The Devil's Labyrinth

A Novel

By: John Saul

Narrated by: Jim Bond

After his father's untimely death sends 15-year-old Ryan McIntyre into an emotional tailspin, his mother enrolls him in St. Isaac's Catholic boarding school, hoping the venerable institution, with its reputation for transforming wayward teens, can work its magic on her son.

But troubles are not unknown even at St. Isaac, where Ryan arrives to find the school awash in news of one student's violent death, another's mysterious disappearance, and growing incidents of disturbing behavior within the hallowed halls.

Things begin to change when Father Sebastian joins the faculty. Armed with unprecedented knowledge and uncanny skills acquired through years of secret study, the young priest has been dispatched on an extraordinary and controversial mission: to prove the power of one of the Church's most arcane sacred rituals, exorcism.

Willing or not, St. Isaac's most troubled students will be pawns in Father Sebastian's one-man war against evil - a war so surprisingly effective that the pope himself takes notice of the seemingly miraculous events unfolding an ocean away.

But Ryan, drawn ever more deeply into Father Sebastian's ministrations, sees - and knows - otherwise. As he witnesses with mounting dread the transformations of his fellow pupils, his certainty grows that forces of darkness, not divinity, are at work.

Evil is not being cast out...something else is being called forth. Something that hasn't stirred since the Inquisition's reign of terror. Something nurtured through the ages to do its vengeful masters' unholy bidding. Something whose hour has finally come to bring hell unto earth.

©2007 John Saul (P)2007 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Gratifyingly full of creepy, gory, and repulsive incidents leading to a nail-biting climax." ( Booklist)
"Jim Bond proves a worthy choice for this production, particularly in portraying McIntyres frustration and turmoil, as well as the learned holiness of the school priests." ( AudioFile)

Stick With It

While this is a fairly typical Saul outing it's sure to satisfy his devoted fans like myself. One problem I had was a fairly muffled recording. The opening chapter sounded like it was recorded in a shoebox placed in another room. Luckily it did improve after that or I would have given up on it. This isn't great Saul as noted but he's always good - dark and claustrophobic. The narrator was superb and the interview with Saul at the end was a real treat, giving me insight into a man I previously knew nothing about.

Scary Stuff

I am new to J. Saul, but the first 3 books I've downloaded here are excellent! This book keeps you engaged and interested. Parts of it are down right frightening!
It ends in a weird way, but u are still entertained up until the end! Enjoy!

not the best-forced myself to finish

narrator was good, story was fair -a bit long in some areas, it was draggy in places. not one of Saul's best books

Great build up but ...

After such a great start, the ending left me with one question: What happened?
The bulk of the story is infused with supernatural suspense that is bafflingly cast aside by the end so if you're expecting a creepy, supernatural thriller, this will ultimately not prove very satisfying. In summary the first two thirds of the book gets 4 stars, the last third gets 1 star. If only I had quit while I was ahead.