The thoroughly sinister aspect of Saul’s novel, The Devil’s Labyrinth, was enough to convince me that Saul must have studied under the auspices of the parochial school system and exaggerated his feelings of injustice and control to deliver such a scathing and unholy plot. This piece of roller coaster horror could have only been achieved by someone both familiar with the system and gifted in telling a work of fiction.

The setting takes place in the school halls of St. Isaac’s, under the care of charismatic Father Sebastian, a supposed expert in exorcisms. However, it soon becomes obvious that there is much more to Father Sebastian than what is presented to the other clergy and the student’s parents. One is also led to believe that on the surface the good Father is exceedingly popular with the students until they are forced to come face to face with the demonic evil he projects into their lives.

Struggling to overcome the emotional turmoil brought on by his father’s death and the new man in his mother’s life 15-year-old Ryan McIntyre finds himself enrolled at St. Isaac’s where he discovers a terrible secret and as a result soon finds himself another of Father Sebastian’s victims. Ryan like the others will find himself involved in a plot to assassinate the Pope who, aware of Father Sebastian’s apparent success with student exorcisms, plans a visit to Boston to observe the cleric’s techniques.

Fortunately, however, Ryan’s father had given him a crucifix that he had found in Iraq that was supposed to protect him from evil. The question then becomes will the crucifix indeed protect Ryan and the others from the evil that Father Sebastian has planned thus saving the Pope’s life or will the diabolical work come to fruition?

I felt that Saul managed to write to another thrilling novel, even though it did get a little slow in the middle, as he covered the very controversial and little-known subject of exorcism. Otherwise the author managed to build the intensity throughout the book until the story was ultimately brought together with well-developed characters that the reader could identify with. I would recommend the book as a first-rate supernatural thriller that will keep the readers interest but I have read many reviews by readers that did not agree with my assessment. Therefore, I will suggest that you get a copy from your local library rather than purchase it unless you can find a deal on Amazon, that way you are not out the expense and can decide for yourself if the read was worth the time or not.

John Saul became a media favorite in 1977 after he published Suffer the Children and has continued to delight terror genre enthusiasts since that time with other bestsellers that included a Perfect Nightmare and The Right Hand of Evil. With his latest endeavor, Dark of the Night, Saul once again takes the reader on a roller coaster ride into the bizarre world of the supernatural.

The tale begins innocently enough with Eric Brewster’s family making plans to join their friends for a fun-filled summer vacation at picturesque Phantom Lake, Wisconsin. A last minute decision on their part provides them the opportunity to rent one of the area’s nicest homes which is being ready to go up for sale in the fall. However, unbeknownst to the family is that the house is available at such an affordable price because it was once owned by a Dr. Hector Darby, who disappeared under mysterious circumstances seven years ago allowing his heirs to rid themselves of it for what they hoped would be a good price.

The lone holdout on being excited about the trip is Eric’s mother, Merrill, who fears that the deal is to good-to-be-true but since her family in friends are so insistent she relents and goes along with the plan. It is just a short time after their arrival at Pinecrest, however, that Eric and his friends discover a hidden room that contains a strange assortment of macabre items that had at one time belonged to famous serial killers worldwide. Be prepared, however, because as strange as this room is the control that the pieces manage to wield over the unsuspecting will keep you posed at the edge of your seat once again exhibiting Saul’s skill at sending shivers up the spines of even the most hard cored horror addicts.

So, if you are looking for a spine-tingling thriller that will interrupt your slumber at night Dark of the Night might just provide the ticket for ending your sweet dreams. No doubt about it John Saul is a master in his field and this is another winner.