Book Impressions - The Kult by Shaun Jeffrey

I'd heard many good things about this book before reading it and I'm pleased to say that I wasn't disappointed. It grabbed me from the very first line and kept me hooked until the cinematic conclusion. A killer is stalking the streets killing seemingly random victims, the most vulnerable in society and photographing them in gruesome tableaus. At the centre of all this is Prosper Snow, the lead detective on the case who has a dark secret of his own.

What I liked about this book wasn't just the quality of the writing and the excellent pacing, it was the fact that it kept me guessing. From early in the story it heads in unexpected directions and keeps you guessing right up until the end. The blending of two main threads also makes it stand out from other similar killer hunts I've read.

There was one minor issue I had with the story and that was the reveal near the end. After the almost artistic nature of the murders it felt a little flat, mundane even. Although there's probably a philosophical point that no matter how grandiose the kill, there's always a mundane motivation behind it. In any fact the reveal does make sense for the story and was signposted throughout the story.

The Kult is an excellent read, one I'm happy to recommend.

People are predictable. That’s what makes them easy to kill.

Detective Chief Inspector Prosper Snow is in charge of an investigation into a serial killer called The Oracle who turns his victims into macabre works of art. But Prosper harbours a dark secret of his own. He and his old school friends were members of a group called The Kult who made a pact to dish out their own form of vengeance on bullies. Now a member of the group puts their friendship to the test when he makes a far darker request: that they murder someone that raped his wife.

To get away with murder, the friends decide to blame it on The Oracle, but events take a chilling turn when the instigator turns up dead, his body fashioned into a disturbing work of art. Now, one by one, the members of The Kult are being hunted down. 

Just when Prosper thinks things can’t get any worse, his wife is kidnapped and he knows that if he goes to his colleagues for help, he risks his dark deeds being unearthed. If he doesn't, he risks losing all that he holds dear. 

The Kult is available from Amazon (it's a 5* read!)