The Red Church (Sheriff Frank Littlefield, #1)

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The Red Church (Sheriff Frank Littlefield #1)

by Scott Nicholson (Goodreads Author)

3.46 of 5 stars 3.46 · rating details · 898 ratings · 151 reviews

The church was constructed in the 1860s under the guidance
of Reverend Wendell McFall. His sermons declared the existence of God s Second Son- whose mission is to undo all of Jesus work on Earth. McFall had the church painted red to summon the First Son to defeat the Second. But when he sacrificed a child to support his rantings, his congregation hung him from the
rafters o...more

Paperback, 352 pages

Published June 1st 2002 by Pinnacle (first published September 1st 2000)

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May 16, 2012 Christa rated it 5 of 5 stars

I am not exactly a "thriller" or "horror" fan, so when I came across The Red Church by Scott Nicholson I hesitated at first, thinking I probably wouldn't like it. After the first few pages into the book, I realized how limiting and inaccurate such labels really are. To be sure, there is plenty of blood-curdling and scary stuff in the novel. However, there is much more to the book than "blood and gore."

The heart of the story is a young boy, struggling with growing up, with his parents' estrangem...more

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Jan 04, 2013 Kristin Walcott Figueroa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Just like the Red Church was forever lurking in the background of this small mountain town, this book has been lurking in my TBR pile for quite some time. Every time I finished book and was looking for my next great read, I’d always pause on this cover in my long list on Goodreads and think, “I really want to read this.” Then I’d continue perusing the rest of the list and for some reason always settle on something else. That is until now. I don’t know what I was waiting for, but its beckoning ha...more Just like the Red Church was forever lurking in the background of this small mountain town, this book has been lurking in my TBR pile for quite some time. Every time I finished book and was looking for my next great read, I’d always pause on this cover in my long list on Goodreads and think, “I really want to read this.” Then I’d continue perusing the rest of the list and for some reason always settle on something else. That is until now. I don’t know what I was waiting for, but its beckoning has finally been answered. And I’m glad of it.

The Red Church is a story about a boy, a church, good, evil, and faith. It’s about growing up, challenges, and choices. Ronnie Day is at the age when girls have become important, little brothers are a pain, and parents still offer a sense of security and safety. Ronnie lives with his family in a small rural mountain town steeped in religion and legend. Every day he has to walk home from school past the haunted red church. His fear is palpable and is born of generations of ghost stories surrounding the church. It is not long before the reader learns that those stories are more than just tall tales.

Nicholson weaves a haunting tale of the ultimate battle of good and evil. His ability to conjure images with descriptive text is masterful. I could easily visualize the gruesome transformations of Archer McFall and often thought this would make an awesome movie.

Throughout the book I was asking myself, who or what is Archer McFall. Is he the anti-Christ? Is he the Devil? Is he a conjurer of evil demons or ghosts? His ability to play on people’s fears and weaknesses is scary. And he has a power to overcome a person’s sensibilities and place them in some sort of hypnotic trance that renders them completely helpless against him. I was anxious to see how such a monster could be defeated. In the end, there are a few twists and although there is definitely a resolution of sorts, questions still remain.

If you like a good horror story with religious undertones, this is a book for you. I definitely recommend it.
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Nov 28, 2012 Jarek rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle

The works of Scott Nicholson are often compared to those of Stephen King. His debut novel - The Red Church - is indeed written in a style resembling the most mature of King's books, and is set in a small American town, like many of King's novels. The similarities end there however, because The Red Church is much more serious than King's horror stories.

The Red Church is a book about faith. It shows that what we believe is equally shaped by dogmata of our religion, our personal experiences, herita...more

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Nov 15, 2012 Matt Schiariti rated it 5 of 5 stars

It would be easy to say The Red Church is a horror novel. I guess at its core that's as good a label as any, but it's really a mixing of genres. Part ghost story, part thriller, part mystery, part psychological drama, part crisis-of-faith story.

