The Devil's Vacation
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PRE-RELEASE REVIEW
The Devil’s Vacation by David Wilson
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David Wilson is a master storyteller when it involves the devil! I love reading all of his books as they are so creative, imaginative, and completely suck me in with the intense storylines he creates!!
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This book is a truly fantastic read! It has excitement, suspense, thrills, mystery, creeps and gore!! There is a bit of everything in this tale!
When the Devil decides he’s ready for a little vacation, he travels to an old prison for his trip.
Detective Atkins’ happens to see a light on at this old, abandoned prison and is compelled to check it out. In cell 213 is where he meets this mysterious man. Atkins’ can’t figure out who he is and what he’s doing there. It’s very intriguing to him, though. The devil provides interesting and thrilling conversations with the detective.
I love the rapport that these two build together. It’s an odd friendship in the making. Detective Atkins’ goal is to catch killers and bring them to justice, and the devil is still the devil!
This story is very well written and the imagery is fantastic. I pictured the story in my mind the entire read.
I highly recommend reading this book! It’s super engaging and intense! I devoured it as quickly as I could!
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~Alison Osborn
Horror Reads
January 17, 2026
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This is the fourth book in a series from David Wilson which features the devil himself as a main character. And things in this one will take a horrifying twist as the story progresses.
An older ex homicide detective is placed in the cold case division working with a young guy who doesn't want to do his job very well. The detective is pissed off about this and isn't having a good time in his new position.
One night while checking out and abandoned prison, supposedly haunted, he'll meet ol' Scratch himself and, as usual, the devil is cocky but charming.
But the detective isn't going to make a deal with the devil. Actually, they become somewhat friendly even though the detective doesn't really believe it's the actual devil. In fact, he thinks it could be a well dressed homeless man and possibly a serial killer which his former colleagues are trying to catch.
But something darker is looming for this cast of characters which will tie them all together as the bizarre murders and the supernatural unite in a horrific way.
The manner in which the author portrays the devil in this series has always been the highlight for me and this one is no exception. He's crafty, cocky, and quite charming at times. But he's still Satan himself and really has no good intentions for humanity.
The kills in here, whether from the devil's minions or the serial killer, are gruesome and bloody. And some of the devil's minions from previous books make appearances to brutally do their master's bidding. This is a standalone but of course I recommend reading the previous books as well.
I highly recommend it. I received an ARC of this book from the author. This review is voluntary and is my own personal opinion.
Check out the video review from Horror Reads!
Lisa Alva
February 1, 2026
5-Stars
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Wow! Where do I begin? Do I start with the book? Or should I begin with the man behind the book? I don’t know very much about the man behind the book other than I can’t get enough of his writing! And I mean that quite sincerely. If I had the chance to sit in the room with one author and listen while they read an excerpt from one of their novels it would most definitely be David Wilson for me.
His stories are exciting, engaging, entertaining, thrilling, heart pounding page turners that you just can’t put down until sleep paralysis literally takes you over. And thank goodness I’m not one prone to bad dreams because if I were, David Wilson’s books are chock full of enough nightmare fuel and fodder to last one a lifetime. His world building and imagery are so keen even the dullest of imaginations will come away from his depictions as if viewed on the big screen.
The Devil’s Vacation is my sixth book of his and it is the fourth in a series he has written about the devil himself, and if I may be so bold, in my honest opinion, the best! This book blew me away! Literally!! I went through a gambit of feelings while reading it. From disliking certain characters to finding that I was cheering on and liking characters that had me questioning my own character. I mean really now, is a good Christian woman supposed to like the devil? Or at the least think, “Hey, maybe he’s not so bad?” Now that’s one hell of a writer!
If you like psychological thrillers with the imagery aspect of the iconic horror movie Hostel, then you’re going to love this book!!
Emily
February 1, 2026
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This book is an amazing read! The concept of the story is something I've never seen before; it's not only incredibly creative, but also very well executed. As someone who enjoys horror and has seen/read quite a bit of it, I was pleasantly surprised at how this book still scared me. It's very descriptive and the author succeeds in painting an image for the reader all throughout. The characters are well fleshed out and you feel as though you get to know them as the book goes on. The plot is intense and exciting, and will keep you hooked until the very end with its twists and turns, as well as being well-rounded and concluded by the end with no plot holes leftover. It will have you really thinking about the characters and their intentions, really pulling the reader into the story with their own conceptions and ideas. It's an exciting read from beginning to end, and I highly recommend it to those interested in topics from crime stories, to horror, to the supernatural, and more.
