Customer Reviews

The Right Hand of Evil

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(25)
2 star:		(23)
1 star:		(18)

 

 

When alcoholic Ted Conway inherits his ancestral home in Louisiana, after the death of an estranged aunt, wife Janet accepts the move as the last chance for the family to stay together. She's almost immediately disappointed, however, and makes plans to leave with their three children and their dog. Then Ted has a remarkable healing, bringing about sobriety, and returning him to the man Janet fell in love with years ago.

The small town of St. Albans doesn't welcome the Conways. The communities' memories and rumors of the wrongs and evils perpetrated by the Conways extends even to the children. The house is said to be haunted. Certainly something evil exists within its foundations, a miasma that aims to mutilate and destroy that which is good or innocent. Ted's remarkable healing as result of the touch of evil will cost both his own soul, and possibly the soul of his son.

The estranged Aunt Cora who passed the house to Ted also passed the family bible to the parish priest. Within its pages are the recordings of the generations of Conway women who know the secret of the house's evil. As father Devlin discovers the tragic stories and locates the missing pages, the generations of evil begun at the hands of a priest lead him to the Conway house to aid the fight against a monstrous evil.

Having checked out the many of reviews at, I find it interesting that the higher marks come from readers like myself who haven't read a lot of John Saul's work. THE RIGHT HAND OF EVIL heavy grounding in Catholicism and Satanism won't be to everyone's taste, nevertheless, I found Saul's approach fascinating and addictive. The convoluted and twisted plot kept the pages turning quickly, and I find the origin of the evil within the Conway house fascinating. A remarkable tale in detail, such as the painted garden in the dining room, and rich characterization, I recommend THE RIGHT HAND OF EVIL.

This is the 1st of John's books that I've read and the quality of this book has urged me to get another one of his writings, after I'm done with the pile I have now.

The Conways have been cursed. A trust means that they had to live in that old abandoned house in which rumours of death, evil and conspiracy had spread through the generations in the little town of St. Alban.

Janet's husband, Ted Conway, recovers from his decade long problem of drinking overnight and Jared, their eldest son, takes a turn from his twin sister, someone who was his closest friend since their birth. What's really going on?

I broke my own personal record by finishing this book within 10 hours. After reading the 1st 12 chapters, I did not want to stop. The story was very smooth flowing; the plot simple yet mysterious. The main characters were thoroughly developed and the words painted a totally spooky house of horror.

I was chilled within those first chapters and wanted to get to the bottom of the terror as quickly as I could. Very enjoyable.

Saul's The Right Hand of Evil left me rather unmoved. It's a fairly enjoyable read, but it cannot be called highly original, scary, or awe-inspiring. This is pretty typical John Saul. A dysfunctional family of five-an alcoholic father, rather weak mother, a pair of adolescent twins, and an infant-faces desperation when Ted loses yet another job as a hotel assistant manager due to his drinking. Then comes a call that Ted's aunt, shut up in a sanitarium for decades, is dying. Suddenly, the family inherits a large, old house which Ted decides to make into an inn with the money left to him by an aunt he cared nothing about. Of course, trouble begins brewing immediately. The close-knit townspeople of St. Albans do not want anyone living in that evil house, abandoned for forty years-especially not another Conway. Conways in that house have always meant big, big trouble for the town; stories of murder and evil surround the old house, as do hidden eyes watching and biding their time. Hated and shunned by the whole community, her husband drinking more heavily than ever, Janet decides to take her children and finally leave. Miraculously, though, she finds that her husband Ted seems to have finally changed completely and given up alcohol. For the first time, the family begins to enjoy a normal life of sorts, but burgeoning happiness soon recedes back into terror as Jared, the first-born son begins to change, seemingly taking on all of the bad qualities his father has just overcome.

There's a story behind the history of the house, of course, one going back over a century (no surprise here; the whole ancient curse theme is Saul's trademark plot point). We gradually learn exactly what has taken place in the house, but this particular puzzle has few pieces missing to begin with. The tenor of things to come is never really in doubt, although I have no real criticism of the conclusion, which Saul pulled off fairly well. Saul goes all the way this time to give us the ultimate Evil, but his efforts were not quite up to the lofty challenge. There are some suspenseful moments, but Saul replays them often enough to make them rather banal in the end. Character development is rather interesting, particularly in terms of the Catholic priests. My impressions of the priests were made to change a little too quickly and easily, prompting me to wonder just when it had happened. As for the Conway family, I liked daughter Kim, but I could hardly have cared less about the others, particularly Ted and Jared. Since I didn't invest a lot of interest in Saul's characters, I never really cared how the novel might end.

There are a few scenes that are sure to bother animal lovers such as myself, so I want to mention that fact here. I always cringe when I see an animal in a Saul novel because animals rarely fare too well in this writer's narratives. Ultimately, I will say that this novel is just a little too derivative of Saul's other fiction, and this time around there is no real zing that certain other of his narratives have. If you've never read John Saul before, you will probably enjoy this novel a lot more than those of us are familiar with his work. John Saul is a talented writer who knows how to tell a story well, and that counts for a lot, but this novel, which aspires to much, falls short of its mark and never really sinks its claws into the heart and mind of the reader.

