'The Devil Crept In' is a horror story which builds slowly into a high intensity thriller! Plan on taking a day, or even better, a dark stormy night to read the novel, with the wind shrieking outside and thunder exploding nearby. If you are very brave and own a pet kitty, hold it in your lap as you read - companionship, right?

What was that noise? Did it come from outside? Why is kitty smiling? Is that a dog howling? Something is scratching at the window? What is...that....thing?

Ten-year-old Stevie Clark has only one friend, his twelve-year-old cousin Jude Brighton. Jude lives in the house across the logging road from Stevie's own home, on the outskirts of the small isolated Oregon town of Deer Valley. Stevie's mom, Nicole Clark, is the sister of Jude's mom, Amanda Brighton. Stevie often feels he loves Aunt Mandy more than his own mom, ever since she married Terry 'The Tyrant' Marks. Stevie's older brother Duncan is terribly mean to Stevie, too, mocking his stutter and showing no compassion or much interest in Stevie. But Jude has been pretty mean on occasion too, ever since his dad Scott died. To tell the truth, no one likes Jude, either. All the boys really have is each other.

After school, they play in the woods. Sometimes they dare each other to visit the strange abandoned house, but it is possible an ugly weird animal lives there, something vicious and dangerous. Stevie saw it, but Stevie sees things that aren't there a lot and he has bad dreams. In fact, this is why Stevie's dad left - he thought Stevie should get psychiatric help, but Mom disagreed. It is possible Stevie has schizophrenia, reader, but he is still a good kid. Through his eyes, we see the tragedy unfold.

At first, when Jude disappeared, all of the adults were frantic, panicking, with no thoughts for Stevie. Stevie was so scared for his missing cousin he wanted desperately to help, but no adult would allow him to help search the woods.

Spoiler

Then, Jude suddenly reappears a few days later, strange and staring, unable to talk. As the days pass, the adults go on with their trailer-trash lives. Stevie tries to get Jude to play, but he notices Jude is not Jude anymore. Cats swarm Jude, and Jude's skin is pale and peeling in the sun. Jude can't stop scratching a peculiar rash on his arm. When Stevie suggests they finish building the fort they had been working on in a tree in the woods, at first Jude says no, then he gets a funny look. A real strange look. Stevie is scared of him, but he follows Jude into the woods. Wait, what? Jude does not seem much interested in the fort after all. Instead, he wants to go to that abandoned house...

(My spoiler is a little spoiler, explaining a bit more of the story, but I am not revealing what is behind everything in the book, so open if you want to know more. But don't look if you want most of the book to surprise you.)

Stevie is the only person in the story who eventually understands what is happening after he learns more and more about what is going bad with Jude, but no one has patience to listen to him. His speech has weird echoes and stutters, and besides, he is only ten years old. He is the only one who can save his cousin!

I think this book is an older teen/YA read, but an extremely edgy one with gory scenes. The point of view is almost entirely Stevie's (about half way into the book, another character fills in an important backstory), so I felt fidgety and anxious as the book crept up to the denouement of the mystery seen from the eyes of a little kid. Once the mystery begins unraveling, well!

O _ O. My stomach still hasn't unclenched.

I thought it a very good well-written horror story, but some older readers might find the viewpoint of a little kid too frustrating or slow. Author Ania Ahlborn has channeled Stevie wonderfully. I could totally believe I was inside of a ten-year-old character's thoughts. The book is exciting and I couldn't put it down! It was a fast read for me, but if you give the novel a try, pick a day to begin it when you will not be interrupted!