Customer Reviews

Devil's Island

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A tropical island paradise resort exclusively for the rich and famous hosts an unforgettable hellish nightmare complete with zombies, demons, and evil voodoo practices. An unemployed banking executive and his fiancé find themselves held mentally hostage on the beautiful island by strange visions. At the same time, a slacker who was involved with mob activities escapes to the island as a penance to serve under the Catholic priest. This is a true good versus evil storyline with many surprises along the way. The adventures that ensue are nothing less than spine tingling.

Frank de Sales has crafted a strong and exciting storyline complete with gritty and complex characters. The story immediately draws you into this demonic world and you eagerly turn the pages to find out what happens next. Devil's Island definitely lives up to its title. Thriller, paranormal, and zombie fans will enjoy this book. This book has explicit and graphic language and should be intended for adult audiences.

-Jennifer Chase, author of thriller Compulsion

The book concerns two young Englishmen. One is an arrogant layabout who has nothing to do all day but indulge himself by frittering away a large inheritance in a series of drunken pranks. He - Andrew - gets himself involved with the mob and is forced to kill an underworld leader. The other, Craig, is a nervous wreck. Having spent most of his adult life at the receiving end of the kind of greed-culture that has landed international banking in the mess it is now in, he is approaching a breakdown and finds himself on the wrong end of a disciplinary process after being seen to have violated the very politically correct code. He reacts badly and steals an award of a holiday in an exotic location, an island in the Caribbean that only the ridiculously rich and powerful ever seem to get to. Andrew, full of remorse and shocked at what he has done, ends up going to the other end of the island where he is to help a priest.

Craig arrives in comfort, Andrew regrets having let his fitness slip after finishing his army days. The hotel is unbelievably luxurious and Craig allows himself to think that he might actually save his relationship with his fiancé. Andrew finds the priest and learns that the mountain dominating the island is an active volcano spewing all kinds of evil. The old priest tells him it is a portal to hell and the hotel a means of corrupting the guests. Both Andrew and Craig suddenly find themselves drawn into horrifying hallucinations where parts of their pasts haunt them - Andrew becomes convinced that the dead gangster has been let out of hell in order to draw him in while Craig runs the gauntlet of a series of brutal school teachers who made his childhood a misery. Craig's girlfriend gets possessed and Craig flees the hotel with her and a series of demons on his heels. The priest, Andrew and Craig capture her body and are forced to conduct an exorcism. At this point, each is faced with a vision of hell that challenges their sanity. They prevail, I won't spoil it by revealing the twist.

As books go, this is a classic good versus evil. The zombies are a bit of an over the top addition. It reads very well and the medieval themes of good and adversity doing battle are striking. As a debut novel, it's richer than most and very fast paced.

I stumbled across this and wasn't sure what to expect. On the whole the book is very entertaining, although probably not a good choice for kids in terms of the violence and language. It's an old fashioned horror in the genre of those thirties flicks where people end up somewhere strange and things are not as they seem. This time two English guys get caught up in something they cannot even begin to fathom without the help of an aged priest who has an understanding of the horror they encounter (including zombies). Entertaining and memorable although not everyone's cup of tea.

Do you believe in good and evil or the Devil and a Higher Power or Voodoo and Exorcism? Or do you not think of such things in the current process of daily life? Devil's Island takes you to the depths of your soul and commands a belief from you, but your way. Andrew Roke a criminal confessing a murder goes to the "mission" at Santa Chiara della Croce, known as Asmodeus. At the same time a young man, Craig Worrall-Moore received an email invitation in error to go to the most exclusive resort in the Caribbean, The Mammon Hotel. Young Craig never had any self-confidence, depressed, on medication, and in a relationship with Veronica that came close to ending. This invitation was his way into the world. The Mission is on one side of the Island. The Hotel on the other and the millionaires had all they wanted or could ask for. The active volcano stood in the center of the island. The Mission and Father Paul worked with the island people and tried to keep them together. Andrew relearns his religious values and Craig found weird happenings at the Mammon Hotel, even Veronica became someone he didn't know. Veronica become some one he didn't know. Craig escapes from the hotel finds him in the company of Andrew and Father Paul. Veronica follows him, inhabited in her body by someone else. They capture her and try to help her without success. Father Paul states the only way is Exorcism, from the 13th Century, and he'd never done it. Exorcism, Voodoo, Devil Worship, what about all of this? Why would rich people go through a vile process when they have all the money they want? Can Father Paul save Veronica? How does Andrew reach repentance in a new and extraordinary way? Can Craig become a self-confident young man?

Frank deSales' characters are clear, believable and unique. The setting is shown in such precise writing you are there the whole time. The story flows from beginning to end and the reader is never certain which way it will end. I enjoyed Frank deSales, Devil's Island, from start to finish.

Just when you come to a tropical island to get away, the ultimate battle between good and evil erupts. "Devil's Island" is a black comedy tale following two young lovebirds who want to keep their relationship strong by visiting a tropical paradise. Their love will be tested as the will of Satan has chosen their vacation destination for his latest expansionist efforts. "Devil's Island" is a unique approach to the battle of good and evil, and is highly recommended.

Where to start... It is afterall difficult to review a a novel that packs in as much action as three normally would. If you're looking for comparisons, think a Guy Ritchie storyline meets The Exorcist. A London layabout is involved in the murder of a gangster. Wracked by guilt, he throws himself into his Catholic background and volunteers to help an aged priest on an island far from anywhere. At the same time, a nervous wreck of a banker is fired and, in a last act of defiance, steals a holiday prize meant for one of his bosses with a similar name. He needs to do this in order to save his relationship. No doubt you've guessed now that both are headed for the same island. The island hosts a world famous resort for the super wealthy and powerful. It isn't what it seems though - the island is dominated by a volcano that the priest believes to be a portal into hell and has the remnants of his pitiful congregation suffering around him. As the two men realize that they have stepped into a place where the sole purpose of everything seems to be the corrupting of the world's privilege by an irresistible evil and are challenged by haunting visions thrown at them from their pasts or almost irresistible temptation. Ulitmately they have to take on the demonic forces after the banker's girlfriend becomes demonically possessed. I won't give away the twist, that would be cruel! Quite a book...