Customer Reviews

The Kult

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3 star:		(1)
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"People are predictable. That's what makes them so easy to kill."

I was lucky enough to score an advance copy of The Kult by Shaun Jeffrey through a giveaway contest hosted by his publisher, Leucrota Press. Which was amazing, because I was so psyched to read this book. It is a perfect example of why choosing the right cover art is so important, because just seeing the book made me want to read it. Not even knowing what it was about. It may sound silly and is obviously superficial, but there is something about the cover of this book that screams "READ ME!!!"

The premise of the book involves a serial killer, The Oracle, and Prosper Snow, the investigator hunting him down. A simple enough scenario, it would seem. But then our protagonist goes out and does something that throws a wrench into an otherwise well oiled plot-line. He participates in a copy-cat killing at the request of one of his childhood friends. That friend, along with Prosper and several others, is a member of a group called The Kult, which is really a vigilante-esque club that was formed by the members back in their school days.

You might ask yourself why a good person, and a police detective no less, would assist in murdering anyone. The answer is simple: blackmail. Pretty much "Help us murder this guy, or we'll reveal all of the other crimes you have committed over the years as a member of The Kult." (Some friends this guy has, right?) Long story short, Prosper helps. And immediately afterward, he and his friends are personally targeted by The Oracle.

But why? No one outside The Kult knew about the murder.

This, of course, leads to suspicion and paranoia among the friends. The feelings are short lived among most of them, as they start to die off one-by-one.

I can't really go any further into the story without running into spoiler territory, but I will say this: The Kult is impossible to put down. It has a great, almost impossible to solve mystery. The action starts off right away (and the violence is graphic enough to satisfy even the most jaded slasher fan). The climax was action packed, and (in my opinion) one of the most obnoxious characters in the book got what was coming to them, which is always satisfying. All in all, a really great read. Easily four stars

"People are predictable. That's what makes them easy to kill." - The Oracle

Killing people is The Oracle's business, and business is good in author Shaun Jeffrey's incredibly dark novel The Kult. The Oracle, you see, doesn't just kill people; he tortures and mutilates them in horrifying ways, turning them, in his mind, into macabre works of art. Then he takes photographs of his creations, which he sends to the police.

Detective Chief Inspector Prosper Snow is in charge of The Oracle investigation. He's also a member of the Kult, a small group of friends he's known since his school days. Initially formed when they were just kids to help each other deal with bullies, the Kult stayed in contact over the years, occasionally calling on each other for assistance with increasingly "grown up" issues.

An email Snow receives from one of the members calling for a meeting leads to the group facing the most grown up issue possible: murder. At the meeting, Snow learns that the wife of one of his friends has been raped and not only does his friend intend to seek revenge, he expects his fellow Kult members to assist. He argues that the timing is perfect for them to kill his wife's rapist, because if they do so in a sufficiently gruesome manner it will be blamed on The Oracle.

Though he'd always been there for the Kult in the past, Snow can't agree to such extreme action. That is, not until his supposed friends inform him that if he doesn't help, including supplying them with the inside information necessary to copy the unique m.o. of The Oracle, they will reveal to his superiors all the previous questionable activities in which Snow has participated. Caught between the proverbial rock and hard place, Snow caves and assists in the killing. And that is when things go from merely screwed up to genuinely life threatening, because following their attempt to frame The Oracle for the murder they commit the Kult members begin getting knocked off themselves.

In The Oracle Jeffrey has conjured up one of the nastiest, most perversely creative serial killers in recent memory, which makes it all the more impressive that Jeffrey did not make his protagonist an über-Detective. Quite the contrary, Snow spends most of the story frustrated, one step behind, and continuously making extremely questionable decisions based on emotion rather than logic... which makes him a believable and sympathetic lead.