I think the most frightening aspect of the story isn't the supernatural aspect of the 'false prophet' type villain. It's not the gore (while there is some, Nicholson uses it for effect, not for shock value..which is nice..it doesn't come off as a cheap th...more

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Jun 01, 2012 Susan Ashcraft rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: detective, faves, fiction, novel, paranormal, recommended, supernatural, horror

Ronnie Day, 13 year old son of David and Linda Day and older brother to his annoying little brother Tim has a brain, liked to read and suffered from an overactive imagination. His little brother drove him crazy, his parents were always fighting now, or at least when his father came back to the house they were, and he had to pass by the old red church twice every day to and from school. Ronnie wishes he could be like other kids and not be afraid of the old red church but he swears he can feel som...more Ronnie Day, 13 year old son of David and Linda Day and older brother to his annoying little brother Tim has a brain, liked to read and suffered from an overactive imagination. His little brother drove him crazy, his parents were always fighting now, or at least when his father came back to the house they were, and he had to pass by the old red church twice every day to and from school. Ronnie wishes he could be like other kids and not be afraid of the old red church but he swears he can feel someone or something always there, waiting. Just what its waiting for Ronnie's not sure and he doesn't want to know.

On the walk home from school as they are passing the red church, Tim sees something and stops. Ronnie doesn't want to go back and see what's keeping him. But as Tim insists, Ronnie slowly makes his way back, getting more and more uneasy as he sees that Tim has left the road and is at the old cemetery that sits near the church.

Ronnie's imagination is taking flight when Tim's find of a girlie magazine brings him back down to ground. Trying to think of a way to outsmart Tim to get the magazine for himself at first he is unaware of movement from behind him. When a bloody hand reaches out to grab his ankle, Ronnie takes flight, shouting for his little brother to run too.

Sherrif Littlefield hates the red church and has never liked going there. Years before, one Halloween, when Sherrid Littlefield was a teenager he watched his little brother die here at the church. He's never told anyone what he really saw as he knows no one will believe him, in fact he's always wondered if he really saw what he did.

With the gruesome discovery in the old cemetery, Barkerville's sheriff Frank Littlefield is worried. Worried and scared. Is there a killer loose in his county or is it something more? Something black and evil? Something not of this world...

Several years ago horror novels were what I read the most. After reading a series of less than good novels from this genre, I got away from them. I decided to take a chance on this one because after reading a sample chapter I thought hmmm maybe this one will be the one that rekindles my interest in horror novels. It has!

I really enjoyed the pace of this book, the build up to the final confrontation kept me reading. The characters were well fleshed out and believable. I stayed up late by myself, even my dog had gone off to bed, and this book had me checking behind me when I finally made my way off to sleep. For me I found it very reminiscent of an early Stephen King or Dean Koontz novel. I would definitely recommend this one to anyone who likes to be frightened. (less)

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May 24, 2012 D.M. Dutcher rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror

It's not bad, but too meandering and with incredibly inconsistent rules.

There's a red church in town that seems to have a lot of history. A crazy preacher was hung there during the civil war, and one of his descendants is back to raise hell. He has a lot of people there waiting for him, and only one who knows enough to oppose him.

I got the sense he really was making up the rules as he went along.It felt disjointed, with new characters and situations made up with little explanation or back story...more

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Jan 06, 2012 Misty Baker rated it 4 of 5 stars

I’m going to start this blog with a disclaimer: When you are about 5% from finishing this book, park yourself next to a church, and finish it in the parking lot. Just trust me on this, I have never finished a book and then felt an immediate need for prayer and repentance as I did when I finished “The Red Church.”

Back in 1993 the world was introduced to the cult world by a fairly psychotic man named David Koresh. (For those of you reading this that were born in the late 80′s just google him.) Civ...more I’m going to start this blog with a disclaimer: When you are about 5% from finishing this book, park yourself next to a church, and finish it in the parking lot. Just trust me on this, I have never finished a book and then felt an immediate need for prayer and repentance as I did when I finished “The Red Church.”

Back in 1993 the world was introduced to the cult world by a fairly psychotic man named David Koresh. (For those of you reading this that were born in the late 80′s just google him.) Civilization as a whole was aware of cult society, but I think this was the turning point for recognition and condemnation.

I’ll admit… that fiery day in Waco rarely crosses my mind (I live 50 miles from there) but every once and a while something sparks that particular train of thought, and off my wild brain goes.

“The Red Church” was (in short form) a look at cult life from the inside.

Whispering Pines is a quaint little mountain town, or at least it is according to tourist. According to its inhabitants, its a town haunted by it’s past. Literally. A dead preacher, an evil cult leader, and a monster with “eyes like kidneys.” While half of the town is sucked in by Archer (Cult leader and self-proclaimed 2nd son of God) the other half (the sane half) is struggling to do little more than stay alive. Each night a new “sinner” is turning up dead, and the police have no hard evidence to put the killer away. What do you do when you think the killer is a ghost? What do you do when the whole town is against you? What do you do when your “GOD” asks you to sacrifice your own child.

