return back to their real lives and this is where the book excels. It takes that old setup and makes it fresh and new and terrifying. There was a lot of hype surrounding this book and everyone seemed to love it so I went in with very high expectations and a lot of fear that I would hate it or want to pick it apart because I can be a jerk like that. Fortunately, mostly all I can say is that it is amazing and the story will grab you from the beginning and if you like haunted house stories you NEED to read it next.

The four writers are all very different in style and personality and watching them interact was pretty fascinating in and of itself. Moore, the only female in the group, writes violent, in-your-face horror (the kind I honestly like best), Sam is your Stephen King type writing about the relatable good guys, Sebastian Cole is a Charles L. Grant quiet horror type and Daniel writes books for the tween/teen market with strong moral codes and little religious subtlety. Watching them struggle with their differences, rag on each other and later deal with their inner demons, secrets and tragedies was so interesting to me not just because I’m nosy but because they were so incredibly well written and believable.

Five star books are so hard for me to review. This one gets all five stars and it deserves each and every one of them. Kill Creek is the perfect blend of great characterization, growing dread, true terror and murderous bits. If you’re into audiobooks get the one narrated by Bernard Setaro Clark. He adds another level of fright to the terrors within with his professional narration.

I have nothing here to complain about. Nothing at all. I know, I can hardly believe it myself!

Meh. If I had to sum up my feelings about this book in a single word, it would be, "meh." This was honestly one of the most disappointing reads I've had in a while.

I'll start with the good, though.

This book was undoubtedly an homage to the big names of horror, probably both classic and modern. As someone who really likes horror, both on the page and on the screen, I could appreciate that.

At times, it was clear that Scott Thomas is capable of writing very well, and potentially delivering some scares, so I'm not writing him off just yet.

This book would probably make a great movie, and I'm thinking I would like the movie version more.

That's pretty much all I actually liked about this book, and I feel weird about giving it such a low rating because it seems to be well-loved, in general.

The first 30% or so are seriously over-written. The remainder of the book is a little better, but I stand by what I said once (when I was only about halfway through it): it could probably lose 100 pages and nothing about the story would change. With horror, or any other spooky-ish book, I tend to call this "Stephen King Syndrome." So if you like how wordy King can be, you probably won't be bothered by that aspect. One additional note about it, though, is that some things were repeated way too often. Certain phrases, or recounting the same memory or whatever. Eventually, I just started skimming and skipping over pages.

Nothing really happens until close to the halfway point. Then, I finally had hope of reading a truly creepy story, but it lost steam really quickly. I don't want to say much about what happened, so I don't spoil anything for someone planning to read this, but there was a shift in the type of horror around 70% and I just rolled my eyes and thought, "Of course." I'd seen it coming, but had hoped it wasn't going to go there.

Two things frustrated me most about this book.

The first was the one (main) female character. At first, I thought I was going to like her. And eventually I did, but less in a, "Wow, this guy wrote a decent female character, hurrah!" kind of way, and more in the way that I wish I could take her away from him and give her to a woman author. The creepiest thing about this book was how T.C. Moore was written at times, and if she could come to life and speak for herself, I'm guessing she would verbally rip Thomas a new one. Or maybe even literally do it. I get it. She's a tough, badass bitch, in a field dominated by men. I. GET. IT. I have no issues with unlikable female characters (I want more of them!). I have no issues with crass female characters. But Moore was just so over the top she became unbelievable, which is really disappointing because if Thomas had just dialed it back a bit (and maybe not mentioned her breasts and underwear and how she has a "pagan ritual"--which I have other issues with--of writing naked) it would have been much better to read about her.

The second thing was the lack of explanation. I still have no clue what caused the things that happened in the book. We're given some vague ideas, but nothing is really settled and actually explained. I guess that's supposed to make it creepier, but it just irritates me. And then there were the vines. I won't elaborate on that part.

None of the characters really stood out to me. It's like they should have had more depth, but just didn't. I honestly can barely even remember their names already, even though (as I'm typing this) I just finished the book a half hour ago. I think the idea for them was to make them almost like archetypes of big-name horror authors, without actually making them into those authors. But that didn't quite work for me, in the end, and so I never really cared about any of them. I just wanted the book to end so I could move on.

I feel like this book should have been a better experience for me, but I spent almost all of it bored and/or skimming over all the repetitive bits so I could finally finish it. I wanted to like it, but it was just...fine. Not really good, not horrible, just fine. I saw the ending coming from pretty much the beginning, and it was also just fine. Nothing new or surprising there.

Would I recommend it? Not really. But, if you love Stephen King, maybe Dean Koontz, and others like them, you might like this more than I did.

Thanks to Net Galley for the chance to read and review this one.

This novel really makes you want to stay up and keep reading it all the way to the very end. I wanted to know what was going to happen. I wanted to know the story behind Kill Creek. I cared about the characters' survival. I was invested.
The reason I give it 3 stars is because I still feel unfulfilled. I have a lot of unanswered questions and I feel like some of the answers were just guesses by the characters. And by not really discovering the full truth of it was a real bummer.

**SPOILERS but here are some of my unanswered questions
What about the souls of the interracial couple? Were they there? Were their souls tainted? Or had they moved on? I would have loved to learn more about the creator of the house and his love.
What was behind the wall? They speculate that one of the sisters was locked up. Why though? And if one of the sisters betrayed the other, then why are their ghosts working together? What was up with those photos Slaughter found? Why was it so hard to break the wall down? Was it the house itself? The room really didn't have much in it at all - didn't answer any of my questions, only added more.
And no one else noticed TC Moore's eye in the end? Only Sam? Cmon...
And that house was really left vacant that long? I find that hard to believe even with it being evil. It sounds like a beautiful home.
SPOILERS**

“Kill Creek” is the definition of a mixed bag. The writing is generally good, and the horror unsettling, but the characterization for their first third of the book is clumsy and even embarrassing, and the plot seems like a greatest hits of horror that, while exciting, lacks that distinct edge of originality that would’ve elevated it into something more than “good.” Because “Kill Creek” is good; it really is. For a debut novel, Scott Thomas has an eye for frightening imagery, suspense that looms threateningly over each page, and brutal, shocking payoffs that make the suspense that much more engrossing. But it’s missteps are consistent enough that they do distract from the overall experience Thomas is creating, and hold back the story from hitting as hard as it wants to.

My biggest issue with it ultimately comes down to its first 100-pages, which adequately establish the tone and setting, and prepare for the horror that inevitably arises well. Where this extended introduction fails is in its handling of its characters, or more accurately, its female characters. The male characters in “Kill Creek” are cut from broad strokes of familiar archetypes, but sport enough unique distinctions to make them feel plausible, but the women sadly lack those distinctions, and their awkward characterization and stilted personalities are unwieldy and sometimes embarrassing.