The tension and stakes rise to almost stifling levels as Snow races to discover The Oracle's identity before he finds himself in the crosshairs, setting the stage for a truly disturbing showdown in The Oracle's decidedly creepy lair. Definitely not for the faint-of-heart, The Kult is a gripping read that's part horror, part mystery, part police procedural, and completely in-your-face.

A gory, terrifying thriller, The Kult will keep you hooked until the very last page.

Detective Chief Inspector Prosper Snow thought paperwork was the worse part of his job, until his partner dropped the photograph on his desk. The mutilated body of a young woman surrounded by photographs of famous serial killers signaled the beginning of a hunt for a killer calling himself the Oracle, and might end with Prosper serving time for murder.

In the midst of searching for a sadistic killer, Prosper receives a plea from an old school friend. Jerel wants to revive their blood oath and get revenge on the man who raped his wife, and he wants The Kult to help him.

Caught between loyalty to his old friends and his duty as a police officer, Prosper makes a difficult decision. And when more photographs start to appear in his office, Prosper comes to a terrible conclusion. Could one of his old friends be the Oracle? And what motive did the Oracle have for framing Prosper?

I wasn't sure what to expect when I started my journey through The Kult. What I got was a roller coaster ride that plunged me straight down that first terrifying hill into a house of horrors, festooned with bloody, mutilated corpses. The Kult will draw you in with a pace that grows more intense as the story continues. Shaun Jeffrey has created a well-crafted horror that will keep the reader guessing and will keep the pages turning until the ride finally comes to an end.

A word of caution, though...don't be turning those pages late at night in a creaky house!

The reviewer received an Advance Reader Copy (ARC) from the publisher.

Detective Chief Inspector Prosper Snow was once an overweight little boy who was stabbed by a bully, Gary Smith. His misfit friends (Paris Gray, Ty Westwood, Wolfe Weaver and Jerel Jones) formed a secret club, the Kult, and vowed to beat up anyone who harmed a member. Together, they avenged Prosper's stabbing.

Now Prosper is thirty-six years old and is investigating the heinous murders committed by the Oracle. His friends in the Kult convince him to kill a notorious thug, Mack Taylor (a.k.a. the Hatchet Man), who raped Jerel's wife. With numerous misgivings, Prosper helps them commit the act and arrange the corpse so that it looks as though the Hatchet Man was another victim of the Oracle.

The Kult believes they have successfully framed the Oracle. Soon they are plunged into a nightmare when the Oracle begins viciously killing them. In a final act of vengeance, the Oracle abducts Prosper's handicapped wife, Natasha. Prosper races against time to identify the Oracle before he kills her. Meanwhile, Prosper must avoid his beautiful workaholic partner, Constable Jill Jones, who suspects him of being the Oracle.

Shaun Jeffrey's "The Kult" is a superb mystery that will shock and horrify you. It contains scenes of graphic violence that are quite disturbing. It is definitely not for the squeamish. My stomach churned with disgust when I read how the Oracle used an acetylene blowtorch to "melt" the limbs of his first victim, Jane Numan, a disfigured waitress. The Oracle likes to carefully choose his victims. He likes them innocent and helpless - victims who will provoke public outcry and have the media referring to him as a monster.

The characterization in "The Kult" is excellent. The Oracle is one of the most intelligent, vicious, cruel villains I have ever read. Burning with anger, he is obsessed with vengeance. He taunts the authorities with lurid photographs of his victims who have been artistically posed in perverse, macabre scenes; these photographs are designed to shock and horrify those who see them. With their cryptic titles, they also provide clues but no one is able to decipher them until it is too late.

Initially, I had difficulty liking Detective Chief Inspector Prosper Snow because he murdered someone. However, he seems to represent everyone who has ever allowed friends and relatives to tempt them into doing something amoral and/or criminal. After having helped abduct and murder the Hatchet Man, Prosper is consumed with guilt. His wife Natasha and his partner Jill sense his abrupt change in personality. Basically, Prosper is a good person; in the end, he tries very hard to redeem himself. Personally, I would like to think that I wouldn't allow my friends to force me to commit the ultimate sin of murder. Furthermore, true friends don't tempt their friends to commit murder.

