The Children of Red Peak by Craig DiLouie

Author: Craig DiLouie 

Title: The Children of Red Peak 

Publisher: Redhook

Published: 2020

Pages: 384

Genre: Horror / Mystery Thriller 

     David Young, Deacon Price, and Beth Harris live with a dark secret. They grew up in an isolated religious community in the shadow of the mountain Red Peak, and they are among the few who survived its horrific last days. Years later, the trauma of what they experienced never feels far behind. And when a fellow survivor commits suicide, they reunite to confront their past and share their memories of that final night. But discovering the terrifying truth might put them on a path back to Red Peak, and escaping a second time could be almost impossible...

     At the moment I seem to be reading just about as much horror as I do my regular stream of crime fiction. I have gotten over my hangups about this genre and found a vein that really seems to work for me.  This is how I came to have a copy of The Children of Red Peak in my hands as it came up in the if you like this then you may also like these titles. It also feeds into my current obsession with cults, I have watched so much about them that I've exhausted the documentary on a well-known streaming service. So it was probably time to move over into the world of fiction. And whilst I have not heard of this author before the blurb on the back just sounded too interesting to let it go by. So let's put one foot in front of the other and head up to the peak.

     When we come to meet our trio of heroes they find themselves separated and facing the second worst thing to have occurred in their lives. We get to see how each of them has run as fast and far as they could to try and bury this past. And whilst in the case of the real world where people would probably never come back together in an attempt to not relive the trauma here that would make for a very different tale. The author has created his characters with this beautiful touch of both hopefulness and this darkness that is always scratching at the surface. We can relate in part because he has not turned them into a caricature of survivors. They feel like a part of the real world and we can imagine seeing them around us. Their struggles seem to come from a heartfelt place that pulls at us and if they were friends you would do your best to help them take each day at a time. But sadly they are not and we must sit on the sidelines as they struggle to finally come to terms with everything that has happened to them.

     It is a story that sees seem to be fairly familiar with when it comes to the rise and fall of this cult. Lost souls looking for a home, somewhere that will accept them and give them a new shot at life. A leader that seeks power and control. Someone who is only interested in their own gain. Much like like so many stories we have seen play out in real life. It can only ever end in pain and suffering for those who get lost down in its rabbit hole. In these sections where we are sent back into how things came to be the author pulls us in and you can see how things slowly escalate but it's interesting to see these from the kid's point of view. As adults, we can see that the things they are asked to do are only breaking them down to be rebuilt in their leader's desires and will. But it is also through seeing them come back as adults to try and deal with all this that we get to see the whole impact of what happened. That surviving is only half the battle and what comes next can be far far worse than anything you can think of. 

     And whilst there is a great deal here grounded in reality parts you might even recognize as being similar to a show you've seen. This is also a horror novel and as these elements start to seep in our view of this world skews with them. It's a funny thing that you become so wrapped up in this world the author has created that you don't question it even for a heartbeat. You just sucked in and hold on till the very last pages. I figured I was going to enjoy this book but the experience was so much better than I thought it would be. So if you are looking for a little real-world-ish-based horror definitely go grab yourself a copy right away.