Picked up this book as one of the spooky ones I wanted to read as part of October reads coz … Halloween! 😀
Lets get started with the Synopsis first:
A shocking murder in an affluent Helsinki suburb has ties to the occult in this thrilling US debut from Finnish author Max Seeck.
A bestselling author’s wife has been found dead in a gorgeous black evening gown, sitting at the head of a formally set dinner table. Her most chilling feature—her face is frozen in a ghastly smile.
At first it seems as though a deranged psychopath is reenacting the gruesome murders from The Witch Hunter, the bestseller written by the victim’s husband. But investigator Jessica Niemi soon realizes she’s not looking for a single killer but rather for dozens of believers in a sinister form of witchcraft.
They know her every move and are always one step ahead. As the bodies start piling up, Jessica knows they won’t stop until they get what they want. And when her dark past comes to light, Jessica finds herself battling her own demons while desperately trying to catch a coven of killers before they claim their next victim.
Let me start off by saying, the title and synopsis got me to pick up this book. The premise is so intriguing and I love witch hunter etc… kind of books. They’re haunting and dark, atmospheric and ritualistic, page turning – occult delving awesomeness.
I, however, did not find that in this book which I’m so so gutted about and disappointed with. This book started with a bang! The first few pages and couple of chapters were just amazing and I was hooked in for the ride. But, that ride ended quicker than I anticipated.
In my opinion the reading experience felt very disjointed. The story moved between timelines of the main protagonist – Jessica Niemi – quite unexpectedly and I just felt like it didn’t add much to her backstory or her character or to the main plot.
This book could’ve done with better editing. Parts of it felt lost in translation in trying to make reader figure out the plot and keep up with the time and place the events were taking place.
I will say though, there’s enough action in the book to keep you turning pages, some pages you will want to skim but all in all it’s not the worst read. The writing is simplistic and the bigger text in the paperback helps make it easier to read. BUT… I’ve been left feeling that I’ve missed something, I still haven’t fully grasped what I read and that will keep eating me up on the inside until I pick another book to rid myself of that feeling.
Do I recommend this? Well, I think every author deserves a chance of being read at least once. So … be nice and pick it up. Any feedback is good feedback 🙂
Chasing Fiction 