This novel has a pall of gloom and doom hanging over it. Most of the action occurs in a secluded, derelict warehouse. Looking like a haunted mansion, it has numerous floors and an underground basement with a labyrinth of tunnels leading to a river that runs behind it. The Oracle keeps the decaying, maggot infested corpses of his victims on display in one of the uppermost floors. A putrid stench saturates the air. It is a virtual museum of horrors.

"The Kult" has a lot of mystery, suspense and horror. Be forewarned, the reader must wade through an abundance of blood and gore. However, this shouldn't deter anyone from reading it. The mystery is awesome. "The Kult" is very provocative. I found myself asking, "What would I do if I was in Prosper's situation?" The sins of his past have definitely come back to haunt him as he faces a vindictive killer who will butcher the innocent in order to harm the errant detective. I was reminded of "The Bone Collector," starring Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie. The graphic, tortuous violence and gore also reminded me of the hit series "Saw." "The Kult" has plenty of red herrings which were reminiscent of the mystery novels written by Agatha Christie.

It is no wonder that Gharial Productions has bought the film rights for "The Kult." I can't wait to see it on the big screen. Shaun Jeffrey's latest novel "Deadfall" - mercenary soldiers and eco-warriors battle zombies - will be published by Leucrota Press on March 25, 2010. It will probably be more gruesome and bloody than the "The Kult." His previous novel "Evilution" - a conspiratorial horror novel involving the small, secluded village of Paradise - was published by Invisible College Press, LLC. Jeffrey is also hard at work on a sequel to "The Kult."


Joseph B. Hoyos

"The Kult" is a very dark and gritty thriller that caught me seriously by surprise. Neither did I expect the violent nature of the book, nor the excellence of execution I found here.

Shaun Jeffrey is a masterful storyteller who manages to create a plot that twists and turns and fills it with characters that are highly dimensional and breathing with life. I found myself very intrigued by a number of the plot devices he used to ratchet up the suspense from the very beginning. ...more "The Kult" is a very dark and gritty thriller that caught me seriously by surprise. Neither did I expect the violent nature of the book, nor the excellence of execution I found here.

Shaun Jeffrey is a masterful storyteller who manages to create a plot that twists and turns and fills it with characters that are highly dimensional and breathing with life. I found myself very intrigued by a number of the plot devices he used to ratchet up the suspense from the very beginning. Starting around the last third of the novel, you will find it near impossible to put down as the story goes into overdrive and breathlessly strings the reader along with a great and macabre twist ending.

"The Kult" was a great read and Shaun Jeffrey easily plays in the same league as the best of them.

Very good book. It was exciting from start to finish. Plenty of thrills, chills and mayhem but not enough sex. I didn't figure it out too early and the plot kept me guessing. Maybe Mr. Jeffrey has a little serial killer in him.

In a nutshell, if you like a great mystery/thriller/horror novel that grabs you and drags you along for the ride and doesn't let up til the last minute, this book is for you.

Mr. Jeffrey is like the friendly carnival barker who cajoles you into stepping right up and sitting your butt right down in his dark ride of horror and suspense.
The Kult starts out with a jolt as you strap in and hang on.
The Oracle is a master at murder, each of his kills a work of art, premeditated and rendered with exquisite care.
Our protagonist, Prosper Snow, a police detective is in the middle of this horrendous investigation, seemingly stymied at every turn, as The Oracle taunts the police with photos of his gruesome crime scenes.
Prosper is a driven man. Already dogged by guilt over an accident that has maimed his wife, he is now doubly deviled with this series of crimes. As if his plate is not full enough, enter the Kult, an organization of which Prosper is a member, who call upon him to carry out a deed that goes against everything he stands for.
How Prosper and Company's actions entwine with those of The Oracle is how this particular ride takes off on a break neck pace that never lets up.
To say more I would have to give away too much and I don't want to ruin the reading experience.
There is gore galore for the gore hound, and disturbing glimpses into how far men are willing to go when pushed.
There were times when I literally became dry-mouthed reading this book the suspense was so great.
There are wonderful stomach churning descriptions of murder and mayhem that become darker with each plot twist.
Jeffrey renders claustrophobic you-are-there descriptions towards the end of the book that had me turning the pages as quickly as possible to:
a) find out what happened next,
and
b) to get the character the hell out of the mess they were in.
Three times I thought I had it figured out who The Oracle was and all three times I was wrong. When the revelation did come I was totally unprepared.
The characters are flesh and blood jumping off the page. He uses clever turns of phrase throughout the book, but not so much that they become cute catch phrases solely to be cute catch phrases.