“Nicholson” impressed me a few weeks ago with his latest novel “The Skull Ring” but I still remained skeptical of “The Red Church” for 2 reasons. 1. I was afraid that the writing would be lacking seeing as how THIS novel was actually an earlier work (you know… the whole growth with time and experience thing) and 2. After a few chapters I was afraid the book was going to turn into a sermon instead of the monster thriller I expected. I was…as usual…wrong on both accounts, and I’m actually quite happy to admit to being so. “Nicholson’s” writing was not only fluid and amazingly imaginative, but for some reason I think it was actually better than in “The Skull Ring.” The narration was multi-perspective which is not only difficult to write but sometimes (not in this case) difficult to read. The multitude of perspectives combined with the flawless character development made the book an easy read, and to top off the pot, his expected (at least by me) glimpse into a mentally unbalanced mind was perfectly executed.

This was a horror book that spouted details with the best of them.

There was immaculate conception, a mysterious half eaten man in a graveyard, a suicidal priest, creepy ambient laughter, finger filled puke, a wacko mommy, little boys with worms in their mouth, a REALLY smelly offering plate (that actually made me a little queasy), and 1 very epic “Come To God” moment in the front of the church.

This book is (of course) not for everyone, if you are looking for mushy make a direct left and choose a different isle, but if you are a fan of horror…saddle up. This one is a must read.

Happy reading my fellow followers and remember: always carry an emergency kit in your car… you never know when you are going to end up in the bottom lake and need to bust a window.

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Nov 08, 2011 Desert Rose rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: author-sent

The author was very generous to send me this ebook, I appreciate this introduction to his fine work.

Ronnie Day is a 13 year old boy in a rural town, having some family problems between his mom and dad. And to make things worse he has to pass by the haunted Red Church every day when coming back from school with his younger brother Tim.

This church has a history dating back to the 1860's when Reverend Wendell McFall started the idea of God having a second son. He was hung by the people of the town...more The author was very generous to send me this ebook, I appreciate this introduction to his fine work.

Ronnie Day is a 13 year old boy in a rural town, having some family problems between his mom and dad. And to make things worse he has to pass by the haunted Red Church every day when coming back from school with his younger brother Tim.

This church has a history dating back to the 1860's when Reverend Wendell McFall started the idea of God having a second son. He was hung by the people of the town on a Dogwood tree outside the Church.
It is rumored that he is still haunting the Church.

Now, a new Reverend is in town. He bought the Red Church from the previous owner and wants to start preaching there.. Who is this preacher?! Non other than Archer McFall.. A decedent of the former hung preacher and preaching his same ideas. And this is not his first time in this town.

One day, when coming back from school the boys get attracted to something in the Graveyard next to the Church and discover a dying man there. They get so scared they run home but Ronnie falls and gets a broken nose.
Then more residents die in very weird unexplained deaths.. And the Church bells starts ringing.. although there is no rope!! Ronnie suspects it's the Bell Monster from the Church that is doing the killing and the ringing.

The Sheriff of the town has a past history with the Red Church when his younger brother dies there in a freak accident. He believes the Church is haunted too.. When he tells his deputy that.. she thinks he has gone insane!!

Ronnies dad knows Archer from before, when David's wife joined with Archer years ago.. Now since he is back, Linda seems to have changed and she is joining with Archer again and becoming his devoted follower as she has been before.
It's up to David to try to save his wife and kids from Archer, because he is the only person who knows how dangerous Archer is.. And try to get the Sheriff to believe what is really happening in town to try to save it's people.

I was amazed at how great this book was.. The writing was so fluid and gripping it had me agitated when I had to leave the book and tend to my busy life! I kept wondering what will happen next.
Time flew when I was reading.. I loved the vivid details and the writing style.. The cover art is a plus too.. it just adds to the flavor of the book.
This author is a favorite author for me now!! I will check out his other books soon.

As for why I gave this book 4 stars instead of 5 well that is because of the Christian theme of the book.. It's more Christian fiction than just ordinary fiction and I don't really enjoy those undertones since I'm not a Christian myself.. but that is personal, you might enjoy that.

