The Devil's Gospel

By: A. S. Coomer

Narrated by: Sean Duregger

Length: 5 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's Summary

Biology Professor Kevin Ballard finds his quiet life rocked by a series of vicious mysterious events. First, his mother is slain in his childhood home. Then, his girlfriend (and research assistant) is kidnapped from their cabin, and he finds that the plant he's studying is apparently being used in strange local rituals. To top it all off, the police think Kevin is somehow involved.

Who wants to wreck his life and why?

©2019 A.S. Coomer (P)2020 A.S. Coomer

Biblical Family Horror

Coomer made a great introduction into horror with his previous book. I loved it and it stayed in my head for a while after I listened to it. I found this one a bit tedious and thought this was more mystery than horror. It still kept my interest, but not like his previous horror story.

There was no real character development so you get what you get, I liked them, but they stayed fairly static. The plot was a bit here and there and while the overall story was solid, I didn't think the execution was there. Maybe I missed something and the prolonged ending made it something more than it was, I did understand it, yet still felt it was so so. I wanted more from the author and I know he has it.

Sean Duregger did a great job with the narration. He really pulled out all the stops with his character voices. The accents were awesome and he really put emotion into the story to keep you wanting to listen.

I was voluntarily provided this review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

Loved it

A scientist son with extremely religious parents must pay for his sins
Excellent narration from Sean his voices and quality are always top notch
If you’re a fan of dark mysteries definitely check this one out
I received a free review audiobook and voluntarily left this review

Pretty good

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

I liked this book for the most part. I felt as though the ending could have been a bit better. It felt like the author might have just gotten "tired" at the last chapter or two.

Overall, the characters were well built and the plotline was written very well.
The narrator is one of my favorites so I can't do anything but sing his praises. He has amazing control and is very good at differentiating characters. I never have an issue figuring out which characters are which as he has different inflections and tones for each character. His female voices sound like females but not like he is "trying too hard"

Overall, a good book and a great listen

only made it through because it was well narrated

it is not poorly written or anything, it's just a boring story that dont go anywhere.

Dark and twisted

Not a bad story. There are a lot of Bible verses and deep discussions on Christianity and Salvation. Then there’s the psycho killer.

Religion can kill you

This book was more of a thriller than horror and was extremely heavy on religion. Dr. Kevin Ballard is a scientist who teaches and writes about evolution. His parents were very religious and feared for his soul. When Dr. Ballard and his assistant, Kate, go to the mountains of Kentucky to study an endangered plant, they are drawn into the depraved mind of a religious zealot.

The pair first stumble upon the desecrated body of a young woman, then an old man is killed after talking to them about the plant. When Kevin goes to visit his mother, he finds that she has been murdered. Is someone stalking Kevin or has God decided to reign his judgment on Kevin because of his unbelief?

Parts of this book were tension filled and creepy, but the pacing and storyline were hard to follow at times. The book relied heavily on Scripture and the villain was genuinely horrific. However, I would have enjoyed the book more if it had been easier to follow and if the characters had been a little more developed. Also, the ending was so abrupt and unresolved after all of the mayhem that I was a little disappointed.

The narrator, Sean Duregger, actually saved this book for me. If it hadn't been for his wonderful pacing, voices and performance, I don't know that I would have finished it. I was given the chance to listen to this audiobook by the author/narrator/publisher and chose to review it.

Good story

A good solid well thought-out and we'll written story. psychological thriller. This is one story that will stick with you for a long time after you've finished it.

The narrator does an excellent job in his narration. The voices used are easy to tell which characters are talking.

I was provided a free review copy of this story. this is my honest opinion left voluntarily.

The Devil's Gospel

Wow!Just Wow! Excellent story.Characters were likable.Well written.A man leaves his girlfriend to go visit his mother.What he endures is the worst trip ever. Sean Dureggar was a terrific narrator.I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.'

Old Time Religion

This was my first A.S. Coomer novel. This is a story about a man who doesn't believe in god or religion. He's spent his time in school to learn differently. His mother doesn't agree with how he's living or the books he's written stating creation was different the bible. She's worried for his soul. This is very interesting story and it's hard to capture it in a review. I'll say it's worth your time. I loved it. If you go the audio book route Sean just gets better and better with his title narrates. He has a gift. Thou I wonder to people (myself included) sound like this? Anyways 5 star story and 5 star performance I'm defiantly a fan of A.S. Coomer and look forward to reading or listening to more if his tales.