This is most egregious in its introduction of T.C. Moore, the primary woman protagonist––and one of only two women in the whole novel––who is welcomed into the narrative in such a ham-fisted, overly sexualized way that she feels so fabricated and false that it’s not until the book is well past its halfway mark that Thomas even begins to redeem her character. Which, he does, thankfully. Moore may spend most of the novel spouting obscenities in vain, shallow attempts at being an “edgy” icon, but as the book nears its climax and the horror takes a psychological spin, her character finally begins to evolve past her outdated stereotypes.

Which is good, because once Thomas releases Moore from the uncomfortable tropes he originally traps her in, the book soars. The second half, and especially the final act, are riveting and visceral, and make up for a lot of the unwieldy aspects that came earlier.

Protagonist Sam McGarver is the obvious standout of the cast, as his dark backstory and inner conflict possess the most tangible arc within the narrative Thomas weaves, and it is his perspective and motivations that best anchor the story. In fact, most of the cast’s inner conflict is what drives “Kill Creek” to its eventual success in its latter portion, as Thomas eagerly digs into what haunts each member of his cast and forces them to confront their fears in truly shocking, frightening ways His cast may be cut from familiar archetypes, but when the horror finally reaches its apex, all bets are off and “Kill Creek” transforms from a decent haunted house tale to a memorable, deeply unsettling examination of fear, trauma, and greed.

In my mind, “Kill Creek” is a solid 3.5/5 book, but for rating purposes, I'll round up, since there is some genuine good work in here. Thomas’ writing is mostly strong, and his layering of suspense, skepticism, and scares is well-paced and thrillingly executed. While his character work is inconsistent, he’s able to redeem the rougher edges with a thrilling climax that takes all the best parts of his story and ditches all the bad. “Kill Creek” is very much a mixed bag, but it’s an enjoyable and easy book to read, with just the right level of horror to leave you uncomfortable, yet eager to keep reading.

This book didn't turn out to be quite what I was expecting. As the story goes we have four horror authors of differing varieties that are brought together to be interviewed in the legendary haunted house of Kill Creek. That right there is enough to intrigue me. And this book did well enough until about the 48% mark and I realized that they are already leaving the haunted house with only a few bump scares and STILL we have more than half the book to go. That's when I knew this wasn't going in the direction I was hoping for.

I didn't find any of the characters all that interesting and I actually really disliked the one female horror author. She was constantly crass and vulgar to the point of silliness. I just didn't find her to be believable never mind likable.

I will say that the ending was decently gory (if you like that sort of thing) but the second half of the book dragged on so long that the gory payoff didn't really satisfy because I was already too bored.

Scott Thomas can write well it just so happens that this story wasn't for me. I'd still be curious to see what else he can come up with though.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Kill Creek by Scott Thomas is a free NetGalley ebook that I read in late October.

Somewhat in the style of House on Haunted Hill, EC Comics, and (barely) Rose Red, Wainwright (owner of the Buzzfeed-like website WrightWire), remodels an evil house near Kansas City and turns it into a haunted mansion to use against people that he deems as a bad influence on his life. This includes Sam, a horror expert and college lecturer, fear of fire; T.C. Moore, a hard-bitten feminist magazine magnate; small-fry writer Daniel Slaughter; and Sebastian Cole, a famous yet eccentric writer, who are all invited to his Kill Creek house for 2 days to receive a $100K prize, so long as they can stay alive and sane while being haunted and filmed onto live streaming video. However, even if they survive, they're (one or more them - don't want to leave spoilers) still haunted and still spoken-to by taunting, creepy, dooming, violence-inciting voices who want to claim them for the house for all time.

17 chapters of listening to over descriptive sentences one after the other seemed to drag the story on more than needed. Everytime I felt I was getting to the thick of the story it would back off. If I had not been listening and was reading I would not have finished it. I went to school with Scott and really wanted to like the book as I to love the horror genre, but I can not say I would recommend this book to anyone. By the time it really started talking about Kill Creek I had already figured out how it would end.

Scott Thomas makes one hell of a horror debut with his Stoker Award-nominated haunted house novel, Kill Creek - so strong a debut that I found it hard to believe he's a first-time author. Turns out, Thomas has a bit of a pedigree in television and was nominated for an Emmy for his work on the R.L. Stine TV series, The Haunting Hour. While Kill Creek is his first novel, Thomas definitely knows his way around a horror story, and his work here carries a nicely cinematic style with more than a few movie-ready scenes and set pieces.

After being duped into agreeing to an interview by an Internet website mogul, four authors find themselves unwittingly gathered together for an overnight stay at the abandoned and decrepit Finch House. For the wealthy Wainwright, this is a chance to speak to his idols, the modern masters of horror, and rake in lots of lucrative web-clicks. For the authors, it's a gimmicky way to promote their work, score some quick cash, and waste a night in a supposedly haunted house before returning to their lives, check in hand. If you know your way around a haunted house story, I don't have to tell you that things don't go quite according to plan...

Thankfully, Thomas throws in a few juicy curveballs here and there, slowly inching his narrative toward a finale of all-consuming madness that chills in all the best and brutal ways. Thomas, however, knows that he has to earn the premise's payoff, and he spends a lot of time building up his central cast. While the focus is on Sam McGarver, the most Everyman horror author of the bunch, characters like TC Moore, Sebastian Cole, and Daniel Slaughter - a horror-ready name if ever there was one - carry enough personality and intrigue to keep this slow-burn narrative hustling along. Moore, in fact, was my favorite character in this story - a brash, take-no-prisoners attitude, whiskey swilling, tough gal are always right up my alley narratively-speaking, and her introduction immediately captivated me.

Although it's become rather cliche to have a horror author as the protagonist of a horror novel, it works surprisingly well here. Usually the protag's occupation is ancillary, but in Kill Creek it's a primary focus and a linchpin for the work itself. Thomas is clearly well-versed in horror and genre tropes, as well as the career of writing and some of its more self-depreciating aspects. At one point, McGarver jokes that he's a writer, which means he spends most of his time procrastinating on the Internet. But it's his introduction as a college lecturer, wherein he delivers a presentation on gothic literature to his students, that makes a solid argument toward the credibility of not only McGarver's skill as an author, but Thomas's as well. The fact that Thomas creates this band of authors is one thing; the fact that he created them with such attention toward their pedigree and bibliographies is another. It's common to see horror authors experiencing a real-life horror event in fiction, but this is probably the first time I've wanted to actually read these fictional author's works. I wish I could buy a TC Moore book for my Kindle right now, or dig into a Sebastian Cole book next, and that alone should speak volumes to how much I appreciated Thomas's character work here.

