Five years ago, Hurricane Ophelia devastated Hampton Roads. The storm strengthened rapidly overnight, and drowned the city for weeks killing thousands. Among the dead was a small Chesapeake church's congregation that died in their pews, eyes fixed on heaven, untouched by the storm. Through a series of interviews, videos, and legal documents, journalist Kellen Faulk reconstructs what the people of Calvary Baptist Church were calling out to in worship, and what happened under the catastrophic rain of the storm of the century.
At the center of Faulk's investigation are the voice memos of reformed evangelical Alice Crenshaw. Alice got away from Calvary Baptist Church and healed her wounds, until a late night email from an old friend who grew up in the same church begs Alice for help. Alice's old acquaintance Kelly claims that people from their old church keep following her every time she leaves home, and Alice crosses more and more professional barriers to try and get Kelly the help she needs. The late night calls and strange emails escalate until Alice has to cut Kelly off for good. Not a week later Kelly is killed in a hit and run. Alice races home under stormy skies to learn whether or not Kelly's death was an accident, or the work of some old evil festering in the swamps of Chesapeake.
2025 IngramSpark(R) Editorial Selection - Horror
About the Author :
Nathan Lawrie-Buchholz is the author of Profane Beasts, an epistolary horror about suburban Chesapeake, religious extremism, and seagulls. Profane Beasts has been featured in IngramSpark's early buzz catalog for September 2025, as well as being featured in the Halloween Chills and Thrills list for October 2025 on bookshop.com. Profane Beasts was also recognized as a 2025 horror editorial selection by Ingram Spark. Nathan lives in Henrico, Virginia with his wife Haley, their rescue pittie mix Ziti, and their internet famous cat Marston. He can be found searching independent bookstores for old paperbacks, travelling excessive distances to listen to 2010's metalcore bands, or finding exciting places to eat in RVA.
Review :
"...As someone who reads a good amount of horror, there are scenes in this book that still stick with me and freak me out (looking at you Achilles tendon)..."
-Goodreads Review
"...Buchholz does an incredible job of capturing how loneliness and isolation can drive people to find solace in the darkest of places..."
-Amazon Review
"...This book is like a panic attack you don't want to shake off..."
-Goodreads Review
"...Bleak and haunting, in a good way..."
-Goodreads Review
"...For readers who loved the style of WWZ, but instead of zombies it's about a series of mysterious circumstances, at the center of which is a lil' ol church in Chesapeake..."
-Storygraph Review
