Set in the early 1900's, in a small town where there were no automobiles, just horse drawn carriages.there lived the Grant family. Head of this household was Robert Grant. He played many roles. Besides being a father, husband, and elementary school teacher, he also sat on the board of deacons at Nazarene Baptist Church , where he was also a soloist, with a gift that folks would say was sent from God. Anytime he sang, he would bring the congregation to tears and applause. Folks came from near and far just to hear Robert sing. He was a pillar in the community. At least this was the front that Robert portrayed for all.

Rachel Grant married Robert against her mother's wishes. Five children later.she understands the wisdom of her mother and why she tried to warn her. Behind closed doors Robert was nothing short of the devil incarnate. Robert would beat and torture his children and wife daily, just to "keep them in line." He would beat them to the point where they would be bloodied and bruised and laying on the floor. Each day, Rachel would try and think of ways to kill Robert, but she knew that she could not really do so. Unknowingly, Robert would also think of ways to get rid of his family, even if he had to do it one person at a time. The only person that Robert seemed to fear was Rachel's mother, Mom Maggie, who claimed she had prophetic gifts.

HEADS DEACON, TAILS DEVIL by P.J. McCalla was an engrossing tale. Aside from the fact the author would switch the narration back and forth from the author telling the story to the characters speaking to the reader, the story itself was very good. HEADS DEACON, TAILS DEVIL is a story about how sometimes people portray to be godly but really act like the devil. This story was heart-wrenching and almost had me in tears. The mother and children went through hell and what they had to endure was sad to say the least. An excellent debut novel!