Narrating Kill Creek is Bernard Setaro Clark, and hot damn, he's a fine reader. While much of his delivery is direct, Clark has a few aural tricks up his sleeve that really impressed me. Clark knows when to act up the material a bit, changing tones and pitch, and sometimes flat-out shouting, when needed. He also pulls this nifty trick of creating spatial distance between characters by turning away from the microphone at certain points. Say a character is shouting from across the room - rather than speaking directly into the mike as he would for our POV character, Clark turns away slightly, giving a sense of depth to sell the impression that there really is a character yelling from across the rom. It's such a simple thing, but so well executed, and not something I've often heard in other audiobooks. Of course, it's also possible I'm easily impressed, but I appreciated these moments a heck of a lot when they occurred. Clark's narrative skills certainly get a workout in the book's climax, as McGarver and company are forced to contend with the threats lurking within the Finch House once and for all.

Kill Creek isn't just a mighty fine haunted house novel, but a wickedly impressive debut for its author, who manages to wring the story for all its worth and deliver some pleasantly shocking twists along the way. This sucker builds like a roller coaster, slowly ratcheting its way to the top, and then violently dropping readers down a twisting thrill-ride that pulls their stomach up their throats. To put it mildly and succinctly, Kill Creek freaking rocks.

A young internet tycoon lures four horror writers to the most haunted of haunted houses for a two-day interview under false pretenses. There’s some grumbling naturally, I mean who, besides me, would willingly want to stay the night at a scary old ghost filled place? But they all decide to do the wrong thing and stay anyway and a whole lot of nothing too sinister happens. But just you wait!

The truly frightening things happen when they return back to their real lives and this is where the book excels. It takes that old setup and makes it fresh and new and terrifying. There was a lot of hype surrounding this book and everyone seemed to love it so I went in with very high expectations and a lot of fear that I would hate it or want to pick it apart because I can be a jerk like that. Fortunately, mostly all I can say is that it is amazing and the story will grab you from the beginning and if you like haunted house stories you NEED to read it next.

The four writers are all very different in style and personality and watching them interact was pretty fascinating in and of itself. Moore, the only female in the group, writes violent, in-your-face horror (the kind I honestly like best), Sam is your Stephen King type writing about the relatable good guys, Sebastian Cole is a Charles L. Grant quiet horror type and Daniel writes books for the tween/teen market with strong moral codes and little religious subtlety. Watching them struggle with their differences, rag on each other and later deal with their inner demons, secrets and tragedies was so interesting to me not just because I’m nosy but because they were so incredibly well written and believable.

Five star books are so hard for me to review. This one gets all five stars and it deserves each and every one of them. Kill Creek is the perfect blend of great characterization, growing dread, true terror and murderous bits. If you’re into audiobooks get the one narrated by Bernard Setaro Clark. He adds another level of fright to the terrors within with his professional narration.

I have nothing here to complain about. Nothing at all. I know, I can hardly believe it myself!

Meh. If I had to sum up my feelings about this book in a single word, it would be, "meh." This was honestly one of the most disappointing reads I've had in a while.

I'll start with the good, though.

This book was undoubtedly an homage to the big names of horror, probably both classic and modern. As someone who really likes horror, both on the page and on the screen, I could appreciate that.

At times, it was clear that Scott Thomas is capable of writing very well, and potentially delivering some scares, so I'm not writing him off just yet.

This book would probably make a great movie, and I'm thinking I would like the movie version more.

That's pretty much all I actually liked about this book, and I feel weird about giving it such a low rating because it seems to be well-loved, in general.

The first 30% or so are seriously over-written. The remainder of the book is a little better, but I stand by what I said once (when I was only about halfway through it): it could probably lose 100 pages and nothing about the story would change. With horror, or any other spooky-ish book, I tend to call this "Stephen King Syndrome." So if you like how wordy King can be, you probably won't be bothered by that aspect. One additional note about it, though, is that some things were repeated way too often. Certain phrases, or recounting the same memory or whatever. Eventually, I just started skimming and skipping over pages.

Nothing really happens until close to the halfway point. Then, I finally had hope of reading a truly creepy story, but it lost steam really quickly. I don't want to say much about what happened, so I don't spoil anything for someone planning to read this, but there was a shift in the type of horror around 70% and I just rolled my eyes and thought, "Of course." I'd seen it coming, but had hoped it wasn't going to go there.

Two things frustrated me most about this book.

The first was the one (main) female character. At first, I thought I was going to like her. And eventually I did, but less in a, "Wow, this guy wrote a decent female character, hurrah!" kind of way, and more in the way that I wish I could take her away from him and give her to a woman author. The creepiest thing about this book was how T.C. Moore was written at times, and if she could come to life and speak for herself, I'm guessing she would verbally rip Thomas a new one. Or maybe even literally do it. I get it. She's a tough, badass bitch, in a field dominated by men. I. GET. IT. I have no issues with unlikable female characters (I want more of them!). I have no issues with crass female characters. But Moore was just so over the top she became unbelievable, which is really disappointing because if Thomas had just dialed it back a bit (and maybe not mentioned her breasts and underwear and how she has a "pagan ritual"--which I have other issues with--of writing naked) it would have been much better to read about her.

The second thing was the lack of explanation. I still have no clue what caused the things that happened in the book. We're given some vague ideas, but nothing is really settled and actually explained. I guess that's supposed to make it creepier, but it just irritates me. And then there were the vines. I won't elaborate on that part.

None of the characters really stood out to me. It's like they should have had more depth, but just didn't. I honestly can barely even remember their names already, even though (as I'm typing this) I just finished the book a half hour ago. I think the idea for them was to make them almost like archetypes of big-name horror authors, without actually making them into those authors. But that didn't quite work for me, in the end, and so I never really cared about any of them. I just wanted the book to end so I could move on.

I feel like this book should have been a better experience for me, but I spent almost all of it bored and/or skimming over all the repetitive bits so I could finally finish it. I wanted to like it, but it was just...fine. Not really good, not horrible, just fine. I saw the ending coming from pretty much the beginning, and it was also just fine. Nothing new or surprising there.

Would I recommend it? Not really. But, if you love Stephen King, maybe Dean Koontz, and others like them, you might like this more than I did.

Thanks to Net Galley for the chance to read and review this one.

This novel really makes you want to stay up and keep reading it all the way to the very end. I wanted to know what was going to happen. I wanted to know the story behind Kill Creek. I cared about the characters' survival. I was invested.
The reason I give it 3 stars is because I still feel unfulfilled. I have a lot of unanswered questions and I feel like some of the answers were just guesses by the characters. And by not really discovering the full truth of it was a real bummer.

