Sentry by Justin Dec Book Review: The Countdown Director’s Creepy Debut Horror Novel

From the writer and director of the hit horror film Countdown comes a chilling debut novel.

While packing up their late father’s home, estranged brothers John and George Lawson unearth John’s childhood comic series SENTRY—a hero he invented as a boy to battle the ghosts only he could see. And at the center of the yellowed pages lurks the Blue Boy, a terrifying, monstrous figure who once terrified John from the darkness beyond his closet door.

As the weathered comics claw open a past full of monsters, long-buried secrets pour out, forcing the brothers to confront the trauma that shattered their family and unravel a deadly mystery thirty years in the making—one where the Blue Boy holds the terrifying truth.

Set against the haunting backdrop of a small New England town, SENTRY is a gripping supernatural thriller that explores the devastating strain mental health can place on a family, and the power of empathy, understanding, and forgiveness to heal even the deepest wounds. At its heart, it’s a story about how family is always there for you, even when you can’t see it.

Perfect for fans of emotional ghost stories, psychological suspense, and literary horror, SENTRY will linger with you long after the final page.

At its core, Sentry follows a troubled man who must confront the ghosts of his past after his father’s death. Typically, in a story like this, the ghosts are metaphorical, but for John, they’re terrifyingly real.

This is Justin Dec’s debut novel, and if his name sounds familiar to you, it’s because he also wrote the 2019 techno-horror flick Countown. I personally enjoyed that film quite a bit, and when Justin asked if I’d like to read his book, I was all in. To be fair, I borrowed the book through Kindle Unlimited and received no incentives for my review. I say all that because I really enjoyed the book, and I don’t want some cocka-doodie thinking I gave it a positive review just because a big-time director personally approached me (sorry, I just finished reading Misery).

Writing a screenplay is a very different beast from writing a novel, especially when it comes to the details and how much you provide. Going into this, I was interested to see what Justin’s writing style would be when crafting his prose. As I read the book, I came to like his style. He gives us enough detail without drowning us in pretentious prose just to fill a paragraph. The result is a fast-paced horror novel that reads like a movie.

And what about the horror? Is it scary? Well, that would depend on who you are and how much horror you read. As someone who reads a lot of horror, I wouldn’t say Sentry is scary, but it’s definitely creepy and has its moments where I could see parts of it making great jump scares in a film. The deeper story really clicked for me. John is returning home after 20 years to a brother who is less than happy to see him. Their reconnecting and bonding is what makes this story shine. I think the whole mystery aspect of the story was pretty well developed, but there were some characters that should have had more “screen time” in the book. It just needed a bit more glue, so to speak.

All in all, Sentry is a solid debut novel for Justin Dec and perfect for fans of horror thrillers like Josh Malerman’s Daphne and Play Nice by Rachel Harrison. I give Sentry by Justin Dec a four-star rating.