A dark tale of the horrors of a true believer

Over the centuries one can look at history and see that no darker deed has been done but by those who commit in the act of their religion. Here we are confronted with the tale of a backwoods boy grown up to become a scientist, a supporter of evolution and all its “evils”. Those important to him and around him begin to die mysteriously and
Some in gruesome fashion. The one behind it can read the leaves and what he has discovered is that the sinner will repent or pay for his ways. The dark twists this tale takes are delivered by the vocal talents of a great horror narrator. I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator or publisher

A good idea spoilt by some heavy handedness...

I received a free copy of this book for an honest review. Please be warned what follows might be considered as containing minor spoilers by some.


I had difficulty from the start with A. S Coomer's The Devil's Gospel, even Sean Duregger's assured performance couldn't breathe life the book for me. The opening chapter jumps between several concurrent - and to me all too similar - scenes, and none of them captured my imagination.

The story did settle, thankfully, and the various scenes of the first chapter begun to tie together as we are introduced (we've already met him, but the choppiness of the first chapter makes it an unfulfilling "introduction") to Kevin, our lead, a biologist who quickly reveals himself to be a singularly unpleasant person.

Still, thanks to Sean Duregger - a narrator I particularly enjoy - I persevered with it.

Unfortunately Kevin has few redeeming qualities, and I thought things might pick up a little when we met Kate, his girlfriend, but if anything I begun to dislike both characters even more. There is an amazing scene where they talk about the intolerance and ignorance of Christians where their lack of self awareness is rather stunning. Kevin and Kate show such phenomenal levels of intolerance and ignorance I wanted to go to my nearest church and offer up penance for them; and I'm a life long agnostic!

In the rare moments where Kevin and Kate are not (wilfully?) misrepresenting Christian theology to make fun of them the story comes together, and A. S. Coomer writes quite nicely, I think if there wasn't such an attack Christianity I would have enjoyed the book a great deal more, but it seemed that this was the point of the book, and the story came second place to this main aim. Later, Kevin - a university lecturer and botanist - shows an alarming lack of interest in the local tales regarding the use of plants. He seems unable to engage in perfectly normal human conversation with someone who has views that do not match his own; just like any old fashioned bigot. At this point I realised how much I hate these people and by the books end I'd found I had completely lost interest. Besides this the open hatred of religion I saw in the book made the ending fairly obvious to predict.

If you don't mind phenomenal levels of anti-Christian hatred then you might really enjoy this story. The characters are well drawn and the plot is complex enough to hold interest easily (even if you guess who the villain the first time you meet him). There's also some very good atmosphere that draws really well on the location and people, but for me the truly unpleasant lead really spoilt what could have been a really good book.

A more even handed approach - one that was more sympathetic with its criticism of religion - would've server the story much better. Nothing makes a character more sympathetic than when they show sympathy to others, so this would've made Kevin someone I would have cared for and it would not have telegraphed the ending quite so completely.

Hopefully if you give this one a go you'll enjoy it far more than I did, I do seem to be a minority in my view on The Devil's Gospel so you're far more likely to like it than not!

Weird, crazy and definitely scary!

When a professor and a teaching assistant from the anatomy department at Kansas University get a grant they run a cabin in the Daniel Boone national park. Kevin and Kate spend their days hiking and looking for a plant called the white hey golden rod it isn’t until they find it that things start to seem a little weird. The leaves have been recently cut off end it really upsets Dr. Kevin is this plant is in danger of becoming extinct. Things get even weirder when he takes a weekend off to go visit his mother. He stops to get gas only to find the cashier is that behind the counter with her wrist/. As if that wasn’t weird enough that’s not going to be the only dead body he sees that night. He finds his mother dead on the table with the word repent sinner on the wall next to her and her wrists have been slashed as well.

I thought Kevin and Kate were stuck up academics who think they know everything and make fun of everyone. They make fun of religious people, the locals and anyone else to get on their radar. Having said that let me say this was one of the best books I have ever read and body and your heart will break for Kevin and for Kate and I haven’t even got in to Detective Torres story yet. I thought Sean Dreggar did a great job with the narration and all the boys to see had to remember. Even though this book was so good it really bothered me that all the people that were supposed to be smarter than the rest absolutely with 100% certainty knew that God didn’t exist in the locals were a bunch of locals it made me think of that famous “the only enemy of intelligence is not thinking you have more, But thinking you have the most. Do you think you absolutely know something that is impossible to absolutely no shows a sign of the lack of intelligence. Having said that as I said this is one of the best books I’ve ever read.