By the time this dark ride came to an end, I was wrung out...and that's just the way I like it.

Shaun Jeffrey is a British author, one who most assuredly bears watching.
In my opinion, a good horror novel is hard to come by these days - Shaun Jeffrey is the real deal.


(I want to add that The Kult has been optioned as a motion picture to be directed by Kip Shelton, with shooting slated for September 2010.
This is especially good news, as Jeffrey's writing strikes me as being cinematic in nature, and The Kult dead on for a thriller of a film.)

For more information on Shaun Jeffrey, please visit:
[...]

I originally purchased the book for research purposes, prior to the audition for the casting of the film adaptation. Since then, I have been fortunate enough to be cast in the movie. (Two things: 1) No, the author did not have control of the casting decisions and 2) No, I can't tell you anything about the movie at this point.) HOWEVER, I can highly recommend reading the book!! It is a truly good read!! Thrilling, quite original in its plot and story and very engaging. I have also read his other two novels, "Deadfall" and "Evilution" and BOTH lived up to my expectations!! Check out the following links:

[...]
[...]

Sincerely,
J.G. Franklin

Loyalty is a virtue, until it's applied the wrong way. "The Kult" follows just one case. Prosper Snow is lead to believe his friends need his help, but soon finds himself entwined in a series of murders. A police officer himself, he finds that he can't ever turn to the authorities for help, or risk being labeled a crooked cop and arrested for murder. "The Kult" is an intriguing mystery from cover to cover.

The Kult starts off from the eyes of a serial killer, fittingly given the name, The Oracle. He believes that all people are predictable, and that that's what makes them so easy to kill. After The Oracle kills a person, he sends in a picture to the police of the body with pictures of various other serial killers surrounding the body.

Detective Chief Inspector Prosper Snow is heading the case of The Oracle and is at a loss to what the significance of the surrounding pictures within these pictures could mean. While deep into the case, Snow gets an email in one of his private email accounts at home, The Kult email, set up between him and his old school buddies. They had formed the Kult so they could help each other out. In this email, one of Snow's friends asks for assistance. Unfortunately, it is more than the typical "beat so-and-so up for me" request. This friend's wife has been raped, and he wants revenge on the rapist. He wants someone killed! The friend thinks that the timing is good to set it up to look like The Oracle is the killer. Hesitant to go along, Snow finally gives in to his friend's wishes. Once he agrees, all kinds of crazy things start happening and Snow doesn't know what to do as it appears now that someone is trying to frame him for ALL of the murders!


Shaun Jeffrey had me on the edge of my seat from the get-go with this book. I was trying to guess throughout the book who The Oracle was, but Jeffrey's plot twists and turns, and threw me off enough that I never did figure out exactly what was going on until the very end. The book was extremely suspenseful, and with short chapters, I had a hard time putting it down, as I figured just one more couldn't hurt! This was my first glimpse into Jeffrey's writing, but I will definitely be delving deeper, as I was mesmerized by this book. I think anyone that enjoys a good mystery, thriller, or horror novel would enjoy this book. Highly recommended!


Review also posted at MonsterLibrarian dot com