Covenant [Hardcover]

John Everson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 30, 2004

Joe Kieran has found that unearthing the truth for a newspaper can be painful, and telling it, heartbreaking. Hiding from his past big city exposés in the quiet coastal town of Terrel, he stumbles upon a web of mysterious teen suicides that somehow connect a ring of five women. Is there really a malevolent presence inside Terrel Cliff that holds all of the town in thrall as Angelica, a fortune teller, suggests? Or is there a murderous covenant between five women to sacrifice their first-born? When Angelica is kidnapped right under his nose, Joe suspects that there is more at work in Terrel than a dark, tragic streak.

Deep beneath the remains of a long-demolished lighthouse on its tragic cliff, Joe discovers Terrel's secret history and salvation. And in his desperate bid to save two women, he forges a new covenant, one that puts his own soul in deadly danger.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Covenant -- now available as a mass-market paperback -- won Everson a Bram Stoker Award back in 2004 (in its hardcover edition), and after reading it, you'll agree that this tight, gripping story was definitely worthy of the distinction. --Rue Morgue Magazine

I've waited four long years to read Covenant and it was well worth it. Everson has taken a classic genre plot and given it his own spin. This is how horror is done RIGHT. --The Horror Fiction Review

Truly entertaining no-frills horror, which is a damned good thing. --Horror World

Equal parts dark mystery and supernatural horror, Covenant is a white-knuckle reading experience that will keep you guessing and gasping. --Creature Feature

John Everson has written a powerful tale as readers wonder whether it is a concidence, the supernatural, or a serial killer behind the suicides. --Midwest Book Review --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

About the Author

John Everson is the Bram Stoker Award-winning author of the novels Covenant, Sacrifice and The 13th. He shares a deep purple den in Naperville, Illinois with a cockatoo and cockatiel, a disparate collection of skulls, twisted skeletal fairies, and a large stuffed Eeyore. There's also a mounted Chinese fowling spider named Stoker, an ever-growing shelf of custom mix CDs and an acoustic guitar that he can't really play but that his son likes to hear him beat on anyway. Sometimes his wife is surprised to find him shuffling through more public areas of the house, but it's usually only to brew another cup of coffee or restock a pint of Newcastle. --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 307 pages
• Publisher: Delirium Books; Sgd Ltd edition (November 30, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1929653654
• ISBN-13: 978-1929653652
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.7 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,951,754 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I share a deep purple den in Naperville, Illinois with a cockatoo and cockatiel, a disparate collection of fake skulls, twisted skeletal fairies, Alan Clark illustrations and a large stuffed Eeyore. There's also a mounted Chinese fowling spider named Stoker, an ever-growing shelf of custom mix CDs and an acoustic guitar that I can't really play but that my son likes to hear me beat on anyway. Sometimes my wife is surprised to find me shuffling through more public areas of the house, but it's usually only to brew another cup of coffee. In order to avoid the onerous task of writing, I occasionally record pop-rock songs in a hidden home studio, experiment with the insatiable culinary joys of the jalapeno, design book covers for a variety of small presses, lose hours in expanding an array of gardens and chase frequent excursions into the bizarre visual headspace of '70s euro-horror DVDs with a shot of Makers Mark and a tall glass of Newcastle.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Be careful what you agree to..., April 1, 2005

By 

Ann Cory "http://www.anncory.com" (Aphrodisiacs for the Mind) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Covenant (Hardcover)

Covenant is spine tingling and addictive. John Everson delivers a twisted treat that is loaded with suspense, a strong multifaceted plot, and taut characters. His words and imagery give us a firsthand feel of what it's like to reside in a small town, a place fueled by secrets and driven by fear.

Enter Joe Kiernan, a reporter for the small town of Terrel. After having worked at several fast-paced and prestigious jobs, he looks forward to the change of scenery and the quiet ways of a smaller scale way of life. Until the sad truth bites him in the ass. Stuck with low-level tasks and listening in on police radios for the latest minuscule town's perils, he questions why he bothered. One evening, things come to an abrupt change, but not necessarily for the better. Joe reveals a news story that threatens to pull the rug right out from under the tight-lipped residents. Terrel's Cliff has become the official site of a coincidental string of suicides. Each year, on May 22nd, a child jumps to his or her death. The townspeople try to pretend otherwise, but for five women - it's an event that haunts their every waking moment. A pact, a twisted covenant is revealed, that was entered into over a hundred years ago as the only means of survival. But not survival for the children.

Joe digs into his own investigations, visits an eccentric seer, and tries to get to the bottom of what it is about Terrel's Cliff that compels a child to end their life without so much as a warning? And why have the people accepted it as a normal way of life? The truth as it is revealed, is terrifying and will keep you plowing through the pages. Hidden among the dirty secrets, we learn of a demon with an agenda so powerful, no one is safe. John Everson's style is composed and direct. He gives us believable small town characters, complete with their own set of skeletons and superstitions.

Covenant will whisk you away into a deep embedded darkness, where you are sure to wonder if you'll ever get back out. I highly recommend this fast paced, solid read by an articulate author who has what it takes to give readers exactly what they want.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Over the Top, September 21, 2008

By 

Esmerelda Luv "Esme" (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Covenant (Leisure Fiction) (Mass Market Paperback)

When I started this book, I was interested in where it was going, I liked the main character, I enjoyed meeting the secondary characters and their stories. I was entertained by the experiences and the attitude with which the book was written and some scenes while a bit 'over the top' fit in well with the book. The demon was a bit obnoxious for my taste, but when I mentioned this to someone I loaned the book to, she responded with, "He's a demon." She had a point, there aren't very many 'nice' demons out there...lol. The reason I gave this book three stars, is because some readers might actually enjoy this book...and the obnoxious demon. It was well written, the story had depth, the scenes were easy to visualize and it contained several suspenseful moments.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Never make a deal with the devil, July 14, 2009

By 

Mercedes (Colorado, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Covenant (Leisure Fiction) (Mass Market Paperback)

Joe, a big city reporter from Chicago moves to the little sleepy town of Terrel. Soon he'll discover that the suicides from Terrel's Peak are more than coincidental, they are connected. Since the beginning of Terrel people have jumped from the cliff on May 22 and Halloween, but why? He'll discover a secret Covenant was made with an evil sprit that's yearly collecting his dues. Joe will meet Angelica, the locale fortune-teller and soon learns the latest jumpers were all related of sorts. Joe will hear the demon himself and soon takes on the quest to discover where Angelica's lost daughter is. He'll also find love in a young college student who has also heard the demon's voice.

This was a page turner, easy to read, and entertaining. There is a lot of graphic sex and violence in this book, but then if you want a good horror novel, these are essential.