Disappearance at Devil's Rock

A Novel

By: Paul Tremblay

Narrated by: Erin Bennett

Length: 12 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's summary

A family is shaken to its core after the mysterious disappearance of a teenage boy in this eerie tale, a blend of literary fiction, psychological suspense, and supernatural horror from the author of A Head Full of Ghosts.

"A Head Full of Ghosts scared the living hell out of me, and I'm pretty hard to scare," raved Stephen King about Paul Tremblay's previous novel. Now Tremblay returns with another disturbing tale sure to unsettle listeners.

Late one summer night, Elizabeth Sanderson receives the devastating news that every mother fears: Her 13-year-old son, Tommy, has vanished without a trace in the woods of a local park.

The search isn't yielding any answers, and Elizabeth and her young daughter, Kate, struggle to comprehend Tommy's disappearance. They feel helpless and alone, and their sorrow is compounded by anger and frustration: The local and state police have uncovered no leads. Josh and Luis, the friends who were the last to see Tommy before he vanished, may not be telling the whole truth about that night in Borderland State Park, when they were supposedly hanging out at a landmark the local teens have renamed Devil's Rock.

Living in an all-too-real nightmare, riddled with worry, pain, and guilt, Elizabeth is wholly unprepared for the strange series of events that follow. She believes a ghostly shadow of Tommy materializes in her bedroom while Kate and other local residents claim to see a shadow peering through their windows in the dead of night. Then, random pages torn from Tommy's journal begin to mysteriously appear - entries that reveal an introverted teenager obsessed with the phantasmagoric; the loss of his father, killed in a drunk-driving accident a decade earlier; a folktale involving the devil and the woods of Borderland; and a horrific incident that Tommy believed connects them.

As the search grows more desperate, and the implications of what happened become more haunting and sinister, no one is prepared for the shocking truth about that night and Tommy's disappearance at Devil's Rock.

©2016 Paul Tremblay (P)2016 HarperCollins Publishers

Read instead of listen

I couldn't make it through the narration, but because I loved reading Head Full of Ghosts, I gave reading the book a shot, instead. Much, much better than listening to this one.

Good Characters, Good Story

What did you like best about Disappearance at Devil's Rock? What did you like least?

The characters are so well-crafted in this novel. You can really feel their emotions and engage with their stories.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

The plot moved along well but I saw the end coming. There were some dark turns and twists however that kept me moving forward.

What three words best describe Erin Bennett’s voice?

Convincing, emotional, credible

Was Disappearance at Devil's Rock worth the listening time?

Yes, I would say it was. The writing is good, the story is too. The characters are interesting and you find yourself wanting to get to the end even if you already think you know what happened.

Simple and Satisfying

This was a very easy book to listen to. Some people may find it boring but if you are looking for a book you can listen to while doing other things like cooking, driving etc. without missing a super minute detail, then this is a good book. It's exactly what you think it's going to be the whole time you are listening. I didn't find that boring, I found it satisfying. It's a story of a boy that disappears and the process of finding him, then it's over. The narrator was ok. It took a minute for her to warm up but I think overall the narration was well done.

But...

I really enjoyed this book, but the story just ends. I don’t want to spoil it for anyone so I won’t go into detail, but even though I think the answer I am looking for is found in earlier chapters, I still would have liked the author to spell it all out for me. I don’t like to be left guessing.

Good !

Not at all what I expected but good. Kinda paranormal but keeps you guessing!
Just the right amount of creepy that makes you want to listen all the way through.

spooky scary

s king move over u have company. I give this story 4 out of 5 as it was to short. and falls just a bit short of all out body chills.

VERY good book. Creepy & intriguing.

I loved this book. It definitely catches your interest right off the bat, and the mystery of what actually happened to Tommy keeps you so intrigued till the end. I have not read Head Full of Ghosts but immediately purchased it after finishing this story.

worth a listen

well written, the narration was quite good and even though you could kind of guess generally what happened it continued to surprise me with little twists i wouldn't have expected.

good horror

This is a pretty good book. It isn't groundbreaking, but it was enjoyable. Tremblay does a good job of building the suspense and keeping you guessing as to exactly what's going on and whether the story is supernatural or psychological. It's generally understated and compelling- it has very 'Lake Mungo' vibes.

The biggest problem I had with it was the unreliable narrators made it a bit tough to take any POV character seriously by the end. When too many people have HUGE AND SHOCKING SECRETS that are only alluded to late in the story it's a bit tough to take anyone seriously. But I did listen all the way through and it was good enough to make me look for other things by the author.

Another hit from Paul Tremblay!

This is my third story I’ve read from PT and I am shocked that this book hasn’t gotten more recognition. This story is an emotional punch in the gut with a dusting of chaotic violence.