Curt Dunnam
February 15, 2026
5-Stars!
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“The Devil’s Vacation” by David Wilson is a dark and tense 5-star read! Detective Atkins, a seasoned homicide cop, is drawn into a haunted, abandoned prison to confront a figure calling himself the Devil, who may be a child-murdering predator.
This is a short, fast-paced read that keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. There are plenty of gruesome scenes, which is exactly what you would expect when dealing with the Devil. The atmosphere is eerie and intense, making it hard to put down.
After receiving this book, I realized it is connected to the author’s earlier works, so I will definitely be checking those out. I thoroughly enjoyed this one and highly recommend it to fans of dark, disturbing thrillers.
Thanks to David Wilson for providing me with the opportunity to read this ARC and share my honest review.
February 24, 2026
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"A psychological thriller that immediately establishes a chilling premise an experienced homicide detective sidelined by bureaucracy, sent to an abandoned prison, only to encounter a man claiming to be the devil. The claustrophobic setting of cell 213, the layered psychological tension, and the possibility that Atkins is facing either a calculating serial killer or something far more sinister create a gripping narrative engine. The interplay between skepticism and creeping dread, paired with your signature dark edge. It’s the kind of story that invites readers to question reality while steadily tightening the suspense."
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~Reader Review
Susan Smith
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In an old run-down penitentiary, Brushy Pines, said to be haunted, there was a mystery unsolved. The old cells were horrible enough when prisoners were there, and were worse now. Atkins, nearly retired older detective was assigned to the cold case files, and was sent to this old prison, where someone had seen a light glowing in a window.
Atkins knew the place from earlier days, and heard low music that got lower as he approached. He saw the glowing light, and then someone spoke for him to come in knew he was a detective. They talked and the person told Atkins that he was “Old Scratch. “ Atkins wasn’t sure what to believe, but he learned that the being was on vacation, so suggested some better places.
They chatted about killers, and prisoners, and Scratch made suggestions to Atkins about sending some criminals his way. Atkins decided to leave, and when he did, he saw that the flickering orange glow had disappeared.
That night, Atkins had horrible nightmares about the serial killer of children, worse nightmares than ever in his life. In it, he had a horrible lucid dream of being shot and dying. He woke up terrified and had a hard time believing it wasn’t real. Then the strange cat appeared.
Atkins went to his office the next day and learned that there was no record of him actually being sent to the prison. But he went back there the next day. He smoked a strange cigarette that Scratch gave him, still not believing he was who he said he was. They discussed nightmares and the supposed devil said things making Atkins even more fearful of his dreams, while questioning him perhaps to find out if he had sins.
Five teenage ghost hunters arrived, saying that they were supposed to go to Salem for a filming, but it had fallen through. That night they split up to stay in four parts of the prison, but Atkins had told them to stay away from cell block G. Of course they explored places they shouldn’t have, hoping to record some actual spirits with all their equipment, but they actually had a much different experience than they had wished for. Two of them ran into an evil creature that would terrify the devil himself. One came upon a mushroom that may have come out of Alice’s book, with an ugly caterpillar on top. What that caterpillar did to this person is too evil to describe. The others all ran into creepy beings, or were they just visions? Even the cat showed up again. Wilson surely has black blood in his pen when he writes these things.
Atkins has more nightmares, and more creatures appear, like Lucifer’s pet green dwarf. Back at the office, Atkins works more on the case of the child killer, which he really wants to solve before more children die. Then there is notice of another child being killed.
Nightmares continue, intricate horror stories, definitely X-rated. You may have some after you read this book. Bad people appear, and Lucifer is excited to see them. He introduces the detective to several evil doers from the past, Caligula, Ivan, the terrible and others. Sometimes I wonder how Wilson’s mind can come up with these things.
What actually happened to the five teenagers? Did Lucifer help Atkins capture the child killer? Does Atkins yield to temptation and let Lucifer capture his annoying assistant? Does he relish the idea of choosing how some of the criminals from his past could be executed? Lucifer had promised Atkins a gift, in gratitude for the gift of a coffee and donut which the detective had brought to the devil before. What would that gift be? Have his nightmares had a deep negative effect on Atkins? Is he himself in a contest with Satan?
Go ahead, read this book if you love serious horror, penned by one of the best, and you aren’t afraid of lucid nightmares. I’m still recovering.