Desecration / J.F. Penn

Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: Mystery/Horror

Approximate word count: 65-70,000 words

Availability    

Kindle  US: YES  UK: YES  Nook: YES  Smashwords: NO  Paper: YES

Click on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords store

Author:

“Oxford educated, British born J.F.Penn has traveled the world in her study of religion and psychology. She brings these obsessions as well as a love for thrillers and an interest in the supernatural to her writing.”

For more, visit Penn’s website.

Description:

“LONDON. When the body of a young heiress is found within the Royal College of Surgeons, Detective Sergeant Jamie Brooke is assigned to the case. An antique ivory figurine found beside the body is the only lead and she enlists Blake Daniel, a reluctant clairvoyant, to help her discover the message it holds.

When personal tragedy strikes, Jamie has nothing left to lose and she must race against time to stop the mysterious Lyceum claiming another victim.

As Jamie and Blake delve into a macabre world of grave robbery, body modification, and the genetic engineering of monsters, they must fight to keep their sanity, and their lives.”

Appraisal:

I’d previously read J.F. Penn’s Pentecost, the first book in her Arkane thriller series, and was struck by how both this book and that one combined history and obscure (at least to me) areas of knowledge with the action happening in contemporary times. Although each book is very different, they both kept me off balance and constantly guessing where the story was going to go. That’s one of the main things I look for in a thriller. It’s hard to get excited if you know what’s coming.

I got drawn into the struggles of the protagonist, Jamie. Not only in solving this case, but her personal life. Thriller readers should find Desecration well worth their time.

FYI:

Although the author is from the UK, according to her author’s note, she used US spelling conventions in this book, although possibly some British idiosyncrasies might have snuck in.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: **** Four stars