This is definitely a recommended book for horror fans!!(less)

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Feb 23, 2011 Barry Huddleston rated it 4 of 5 stars

Yet another great story by the "Duke of Disturbing" Scott Nicholson. I guess that you would have to call this vintage Nicholson since this was his first novel. If you are looking for an introduction into Nicholson's work, I couldn't think of a better novel.
In the "Red Church", we pick up the story of Ronnie Day. His life is filled with family problems, and to further complicate his young life, he must walk past the haunted Red Church. The church has a dark history and it is the home of the dread...more

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Oct 30, 2010 Nanette rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book was absolutely gripping. I loved the plot.... an old town with a dark, dark history. Characters with a pretty horrid past. Revenge. The search for religious "truth". Family dynamics. And alot of scary scenes. Just wait until you meet the character, ARCHER MCFALL. I cringe as I think about him!

Nicholson is one of the best horror writers out there. His descriptive style is part of his charm. For instance:

"Only the river mist remained, like the shroud of a final burial"

"....anticipation...more

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Oct 06, 2010 Sandy Vaughan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

As most of my friends know, I am not a fan of the 'horror' genre. So why the heck would I read this one? I've been following Scott Nicholson's Kindle tour and as I read his postings, I found I liked them. While some were very lengthy, I didn't mind reading them because of the way he wrote. And then he wanted his fans to push his ebook sale of "The Red Church" up to the 100 mark. Well, I have Kindle on my Mac and 99 cents was a good price to help a friend....yes, I went to Amazon and got it.

I ha...more

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Aug 24, 2010 Adam Wilson rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Red Church by Scott Nicholson is his first novel and the first novel i've been able to read by him because of the author's generosity. This book is true horror. Just the title alone was enough to grab my interest. Usually I dislike horror novels that are centered around religion but I greatly enjoyed this one. Statements like "Sacrifice is god's currency (But he would soon learn that sacrifice was the currency of a jealous God, and of jealous sons as well.)," were pretty powerful. More than...more The Red Church by Scott Nicholson is his first novel and the first novel i've been able to read by him because of the author's generosity. This book is true horror. Just the title alone was enough to grab my interest. Usually I dislike horror novels that are centered around religion but I greatly enjoyed this one. Statements like "Sacrifice is god's currency (But he would soon learn that sacrifice was the currency of a jealous God, and of jealous sons as well.)," were pretty powerful. More than the story, I enjoyed Nicholson's style of writing. I like things like "The chainsaw buzzed like a drunken bee." There was a sentence in the novel about the moon and letting it eat shadows. I love this kind of writing and I don't come accross it all that often. A lot of authors blend together when they write to the point that telling them apart is difficult. Nicholson is different than the usual horror writer though and I can't wait to read more of his work because he writes with the elegance of Dean koontz but with the dark qualities of Stephen King mixed in.
I'm not going to summarize the novel because the description is right there for anyone to read and I would just be restating it, but I will say that this book is very enjoyable, both because of the engaging story and the intelligent and at times humorous writing. It is this that will make Nicholson one of those authors for me where I can't stop at one novel. Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Richard Laymon, and Bentley Little are the only authors that I read one book by and then did whatever I could to track down everything I could and read it. All four of them stood out for me in different ways and Nicholson's writing is very interesting to me. I'm not trying to say that The Red Church was one of the greatest novels I've ever read, but that from reading it, I think the author has a lot of writing to offer readers and he doesn't seem like he would dissapoint readers who enjoy writing style as much as or more than the story itself. I like books that have memorable moments too, and the nightmare about shariff Littlefield's "baptism" was pretty damn freaky to read and is the thing that will come to mind when I think about this book months from now after reading dozens of other horror novels.
And, if that doesn't get my point accross, Bentley Little himself praises Nicholson's work and you can trust his judgement on that.(less)

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Feb 13, 2011 K.R. Bankston rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Chose this book based on the wonderful synopsis and it began as a good read. It quickly lost luster for me however as the story became very convoluted and murky. There was far too much emphasis placed on the "anti religious" theme than necessary. It would seem the author went to great lengths to offend Christians/Christianity or ridicule their customs and beliefs. I thought the premise of the story was good, the writing was excellent, though the story being told from a 10-year old's POV didn't g...more

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Sep 19, 2011 Linda rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is my first Scott Nicholson book, so had no idea what to expect. It started out vaguely reminiscent of James Patterson, but then moved into supernatural...GORY supernatural. Ronnie Day, and his Brother, Tim, side-track into the cemetery at the dreaded Red Church, where they discover items belonging to Boonie Houck. Strange. But not nearly as strange as being grabbed by a bloody, torn up Boonie. If Ronnie was afraid of the Red Church, he's REALLY afraid now!

