Synopsis/blurb.....
The disappearance of a young boy. An investigation paved with depravity and death. Can DCI Michael Yorke survive with his body and soul intact?
With Yorke's small town in the grip of a destructive snowstorm, the relentless detective uncovers a missing boy’s connection to a deranged family whose history is steeped in violence. But when all seems lost, Yorke refuses to give in, and journeys deep into the heart of this sinister family for the truth.
And what he discovers there will tear his world apart.
The Rays are here. It's time to start praying.
One Last Prayer for the Rays is the first novel in the shocking and exhilarating bestselling Detective Yorke series. If you like intense thrillers, flawed detectives and complex killers, then you'll love Wes Markin’s dark and twisty series. Perfect for fans of L.J. Ross, Peter James, Jo Nesbo, Chris Brookmyre, and Stuart Macbride.
An entertaining enough listen for the commute to and from work and for some of the hours in-between. That said I think the book just reinforces my belief that I'm not the world's biggest fan of books featuring deranged scheming protagonists harbouring murderous intent.
Decent enough writing, well-rounded characters, especially Michael Yorke and some of the close members of his team. All of them have a bit of personal baggage accompanying them, either in the form of back-story history or current day relationship issues.
Here we have a schoolboy vanishing in the middle of the day and a mess of blood left behind. The boy is a Ray and around Salisbury way everyone knows who the infamous Ray family are. Their potted family history includes...... death, murder, cannibalism, pig farming with possibly some defective hereditary gene running through their blood giving vent to some serious issues through the generations.
Yorke and his team are in a race against time to save the boy, a situation complicated by the reappearance of another equally deranged Ray family member, one with some unresolved personal business with one of Jake's officers.
It's a busy book with lots going on and the investigation struggles to keep pace with spiralling events. Eventually all the loose strands get tied up and resolved with some unfinished business with one protagonist offering scope for further mischief in a future book.
An okay book, not especially my cup of tea, but it wasn't one where I was tempted not to finish. I was invested enough to want to know the outcome. Others reviewers on Amazon obviously feel stronger about than I do....... on the UK site there's over 600 ratings with nearly 90% giving this 4 or 5 stars.Decent enough narration, with Aubrey Parson injecting plenty of passion into his story telling.
3 from 5
The series prequel A Lesson in Crime has been enjoyed before. I have a couple more of the series also to get to on Audible.
Read - (listened to) June, 2020
Published - 2019
Page count - 326 (9 hrs 7 mins)
Source - purchased copy
Format - Audible
Hmm...glad to hear that some of these characters are nicely rounded - I do like that in a book. Solid-sounding setting, too. But I don't think this is my sort of book, Col, if I'm being honest. Your review is great, as always, but the book? Think I'll give this one a miss.
ReplyDeleteMargot, thankt's fair enough. I don't think every book out there will suit everyone's tastes.
DeleteThis is probably a very good book for those who are OK with the subject matter, but not for me. That is just as well, I don't need more books.
ReplyDeleteTracy, there's a lot of people who like this sort of thing, but I don't think I'm the biggest fan. Good luck to them, each to their own.
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