Devil in the Countryside: This is Not Your Average Witch-Hunt

Devil in the Countryside is a story about the most famous werewolf investigation in history, brimming with intrigue and war, love and betrayal, and long-kept vendettas.

It’s 1588, the height of the Reformation, and a killer is terrorizing the German countryside. There are reports that the legendary Werewolf of Bedburg has returned to a once-peaceful land. Heinrich Franz, a cold and calculating investigator, is tasked with finding whomever — or whatever — the killer might be. He’ll need all the help he can get, including that of a strange hunter who’s recently stumbled into town. Though they’re after the same thing, their reasons are worlds apart.

And through it all, a priest tries to keep the peace among his frightened townsfolk, while a young woman threatens his most basic beliefs.

Historical / Horror / Adult Fiction
348 Pages
CreateSpace Publishing
Publication Dates–January 5th, 2017 (Paperback)
February 15th, 2017 (Ebook)
Get a copy here!

Quick Reasons: creeptastic to the penguinth degree; LOVE the many different POVs; I’d never heard of the Werewolf of Bedburg before, and now I’m intrigued; super entertaining, informative, and fast-paced; Cory Barclay brought so many different personalities to life, I’m in awe; some of the practices in 1588 disturbed me greatly

watch for gore

entertaining

devoured it

creeptastic

fishing for more

Huge thanks to Cory Barclay and CreateSpace for sending me a free digital copy of this title in exchange for an honest review! This in no way altered my read of or opinions on this book.

Okay, penguins. This was SUPER out of my comfort zone–in a lot of ways–but OH MY PENGUIN GLOBS, did I enjoy stepping off that cliff! I am going to take a second to talk about trigger warnings, though–this book has some pretty mature subjects floating around throughout, including: rape; gore; graphic violence/descriptions; assault. Please, PLEASE be careful if you’re easily triggered and/or bothered by such things!

Now that that’s out of the way…. THIS BOOK! The plot is fantastic–fast-paced, full of drama and intrigue, and super creeptastic in the best of ways. I could feel the terror, the upheaval of emotions, churning at me through the pages. The character’s emotions bled from these words and seeped into my own mind, leaving me breathless and curious about what was happening, what would happen. At all moments, I was enthralled and intrigued–this is definitely an informative, edge-of-your-seat read!

We’re given several varying POVs throughout, as well–but they didn’t feel muddied or rushed. Instead, each character brought a new and unique vantage point to the events surrounding this journey. Also, their personalities are complex and well-rounded, bringing more depth and delicious story-telling mastery to this tale. This is, as I’m sure some of you deduced, based on real life events…but Cory Barclay portrayed the pertinent details in such entertaining and interesting ways, the suspension of disbelief wasn’t once broken for me.

I had an awesome journey diving into and reading about this time-period, and will be seeking out more information about the Werewolf of Bedburg in the future. While there were some very difficult moments to read in this title, I was enthralled by the fast-paced action and air of intrigue surrounding the chapters. I recommend this to lovers of historical fiction, those interested in this time period, and readers seeking a journey outside their normal safety nets. Sink your teeth into this book, penguins; just beware the full moon.