This is about evil, in it's worst...more

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Nov 05, 2010 Charlie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: october-halloween, indie, southern-stories

The Red Church is everything a scary story should be! The characters believe with conviction what they see is real and never waver despite the implausibility. Their trust is contagious and because of this, the reader can rely on the accounts. The 'good' vs. 'evil' element is at the forefront, but what makes this theme unique is how it is presented. Is Jesus really the bad guy? Seems ridiculous to consider given America's deeply rooted Christian culture, but Nicholson is able to craft a story tha...more

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Feb 26, 2012 Clarice rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Wonderfully creepy story!

My initial thought about this story which takes place in a small North Carolina town is that it could be described as “Andy of Mayberry meets Stephen King”. But Nicholson has a unique writing style that can only be compared to King in the way he draws the reader into the story with his well-developed characters and deceptively easy to read narrative.

I loved the way he told this story by rotating through the perspectives of everyone involved. Although the fact that there...more

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Jun 04, 2011 Donnie Light rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Red Church Rocks!
This was my first Scott Nicholson novel, and I really enjoyed it. The author is a gifted storyteller, and his style of writing made this story stand out.
The story of a haunted church and its history unfold from the perspective of a handful of wonderfully drawn characters. Some are afraid of the church, its past, its legend, and the recent murders surrounding it. Other characters are followers of a charismatic preacher, intent on reopening the church and gathering up the old...more

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Jun 30, 2010 David Dalglish rated it 5 of 5 stars

Red Church begins with two boys, Ronnie and Tim, discovering a playboy in the graveyard. This brief beginning of boys will be boys and brotherly squabble is both fun and real, and I'd recommend enjoying it as much as possible because a scene like that won't appear in the book again. This book isn't just about the Red Church: it is obsessed with it.

The story is clearly in the vein of Stephen King, and saying so is really just stating the obvious. The similarities are sometimes striking. The writi...more Red Church begins with two boys, Ronnie and Tim, discovering a playboy in the graveyard. This brief beginning of boys will be boys and brotherly squabble is both fun and real, and I'd recommend enjoying it as much as possible because a scene like that won't appear in the book again. This book isn't just about the Red Church: it is obsessed with it.

The story is clearly in the vein of Stephen King, and saying so is really just stating the obvious. The similarities are sometimes striking. The writing will often switch to interior monologues that ramble on and on in incomplete sentences, carrying more a stream of thought designed to convey the character's horror. Sometimes it is effective, sometimes not. At times it worked, while other times it felt obligatory. "Must be a scary part," I'd mutter to myself. "Another italicized monologue."

But the Stephen King similarities are also in Scott's overlaying of both religion and worldly problems upon his characters amidst the supernatural. Ronnie's parents are struggling, with divorce looming in the distance more frightening to Tim than the monster living in the bell tower. Unlike King, however, these matters seldom trump the actual supernatural. In many of King's stories (say, Pet Sematary for example) how the main character deals with the mundane in his life drives him to the supernatural and decides the strength of its power over him. In this, the obsession with the Red Church reduces that.

I guess I should explain what I mean by obsession. We're given the viewpoint of many different characters, and with every one, we gain glimpses to their thoughts. Barring the very beginning, everyone is thinking of the Red Church. They worry about the monster in the bell tower. They worry about the returned son that has taken over the congregation. They discuss the murders. They discuss sacrifice over and over and over. This might not seem a problem, but what this means is that at no point do we see any glimpse of a normal life. Ronnie goes to school, he talks about the bell monster there. When the cop is investigating the case, he's remembering the death of his brother at the Red Church. When we hop into Ronnie's father's head, he's worrying about his wife...but not his relationship to her. Not anything I can relate to: just her involvement with the Red Church.

What precious detours we might get outside this narrow focus tends toward backstory only. So while all this kept the dread of the Red Church omnipresent, it also made it take far, far longer to get a feel for the characters and bond to any of them. Even now, I feel a little fond for Ronnie...and that's it. And maybe Mama Bet, but that's because I'm a little sick in the head (just like Mama Bet).

