Published by Head of Zeus, 7th March 2013.
ISBN: 978-1-781-85063-3
Set in modern day Ireland and featuring Kate Maguire
from the Cork Garda. The story opens as the remains of a multitude of human
bones are unearthed on the late Meaghan’s farm. Katie Maguire is called in and
after forensic examination these bones turn out to all be female, and date back
to 1915, which long before the troubles in Ireland started to brew. Further
DNA testing is requested, and the horror that all the women buried on this farm
were skinned alive is then discovered. The garda start their investigations
with the belief that their killer would have been someone from the time the
horrific murders took place, but are halted in their tracks when they hear that
an American woman who had quite recently gone missing in Cork, is then
unearthed, on the same farm, and her body was also skinned alive. So it’s
left to Garda Kate Maguire to put the pieces from the past and present
together, and solve the mystery.
This book has been described in some
journals as one of horror, but for me it is a crime novel. It is extremely
graphic, and in places the amount of gore written may make your stomach churn,
but there is a crime to solve, so it is a crime story. It also gives an insight
into Celtic mythology. Masterson is an exceptionally strong writer, in places,
but in other places he writes with extreme sensitivity, such as when dealing
with the problems Kate Maguire faces in a male dominated profession. All good
stories need light to bring relief from the dark. Masterton knows how to do
this, and this book comes highly recommended, for those who like it strong.
------
Reviewer: Linda Regan
Graham Masterton. was
born in Edinburgh
in 1946. His grandfather was Thomas Thorne Baker, the eminent scientist who
invented DayGlo and was the first man to transmit news photographs by wireless.
After training as a newspaper reporter, Graham went on to edit the new British
menis magazine Mayfair, where he
encouraged William Burroughs to develop a series of scientific and
philosophical articles which eventually became Burroughsi novel The Wild
Boys. At the age of 24, Graham was appointed executive editor of both Penthouse
and Penthouse Forum magazines. At this time he started to write a
bestselling series of sex 'how-to' books including How To Drive Your Man
Wild In Bed which has sold over 3 million copies worldwide. His latest, Wild
Sex For New Lovers is published by Penguin Putnam in January, 2001. He is
a regular contributor to Cosmopolitan, Menis Health, Woman,
Womanis Own and other mass-market self-improvement magazines. He lives
in Surrey. His wife and agent Wiescka died on
27 April 2011, aged 65. He has just finished writing a black thriller featuring
Irelandis only female detective superintendent, Katie Maguire, set in
the Cork underworld; and a dark fantasy, Jessicais Angel, about a
girlis search for five supposedly-dead children.
www.grahammasterton.co.uk/
Linda Regan is the author of
six police procedural crime novels. She is also an actress. She holds a Masters
degree in critical writing and journalism, and writes a regular column,
including book reviews, for three magazines. She also presents the
book-club spot on BBC Radio Kent. She is an avid reader, and
welcomes the chance to read new writers
No comments:
Post a Comment