**SPOILERS but here are some of my unanswered questions
What about the souls of the interracial couple? Were they there? Were their souls tainted? Or had they moved on? I would have loved to learn more about the creator of the house and his love.
What was behind the wall? They speculate that one of the sisters was locked up. Why though? And if one of the sisters betrayed the other, then why are their ghosts working together? What was up with those photos Slaughter found? Why was it so hard to break the wall down? Was it the house itself? The room really didn't have much in it at all - didn't answer any of my questions, only added more.
And no one else noticed TC Moore's eye in the end? Only Sam? Cmon...
And that house was really left vacant that long? I find that hard to believe even with it being evil. It sounds like a beautiful home.
SPOILERS**

“Kill Creek” is the definition of a mixed bag. The writing is generally good, and the horror unsettling, but the characterization for their first third of the book is clumsy and even embarrassing, and the plot seems like a greatest hits of horror that, while exciting, lacks that distinct edge of originality that would’ve elevated it into something more than “good.” Because “Kill Creek” is good; it really is. For a debut novel, Scott Thomas has an eye for frightening imagery, suspense that looms threateningly over each page, and brutal, shocking payoffs that make the suspense that much more engrossing. But it’s missteps are consistent enough that they do distract from the overall experience Thomas is creating, and hold back the story from hitting as hard as it wants to.

My biggest issue with it ultimately comes down to its first 100-pages, which adequately establish the tone and setting, and prepare for the horror that inevitably arises well. Where this extended introduction fails is in its handling of its characters, or more accurately, its female characters. The male characters in “Kill Creek” are cut from broad strokes of familiar archetypes, but sport enough unique distinctions to make them feel plausible, but the women sadly lack those distinctions, and their awkward characterization and stilted personalities are unwieldy and sometimes embarrassing.

This is most egregious in its introduction of T.C. Moore, the primary woman protagonist––and one of only two women in the whole novel––who is welcomed into the narrative in such a ham-fisted, overly sexualized way that she feels so fabricated and false that it’s not until the book is well past its halfway mark that Thomas even begins to redeem her character. Which, he does, thankfully. Moore may spend most of the novel spouting obscenities in vain, shallow attempts at being an “edgy” icon, but as the book nears its climax and the horror takes a psychological spin, her character finally begins to evolve past her outdated stereotypes.

Which is good, because once Thomas releases Moore from the uncomfortable tropes he originally traps her in, the book soars. The second half, and especially the final act, are riveting and visceral, and make up for a lot of the unwieldy aspects that came earlier.

Protagonist Sam McGarver is the obvious standout of the cast, as his dark backstory and inner conflict possess the most tangible arc within the narrative Thomas weaves, and it is his perspective and motivations that best anchor the story. In fact, most of the cast’s inner conflict is what drives “Kill Creek” to its eventual success in its latter portion, as Thomas eagerly digs into what haunts each member of his cast and forces them to confront their fears in truly shocking, frightening ways His cast may be cut from familiar archetypes, but when the horror finally reaches its apex, all bets are off and “Kill Creek” transforms from a decent haunted house tale to a memorable, deeply unsettling examination of fear, trauma, and greed.

In my mind, “Kill Creek” is a solid 3.5/5 book, but for rating purposes, I'll round up, since there is some genuine good work in here. Thomas’ writing is mostly strong, and his layering of suspense, skepticism, and scares is well-paced and thrillingly executed. While his character work is inconsistent, he’s able to redeem the rougher edges with a thrilling climax that takes all the best parts of his story and ditches all the bad. “Kill Creek” is very much a mixed bag, but it’s an enjoyable and easy book to read, with just the right level of horror to leave you uncomfortable, yet eager to keep reading.

This book didn't turn out to be quite what I was expecting. As the story goes we have four horror authors of differing varieties that are brought together to be interviewed in the legendary haunted house of Kill Creek. That right there is enough to intrigue me. And this book did well enough until about the 48% mark and I realized that they are already leaving the haunted house with only a few bump scares and STILL we have more than half the book to go. That's when I knew this wasn't going in the direction I was hoping for.

I didn't find any of the characters all that interesting and I actually really disliked the one female horror author. She was constantly crass and vulgar to the point of silliness. I just didn't find her to be believable never mind likable.

I will say that the ending was decently gory (if you like that sort of thing) but the second half of the book dragged on so long that the gory payoff didn't really satisfy because I was already too bored.

Scott Thomas can write well it just so happens that this story wasn't for me. I'd still be curious to see what else he can come up with though.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Kill Creek by Scott Thomas is a free NetGalley ebook that I read in late October.

Somewhat in the style of House on Haunted Hill, EC Comics, and (barely) Rose Red, Wainwright (owner of the Buzzfeed-like website WrightWire), remodels an evil house near Kansas City and turns it into a haunted mansion to use against people that he deems as a bad influence on his life. This includes Sam, a horror expert and college lecturer, fear of fire; T.C. Moore, a hard-bitten feminist magazine magnate; small-fry writer Daniel Slaughter; and Sebastian Cole, a famous yet eccentric writer, who are all invited to his Kill Creek house for 2 days to receive a $100K prize, so long as they can stay alive and sane while being haunted and filmed onto live streaming video. However, even if they survive, they're (one or more them - don't want to leave spoilers) still haunted and still spoken-to by taunting, creepy, dooming, violence-inciting voices who want to claim them for the house for all time.

17 chapters of listening to over descriptive sentences one after the other seemed to drag the story on more than needed. Everytime I felt I was getting to the thick of the story it would back off. If I had not been listening and was reading I would not have finished it. I went to school with Scott and really wanted to like the book as I to love the horror genre, but I can not say I would recommend this book to anyone. By the time it really started talking about Kill Creek I had already figured out how it would end.

Scott Thomas makes one hell of a horror debut with his Stoker Award-nominated haunted house novel, Kill Creek - so strong a debut that I found it hard to believe he's a first-time author. Turns out, Thomas has a bit of a pedigree in television and was nominated for an Emmy for his work on the R.L. Stine TV series, The Haunting Hour. While Kill Creek is his first novel, Thomas definitely knows his way around a horror story, and his work here carries a nicely cinematic style with more than a few movie-ready scenes and set pieces.

After being duped into agreeing to an interview by an Internet website mogul, four authors find themselves unwittingly gathered together for an overnight stay at the abandoned and decrepit Finch House. For the wealthy Wainwright, this is a chance to speak to his idols, the modern masters of horror, and rake in lots of lucrative web-clicks. For the authors, it's a gimmicky way to promote their work, score some quick cash, and waste a night in a supposedly haunted house before returning to their lives, check in hand. If you know your way around a haunted house story, I don't have to tell you that things don't go quite according to plan...

