About “The Devil Wears a Suit” by Quinn W. Buckland:
Genre: Psychological Thriller; Occult Horror; LGBTQ+
Aaronsfield is a secluded town in the northwest of the Alberta wilderness and has a population of only seventy-eight.
Aaronsfield is a kind town with strong, Christian family values. The sort of town where you can raise your children free from the degradation of the outside world, and all the evils that come with it.
At least, that’s what Aaronsfield used to be. It all changed when the outsides came to town. The first newcomer was five years ago, and the second one arrived today.
If I let them stay . . . if we let them stay, Satan and his cronies will get their hook not only in our children but in our town.
It’s time I did something about it.
May God have mercy on my soul.
I have also reviewed these other titles by Quinn Buckland:
Fallen Gods
The Engine What Runs The World (The Empires of a Hollow World book 1)
The City What Rules the World (The Empires of a Hollow World book 2)
The 1099th
Supernatural Pizza
Dead Man Walking
It’s always great to see a new book from Quinn W. Buckland and as always, he did not disappoint with his latest novel. “The Devil Wears a Suit” is a bit different genre wise than I have read from him before and I was eager to see how he would navigate it.
The story follows the events unraveling in a small town with a population of only seventy-eight after two newcomers move in. The environment is extremely rural, very religious, and so ‘traditional’ that I at first believed it to be set some time in the past when it is indeed set in modern time.
For the first hundred pages or so, we get a detailed look at the culture of the town and the personalities and relationships of its people. Buckland spreads this look across many characters, adding a lot of mystery as to who the villain will turn out to be and in what way they will be a villain. All my guesses were wrong.
I think in addition to showcasing several characters, how Buckland explores the mindsets, the fears, and the unfortunate generational ignorance of the citizens created a complex yet sympathetic view of those involved. As someone who came from a town which was also religous, traditional, and small (though not nearly as small as in the story), it was easy to compare the struggles and beliefs of the townsfolk to people in real life as I had witnissed it first hand. Hell, I was one of those people growing up.
I would wager that the author has some sort of similar experience because he perfectly expressed the psychology of how being isolated to a very specific group, basically cut from ties with the ‘outside’ world, and adhering to what was taught as kids because there was nothing to challenge it, can mold a person’s mind so easily to conform to those around and trust in them above all else, even when none of it is logical, to the point that would seem delusional to the rest of us. Some of the things these people could be talked into was downright scary.
It was a bit of a slow burn, but I believe that was the best setup for story. Not only did it add immersion and mystery, it made you emotionally invested in the setting and the characters. That said, when the first major conflict happened, the book was fast paced from thereon out and I could not put it down. I stayed up way too late because I absolutely needed to know the outcome.
No spoilers on how it ends, but I will say that hoping for a certain end yet constantly thrown off that track kept me on the edge of my seat until the very last page.
Again, no spoilers, but who Buckland chose to make the villain and exactly how he wrote this person’s motives and beliefs further elaborated the story’s underlying message about the need for critical thinking, awareness, and knowledge outside of one’s upbringing.
Other things I appreciated about the story:
->The inclusion of an aroace/demisexual main character.
->Two main characters in a position which would normally lead to romance in a story NOT leading to romance in the story.
->Fingers not immediately pointed at the newcomers by the majority of the townsfolk when things started going horribly wrong.
->The two newcomers being an atheist who was liked by the town and a Christian who was not liked. I loved how this duality displayed a bit of hope that the citizens could grow mentally/socially while also suggesting that even the sort of people who are extremely set in their ways can acknowledge on some level that having the same religious beliefs does not mean that person is inherently ‘good.’
->Showcasing the dangers of indoctrination and how easily it can occur.
->How the expert manipulation of many of the town’s authority figures were written.
->How the social and psychological hardships of close-knit communities were displayed.
->The exploration of psychological abuse vs physical abuse- how physical is readily accepted as horrible and traumatic while psychological is not, even though it can be just as devastating or moreso.
Buy the ebook here (FREE with Kindle Unlimited).
Quinn W. Buckland can be found on:
Twitter @QuinnWBuckland
Facebook @QWBuckland
Instagram @quinn_w_buckland
YouTube
Amazon
Goodreads
Author Website
((Review submitted to Amazon and Goodreads))
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~Sahreth ‘Baphy’ Bowden
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