Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Incredible, March 7, 2008
I'll confess up front. I'm a huge Amanda Stevens fan and love all her books. After reading THE DOLLMAKER, her previous MIRA, I was blown away and knew it could never be topped, but she's written something even more frightening with THE DEVIL'S FOOTPRINT. I can't decide if it's her characters, the plot or all the details she weaves into the story that make her books so satisfying. Whatever it is that she does, I hope she continues. These are the creepiest (and I mean that in a totally great way) books I've encountered in a long time and I have a feeling the story, especially this one, will stay with me for a while as well. If you want a read that will make you look for bad guys under the bed and in the closet, too, this one's for you.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A dark haunting thriller unlocks the thoughts of a killer, February 20, 2008
THE DEVIL'S FOOTPRINTS by Amanda Stevens chills and thrills with a dark mesmerizing story of legends, a past murder and a hunt to unlock the past as a current day killer becomes ever more closer. THE DEVIL'S FOOTPRINTS is a fast-paced read with a haunting eeriness as memorable imagery combines with a tight plot structure.
A 1922 Arkansas legend tells of evil and cloven footprints in the snow disappearing over a river and appearing on the other side, haunting the memories of a town. Years later, the gruesome creepy murder of Rachel DeLaune hearkens back to that legend. Cloven footprints reappear and the sound of bells in the background, tolling out the gruesome death, create an almost supernatural aura. The case remains unsolved, haunting tattoo artist Sarah DeLaune to this day. When Sarah DeLaune's former boyfriend and New Orleans police officer, Sean Kelton, encounters a murder some 14 years later, he thinks Sarah's past might be the key to unlocking the killer. An eerie similarity to Rachel's murder puts Sean on edge. The sound of bells, tattoos and drawings in strange undecipherable symbols add a mysterious, creepy dimension that needs unlocking to understand the motive.
When additional murders occur, the bodies found near Sarah's home, Sean's instincts about Sarah may lead beyond to clues. A new urgency forces him to rely on Sarah to unlock the mysteries of the past and present. Can Sarah trust him or herself to peer into the past? The more she remembers, the more questions remain. As she becomes closer to the truth, the killer becomes closer to her. Around Sarah, all moves in a spiraling nexus of darkness that threatens to engulf everyone connected to her. Can Sarah unravel the mysteries of her past in time to save herself from the approaching threat?
As much as I adored this author's THE DOLLMAKER, her new thriller is even more memorable! Darker and creepier, the striking imagery chills to the very core as the search for a killer unveils the layers of darkness surrounding the events of the past. Amanda Stevens allows the reader to see the killer, indeed to know the killer through his own words and Sarah's past without revealing the identity. As an author with a long history of writing romantic suspense, her entry into the thriller genre brings with it a gift for peering into the very heart of her characters, the dark place of the killer's mind that chills beyond clues. Amanda Stevens makes the reader feel a certain kind of empathy for the killer, creating a thriller all the more creepy as the horrors and deeds are uncovered. A supernatural imagery mixes with psychology to create a terrifying look into a cold case, memory and the legacy of the present day consequences. Indeed, Amanda Stevens' brilliant use of imagery gives an unusual glimpse into the dynamics behind the murders. As the plot moves forward, clues lead the reader deeper and deeper into the heart of the darkness. Until the very last pages, everyone may be suspect. Fast-paced action mixes with a chilling revelation as Sean and Sarah realize the terrifying end to their hunt for a killer. THE DEVIL'S FOOTPRINTS is a haunting thriller!
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Amanda Stevens gives is a stylish thriller, March 12, 2008
The Devil's Footprints is a stylish thriller by Amanda Stevens. The heroine is Sarah DeLaune, who is still dealing with the fallout of her sister's murder fourteen years earlier. Sarah is a gritty tough woman struggling to find the truth of a horrible case that was never solved.
When a body turns up that has been tattooed after death, Sean, Sarah's ex-lover and a homicide detective, convinces her to come and look at the body. The problem is not just the tattoo, but the satanic symbols that cover the crime scene. They torment Sarah with what she is unable to remember of her sister Rachel's murder. From that moment her life is a maelstrom of fear, and she finds that she can't trust anybody, perhaps not even herself.
The story moves from present-day New Orleans to the small town of Adamant, Arkansas in past and present. Nothing is what it seems. Just when you think you have it figured out, the story takes another twist. As more people are drawn into the mystery, the possibilities get darker. There are a lot of secrets in Adamant, and someone is willing to kill to keep them secret.
The characters are well rounded and believable. Amanda Stevens puts them in an untenable situation, and then we get to see the layers peeled back. I like that everything is not neat and tidy. Stevens pulls the reader into the raw emotion of a woman who no longer trusts herself, but desperately needs to learn the truth of her past.
This is terrific read and with a satisfying ending.
Armchair Interviews agrees.
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