by Graham Masterton
SYNOPSIS
Nemo Frisby used to be a detective. Now he drives an Uber between billionaire mansions in California. But he never lost the nose for the case – and when his housecleaner Trinity Fox discovers a young woman lying dead in her neighbourhood, she persuades him to help her prove it wasn't suicide.
Their investigation leads them to the Bel Air home of a wealthy movie producer, who built his mansion over an American Indian burial site. Ancient mythology tells of a demon who, if unearthed, can imbue evil men with terrible power. But only if the demon is fed by the sacrifice of innocent lives...
Graham Masterton is a true master of his genre, famous for his original, disturbing, and utterly terrifying novels. The Soul Stealer will stand alongside The Manitou as one of horror's most chilling explorations of the native magic of the ancients.
REVIEW
Trinity Fox receives a message from a friend saying she is scared and needs help. By the time she arrives to find out what is going on, she is too late to save her. After the cryptic message and unusual circumstances, when the police start insisting that her death was a suicide, Trinity is adamant that this was actually murder. She then teams up with ex-detective Nemo Frisby to try and work out what really happened to her friend.
The Soul Stealer in my opinion is more of a crime/detective novel with elements of horror, rather than a full-blown horror story. I think that the closest thing I’ve read in terms of format is The Outsider by Stephen King - what begins as a standard police investigation soon starts taking a bizarre and terrifying turn.
Having said that, if you are a ‘cosy crime’ fan and your favourite sleuths are Miss Marple or Joyce from The Thursday Murder Club, then this probably isn’t for you! This is a dark story which features people being held against their will, rape, torture and murder, on top of the underlying storyline of traditional Tongva Indian rituals, sacrifices and magic.
The traditional Indian practices set against the cutthroat and elite world of the film industry in California was really interesting. The Indian traditions and lifestyle are not something I know much about so it gave the story a unique edge for me. I would be intrigued to find out if some of the rituals and techniques mentioned were based on actual accounts.
Brutal and unusual, The Soul Stealer is perfect for fans of Stephen King or Stephen Graham Jones, crime fiction or horror fans - but remember, this is definitely one you won’t want to read with the lights out!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Graham Masterton was born in Edinburgh in 1946, and at the age of 17 he joined his local newspaper as a junior reporter. He was appointed deputy editor of Mayfair at the age of 21, and at 24 he became executive editor of Penthouse. After leaving Penthouse, he wrote The Manitou, a horror novel that became his first bestseller and was adapted into a film starring Tony Curtis.
Graham spent twenty-five years as one of the world’s bestselling horror authors before he turned his talent to crime writing. Inspired by the five years in which he and his late wife lived in Cork, he created a series of novels featuring Katie Maguire, the first female superintendent in the Irish police force. The first book in the Katie Maguire series, White Bones, was published by Head of Zeus in 2012 and became a top-ten bestseller. Graham continues to write thrillers and horror novels alongside the Katie Maguire crime series, which has now sold over a million copies worldwide.
Thanks to @HoZ_Books and @AriesFiction for the opportunity to read and review.
Fiction: Contemporary Horror / Occult Horror
Publisher: Head of Zeus
ISBN: 978-1801103930
Pages: 384pp
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