Rating: 
Summary: Well worth picking up. I loved it!
Review: In the 1860's Reverend Wendell McFall had a church built in Whispering Pines. It was painted red to summon the First Son to defeat the Second Son. When Wendell sacrificed a child his congregation hung him from the rafters of his own sanctuary. The red church stood empty for twenty years. It was going to ruin until Archer McFall purchased it. It was called the Temple of the Two Sons and most of the town's residents quickly joined, as their ancestors had before. The zealous worshipers had no idea that they would be simply pawns and sacrifices as the demonic Archer exercised his revenge! ***** W - O - W! Now here is a novel that will send chills up your spine. I often found myself repelled and attracted at the same time as the grizzly plot unfolded. Fans of Stephen King and Dean Koontz will LOVE this talented author! I am eager for Nicholson's next release. *****
Rating: 
Summary: Rusty Red
Review: Mad Southern preacher Wendell McFall painted the town church red back during the Civil War, in anticipation of the birth of the Second Son of Christ, who he believed would bring death to the world as a gift. To get the Second Son's ball rolling, old Wendell sacrificed a parishioner's child at the altar, and got himself lynched by the townsfolk as a result. The red church has been haunted ever since, both by McFall's ghost and some demonic shadow in the bell tower. Now, Archer McFall, Wendell's descendant, has come home to roost. He, too, is a preacher, with a television following and a lot of money behind him, back from California to restore the church to its former infamous glory. Archer has numerous acolytes still living in town, and even a former mistress or two - women willing to give up their own sons, as Wendell did almost a hundred and fifty years ago. And the local constabulary is concerned, because Archer's return to town has brought with it a series of mutilation murders - caused, apparently, by something neither animal nor human. This book sounds better than it is, but it still isn't bad. It's a first novel, and suffers from typical first novel flaws. Character actions and transitions are sometimes abrupt and not always clearly understood. The plot needs more development than it is given. The nature of the red church's supernatural menace is inconsistent and confusing. Too much time is spent debating the nature of Christian beliefs, at the expense of plot and story development, and there is unnecessary padding. However, overall it's a pretty good read, if lightweight. It reads a great deal less like Lovecraft (which it has inappropriately been compared to) than a cross between Peter Straub's Ghost Story and the movie The Howling, though it is not as good as either of those pieces. It manages a few chills, even if its surprises are sprung too early. For a first novel, pretty good. A pleasant way to pass the time, if you're looking for a simple, straightforward little horror story with a rural setting. But I expect the author's next book will probably be better.
Rating: 
Summary: Horror Radar Goes "Ping", or is that Sonar?
Review: Mr. Nicholson has given us Horror fans a nice and nasty little treat with his book The Red Church. Small town terror, religious fervor, and one heckuva monster combine to get those sicko juices flowing. This guy seems to like his Lovecraft and he pays a nice homage here to that New England maestro of the macabre. Sacrifice and winged beasts are always good to keep those pages turning. If you haven't read this guy do so now and if something from above blots out the sun, duck. Just a suggestion. Also check out The Harvest, which is seemingly another nod to Lovecraft, this time to The Colour Out of Space.
Rating:
Summary: CREEPY JOURNEY
Review: Nicholson captures small town life in an unsettling fashion in this tale of evil centered on a red church and the mysterious "pastor" who comes to start a new religion. The plot has been described in various details, so I'll spare you any additional narratives.
Suffice to say, there are several frightening scenes, some unusual plot twists, and an always impending sense of doom. The book sometimes falters in key spots where the tension is slackened by a little too much padding. But, overall, the dialogue and scenarios are well written and chilling.
RECOMMENDED.
Rating:
Summary: an enthralling read
Review: Nicholson has a grasp of the multi-layered nuances of small town life and the odd fears and alliances that simmer beneath the surface. The Red Church is a compelling story from start to finish. I must disagree with the earlier reviewer who found theending lacking. I felt it had the perfect amount of ambivelance to allow the reader to stay in the world of the book just a wee creepy bit longer. Definately a stay-up-all-night-and-finish it book.
Rating: 
Summary: bamboo spikes vs. the red church?
Review: OK! OK! I guess if my back was against the wall I would force myself to read this book again rather than having someone insert bamboo spikes underneath my fingernails but it would be a close call. Do you care about the characters? No. Is there ANY suspense? No. Is there mystery. Only if you wonder whether you can actually force yourself to finish the book. Just kidding -- this really is a great book -- if your having trouble falling asleep that is. Bottom line -- save your money and get a bikini wax, it will be less painful.
Rating: 
Summary: decent ride, but ouch! what a lousy ending
Review: OK, I gave this book 2 stars because the author demonstrates fairly stong writing skills throughout, and I agree that it is a good first novel, EXCEPT - and I hate to say this, but the ending was just awful, just...bad. I stayed up late to finish it last night, and was left with such a sour taste in my mouth from the last pages that it was hard to sleep. The best analogy I can think of to describe how bad it was is to compare it to the recent "Planet of the Apes" remake. If you happened to see that, you probably remember how the ending was just confusing and totally out of context with the rest of the movie; ditto with this book. My advice? Check it out from the library if you must read it, or borrow a copy, but don't waste your money.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Debut!
Review: Right now there are two newcomers on the horror and suspense scene that can't help but excite and old school reader who pines for the early days of King, Koontz, McCammon, and Simmons. One of them is Dale Bailey and the other is Scott Nicholson. THE RED CHURCH is a terrific yarn with plenty of action and believable characters. It is hard to write kids as characters but Nicholson carries it off with the Day boy. The narrative rings true and the kid is a great protagonist. There is plenty of killing, cannabalism, monsters, and old dark churces to please any horror fan. Please try this book and support today's young crop of writers of the spooky story.
Rating:
Summary: Great supernatural thriller!
Review: Ronnie Day walks home after school with his little brother, Tim, and ends up confronting some of his worst fears in the scariest place he can imagine--the red church. Reverend Wendell McFall doomed the red church by using it as the site for his extremist religious practices and then meeting his death at the hands of angry parishoners over a hundred years ago. Now the church is a local legend; something that school children use to scare each other as the home of the creature that lives in the bell tower, a "thing that had wings and claws and livers for eyes." A grisly, unexplainable murder outside the church pulls in Sheriff Frank Littlefield as he tries to unravel the mystery of the church and of what happened to his little brother on that same site more than twenty years ago.
The people of this small North Carolina town take their religion seriously, and when the charming (but creepy) Archer McFall moves back to renovate the red church for his own congregation, many from the town's oldest families find themselves worshipping at his altar. But what are they really worshipping? It just might turn out that Archer isn't quite what he appears to be.
Nicholson creates interesting characters here, and the story itself calls back to the days of creepy campfire stories. The feeling of small town southern life is well written, and the tale is captivating and fast moving. This is Nicholson's first novel, and I hope to read more by him in the future!
Rating:
Summary: A great beginning, but the ending was disappointing
Review: Scott Nicholson obviously has talent. His characters were interesting and he tells a good story. Unfortunately it seemed like he ran out of creative juices near the end. What was meant to be the climax was disappointing and relied too heavily on a minor point introduced earlier in the book.
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