Thankfully, Thomas throws in a few juicy curveballs here and there, slowly inching his narrative toward a finale of all-consuming madness that chills in all the best and brutal ways. Thomas, however, knows that he has to earn the premise's payoff, and he spends a lot of time building up his central cast. While the focus is on Sam McGarver, the most Everyman horror author of the bunch, characters like TC Moore, Sebastian Cole, and Daniel Slaughter - a horror-ready name if ever there was one - carry enough personality and intrigue to keep this slow-burn narrative hustling along. Moore, in fact, was my favorite character in this story - a brash, take-no-prisoners attitude, whiskey swilling, tough gal are always right up my alley narratively-speaking, and her introduction immediately captivated me.

Although it's become rather cliche to have a horror author as the protagonist of a horror novel, it works surprisingly well here. Usually the protag's occupation is ancillary, but in Kill Creek it's a primary focus and a linchpin for the work itself. Thomas is clearly well-versed in horror and genre tropes, as well as the career of writing and some of its more self-depreciating aspects. At one point, McGarver jokes that he's a writer, which means he spends most of his time procrastinating on the Internet. But it's his introduction as a college lecturer, wherein he delivers a presentation on gothic literature to his students, that makes a solid argument toward the credibility of not only McGarver's skill as an author, but Thomas's as well. The fact that Thomas creates this band of authors is one thing; the fact that he created them with such attention toward their pedigree and bibliographies is another. It's common to see horror authors experiencing a real-life horror event in fiction, but this is probably the first time I've wanted to actually read these fictional author's works. I wish I could buy a TC Moore book for my Kindle right now, or dig into a Sebastian Cole book next, and that alone should speak volumes to how much I appreciated Thomas's character work here.

Narrating Kill Creek is Bernard Setaro Clark, and hot damn, he's a fine reader. While much of his delivery is direct, Clark has a few aural tricks up his sleeve that really impressed me. Clark knows when to act up the material a bit, changing tones and pitch, and sometimes flat-out shouting, when needed. He also pulls this nifty trick of creating spatial distance between characters by turning away from the microphone at certain points. Say a character is shouting from across the room - rather than speaking directly into the mike as he would for our POV character, Clark turns away slightly, giving a sense of depth to sell the impression that there really is a character yelling from across the rom. It's such a simple thing, but so well executed, and not something I've often heard in other audiobooks. Of course, it's also possible I'm easily impressed, but I appreciated these moments a heck of a lot when they occurred. Clark's narrative skills certainly get a workout in the book's climax, as McGarver and company are forced to contend with the threats lurking within the Finch House once and for all.

Kill Creek isn't just a mighty fine haunted house novel, but a wickedly impressive debut for its author, who manages to wring the story for all its worth and deliver some pleasantly shocking twists along the way. This sucker builds like a roller coaster, slowly ratcheting its way to the top, and then violently dropping readers down a twisting thrill-ride that pulls their stomach up their throats. To put it mildly and succinctly, Kill Creek freaking rocks.

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 stars. 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.

Kill Creek is one of the most memorable books I’ve read this year. A perfect set up with 4 horror authors coming together to spend an evening in a supposed haunted house, Scott Thomas thankfully avoids a lot of the cliches inherent in the genre while still paying his respects to all that’s come before. But really it’s the characters that shine here, with glimpses into their work that will make you wish their books were actually real and you had a chance to dive into their fictional backlists.

For a haunted house story, I loved that so little time was actually spent in the house. This is slow-burn horror at its best, and the build up intensifies into a wild conclusion that will satisfy even the most blood-thirsty readers out there. And if psychological horror is your bag, well, plan to walk away with a heavy load.

Kill Creek has gotten a lot of praise over the past year, but is a book that’s earned the buzz. It does so many things right it’s easy to forgive the few faults you might find. I’m looking forward to where Thomas’ career leads.

his book was about an old house with a tragic past that ends up being the setting for an impromptu meeting/interview for a bunch of horror writers.
Chills and thrills follow with a brutal pathway to the history of the house and what it seemingly wants.
I found this book a bit slow to start with but I'm glad I persevered even if the ending wasn't as satisfactory as I would've liked.
Blood and gore abound, supernatural terror and a decent storyline made for an entertaining plot and fairly interesting characters.
Worth a read

As this is the time of year to devote one's time to reading tales of a supernatural nature, I have therefore been joyously engaged and indeed engrossed with the reading of several short story horror compilations recently. However in comparison to the short story format it is the novel that affords the author the opportunity to develop character, plot and indeed explore the essence of the horror genre. In this homage to the traditional horror/supernatural tale Scott Thomas in his debut novel aptly displays the skills and techniques to be found in the works of the established authors of this field with satisfying results.

The plot is of a traditional nature, four horror/supernatural authors of varying styles (literary classical, main stream, teenage Christian, erotic sadistic) are invited to spend Halloween night in a archetypical (for me as a UK reader) mid western American abandoned haunted house resonant of numerous horror films. Of course all feign a reluctance to go but due to a need to bolster their careers they end up spending the night there which will have deadly consequences for them all.

The novel's main character is best-selling horror author Sam McGarver who is haunted by his past and in particular one horrific secret, and indeed secrets hidden by the authors and the house is a consent theme of this slow burning and well crafted story which builds up nicely to the inevitable page turning final scenes of horror and gore as the forces of darkness prevalent in the house are confronted. The origins of the "entity" are somewhat enigmatic and the ending leaves a number of questions (for me anyway) unanswered and alludes to the possibility of a sequel which would be appreciated by this reader. I liked how some of the chapters were given date and time headings giving the impression of actuality and also factuality.

So to summarise, I would recommend this book if you like a traditionally based supernatural tale which will have you engrossed and wanting to read further to see how the story progresses. This is certainly the right time of year to read this as the winter nights are approaching and these nights grow longer.

I would like to thank NetGalley for providing me with a copy to enable this honest review.

You may never have heard of author Scott Thomas before reading KILL CREEK, but afterwards you will not forget his name. This is Scott's debut novel and despite starting from scratch, I believe he will develop a huge fan base in very little time - I know that I am now a fan and I will be following him on Twitter and waiting impatiently for his next book.

It is extremely appropriate that this book was released on Halloween day. Everyone who enjoys a good horror novel needs to buy this book.

KILL CREEK has the creepiness factor that is missing from so many modern horror novels. This knowledge alone would be enough to draw my attention to this book; but creepiness is only a fraction of the horror you will experience reading this book.