But despite this (rather shockingly wordy review, my gosh) I haven't touched on the true star of the book, and it ain't the Red Church: it's Archer McFall. The second son, the shapeshifter, master of the bell monster, a messiah of blood and sacrifice so delightfully twisted that if another book were written with him as villain I'd snap it up and vault it to the top of my TBR pile. He's the creature form It, only with a god complex this time. It doesn't matter to me that he swayed people too easily, or that his seeming invulnerability removed a bit of tension from certain scenes. While his true form at the very end may lack grandeur or near as much horror as his earlier renditions, his sweet words remained. For him alone I recommend this book.

Just one complaint: be ready to read the phrase "livers for eyes" about 500 times. It just isn't scary. Nothing at all is scary about the word 'liver' unless the phrase "eat your" is before it. But you'll see it, again and again and again and again, and every time I tried to see it, I saw big gooey human livers glued to a man's face like some goofball let loose in a meat locker playing a practical joke.

Bah. This is long enough as is. If you want psychological horror, where faith matters as much as bullets, where your own mother is tempted to deliver you as a blood sacrifice, and the goals of the Evil are far beyond a few simple killings, then I whole-heartedly recommend Red Church. Or if you like Stephen King. But that should be obvious by now.(less)

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Apr 19, 2010 Nathan Henrion rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

4 1/2 stars...Run For The Hills!

I picked this up after following a forum link by the author and I am glad I did. The writing was excellent, and though the pace was a little slower than my personal taste leans toward, it allowed for a deeper exploration into the background and development of the characters. The opening scene sucks you in and I found myself burning a lot of the midnight oil just to see where this story was going.

Ronnie was a solid character and there were parts of his story (when...more

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Sep 22, 2011 ExLibris_Kate rated it 4 of 5 stars

For twenty years the red church has been nothing but fodder for ghost stories and a place to store hay. No one in the small North Carolina mountain town likes to talk about its grisly past. When people start dying mysterious and horrific deaths , the Sherriff suspects that it has something to do with the return of Reverend McFall . McFall’s followers are willing to do whatever is needed, not matter how horrifying, to assure the return of the Second Son.
I don’t read a lot of books in the horror g...more

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Oct 05, 2012 Eric rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ebooks, contemporary, horror

The Red Church was an enjoyable horror story marred by a tacked-on ending.

Whispering Pines is a quiet North Carolina mountain town. At least, until a pair of local boys uncover the grisly, mutilated body in the boneyard of the haunted Red Church.

It isn't long before there are more victims, and the great-grandson of the original preacher of the Red Church comes back to town.

Sheriff Frank Littlefield has to figure out what's happening in his town and put a stop to it. Young Ronnie Day has to figur...more

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Jan 10, 2011 Marvin rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: horror, kindle, kindle-lending

Nicholson's the Red Church starts promisingly but loses the way in a haze of characters and religious meanderings. I'm not exactly sure what and where it went wrong. Perhaps the authors asks us to suspend disbelief one time too often. There is a lot of good things about this novel. The two children have a Bradbury-like wonder about them and the author excels in descriptive writing. However the plot became somewhat automated as each character changes when the plot dictates it. Except for perhaps...more

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Jun 13, 2011 Mary rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: supernatural-fiction

I like "horror books" and am always hoping to find a really creepy one that makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up---but The Red Church didn't make the cut. I'm not sure what went wrong, exactly--the writer, Scott Nicholson, seems to be a talented wordsmith. Maybe it was the heavily religious tone--a plot device, unrelated to the author's personal beliefs as far as I could tell, but nevertheless off-putting. Maybe it was the wearisomely cliched "good guy" (David Day) and "bad guy" (Arche...more

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Nov 29, 2010 Kim rated it 4 of 5 stars

On the way home from school one day, Timmy and Ronnie Day find a body in the graveyard of a long-abandoned church, the Red Church. From that moment on, their lives, as well as the lives of all of the "old" families of their small Appalachian mountain town, are forever changed. An evil, disguised as the true savior of humanity, is unleashed and people begin to die.

I love a good horror novel and this was my first by Nicholson. The story was a perfect blend of horror and gore, psychological thrills...more

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Jul 12, 2012 Todd Russell rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ghost, horror, religion

Some genuinely creepy moments in my first ever read of a Scott Nicholson book. It's also the first in the Sheriff Littlefield series. This one came by recommendation from several readers in a writing group I belong to. The writing style and story--particularly the town setting and children characters--reminded me of something a young John Saul might have written. An influence for the author, perhaps?

