All the thrills and all the chills!

I love a good horror movie and occasionally dip into the horror genre when reading too. One of my favourite authors for this type of writing is Rev Peter Laws. He knows precisely how a good horror plays out and picks up on all your vulnerabilities. I was excited to know he had a new book coming (release date is 20th February) and I was fortunate to get a copy via Netgalley.

Let me tell you, this one is a real thrill ride.

The first chapter starts with what appears to be a pretty typical early morning village scene and then turns into something quite horrific. It reminded me very much of some of the Horror movies I've watched where evil turns up in the most routine and mundane places unexpectedly. The whole book felt like it could be turned into a film and if it was, it's one I'd watch.

The theme of the book is demonic possession and exorcism, and it also features a so-called expert in this field who flys in from America to help out us poor folk in the UK where demonic possession is a growing and problematic issue. The one voice of reason throughout is Matt Hunter, an ex-member of the church and now a University Lecturer. He brings an interesting and rational perspective around mental health issues to the exorcism party, but of course, no-one wants to listen to him.  Possession and exorcism are all far more glamorous. Matt's character also brings a welcome sense of humour - something again that I enjoy in good horror movies. It lightens the mood and shifts our perspectives, so the monsters don't seem quite so scary.

I loved the setting of The Reed, so remote, so isolated and so hard to get away from should things go wrong! It has a real Brutalist concrete urban architecture feel which very much adds to the story in my view.

I think this is the goriest and most horrifying book in the series, but that didn't stop me reading. In my opinion, I still believe book 2 is the creepiest but read them all and make up your own mind. You can read this as a standalone novel if you choose. Peter Laws kindly fills in some of the backgrounds just in case you haven't read the others, but if you have, some things will make a lot more sense.

As someone who enjoys horror writing and the crime genre, I give this five stars and can't wait to find out what Matt Hunter will be up against in the next book.