The concept of placing four horror writers together in a "haunted" house and using that as the venue for a live online interview event is pure genius. The fact that each of the horror authors have distinct styles and audiences shows how diverse horror novels can be. This is just a bonus scenario and in fact much of the story happens after the interviews are over.

If you think this will be a typical haunted house story, you would be dead wrong. (Pun intended.) I refuse to ruin the story for potential readers so, suffice it to say that you will come away from this book with a new appreciation for the history of a house and the ramifications for those who dare to tread where others fear to go.

I rate this book as 4 out of 5 Stars ????  and I highly recommend this book to anyone (over the age of 18) who is looking for a bit of terror in their reading life.

** Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book.**

This is a really good horror, the physiological kind and it works brilliantly.

4 well-known authors get invited to spend the night in a haunted house for an interview, but it is an interview they wish they had turned down!

It is a bit of a slow burner, but i think that adds to the story and builds up the suspense and adds depth which sucks you in. The descriptions of the house on Kill Creek allow you to see the house and see how it works its way into the very different horror writers.

The house is defiantly the star of the story but the different characters are all memorable for their own reasons, even if not all them are instantly likeable.

As well as the authors there is the young rich internet mogul whose idea it was to bring these authors together in the house and broadcast it live on the internet on Halloween.

The house has been waiting for them and has its own agenda, whilst at first the house appears to be a bit of a let down on the haunted stakes, little do they know that even though the house let them all leave it will call them all back to finish off what was started on Halloween night.

It’s so hard to find a good horror novel which is a shame and i am always on the lookout for a truly frightening tale and all though this book didn’t leave me wanting to sleep with the light on it is a really good horror story. The creepiness and atmospheric atmosphere make this book and it is certainly a book that will stay with you long after finishing the book.

Really good book, i would defiantly recommend this to and horror fans ?

The world's most famous horror writers come together for an interview. The setting is an old house, allegedly haunted. It takes a while to get the story moving - there is plenty of character development and we really get to know and be invested in the group before things start going bump in the night. The plot kept blowing my expectations out of the water. The horror slowly creeps up on you - as it does on the characters. At first, the house is just a house. But wait till you see the horrors that are waiting. Personal demons, actual demons... everything scary. But in my opinion Scott Thomas' biggest accomplishment is getting the writers right. They have all chosen horror as their genre, but their styles are widely different. What you can read about them, their books and their obsessions makes them seem real (I actually Googled A Thinly Cast Shadow thinking that if it was an actual novel, I wanted it on my TBR list). Writing a good novel must be very hard. Writing the oeuvre of four great authors is astounding. A perfect read for Halloween.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Inkshares!

Kill Creek begins with four horror novelists agreeing to a live-streamed interview in a long abandoned haunted house in Kill Creek, Kansas. The interviews are held on Halloween night and the novelists stay overnight within the house. All the novelists have different styles from a Stephen King-type horror veteran to a R.L. Stine-type Young Adult horror novelist. To say much more about the plot would spoil it. However, the aftermath of the interview is the best part of this excellent book.

Kill Creek is definitely not for the faint-of-heart. There is a lot of violence. However, the story is very innovative. It is clear that the author has a love of all things horror. There is even a section that echoes a scene in the movie, Murder by Death. I finished reading Kill Creek at night on my Kindle with all the lights off and no one else awake in the house. I couldn’t fall asleep until dawn! However, I also just couldn’t stop reading! I love the insertion of a mystery within the horror genre. Kill Creek is highly recommended. 5 stars!

Thanks to the publisher, Inkshares, and NetGalley for an advanced review copy.

A Horror/Thriller Novel with a Difference

Scott Thomas' Kill Creek starts out like an ode to Shirley Jackson's Haunting of Hill House, then makes a left turn to become a refreshing and original novel that has become one of my favourite horror novels of the year.

Thomas manages his plot and characters masterfully to become a knock out with an interesting cast of characters and an even more phenomenal plot that involves the reader from the start. This is a must for any reader of horror or thrillers and this is definitely a writer to look out for in the future.

The main premise of the novel is four famous horror authors who write in the different sub genres are invited to an interview by the number one web host in a house with a haunted and sinister past. The story then takes it's own sharp twists and turns to an ending that is explosive and interesting. It starts out as a standard haunted house story but it becomes its own unique addition to the ghost story.

Thomas takes his plot and makes it unique. At the moment, there is are plenty of new horror novels out there that really does not push the boundaries on structure or plot but Kill Creek really turns the genre into something exciting and worthwhile.

This is a real break out hit and I highly recommend this to anyone who loves a great plotted novel with excellent characters, page turning action and deeply involving story. This is a sure fire winner.

Oh maaaaan!!! This was an amazing horror story!! The characters were very different from each other, while all maintaining a thread of similarity. Their actions were true to their personalities, and each reacted differently to the various terrors that were visited upon them. The LOVED the twists and turns in this book, and I listened to it all in one sitting. The wind started blowing during a specific part of the book, and I had to turn the lights on, which is NOT something that is normal for me haha.

The narrator! He was PERFECT for this book! The different voices for characters, especially the sarcastic ones, was simply spot on. I mean, wow.

Seriously, if you want a good creepfest, you should definitely check this out.

5 Platypires!

Kill Creek by Scott Thomas was an original and unique take on the gothic horror tale. It follows a group of four horror writers--Sam McGarver, TC Moore, Daniel Slaughter, and the legendary Sebastian Cole--who are at the top of their game in their respective niches. They're all invited to come to a house of ill repute on Kill Creek in Kansas for an interview by a megalomaniac billionaire internet tycoon who's in love with all things horror. Each writer has their own style: Cole is the literary, older man, McGarver is more modern, but balances Cole's approach with a splash of the grotesque, Slaughter is a young adult Christian writer, and Moore is the extreme, over-the-top, wild sex and ultra-violence writer (think Clive Barker on steroids).

They all come to the interview at the old house, all carrying their own baggage, and some causing friction. It's all good TV (or internet live-streaming, if you will). They each experience something in the house, as the interview is a bit of an ambush on their personal lives and careers. Then tragedy strikes one of the writers as they are leaving the house.

In the following months, each one is driven to the brink of sanity by an entity which is auditioning them for something it very much needs...and then they all come back to the house to confront it.

I can't say more without leaving spoilers, but this was a well-written powerhouse, with crisp dialogue and a genuine unsettling feeling which builds throughout the narrative. It's all presented believably and with characters you actually care about, even the more unsavory ones. It really reads like the classic gothic tales of yore, merely transported to a modern setting. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good horror story, gothic or not. You won't be disappointed. Genuinely creepy with some authentically scary moments. Well done, Scott Thomas. You're now permanently on my radar.

