In the 1860's in the town of Whispering Pines the townfolk lynched their minister, Wendell McFall, from a tree in the churchyard using the church's bellrope. His eratic and increasing vehement preachings of the existance of a second son of God, one who demands sacrifice ("Sacrifice is the Currency of God" a repeating mantra in the book), leading up to his sacrifice of a local child to his demanding God.

In the present day, Ronnie Day and his younger brother Tim discovered the mauled corpse of a man in the graveyard of the Red Church. This brings Sheriff Frank Littlefield back to the church where his younder brother dies twenty years earlier in an accident on Halloween.

Shortly afterwards Sheriff Littlefield discovers that the Church (used as a barn in recent times) has been purchased by Archer McFall, a descendant of the Hung Preacher, who intends to turn it back into a Church, and use it as his Temple of the Two Suns.

The body in the churchyard is merely the first murder to occur in this normally peaceful community, and Littlefield finds himself having to confront some personal demons and also, as his ancestors were part of the mob that lynched Wendell McFall, he finds he has a part to play in Archer McFall's game.

This is a very well written character lead horror story. There are some gruesome moments, some decent scares. But like most horror that's worth it's salt, this delivers when it comes to character interaction and in getting the reader involved with the characters.

The two boys who discover the first body are wonderfully real, and with their mother having been indoctrinated into the Temple of the Two Suns and their father trying to fight against this and keep his family together it is through their reactions and thoughts that much of the drama contained herein is exhibited.

The insular nature of the the old families is obvious in the relationship of the sheriff, a member of one of the old families of Whispering Pines, and the detective (Sheila Storie, a newcomer to the town). The Detective is skeptical to the extreme, not familiar with the folklore of the area and dismissive of the stories of the Red Church being haunted. The sheriff with his unhappy links with the Church more accepting that something in this investigation will not be resolved by normal means.

This is Scott Nicholson's first novel, you wouldn't think it on reading the book. This shows his high level of ability as a writer, he is an author who will hopefuly scare us many times more in years to come. Before doing this site I had not read horror (excepting Stephen King) in many years, I think I had become too familiar with the horror I was reading. Scott Nicholson is one horror author I will gladly read.