Demon King

Vick’s dark, tense thriller pits young kids—and their older selves—against a demonic evil and his twisted daughters in Upstate New York. In 1979, Benny Cartwright knows something is wrong when his friend Toby Burton doesn’t show up for school. He sets out to find his friend and is almost captured by the demon Herlequin, who took Toby. Quickly, the town is besieged by Herlequin’s demon horde, including his daughter, Brigitta, and her lover, former Marine sniper Owen Gray, who goes on a shooting rampage. In 2007, Drew Reid is a college professor who can see demons (which appear human to everyone else) and kills each one he finds. Scott Lewis is a state trooper investigating the killings who quickly becomes involved in Reid’s hunt for demons. Vick bounces the story line between eras effectively, and the tension never lets up. Stephen King fans will enjoy spotting the references that Vick sprinkles throughout in homage. Readers may find the story confusing at first, the quick plot resolution too thin, and some rape and killing scenes overly graphic, but the thrills and horrors are engrossing. (BookLife)