Title: Last Rites
Author: Shaun Hutson
Publisher: Orbit
Publication Date: 1 Oct 2009
Hardback: 352 pages
Genre: Horror
Rating: 5/10
Summary:
Almost beaten to death by a gang of violent teenagers, schoolmaster Peter Mason wants nothing more than to escape the simmering violence of London, his broken marriage and the memories of his daughter’s death. The perfect chance comes in the form of a position at a prestigious boarding school in the heart of the Buckinghamshire countryside. But the past is always lurking in the background. Not just his own past but that of the school and its former staff. Mason becomes obsessed with discovering what became of his predecessor. The man’s mysterious disappearance remains unexplained, leaving a chilling legacy behind. Mason finds that there are strange events occurring at the school – violent and sinister events that have happened before and will, if he cannot stop them, happen again…
Review:
Most of the time I see Shaun Hutson as comfort reading, especially when I’m in the mood for a gruesome horror. And by comfort reading I mean knowing the author you’re reading, like slipping on an old pair of slippers. I know how Hutson writes, I know what to expect and I know that I will be pulled into the story from the get go.
Last Rites didn’t disappoint regarding these aspects. In fact, the first chapter jumped in with both feet when we are introduced to the main character, Peter Mason, who is being beaten to near death by a gang of youths. It’s brutal, violent and full of swearing. It’s not for the faint hearted. But I’m used to Hutson and this is the ‘norm’ and most of the time it doesn’t bother me.
I like Hutson’s writing. It’s not the most beautiful prose you will ever read but it has a realness about it that sucks me into the character’s lives, they become real. They always have a lot of baggage, history and depth. They are well rounded. That’s another thing I enjoy about his books, he makes his characters totally believable.
However, although Last Rites succeeded on many levels, unfortunately it also failed. In the beginning, getting to know the characters and their back story was interesting, especially with Peter Mason. I enjoyed that with each chapter it focused on a different character. Unfortunately this went on for far too long and you didn’t actually get to the meat of the story until at least two thirds of the way in. Then everything was rushed, which made the actions of Mason less believable and before I knew it, it was the end of the book.
Verdict:
There were a couple of surprises at the end I didn’t see coming, which prevented the book from being a 4/10. But to be honest this wasn’t really Hutson’s best work so it ended up being a 5 (view rating system).
Thank you to Orbit for sending me this book to review
1 Comment
That stinks. Great honest review
Reply