NOTE: I listened to the audiobook version as well, and the narration is excellent. If you like audiobooks, this is a win. Get it.

Four horror authors are spending Halloween night at Hell Creek in the Finch house. It will be great publicity.

Unfortunately for them, if the Finch House is half as haunted as the rumors suggest, the only publicity they are going to get, is in the obituaries.

A very well done haunted house tale with a few nice turns thrown in. The story was written well and despite a hiccup or two, flowed nicely and was very entertaining. I look forward to reading more from this author.

I dug it.

A very promising debut by Scott Thomas. Mr. Thomas got his start as a screenwriter & it shows- this is a quick, easy, and enjoyable read. That's not meant to say it's mere fluff, but I was coming off one of Cormac McCarthy's books before this & my brain appreciated being on cruise control while reading it :) Anyway, the 1st half of the book is an obvious tribute/rip off of Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House, but the 2d half takes a left turn for the better & distinguishes the book from a mere homage into something unique. I very much enjoyed this book & look forward to more from this author. I also think this would make an entertaining movie.

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.

"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***

(NOTE: Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me an Advanced Reader Copy to review!)

Kill Creek by Scott Thomas was received direct from the publisher.   This is an author I had never read before but the book topic sounded very interesting to me.  Haunted house books are generally either good or overall tedious.  A good haunted house book is hard to beat, where in a tedious one is torturous to the reader.  This one, moves along but about halfway through it is not really a book about a haunted house.  I will not go into the plot except to say “writers will write.”  With that being said, this one is not a classic but it was not tedious either, so my initial statement is not 100% accurate by my own account.  if you like haunted house stories, or stories and writers and the craft, give this one a try.

4 Stars

This was very entertaining. The characters were well-developed, well-written, and memorable. I could see them vividly in my head. This book had a very interesting, unique plot.

Sam's great secret annoyed me a little. I know this is how an author gets the reader interested in reading on to find out the secret, but I feel this has been overused in fiction. Still, when the secret was revealed, it was much more satisfying than other books I've read. I also found the horror elements to be a bit cheesy at times. I suppose the horror genre is always a little cheesy. The scares in this book didn't really terrify me. I must say I really enjoyed the weirder ones though.

Overall, it's not a perfect book, but I think it's one you'll remember. I feel it had a satisfying ending.

5 stars

The house on Kill Creek was built in 1859 near Lawrence, Kansas. Following the murder of the owner of the house and his mistress, several people tried to call the house their own, but moved out most often within a year. The house had become a bad place. In 1975 a pair of elderly twin women named Finch, one of whom was in a wheelchair, bought the place from the county. It had last been abandoned since 1961.

In 1982, Rachel Finch invited parapsychologist Dr. Malcolm Adudel to the house. His book was a best seller and the house was officially declared “haunted.” In 1998, following Rachel’s mysterious death, the property became once more owned by the county.

Sam McGarver horror writer and teacher at the University of Kansas receives an invitation. T.C. Moore also gets an invitation, as do Sebastien Cole and Daniel Slaughter. When they arrive at the library meeting place and suffer through an audacious demonstration, they are escorted to a 1975 VW bus to drive to the Kill Creek house. Four famous horror writers, Justin Wainwright and his videographer Kate are the six people who will spend two days in the house. Sam is highly suspicious of Wainwright’s motives. He doesn’t trust him at all.

Individually, and while they are alone, each of the people in the house have “experiences.” People that aren’t there – or are they? Vines that clutch at the feet. Pictures that change. Brick walls that are there – or are they? Hallucinations? Misperceptions? To a person, they believe they had imagined the strange events.

Over a plate of cold cuts in the kitchen, the group begins to share their experiences. When the lights go out, Wainwright, Sebastian and TC go down to the basement to look at the generator. TC and Sebastian see the Finch sisters. Are they really seeing them, or is it a yarn they are spinning? More strange experiences occur. As they go to bed that night, they individually begin to experience visitations from people in their past. And then it’s over; it’s time to leave the house on Kill Creek. As they get ready to leave, two sheriff’s officers show up to give Daniel devastating news.

When Sam gets home, a story literally pours out of him; he has 1,000 pages almost before he knows it. He is obsessed, ignoring all else in his life. He has strange experiences. He is ignoring all else in his life, including showering and sleeping. He receives a visit from his editor. It seems TC is writing the same – or similar book as him. No one has heard from her in a long time. At her home in Los Angeles, TC is also having “hallucinations” from her past, as is Sam. Together they go to Chicago to visit Daniel. They learn they were all writing the same book. From there the three travel to New York to visit Dr. Adudel. After some dancing around, they find Sebastian there. Along the way they pick up Wainwright.

They decide to travel back to Kill Creek to knock down the brick wall to the third floor. From there things go badly weird. Apparitions are seen, voices are heard and murders are committed. It’s a fast-paced ride to thrilling action and dare I say it – it’s fun.

This novel was both well written and plotted. The suspense began immediately and continued throughout the book reaching a peak when they return to the old house. The book is so well paced that the reader is almost lulled into reading a sedate story when all of the sudden things turn serious – very serious. I liked the characters. Wainwright and TC were a little off-putting at first, but they quickly grew on me. There was enough background information given about the major characters to flesh them out but not so much that it intruded on the story in any way. I don’t give horror stories a five star rating very often, but I had to give this one the rating. I loved it! I strongly recommend this novel for any aficionado of the horror genre or thrillers. This is my first Scott Thomas novel, but it won’t be my last. I immediately went to the store to look for other books of his.

I want to thank NetGalley and Inkshares for forwarding to me a copy of this remarkable book to read and enjoy.

This is a fun book.

The house is extremely eerie. While any habitual horror reader will figure out exactly what the house is doing pretty early and easily, the book is creepy enough that you can't help but stay with it to see what happens.

But don't get me wrong, there are surprises in the book. Each of our characters deals with their own personal horrors as well, adding depth to the story.

While much of the book relies on good old fashioned suspense (and very well done suspense, at that), be prepared for some gruesome slice and dice later in the book.

A very well done tale and I want to read the author again!

*ARC provided via Net Galley

You know this story. You've read it before. However, what should be boring cliche is handled masterfully. You've read this story, but every aspect of it is slightly tweaked, slightly stranger than the original, like rumor retold for decades in a small town.

The characters are somehow at the same time stereotypes and real, detailed people whose motivations are familiar and still somewhat shocking. The introspection on the nature of writing as a craft feels like how I imagine a conversation with Stephen King would play out. The last quarter of the book is thrilling and disgusting and not at all what you'll expect, apart from the last few pages which were disappointingly lifted straight out of The Ring.

And reader, this book is straight up terrifying.

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.

