Meet Matt Hunter, the newest detective in town. He’s an ex-minister, now professor of sociology writing a book that intends to debunk the Christian faith, who helps the police with religiously-motivated crimes. He’s a married man with a family and, when they holiday in a seemingly idyllic country village, things take a turn for the strange. Residents are going missing, and it’s not long before a body turns up.
Author Peter Laws – himself a Baptist minister – writes a tight and gripping story here, all the more impressive considering it’s his first novel. Hunter is far from a clichéd detective, but he retains the trope of being troubled by his doubts, and it’s this that makes him a fascinating character. Those who surround him are equally well-drawn; so much so that when the killer is revealed (after some gripping chapters, in particular the first, told from their point of view) it’s not only believable, but may come as a surprise to even the most seasoned of crime fiction readers.
Where Laws really excels, though, is in the moments when he’s aiming to chill the reader. There’s a sense at times that any horrific or supernatural elements may have been toned down in order to make this a more lucrative crime novel, which is a shame as Laws hints at the otherworldly a couple of times; we’re first introduced to him at a case where a woman is claimed to be possessed, while the final denouement suggests there’s more to what’s been going on than meets the eye. We’d have liked to see a little more of this, and hope Laws builds on it, as it’s this aspect of his writing that really shines.
That said, he’s created a solid foundation with Purged, a book that is nigh impossible to put down and will leave the reader hooked from start to finish. Anyone expecting a minister to extol the virtues of his faith on every page will be surprised (sometimes even shocked, as there are moments when Laws appears to do the exact opposite), but he does leave the reader with food for thought. So, let’s welcome Matt Hunter to the world of macabre crime fiction. He’s a damaged, complicated and interesting man, and we’re looking forward to spending more time with him.
PURGED / AUTHOR: PETER LAWS / PUBLISHER: ALLISON & BUSBY / RELEASE DATE: FEBRUARY 16TH 2017
Meet Matt Hunter, the newest detective in town. He’s an ex-minister, now professor of sociology writing a book that intends to debunk the Christian faith, who helps the police with religiously-motivated crimes. He’s a married man with a family and, when they holiday in a seemingly idyllic country village, things take a turn for the strange. Residents are going missing, and it’s not long before a body turns up.
Author Peter Laws – himself a Baptist minister – writes a tight and gripping story here, all the more impressive considering it’s his first novel. Hunter is far from a clichéd detective, but he retains the trope of being troubled by his doubts, and it’s this that makes him a fascinating character. Those who surround him are equally well-drawn; so much so that when the killer is revealed (after some gripping chapters, in particular the first, told from their point of view) it’s not only believable, but may come as a surprise to even the most seasoned of crime fiction readers.
Where Laws really excels, though, is in the moments when he’s aiming to chill the reader. There’s a sense at times that any horrific or supernatural elements may have been toned down in order to make this a more lucrative crime novel, which is a shame as Laws hints at the otherworldly a couple of times; we’re first introduced to him at a case where a woman is claimed to be possessed, while the final denouement suggests there’s more to what’s been going on than meets the eye. We’d have liked to see a little more of this, and hope Laws builds on it, as it’s this aspect of his writing that really shines.
That said, he’s created a solid foundation with Purged, a book that is nigh impossible to put down and will leave the reader hooked from start to finish. Anyone expecting a minister to extol the virtues of his faith on every page will be surprised (sometimes even shocked, as there are moments when Laws appears to do the exact opposite), but he does leave the reader with food for thought. So, let’s welcome Matt Hunter to the world of macabre crime fiction. He’s a damaged, complicated and interesting man, and we’re looking forward to spending more time with him.
PURGED / AUTHOR: PETER LAWS / PUBLISHER: ALLISON & BUSBY / RELEASE DATE: FEBRUARY 16TH 2017