This was my first John Saul novel and I wasn't impressed. In fact I was downright bored. I'm not saying I won't read another one of his novels, but I'll ask around for a good one first, because if his other books are like this one, then DAMN.
Now I read quiet a bit, and I love a good scary story from time to time. .... It starts off well, scary house in the woods...that hasn't been lived in for years. Yada Yada...you know the formula. Anyway half way through the book it takes a turn for the worst. No clear plot, or conclusion. Boring desriptions and characters you could care less for.
I promise you, in a few years there will about 100 copies of this book on the used bookstore shelf in your town, because no one will want to hold onto it. Please don't waste your time.

This was the first book by John Saul that I read. The second one that I just finished reading was called Sleepwalk. This book though was the one that got me hooked on John Saul. In it he tells a tale of a house that has something evil within it. But does it in a creative new way. Excellent read I highly recommend it to anyone who likes horror or suspense.

Ted Conway is shocked to learn that he inherited his crazy Aunt Cora's home in St. Albans, Louisiana. Ted and his spouse Janet agree a change in scenery might be just what they and their three children need. So with little to bind them to Shreveport, the Conway brood moves to their late aunt's home, a place that has been neglected for four decades, the time she spent in an institution.

The local folks seem unhappy that a Conway once again lives inside the Victorian home because that family denotes evil. The walls flow with violent death that infiltrate the male members of the new residence. As the previously pathetic Ted flourishes amidst his gloomy surroundings, his son's behavior turns ugly in direct proportion. Could an evil essence be transforming the souls of the Conways into something else?

John Saul is a fan favorite for his atmospheric horror novels that tear apart the guts of the reader. On the surface, his latest tale, THE RIGHT HAND OF EVIL, provides readers with the essential Saul tale as all the elements of a modern Gothic abound. Though the pace is quite fast and filled with action, the story line never decides between a true gothic and a psychological thriller. Additionally, readers never care what happens to the Conway clan. This novel is one of those could-have-been stories as the PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY flashes through one's mind with the teen representing the picture and Ted being Dorian. Instead of that twist, readers have a horror tale that fails to bring its many subplots to closure.

Harriet Klausner

Oh the horror! A big old house, with a mysterious past, a sudden change in personalities; satanic sacrifices and a small town gripped by the force of evil; does it all sound thrilling? Well, this book contains all that but it somehow manages to reduce it all to the most tripe story possible. The Conways have inherited a house from a long lost dying Aunt and as they start to move in strange things begin to occur. I love a good horror story and like some I don't get tired of using familiar plotlines as long as a refreshing twist is added or it is well written. "Right Hand" seldom delivers on the former and does a fair job on the ladder. The beginning was great and the middle build up the suspense but the ending was a complete let down. After reading it, I scratched my head and said, "Was that all that had to be done to set things right?" We have this evil presents taking over a family and causing the son and father to do nasty things but in the end it can't even put up a good fight. At least in the "Exorcist" there was a royal battle taking place here the battle between good and evil is over before it even begins. I think Mr. Saul grew tired and decided to ended with the first thing he thought of; sorry but the ending is just plain lazy and spoils the entire story. Another disappointment for me personally was how mute the horror really was. Sure there are animal sacrifices but a human one would have added to the gore factor. The sex was also quite tame as if Saul wasn't sure he really wanted to go there or not. I kept waiting to see if Jared and Luke would go at it or if Jared and his sister would get closer but alas nothing more then dream like sequences took place. Saul hinted at a possible nasty outcome regarding the union between Luke and Sandra but the dumb ending took care of that. All and all, while the story kept you interested there weren't many surprises or terrifying moments to be had and some chapters were just plain filler. Saul did pay homage to "The Exorcist "by naming one of the priests McNeil (anybody else catch that?" Still, the priests were underused and could have played a more significant role. I would have even welcomed more scenes at school but that didn't' happen either. No, I'm afraid I can't truly recommend this offering by Saul. I have purchased Nightshade though and will read that next; I hope the story is much better displayed with a more gripping ending. The audio recording for this book was fine and the reader did a good job in narrating the story. There are a few minor sound effects primarily when the demon speaks but for the most part it is a straight reading. C-

Excellent reading....I couldn't put it down. I can't wait to read Nightshade. Keep up the good work!

This is my sixth Saul book I've read and it might be my favorite so far. "Hand" grabs you in the opening with a very scary scene. This sets the stage for what awaits the Conway family. Some very scary visuals. I'm not sure if any of Saul's work has been turned into movies but this would make a good one. Quick read, worth checking out.

I have been reading John Saul since Suffer The Children came out. Usually his books grab you at the very beginning and don't let go. This book is not one of his better ones and really didn't grab me at all.

Ted Conway is a drunk assistant hotel manager with a bad attitude. After losing his current job, he is called to the sanitarium in St. Albans, Louisiana to see his Aunt Cora, who is dying.

Cora gives the family mansion to Ted and his family. The family moves and determines to fix up the manse and make it into a hotel. Almost automatically there is opposition to this from the clergy and neighbors.

There are evil rumors about the Conway family and their history. The possibility of satan worship is bantered about.

Ted becomes the perfect husband after he gives his son to his "master". Janet, Ted's wife,is pleased at the transformation of Ted and can't quite believe it. She shouldn't believe it because it is too farfetched. People don't change overnight.

Ted's son Jared becomes the local bogeyman and we find that his "master" is a scaly thing with pustules.

This book is not scary at all and does not live up to it's billing.