A review by jacqueshol
The Beast of Devil's Rock by Michael R. Cole

3.0

I am usually a sucker for books about murderous creatures. My favourites remain Claw by Katie Berry and Alter of Eden by James Rollins. However, The Beast of Devil’s Rock did not “grab” me. It was okay. The characters were extremely vanilla, and I couldn’t identify with any of them. The book is relatively short, and perhaps the character development suffered as a result, but now an hour after I have read the book, I can barely remember two of the characters’ names. People seemed to be haphazardly introduced, but none of them has a backstory – not even the protagonist. Therefore when they die in batches, I found myself not caring much. I more often found my thoughts wandering off elsewhere and had to re-read some passages as I was easily distracted from reading.
Is the book a waste of time? No, I don’t think so, but it could have been so much more. There were several fresh and exciting ideas that should have been developed better. The book is not the equivalent of a Hollywood blockbuster movie, but rather a Hallmark “straight to TV” production. If you manage your expectations, you will have an enjoyable evening’s read, but no more than that. Pity, it had potential.