The Cursed Among Us

By: John Durgin

Narrated by: Joe Hempel

It has been 20 years since the serial killer known as The Black Heart Killer terrorized the town of Newport in 1979. Life mostly returned to normal after the killer was captured. All the townspeople have to do is stay out of the woods where the bodies were abandoned—their chests ripped open, and their hearts torn out....

Howie Burke and his friends decide rules are meant to be broken. That’s what 15-year-old kids do. On a beautiful fall day when they decide to go out in the woods to film a horror movie, they stumble across a mysterious grave. What they don’t know is that they are about to release an evil on the town unlike anything in their home-made movies. They will soon uncover the secrets of the Black Heart Killer, and what it truly means to be cursed.

©2022 John Durgin (P)2023 John Durgin

Critic reviews

“A remarkably malevolent debut that will leave you reaching for your talisman. Durgin takes all the right risks and proves nobody is safe in this impressive coming-of-age novel about a small town with a dark past.” (Joshua Marsella, author of Hunger For Death)

“The Cursed Among Us is a horror novel with its heart in the right place—ready to be ripped out! Containing surprising and sometimes stunning emotional depth, this homage to 90s B-movies and supernatural documentaries explores the agony of growing up and holding onto friendships when the world seems determined to rip everything you love apart.” (Joseph Sale, author of Dark Hilarity)

3.5/5 - The Cursed Among Us

This was an entertaining listen.

It’s about a group of friends that accidentally unleash an entity that has been hidden away in the woods beyond their town. They also soon discover that the town has secrets of their own.

The climax of the book is pretty fun, action packed, and gory. I found the witch to be terrifying. The imagery of violence was well done. I felt like I could see the bodies being mutilated in my head so vividly. I would love to see a film adaptation of this. John Durgin has a good mind for horror.

That being said, I don’t feel there was nothing too groundbreaking in terms of new ideas. A group of teens in a small town unleashes a hidden evil is nothing new, albeit it’s very fun and enjoyable to me. I have always been drawn to those types of stories.

Overall I recommend this one to other fans of horror.

3.5/5

Also no complaints on the narration. He did a great job.

Loved it!

This book has been on my forever long TBR and I was lucky to receive this audiobook straight from the author in exchange for an honest review. Thank you John Durgin! 👍🏻📚

Wow! This book was so well written and well narrated! I am sad it took me so long to get this one started!

It was creepy, suspenseful and the descriptions were out of this world with also giving me a nostalgic vibe! I am definitely looking forward to reading more from John in the future!

Great Listening

Really enjoyed this book. It had great narration by Joe Hempel, and a great story. Can't wait to listen/read the next one

Great book!

Loved the story, performance, the whole thing. It held my attention the entire time. Would listen to this again.

Solid start

This is my first listen/read of John Durgin. I saw a few online reviews in horror book groups and decided to give this title a shot. I’m glad I did. It’s a coming of age novel that feels like something I would’ve read in the early 2000s. And, for me that’s a good thing. Very enjoyable and recommended. B+

Mostly Readable

At best an average read…. Plot isn’t terribly intricate, but if you’re into horror gore you’ll be satisfied…. Character development was poor, but nonetheless the characters intrigued…. Narration was adequate, not inspired…. Biggest complaint is the simplistic nature of a story that tried todo the Stranger Things shtick…. A much better example of what this book was trying is Dan Simmons Summer of Night…

Worth it

"Kids on bikes" will always have a special spot in my heart and I appreciated what the author did with this story. The setting and the surprising brutality made this a good listen while I was fishing.

Decent Slasher

This was a quick, entertaining slasher. I enjoyed it. The narrator was a little monotone, it made the story less suspenseful.

This was fun

This is a great story. The only thing I would change is to flesh out the relationships of the kids a little more in the beginning in order to get the listener to care more. It does not detract from the story and overall it is a solid and fun listen.

So much fun!

This was a fun listen and overall great story. It reminded me of Stranger Things with its backstories about friendship and character development. While the story itself centered on young people, the gore and body horror was not for the faint of heart. I loved it. The 90s nostalgia was amazing and fit perfectly into the feeling of this book. I really enjoyed this book!