Master of Lies [Paperback]

Graham Masterton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1995

When a series of bizarre murders plagues San Francisco without any discernible pattern, police detective Larry Foggia begins to suspect that the killings are of a supernatural origin and must avert a demon's arrival. Reprint. VY. PW.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A stomach-churning, graphically conveyed murder opens this chilling horror tale by the author of The Burning. Devil worship, inexplicable psychic manifestations, ectoplasms run amok, seances, mediums, ghosts and a serial killer known as the Fog City Satan are some of the elements that add atmosphere to a deftly written and convincing chiller. Six San Francisco families have been gruesomely murdered in crimes that are clearly linked. Called in to replace the detective who's been unsuccessfully investigating the case, officer Larry Foggia follows up all the obvious leads and the usual suspects before a series of bizarre occult phenomena forces him to admit that this case is horribly different. He comes to suspect that the murders are ritual sacrifices designed to call forth demon and fallen angel Beli Ya'al. Assuming Foggia's suspicions are valid, can he stop the slaughter before the seventh and resurrecting sacrifice? Readers who savor the taste of fear should have a field day with this one.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews

Cruel and unusual horror from Masterton (The Burning, 1991; Walkers, 1989, etc.). Be warned: Masterton's newest, about the ritualistic resurrection of the fallen angel Beli Ya'al in San Francisco, opens with what may be the single most sadistic scene in horror history. Retired cop Joe Berry and his happy family are enjoying a quiet evening when a giant in a horned mask bursts into their home, forces Joe and his wife to nail each other with railroad spikes to the floor and then their little kids to the wall, gloatingly slashes and rapes the wife, and sets the family on fire. This sadism isn't new to Masterton, who reveled in charred flesh in The Burning, but the excruciating detail here seemingly acknowledges no bounds and culminates in a soul-draining depiction of the giant mutilating the penis of a renowned psychic. All this nasty stuff is seeded into a fairly routine plot, with the giant--last remaining member of an outlaw 60's psychic cabal--performing bloody rituals to raise Beli Ya'al, source of unlimited power, and with stereotypical S.F. cop Larry Foggia assigned to track down the giant, a.k.a. the ``Fog City Satan.'' What redeems the story somewhat--aside from brisk pacing--is Masterton's genuinely inventive horror imagination, which sparks as Larry explores S.F.'s psychic underworld (and a couple of Play-Doh females) and encounters such oddities as hands that grow faces that speak; ectoplasm-eating entities that shrink a human into a husk in seconds; and, finally, Beli Ya'al himself, 12 feet of drop-dead gorgeous maniac brought back to life in a schooner long-buried beneath the city's landfill. Masterton has talent, but here it's going mainly to toxic waste. -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Tom Doherty Assoc Llc (August 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812511662
• ISBN-13: 978-0812511666
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #813,652 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Enthralling, Yet Absurd At Times, January 19, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Master of Lies (Tor Horror) (Hardcover)

"Master of Lies" opens with a rather gruesome murder scene--of the Berry family being ritualistically killed by the Fog City Satan, a man who has killed five families in California so far in order to resurrect Belial (aka Beli Ya'al), a fallen angel. If you can get through this first chapter, then you can probably make it through the rest of the book.

Thirty-eight-year-old Detective Larry Foggia is assigned to the case because of his unconventional methods of solving crimes. His investigation leads him into the occult--seances, talking hands, shrinking people, and the like. But as he delves deeper into the supernatural, his life and soul--including those of his family--become greatly at risk of being taken by Belial.

Generally, I don't like reading books that have extremely long chapters (this one averages about 37 pages a chapter), but once I started "Master of Lies" I couldn't put it down, probably because of the graphic first chapter. The beginning half of the book is enthralling, but as the story progresses, it began to get a little absurd, i.e., magically-shrinking women; so I had to give it a 4-star rating instead of a 5. However, I'd still recommend this book to Masterton fans, as well as Dean Koontz fans who are into the supernatural horror genre.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brutal and ghastly horror, June 17, 2002

By 

Jim Lay (Knoxville, TN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Master of Lies (Paperback)

Homicide detective Larry Foggia has a real problem on his hands. So does the entire city of San Francisco. A serial killer is on the loose and he kills with such violence and cruelty he is dubbed "The Fog City Satan". In the killer's twisted mind, he is sacrificing people to raise an ancient demon who will give him immortal powers. Unfortunately for Larry Foggia and all of humanity, his plan is working. Beneath the city, a dark God imprisoned for centuries is about to take over the throne of humanity. He is The Master of Lies and the oceans will fill with blood when he rises from his tomb... Graham Masterton is one of the absolute masters of horror fiction. Nobody can touch his imagination and ability to scare readers. Even though I'm a huge horror fan, the first chapter of this book was so saddistic and bloody, I was almost afraid to keep reading. Highly recommended to horror fans who think they can't be shocked or scared anymore.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you think you can't be scared, read this book., February 3, 2001

By 

"werecat99" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Master of Lies (Paperback)

Nothing you've ever read can prepare you for the first chapter of this book. This first scene is filled with unbelievably graphic and pure horror. I was really scared and at the same time enchanted. I found myself unable to let the book down until it finished. The story is, more or less, a classic tale of an ancient evil and those who seek to destroy it and save humankind. But, in this case, the tale is coloured with many gory scenes, although none of them can match the opening chapter.

If you think you can't be scared, this book will prove you wrong.