Messiah

Boris Starling's "Messiah" starts out deceptively slow paced as Detective Superintendent Red Metcalfe confronts the first crime scene of this novel. A hanging - made unusual by the removal of the victim's tongue and its replacement with a silver spoon. But he hardly has time to interview the deceased's girlfriend when he receives a second call. This time a bishop has been beaten to death, and once again the victim's tongue has been removed and replaced with a silver spoon. Red intuitively knows that this will be a bad case, and that he is hunting down a fiendishly clever serial killer.Metcalfe, with his team of Duncan Warren, Kate Beauchamp, and Jez Clinton, find themselves faces with a killer who knows how to leave no trace at the murder scene. The murders seem to occur at random, and the victims seem to have nothing in common. Red, who is noted for his ability to get into the minds of criminals and killers is completely stymied. The team seems helpless as killing follows killing, and every lead points to a dead end.Starling keeps up interest by first alternating the narrative with flashback of Metcalfe's life. In college he turned his brother in as a killer who is still serving a life sentence. Later Metcalfe was the driver in a hit and run accident. A secret he still hides. The second narrative feature is the gradual inclusion of tidbits from the killer. These are extremely well done, providing insight but never giving anything away.Without ever appearing so, this is an extremely tightly plotted thriller. There is very little that does not happen for a reason. Clues are carefully presented and disguised without ever revealing too much. The story twists and turns as the murders point in different directions without ever becoming banal or repetitive. The murders themselves are ghoulishly spectacular, making this both a fascinating mystery story and a great serial killer read. A very fine piece of writing from a promising author.

There's nothing restrained about Messiah, a book awash with blood, mutilation, family conflicts and over the top religious symbolism.Despite often patchy writing and some one-dimensional stereotyped secondary characters, Messiah manages to stay a class above the many other wannabe serial murder thrillers. Many other books also offer a twist at the end that supposedly, "you'll never guess". In Messiah, a couple of times you think you spot it, but you really WON'T guess this one. Many books contrive human failings for their detective heroes to make them more realistic, but you'd never predict the true nature of Red Metcalfe, the complex and tortured main character of Messiah.Read it, murder fans! DON'T flip to the last pages first! And if you enjoy this book, then don't miss Val McDermid's "The Mermaids Singing", it's like this but even better, I promise...

I am an avid reader of thrillers/suspense novels and have read numerous horror thrillers including books by Stephen King, John Saul and Thomas Harris. "Messiah" is one of the best thrillers I have ever read. When I purchased the book, I did not know what to expect as "Messiah" is the first effort by Boris Starling. I was not disappointed in the least. In fact, my only disappointment is attributable to the fact that the book had to end. Mr. Starling has apparently done significant research and has produced a compelling masterpiece of suspense with an imaginative and original storyline. I recommend this book to anyone who loves mystery thrillers. I am eagerly awaiting Mr. Starling's next effort!

I picked this book up because of the blurb on the front which said, "The most terrifying thriller since 'Silence of the Lambs'". I thought, "What a bold statement for a book to make." Believe me, this book does not disappoint! It takes place in England which threw me at first because of the different terms they use, but you get past that in a hurry. This book is simply one of the best books I have read this year. I have recommended this title to over a hundred people! No really, I have. And I have yet to hear anything bad about this book. I can't wait to see what else Mr. Starling writes. If you are a fan of Thomas Harris, Jeffrey Deaver, or John Sandford, I urge you to buy this book! You will not be disappointed! It will be the best money you've spent on a book this year. The ending is mind blowing and I literally had to stop and think about it.