Death Prayer [Paperback]

David Bowker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1996

Vernon Lavergne is a policeman in York, England, with an uncanny knack for nosing out murderers. His unorthodox methods as a cop are based on his sixth sense, which he will need when he meets Hugo Prince, a dark magician who knows the secret of The Death Prayer, a deadly weapon which is untraceable and intangible.

Product Details

• Paperback: 215 pages
• Publisher: White Wolf Publishing (October 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1565048466
• ISBN-13: 978-1565048461
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 5.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,881,812 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Yorkshire Detective Superintendent battles paranormal evil, August 7, 2000

By 

E. A. Lovitt "starmoth" (Gladwin, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Death Prayer (Paperback)

"The Death Prayer" is an unusual, hard-to-categorize book. It starts out like a 'noir' police procedural. There are actually two mass murderers on the loose in Yorkshire, one a 'standard' serial killer who (usually)preys on isolated women. The other is an evil sorcerer who has assumed the trappings of a late twentieth century 'faith healer'. Detective Superintendent Vernon Laverne, the hero of "The Death Prayer" has already captured one serial killer before the book begins. His colleagues on the force applaud his results, but are suspicious of his intuitive style of detection.

Excellent character development, and chilling, bone-twisting scenes of supernatural horror are the hooks that make "The Death Prayer" well worth reading. Vernon Laverne is much better developed, and consequently more interesting than the standard run of paranormal detectives who rely on gimmicks (magic rings, pentacles, weird ceremonies, etc.) to get their man (or demon).

You're really going to admire him by book's end.

Speaking of book's end, I subtracted a star because the end is a messy, anti-climax to the horror that occurred earlier in the plot. The scene in the Cathedral on New Year's Eve is especially chilling, and my only wish is that the book's end could have reached a similar height.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A stunning debut, December 11, 1999

By 

Alan Luber - See all my reviews

This review is from: Death Prayer (Paperback)

Dean Koontz and Stephen King can't carry David Bowker's sweat socks. Simply the best horror book I have EVER read. Shocking that it hasn't become a best seller. Not even carried in book stores any more. Hope this guy writes more. Original, inventive, and scary.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A taut, well-written supernatural thriller., July 6, 1998

By 

Tim Byrd "author of Doc Wilde & The Frogs of ... (Decatur, GA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Death Prayer (Paperback)

I worked for White Wolf, the book's publisher, when this book came out, but didn't read it then. I picked it up a few days ago to give it a try, as my shelves are clogged with WW freebies I got while there, figuring I'd either enjoy it or get it the heck of my shelf.

I enjoyed it. A lot. I read it in two days, and was up till 2 am last night finishing it.

It's a damn good book, and unlike much of the "Borealis" line published by White Wolf is not mired in trendy nihilism, gore, and fetishism.

Like the earlier reviewer, I don't want to spoil the book's surprises. In a nutshell, it's about a detective in England investigating peculiar murders. Beyond that, get it, read it, find out for yourself.

Great job, Mr. Bowker.