Kill Creek is very impressive for a first novel. Its very cinematic and starts with a oft used premise of people being drawn together to spend the night in a haunted house, but expands into fresh, terrifying territory from there. They all happen to be popular horror writers which only adds to the mayhem. The characters are very well drawn, the twists and turns unpredictable, but he leaves you just enough clues to wonder if what you think is going to happen actually will. Definitely had me looking around a few corners and pondering during waking hours after hearing something go bump in the night.

I loved this book from cover to cover. I am not into the horror genre, but the book delivers so much more than just the obligatory fear factor. There is thoughtful character development, and the author resists the easy, obvious routes. I was scared when I was supposed to be, but I also really became invested in each one of the players in the novel and could not wait to dive into each of their individual stories. Beautifully told.

Being a "Sammye" I was haunted by the drawn out, freaky "Saaaaaammy's" that echoed through the audio version of the book. I still hear it in my damn head a couple of months later.

Highly recommend this book for both those who love horror, and those who are on the cusp and enjoy a well developed story line and characters.

Four horror writers receive an invitation to participate in a 2 day interview in an old abandoned house at Halloween which will be posted on the internet. They are promised it will go viral, and they could all use the publicity.
Each writer has their own particular style, each has their own particular secrets. What could possibly go wrong? It's just a house right? This started as a slow burning subtle kind of horror. The type that gradually pulls you in deeper and never lets go. I love haunted house stories and I highly recommend this one if you do too!

I received an advance copy for review.

I'm a wee bit hard to please when it comes to ghost or haunted house stories, so I'll admit that I didn't have much hope when I started this book. Happily, it hit all the right spots for me. I really liked the idea of how this house became haunted. Also that freaking ending was killer! I kinda hated/loved it. Yeah, this is definitely a book I'd recommend and I look forward to reading much more from this author. I'm kind of curious if he had certain authors in mind when he was writing about his characters. My thanks to Inkshares publishing and Netgalley for letting me read and review.

This was different, came at the horror from a different angle than I've seen before, and very intelligently, too.

It did not imho, create the same levels of horror as, say, The Shining, for me, but that was because the Shining took more time attaching us to the characters and it had more loved-based horror tied to a child and one family.

I do find this right up there, and hope to see more long work from Scott Thomas. I'm a picky old horror reader, and this worked for me!

I absolutely loved this book. Scott Thomas brings us a classic haunted house tale- creepy and unsettling, and slams it into the modern era. The premise of bringing the authors together for a PR stunt that descends into madness is completely engrossing. All the awards and praise heaped upon the author are well deserved, and I can't wait to read what's next from him.

I loved this book! It is a great story - not just a fright fest. But with that said, I wanted to finish it a lot sooner, but I got to a point where I did not want to read it in the dark! I stopped reading scary books years ago, but there was no way I would miss reading the first book written by the very talented, Scott Thomas. Do yourself a favor, and read this book before it hits the theaters. I can definitely see this book being made into a movie, and will be the first in line to see it. This is a book that stays with you after you've read it. I truly enjoyed it, and think you should check it out even if you aren't into reading horror.

What struck me most about Kill Creek - more than the characters and the gore and the slow unfolding of this haunted house tale - was Scott Thomas’s power of description. Every scene was vividly portrayed, every detail brought into focus in such a precise way it almost played out like a movie inside my head. There wasn’t a stone left to turn by the end. It's what makes the whole book work. This is horror fiction at its brightest.

Very good suspense book. One man brings 4 horror authors together to a hunted house for a interview to be broadcasted via the internet. This books builds as it goes along. It will keep you glued to the pages because you want to know what is the secret of these authors, the house and the person who brings them all together. Very good book with a haunted house for extra measure. If you are a horror fan, this is a must read. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book in return for my honest review.

I love handed house stories. This one had a good set-up, maybe, but quickly showed its true colors with juvenile writing, often laughable characters and, worst of all, very little horror. Don’t be fooled by the rave review quotes on the back. If you want to read some truly disturbing, genuinely and deeply unsettling stories, I recommend Simon Kurt Unsworth.

Quite a tale - fantastic pacing and well developed characters - more than a haunted house, more than a witch tale, this one broke through and kept me reading to the end! I have to admit a few of the details still linger or should I say haunt me... my highest marks!! Thanks for ride

It was OK. Only ok.

So all horror writers must have some trauma happen in their lives that cause them to then write horror? OK Mr Thomas, what was yours?

So Ok, it starts off ok, I expected the drama to happen at the house, but no they leave...and I was pleasantly surprised.
But then it has to follow the usual evil presence thing follows them and causes them, or at least one or two, to do horrible things.
And of course, it could have had a happy end, but no, it still LURKS.

I guess I've gone off horror, or at least this sort.
One of the characters says his style of horror, the creepiness of the unknown as opposed to gore and slaughter is far more scary.
Yes I totally agree with that.

Over this sort of stuff.

I really enjoyed this book. It was reminiscent of The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. I really enjoyed each of the very different characters and their oddities. There are some pretty startling twist and turns that everyone that enjoys Chillers and Thrillers will love.

In addition to creating a thrilling and compelling story, Scott Thomas imbues his debut novel with relatable and riveting characters who can not be denied their story. I was scared not only as a reader, but as a writer who aspires to do great things. Scott is going to be dominating the horror landscape for a very long time.

It was alright. I there just some cool ideas it felt like a bunch of different plots trying to be smashed into one story. Each one would have been interesting if pursued on there own but lost when put quickly together. But I think the author has talent

So terrible I couldn’t even finish it. This book looked right up my alley and got such good reviews but I couldn’t get past the over-sexualized and only real female character. The exposition was also heavy handed and entirely too long. Buy Shirley Jackson or House of Leaves or Paul Tremblay. Leave this train wreck on the shelf.

In addition to creating a thrilling and compelling story, Scott Thomas imbues his debut novel with relatable and riveting characters who can not be denied their story. I was scared not only as a reader, but as a writer who aspires to do great things. Scott is going to be dominating the horror landscape for a very long time.

Kill Creek had such a smooth flow thst kept my interest until the very last pages. Great premise from gathering well known horror writers at a haunted house for an over night interview, what could go wrong? Great debut from the author, and after reading Kill Creek he will definitely be in my radar.

It was alright. I there just some cool ideas it felt like a bunch of different plots trying to be smashed into one story. Each one would have been interesting if pursued on there own but lost when put quickly together. But I think the author has talent

So terrible I couldn’t even finish it. This book looked right up my alley and got such good reviews but I couldn’t get past the over-sexualized and only real female character. The exposition was also heavy handed and entirely too long. Buy Shirley Jackson or House of Leaves or Paul Tremblay. Leave this train wreck on the shelf.