Sacrificing Starlight by David Pipe is the most unnerving and gruesome book I've read in the last few years.
This is not a cosy mystery. It's unsettling, dark, unforgiving, and chilling.
Some of the graphic scenes are so disturbing and distressing, it makes your hair stand on end.
I struggled with this book, as the topic is very upsetting - exposing the highly organised paedophile ring, with the elements of satanism. I had to take a few "breaks" from reading, as the main theme is every parent's nightmare.
The book begins with a tragic scene of a child's body washed out on a Cornish beach. The little body tells a horrifying story of abuse.
DCI Hunter is transferred to Cornwall from the Metropolitan Police. His wife and child are missing, and he doesn't know if they are still alive.
Hunter is trying to expose the organised child abuse ring, and he cannot trust anyone. While getting closer and closer, he keeps getting sinister texts in regards to his little daughter.
Ben Trevelyan is another parent with a missing daughter. His little girl was abducted two years earlier. A war veteran, Trevelyan is merciless and patient, hunting for clues in search for his daughter.
Trevelyan is a ruthless anti-hero who embarks on a disturbing killing spree. I can understand his craving for revenge, but he takes too much pleasure in dispensing justice.
There is a lot of characters, and at first it's hard to follow disjointed chapters. In the old style books and plays you often see a list of characters - I definitely needed one to keep track of who is who, while reading this book, as I got confused by too many names.
As a narrative technique, it works. You're meant to be confused, not knowing who are the "good guys" in this book, if there are any.
The style of writing is abrupt, fragmented, presented in short, fast-paced chapters.
The world that the author depicts is dark and harrowing. The disturbing violence gets inside your head and haunts you. I felt like I need a brain bleach to erase the graphic images.
I'm not especially squeamish when it comes to a body count in books and films, but this book takes the carnage to the level of a gore-fest.
Potential triggers: murder, child abuse, organised crime/child trafficking, violence/torture scenes.
You can find out about the author at www.davidpipebook.com
Thank you to David Pipe, Widminster Books and Rachel's Random Resources for my copy of the book!
This review is part of blog tour.
This does sound like a disturbing book but it also sounds like it is well put together and unsettling.
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