Anyway, this story of a haunted church and a creepy reverend that comes back to town and creates...more

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Jan 19, 2012 Jessie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror

I don't believe this book will win any awards--it's pretty formulaic, but that's not a bad thing, necessarily.

The most astonishing thing about Nicholson's writing for "The Red Church" was that he was able to balance the horror of the McFall's "religion" with the rest of the community's religion (and what is really a horror story of it's own, as related by a good Southern Baptist preacher). If you aren't steeped in the culture, you might find the story confusing, repulsive (for the wrong reasons)...more

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Jan 03, 2013 Graeme Hawke rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror

Well I had never read any work of Scott Nicholson and found this one on Amazon, The idea that a Red Church could be evil sparked my curiosity. The story revolves around a family and a 13 yr old boy who tries to come to grips with the changes that are happening at pace around him. His fear of the Church mirror the Sherifs from years past when he watched his brother perish at the church. It has it all a full story that grips you from teh first chapter and an unsettling feeling that people will go...more

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Apr 16, 2012 Brian rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, horror

This book was somewhat frustrating. It was never great but there were flashes of brilliance in there. The book didn't start slow exactly but it used so many point of view characters it didn't really hook me at first. Too many people spread the narrative too thin for me to really care about any of them. Eventually though I started to get into it and the thing the book most skillfully did was make it's own mythology believable within the narrative. The basic premise involves Preacher Archer McFall...more

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Sep 02, 2011 John rated it 5 of 5 stars

"The Red Church" is without a doubt the best horror book I have read in many years. Nicholson writes with the sheer creepiness of Stephen King, and the emotional depth of Dean Koontz. This book is not JUST a horror book...not JUST a "ghost story". It makes you re-evaluate your faith, which is not an easy thing for a genre fiction book to do (again, Dean Koontz can do this, few others can in my experience). "The Red Church" is told from the viewpoint of several very different characters, giving i...more

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Jul 07, 2011 Sandy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Set in the rural mountains of North Carolina, this is a horror tale a century in the making. In 1864, the pastor of the red church, Wendall McFall who preaches that Jesus is the First Son of God, but there's a Second Son coming, is strung up with the church bell cord by his own congregation after sacrificing a child on the altar of the church. Ronnie Day, 13 years old and a descendant on his mother's side of one of the families involving in the lynching, fears the red church and the Bell Monster...more Set in the rural mountains of North Carolina, this is a horror tale a century in the making. In 1864, the pastor of the red church, Wendall McFall who preaches that Jesus is the First Son of God, but there's a Second Son coming, is strung up with the church bell cord by his own congregation after sacrificing a child on the altar of the church. Ronnie Day, 13 years old and a descendant on his mother's side of one of the families involving in the lynching, fears the red church and the Bell Monster (a thing with wings, and claws and livers for eyes) that lives in the belfry. He has reason to because one day he and his 9 year old brother Tim discover the mutilated body of Boonie Houck, a local drunken ne'er-do-well who is another descendant from the 'old families' in the church's old cemetery. This is only the first death of a member of one of the old families over the next several days, and the murders don't appear to have been done by either man or animal. With the reopening of the red church and the reestablishment of the cult of the Second Son by Wendall's own descendant, Archer McFall, a charismatic, messianic figure, Ronnie's world becomes one of terror and danger.

For me, while I enjoyed the book, it wasn't very scary, but then I have a pretty high scare tolerance. I didn't feel that Archer was fleshed out enough to make him truly threatening, the hero characters didn't do much to aid in the resolution, and the premise of Second Son vs. First Son didn't really amount to much. And because of all that, I wasn't thrilled with the final denouement. In many ways, I think the book would have been well served to have the action take place over a much longer period of time, to have the horror mount as Archer gains control of his flock and his true nature is slowly revealed, and to have Ronnie and Tim in increasing mortal danger. Still, for a first novel, I found it a good read, and I wouldn't be averse to reading more of Mr. Nicholson's work should I run across it.

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About Scott Nicholson

With more than 200,000 books sold worldwide, Scott Nicholson is an international bestselling thriller writer. He won the Writers of the Future Award in 1999 and was a Stoker Award finalist in 2003. His Fear series will be published by Amazon's Thomas & Mercer imprint in December 2011.

He's also published a number of supernatural, paranormal, and fantasy books and stories, as well as children's...more

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The Red Church (Sheriff Frank Littlefield #1)

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