Me? I'm delighted to be sharing my thoughts on not just one of the books, not just two of the book but all three of the books.
When a body is found crucified on a Liverpool beach, she forms an unlikely alliance with suspect Mikko Kristensen, lead guitarist in death metal band Total Depravity. Together, they go on the trail of a rogue geneticist who they believe holds the key – not just to the murder, but to something much darker.
Also on the trail is cynical Scouse detective Darren Swift. In his first murder case, he must confront his own lack of faith as a series of horrific crimes drag the city of two cathedrals to the gates of hell.
Science meets religious belief in this gripping murder mystery. ... Synopsis
Across grey waters, where the river Mersey meets the Irish Sea, wind turbines puncture the dawn horizon like spinning crucifixes. ... First Sentence, Chapter 1
Outside in the crepuscule, this grey stone house is almost camouflaged against the moorland behind it. In the dawn light, unkindnesses of raven will congregate on its roof and chimney. Their cawing will be drowned out by the roar of traffic, as will the screams from within. Above the front door of this cottage is affixed a small wooden crucifix. ... Memorable Moment, Page 38
Liverpool is in the grip of an intense heatwave, and strange things are happening.
A woman dies in an apparent case of Spontaneous Human Combustion; a truck explodes on the dock road; the charred corpses of pets litter the city; forest fires ravage the pinewoods…and there are birds everywhere, silent flocks drawing in ominously.
Detective Inspector Darren Swift thinks there are connections, and his investigation delves into the worlds of football, nightclubs and organised crime. But is he imagining things?
Dr. Helen Hope doesn’t think so. And she believes the key lies in a mysterious seventeenth-century occult book which has gone missing from Liverpool Library.
In the blistering sequel to Reprobation, DI Swift is forced to confront some inconvenient ghosts from his past, as a terrifying shadow lies over his city’s future… ... Synopsis
It is with far more trepidation than pride that I present, to whomsoever it may concern, this modern English translation of the Ars Adramelechum. ... First Sentence, Preface to the 1879 translation of the Adramelechum
She scrolled through these legions of chthonic deities, enjoying the elaborate, beautiful, shudderingly horrible drawings. This theriomorphy - the manifestation of gods or spirits as animals - was as old as time itself and as new as the werewolves and vampire bats of modern horror stories. ... Memorable Moment, Page 117
A professor of psychoacoustics is found dead in his office. It appears to be a heart attack, until a second acoustician dies a few days later in similar circumstances.
Meanwhile, there’s an outbreak of mysterious illnesses on a council estate, and outbursts of unexplained violence in a city centre nightclub. Not to mention strange noises coming from the tunnels underneath Liverpool. Can it really be a coincidence that death metal band Total Depravity are back in the city, waging their own form of sonic warfare?
Detective Inspector Darren Swift is convinced there are connections. Still grieving his fiancé’s death and sworn to revenge, he is thrown back into action on the trail of a murderer with a terrifying and undetectable weapon.
But this case cannot be solved using conventional detective work, and D.I. Swift will need to put the rulebook aside and seek the occult expertise of Dr. Helen Hope and her unlikely sidekick, guitarist Mikko Kristensen. ... Synopsis
Close your eyes, stand still, don't breathe. ... First Sentence, Chapter One
And then the music began, in waves and assaults of blastbeats and droning riffs. Any suggestion of melody that emerged were rapidly taken away. Only the memory of silence gave them any relief. ... Memorable Moment, Page 70
MY THOUGHTS ON THE BOOKS ... Wow! Despite the fact that in my opinion two of the books were stronger, the best trilogy I've read for some time.
Each featuring a different crime, its fair to say each of the three books could be read as a standalone novel (at a push) but, their plots loosely intertwining, you really don't want to miss a moment of the journey these amazing characters find themselves on; books that really should be read from the beginning.
What happens when you take a Calvanist nun who it just so happens also lectures on Eschatology (the study of death and afterlife), the singer from a dead metal band, a newly promoted DI and a crazy geneticist who is obsessed - and I mean obsessed - with issues of pre-destination, original sin, genetics and the afterlife?
What happens is you have Reprobation (one of my favourite books this year).
Original, clever and decidedly dark; a gruesome police procedural with theological/philosophical overtones, a perfect combination of science and religion ... to say nothing of an interesting homage to the different types of Metal bands out there.
Sister Helen and Death Metal singer, Mikko, the most unlikely of pairings ever, combine them with newly appointed DI Darren Swift (who, not unlike sister Helen herself, is having something of a conscious of faith) and you have the perfect team.
The second and, in my opinion, the less strong of the three books, Consuming Fire, a story of people trafficking and, how could I forget, human combustion, takes place mere months after the events of the previous novel and my how things have changed.
Still lecturing at the universe, former nun Helen (yes, you read correctly, former nun Helen) is researching demonology which is just as well because, well, you never know when your knowledge of such things might prove useful ... like for instance when, hmm! the next case you find yourself assisting with involves the occult, demons, angels and, oh yes, an ancient book coated in human skin.
That's right, a book coated in human skin written by a Victorian scholar (some of it the translation of a holy book which tells of a fallen angel who becomes a fire demon) of which there are only two known copies ... one of them missing, but of course.
