Before the Devil Knows You're Here

By: Autumn Krause

Narrated by: Shawn K. Jain, Victoria Villarreal

Part dark gothic fantasy, part journey into the bizarre, this delicious blending of tall tales and Latin American surrealism will haunt you as you devour it!

"Highly imaginative and powerfully affecting."—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

1836, Wisconsin. Catalina lives with her pa and brother in a ramshackle cabin on the edge of the wilderness. Harsh winters have brought the family to the brink of starvation, and Catalina has replaced her poet's soul with an unyielding determination to keep Pa and her brother alive.

When a sudden illness claims Pa, a strange man appears—a man covered in bark, leaves growing from his head, and sap dripping from his eyes. He scoops up her brother and disappears, leaving behind a bird with crimson wings. Catalina can’t let this man—if that’s what he is—have her brother. So, she grabs Pa’s knife and follows the bird.

Along the way, she finds help from a young lumberjack, who has his own reasons for hunting the Man of Sap. As their journey takes them deeper into the woods, they encounter strange beasts and tormented spirits. The more they uncover about the Man of Sap, the more they learn how deeply Catalina’s fate is entwined with his, planted long ago in cursed seeds.

An enchanting mixture of American tall tales and Faustian elements, Before the Devil Knows You’re Here centers a fierce Mexican American poet on a quest to save her brother. Autumn Krause’s vivid, haunting prose and rich symbolism make this a must-read for fans of Maggie Stiefvater and Erin Craig.

Fast Paced, Meaningful, Haunting

I can't recommend this book enough. It uses gothic horror to explore deep themes about the nature of evil, ancestral sin, and redemption. The narration is the top tier and brings the story to life.

A gothic Fall read

I enjoyed the double perspective between the two main characters and how their journeys connected. It is a very relatable story giving Corpse Bride, Sleepy Hallow vibes. It's one of my favorite spooky reads this October.

I wanted to like this a lot more than I did

While the premise of this book is absolutely excellent, I think the execution just falls short. It somehow felt weirdly rushed, but also like it went on forever. It could have ended easily 5 chapters earlier and been more satisfying.

The characters were on the flat side, and I don't think the narrators helped. I'd give her 3/5 and him 2/5, but I rounded down to 2 because his narration was so much slower than hers.

Johnny Appleseed Dark Retailing!

I loved every bit of this story! It was a dark Johnny Appleseed retailing with a devious twist! It's not your normal thriller horror but it's beautifully written and narrated.

Moody Dark Fantasy set in the United States

There aren't many other books like this one but I wish there were. I enjoyed the narration, too.