Title: The Kult
Author: Shaun Jeffrey
Publisher: Leucrota Press
Publication Date: May 25th 2009
Paperback: 328 pages
Genre: Horror/Thriller
Source: Review Copy
Reviewed by: Jo
RATING: 9/10
GOODREADS SUMMARY:
Acting out of misguided loyalty to his friends, police officer Prosper Snow is goaded into helping them perform a copycat killing, but when the real killer comes after him, it’s not only his life on the line, but his family’s too. Now if he goes to his colleagues for help, he risks being arrested for murder. If he doesn’t, he risks being killed.
REVIEW:
I have read a lot of horror novels, especially ones involving a Detective vs. Serial Killer, with slightly pretentious ‘Look how clever I am!’ twisty plots. I really thought I was going to be reading another one. I was SO wrong. I was pulled into this novel, and I could not escape until I had finished the last page.
The Kult starts out through the eyes of the novel’s serial killer, self-named The Oracle. He believes, in one of the best opening lines I’ve read “People are predictable. That’s what makes them easy to kill.” The Oracle tortures and mutilates his victims, arranging them into ‘art’ which he then photographs and sends to the police. (Cue shudder here)
Prosper Snow is the Detective in charge of handling ‘The Oracle’ investigation. Snow is also a member of a group of four friends known as The Kult. They made a blood pact while at school to always stand up for each other against bullies and from then on they have continued to be there for each other. Snow is invited to a Kult meeting where he learns one of his friend’s wives has been raped. Snow’s friend intends to find the rapist and kill him and he expects his fellow Kult members to help with the murder, arguing that if they kill gruesomely enough, the murder will be blamed on The Oracle. Well, Snow is in a pickle. Of course he wants to be there for his friends like he always has but how can he commit a murder? His friends remind him of the pact they made as children, and then inform him if he refuses to help they will report all of his past questionable actions to his superiors. Caught between a rock and a hard place is an understatement. Their attempt to frame The Oracle starts to go wrong in so many awful ways and The Kult’s lives are threatened.
Snow is not your usual Detective, and I loved him for it. He is definitely an antihero – scarred, angry, lacking in good decisions, and he often follows his emotions rather than cold hard logic. I thought him much more believable and interesting than your run of the mill Super Detective. The Oracle is one of the most twisted and most gruesome serial killers I have read. Suffice to say, if you do not like gruesome and graphic scenes, this is not for you. I don’t think I can properly review this without mentioning films such as Se7en and SAW, there are similar themes and this reads like one of them. It’s brutal and nasty, but smart and never patronising.
I enjoyed Shaun Jeffrey’s writing. The Kult is slightly slow in the first 60 pages or so but after that it felt like I couldn’t finish fast enough! Throughout, the novel is dotted with clever phrases and funny one-liners and the descriptions and settings were not too wordy or boring. The characters emotions and feelings are very well written and I often felt their frustration or terror. From the start of The Kult’s mission to commit murder to the showdown at The Oracle’s dwelling, I was so into the story and suffered from the ‘one more chapter’ syndrome many times. You’ll keep guessing until the very moment the killer is revealed because every single person is a suspect, and the combination of the writing, the characters and the very graphic murder scenes make for one heck of an intense read.
VERDICT:
A macabre horror with an unusual plot that will grab hold of you and will not let go until the final line. It can be very graphic and grisly at times so not for the faint hearted or weak of stomach. The tension in this story is beyond anything I’ve read before, really intense and edge-of-your seat reading with the plot seeming to turn with every page. One of the characters says this line in the book and I think it sums up The Kult very nicely: “It’s damn freaky, that’s what it is.”
You can find out more about Shaun here:
12 Comments
Sounds like a pass for me.
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I've got a copy of his short story collection. I ought to read that sometime.
Nice review. I remember hearing about this one late in '09, I think. Sounds promising.
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I love graphic and violent novels. This sounds so up my lane! Great review, I'm adding to my wish list!
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Thank you so much for the great review. Also, for anyone interested, the book has just been filmed, and it has been really exciting seing it make the transition from book to film – I was even lucky enough to fly out to the US to see some of the shoot. It will hopefully be appearing on a screen near you later this year.
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Fantastic, The Kult will make a brilliant film!
Rabid Fox and fredamans – Please keep in touch and let me know if you enjoyed it as much as me! Happy reading
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I like the idea of it and for the most part it sounds like something I would like. If it's more like Saw though I will have to pass. I felt the movie was over the top gruesome just to see how far they can push things, not because it was smart film making.
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Nice review Jo
I'm not usually much into crime/cop books but this sounds very interesting.
How exciting for the author that it's being made into a film too!
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@Rabid Fox Hope you enjoy the short story collection when/if you read it.
@fredamans Thanks for adding it to your wish list
@Ryan It is gruesome in places(though I guess everyone has varying values for what is and isn't gruesome as some people have said it wasn't gruesome enough), but it was written in that way for a reason. I believe you can download so much for free if you have a Kindle via Amazon, which gives you a taster.
@Jo I hope the film is good. I can't wait to see it! There's a website if you're interested with some actor interviews etc (and the lead actor, Joe doesn't have that beard in the film;))http://thekultmovie.com/
@Laura Besides being a crime/cop book, it contains elements of mystery, horror and thriller, so I hope it appeals to a wider audience.
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This isn't the kind of book I'd usually read but it sounds awesome. Loving the cover as well.
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Glad you like the sound of it, Trillian. As a matter of interest, the building featured on the cover is a real building that's now been turned into flats! It was also part of the inspiration for the novel.
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Thanks for this review! I've been looking for good horror lately. I just finished Ghost Story by Peter Straub following my brother's recommend.
The book is now on my wishlist!
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Thanks for putting it on your wishlist, sinn. Hopefully your wishes will come true
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