Whilst the investigation that saw Helen and Matt off to a remote Swiss village was fascinating; that the narrative was interspersed with excerpts from this unholy book, hmm, whilst it made for interesting reading and cleverly tied in with the main story, for me personally it proved something of a distraction; that it was written in italics proving something of a headache, literally. And then, of course whilst it was engaging to see the developing relationship between Helen and DI Darren Swift and Darren and his fireman fiancé Matt I admit to missing Mikko and the motley crew of Total Depravity.
Given that the author does characters with a difference so well, I shouldn't really have been surprised that Sound features a professor in psychoacoustics (who it just so happens has synesthesi) who on discovering a new frequency is being transmitted dies a somewhat horrible death.
Could it be that this in any way connects the unexplained illnesses that are felling the residents of the Napier housing estate, the eerie sounds being heard beneath the tunnels of Liverpool and the masses who, zombie like, feel compelled to head towards the city's nightclubs? And could it be that criminal-turned-businessman-turned-all round good guy, Shawn Forrest, is behind it all?
Like the other books in the series featuring criminality, religion, mythology, psychology and the occult, we see the team; Helen Mikko (yay!) and Matt back together again, only this time Total Depravity aren't the most, hmm, depraved metal band to feature ...
Meet Vox Inferi, a black metal band who, headed by The Messiah, only performs live in locations that are kept secret to all but a few of their fans.
With the reading of every sentence and the turning of every page books I came closer to finishing; its hardly any wonder that at the same time I wanted to keep reading them I didn't want to read at all.
With thanks to Rachel for organising the tour but most of all with thanks to Catherine Fearnes herself for such great a great trilogy, I only hope that with Sound we never hear of Helen, Mikko and Matt again.
INFORMATION ABOUT REPROBATION ... ~ Genre: Crime thriller ~ Publication Date: 16th October 2018 ~ First book in a trilogy ~ Publisher: Darkstroke ~ Estimated Page Count: 220 ~ Potential Trigger Warning: Strong language, violence and some sexual content ~
INFORMATION ABOUT CONSUMING FIRE ... ~ Genre: Crime thriller ~ Publication Date: 6th February 2019 ~ Second book in a trilogy ~ Publisher: Darkstroke ~ Estimated Page Count: 220 ~ Potential Trigger Warning: Strong language, violence and some sexual content ~
INFORMATION ABOUT SOUND ... ~ Genre: Crime thriller ~ Publication Date: 24th September 2019 ~
Third book in a trilogy ~ Publisher: Darkstroke ~
Estimated Page Count: 220 ~ Potential Trigger Warning: Strong language, violence and some sexual content ~
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BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE ... ~ 9th November: Insta - @duckfacekim09 ~ mandy_w87 ~ The Word Is Out - Alyson's Reviews ~ 10th November: Booky Charm ~ Nesie's Place ~ Insta - @duckfacekim09 ~ 11th November: Four Moon Reviews ~ Little Miss Book Lover 87 ~ Anna's Book Blog ~ 12th November: Nesie's Place ~ Insta - @duckfacekim09 ~ Lock and Load, Brides of Christ ~ 13th November: Jazzy Book Reviews ~ ramblingmads.com ~ Rajiv's Reviews ~ 14th November: Booky Charm ~ Books Beans & Botany ~ mandy_w87 ~ 15th November: sharon beyond the books ~ Books Beans & Botany ~ Little Miss Book Lover 87 ~ 16th November: sharon beyond the books ~ Books Beans & Botany ~ Sassy Redhead Book Reviews ~ 17th November: sharon beyond the books ~ Felicity Grace Terry ~ Lock and Load, Brides of Christ ~ 18th November: Scintilla.Info ~ Booky Charm ~ My Fictional Oasis ~ 19th November: Bookshortie ~ Four Moon Reviews ~ Rajiv's Reviews ~ 20th November: Bookshortie ~ mandy_w87 ~ Rajiv's Reviews ~ 21st November: Bookshortie ~ Little Miss Book Lover 87 ~ donnasbookblog ~ 22nd November: Four Moon Reviews ~ Jypsylynn ~ Lock and Load, Brides of Christ ~
8 comments:
This sounds like a great series, Felicity, and something I would like. I am glad you enjoyed it!
What a unique, yet interesting sounding trilogy! You have me totally intrigued, so I might have to add these to the ever-growing wishlist. I'm glad you enjoyed them so much.
Felicity,
I am glad that you enjoyed this
trilogy so very much. And it sounds
like a great and compelling series
which I will definitely keep in mind.
Raven
Hi Felicity,
My first gut reaction to this post, was 'no! not for me!' However, after reading all the lovely extracts and premises you shared, I have to say that the whole package became much more appealing.
I think this would either have to be read in the same way you have tackled it, as a complete set of books to be read as one, or perhaps I could just begin by reading 'Reprobation', so long as that doesn't have an ending which hangs in the air, waiting for the next instalment?
Mmm! I might have to mull this one over a bit more, but I do like the sound of a story which features a book bound in human skin!! - and an investigation which spends some time in Switzerland, a place I love!
Thanks for sharing and for a lovely informative post :)
Take Care and Stay Safe
Yvonne xx
Thanks for sharing the trilogy, Felicity. I love a good mystery, and reading your review had me thinking I need to add these books to my reading list.
Yes, these sound riveting. I love that the occult is mixed with the mysteries and the characters sounds so different and colorful.
I think I have two of these on my tbrm, I need to bump them up I think xxx
Lainy http://www.alwaysreading.net
this sounds sooooo good from your great review. looks like this is one for my wish list. :-)
sherry @ fundinmental
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