THE DEMONOLOGISTS' DAUGHTERS
In The Demonologists’
Daughters, author Culpepper offers a unique premise with multiple subplots
to deliver not only mysteries, but also horror, romance, and an exploration of
the complexities of family relationships. There’s a lot going on, and there’s a
wide cast of characters, but Culpepper dishes out bite-sized morsels for
readers to easily digest. And wow, talk about cover-love! The cover of The
Demonologists’ Daughters is so evocative and perfect for the story.
Demonologists Lucille and Denny
Hebert have three living daughters – Diana, Delilah, and Dorcas. These sisters
are particularly well-written by the author who gives each a distinct
personality to make her pop from the pages. Their frustrations and actions are
believable, and it is heartwarming to see these women come together again after
living such separate lives for the years after their sister Dinah’s death.
Additionally, some peripheral characters had enough punch that readers will
clearly love or loathe them, a mark of great writing.
On the other hand, Lucille and
Denny Hebert, the demon-slaying parents, are murky characters. There’s little
to like in them, as their self-described helping of people is questionable.
Through their words and actions, it’s clear that they are racists, they
cherry-pick the Bible to support their version of Christianity, their exorcisms
are a farce, and they capitalize on them by writing books and creating films
that embellish and flat out contradict the truth. (Side note: it is a stretch
for me to believe the motive behind why the film is being made; there are
easier ways to accomplish what’s needed.) As if those scammer qualities aren’t
endearing enough, they also choose their so-called God’s work over raising
their daughters, and instead of supporting Dinah in her time of greatest need,
the Heberts worried about their own reputations – and there was a deadly price
to pay for that choice that they didn’t truly ever own. GRRRRR. There’s some
character growth and maybe even redemption for Lucille and Denny Hebert, but it
wasn’t enough to make them likable. The Demonologists’ Daughters forced
me to ponder the meaning of forgiveness and how hard it is to offer sometimes.
Again, this illustrates Culpepper’s skillful writing because readers will have
to reflect and will have so many strong feelings about these two characters.
In addition to the required
suspension of disbelief needed for an integral part of the plot to work, one of
the aspects of The Demonologists’ Daughters that I struggled with is in
character names. Deborah Hebert (who also has several nicknames starting with
D) changed her name to Diane Chambers as a nod to the character from Cheers,
and that’s acknowledged. But there’s also a Chrissy Heinz, which sounds a
lot like Chrissie Hynde (of the Pretenders), and Chrissy also goes by
Christine, but there’s also a possibly possessed doll called Christine – not to
be confused with the Stephen King possessed car of the same name, but likely
the inspiration for the name. See my point? It’s possible that listening to the
story instead of reading it caused some of my confusion; perhaps there are
distinctive spellings that would help a reader along? Authors, take note if you
think there’s a chance you’ll create an audiobook from your work-in-progress.
About the narration: I listened
to The Demonologists’ Daughters at 1.1x, barely faster than the recorded
speed. Narrator Hayli Henderson gives a terrific performance and voices the
numerous characters so that each sounds unique. Her pacing is perfect, she
handles the Louisiana bayou accents well, and the narration truly complements
the author’s writing. There are a few odd pronunciations, but some would only
be caught by readers-of-a-certain-age, like me. Overall, the audiobook of The
Demonologists’ Daughters is fabulously narrated and I’d seek out Henderson
again.
The Demonologists’ Daughters is all about coming to terms with family, warts and all, and overcoming dysfunction to find peace and even love. But don’t dismiss this as a simple feel-good story. The Demonologists’ Daughters counters the cozies with bloody chills and thrills, twists and turns, suspense, and a sickening reveal that keeps readers turning the pages. It’s strong debut fiction making K. Scott Culpepper an author to watch.
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