The Devil Takes You Home

Rating: 5/5 Bolt Cutters

Parents may say they’d kill for their kids, but would they actually do it? If you could eventually have the perfect family but be haunted by the memory of watching someone’s last breath leave their body, could you cope? Do the ends justify the means?

The Devil Takes You Home by Gabino Iglesias is a tragic and compelling story about a man’s quest to do everything he can to preserve his marriage. When Mario’s family experiences a medical scare, money becomes tight. Mario’s flaky friend Brian tells him about a job that can make him a lot of money. Mario takes a job as a hitman and surprises himself with what he’s capable of doing, just as tragedy strikes his family. Then the promise of one big (but grueling) job proves to be too tempting for Mario to ignore. But that job puts Mario face to face with death and the extent of human depravity. When all is said and done, will Mario survive? And if he makes it, can he live with the pain he’s caused and the cruelty he’s seen?

The Devil Takes You Home is a heartbreaking story about what someone will do when driven by grief and love. Mario comes across as a good guy who loves his wife and daughter, but he’s driven by emotions that threaten to suffocate him and change who he fundamentally is as a person.

Books like this are exactly why so many people love horror. Iglesias has crafted a story that is equal parts disturbing and heartbreaking. It’s gory, barf inducing, and twisted, and I mean that as the highest compliment. Iglesias masterfully uses horror as the vehicle to tell a very human story about the lengths people will go to for family. The Devil Takes You Home is full of action and surprises, and you won’t be able to put this book down. This book is devastating and will make readers feel all the feels.

If you like other heartfelt horror like The Hunger, The Shining, or The Year of the Witching, check out The Devil Takes You Home.