Houses of the Unholy

I liked the premise of a woman who was a childhood false accuser during the Satanic panic of the 1980s coming to terms with her past by way of a murder mystery. I even felt genuine suspense throughout despite the story playing out in a predictable manner. I only wish the ending had taken a different direction; it just didn't work for me.

For what came before though, I'm still willing to give the book a mild thumbs up.

I was a kid during the “satanic panic” of the 80s. It was a curious moment of national hysteria and I remember a small town cop speaking seriously to my grade school class about satanic cults and human sacrifice.

I’m a huge Brubaker fan and this is not his best. His premise seems to have been: “But what if one of those cults was real and still at it years later.” I see the appeal, but it doesn’t work well here.

A graphic horror novel about cults, the Satanic Panic, dealing with childhood trauma, and things going very, very wrong. Kind of a similar vibe to some other excellent releases this year. If you read this and think, "I would like it if this graphic horror novel about Satanists really amped the graphic horror to 11", I recommend Dwellings, by Jay Stephens. If you read it and think, "I want to read more about the Satanic Panic absolutely ruining people's lives", I recommend Rainbow Black, by Maggie Thrash.