"Det. Sgt. Jamila Patel and Det. Con. Jerry Pardoe have reluctantly acquired a reputation in the Metropolitan Police for their ability to tackle bizarre and apparently supernatural crimes. Now they have been called back together after three bodies are found in a London basement... bodies which have been taken apart, roasted and eaten.
The markings on the wall suggest this might have been done by some kind of religious cult – and as more people are kidnapped and cannibalised, Patel and Pardoe realise they are dealing with a group of devil-worshippers invoking an ancient god who has not been worshipped since the Neolithic age..."
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A creepy horror
This one has been sitting patiently on my to-be-read pile since 2022 and I have finally got round to reading it. I have been a huge fan of Mr Masterton since my teenage years and have read loads of his books over the years so I was really looking forward to this. Sadly, it just did not really do it for me this time around.
The story follows DS Jamila Patel and DC Jerry Pardoe as they investigate a bizarre and brutal cult operating in London that sacrifices people to mysterious shadow entities hiding in the dark.
The initial concept is brilliant and genuinely unsettling. There is no denying that the author still knows how to create a deeply creepy atmosphere and there are some incredibly graphic, stomach-churning horror scenes that will satisfy hardcore gore fans. The idea of the shadow people themselves is fascinating and there are moments of real tension early on.
However, as the book progressed, the plot started to feel a bit disjointed and repetitive. It felt like the story moved from one gruesome set-piece to the next without giving the characters or the mythology enough room to develop properly. The pacing dragged in the middle and the ending wrapped up far too quickly and easily given how powerful the threat was supposed to be.
It is a decent, fast horror read if you love classic Masterton violence, but it did not quite live up to many of his other books although it won't put me off reading more of his work in the future.
A big thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts.
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