Review by lchowell -- The Dark Web Murders by Brian O'Hare
Posted: 21 Sep 2019, 20:30
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Dark Web Murders" by Brian O'Hare.]
4 out of 4 stars
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The fourth book in the Inspector Sheehan Mysteries series, The Dark Web Murders by Brian O’Hare, tells the story of a devious, brilliant murderer who likes to blog about his deeds. Inspector Sheehan and his equally brilliant team of policemen are tasked with stopping the killer. After the task force discovers a second victim who was killed and mutilated in the distinctive way the first victim was killed and mutilated, they realize they are dealing with a serial killer. When Sergeant Denise Stewart discovers the killer’s blog, the team is able to analyze it to find clues to his character, but they can’t trace the writer since the blog is on the Dark Web. The connection between the victims also remains a mystery to the detectives on the task force. By the time they see the connection, the killer has changed his methods in a way that puts members of the task force in danger. The author gives the reader an edge by providing a prologue which gives the reader information the task force does not have. The prologue helps the reader figure out the symbolism of the way the murders are committed and the killer’s motive. Even with that help, the author does not give away the name of the murder until the last minute when Sheehan uncovers him.
The thing I liked most about the book was the character of Inspector Sheehan. He is clever and has a sense of humor. I particularly like the instances when he is able to shock his detectives by deducing something. Then, instead of explaining how he knew, he says something like, “I’m a chief inspector. It’s my job to keep tabs on everything.” I also liked that the reader had insight that the detectives did not. The element I disliked most was the initial blogs. It was frustrating trying to figure out the foreign words and phrases the murderer used in his blog. To be fair, the author does have the task force explain those words and phrases later on in the book.
I rate O’Hare’s The Dark Web Murders 4 out of 4 stars. The characters were well developed and interesting. The reader gets enough information to make an informed guess about the name of the murderer and his motive, but the book remains suspenseful. It is particularly exciting as it nears the climax.
I recommend this book to any adult who enjoys an exciting mystery. The description of the murders and the frank discussion of sexual practices may be off-putting to some readers. I would not recommend it for younger readers for those reasons.
Although it appeared to be professionally edited, there were a couple of minor errors, but they do not detract from the book. The book is set in Northern Ireland, so some of the words use United Kingdom spelling, and the titles of the police on the task force are somewhat different from those used in the United States. The author provides a list of characters along with descriptions and titles at the beginning of the book. That information should help anyone who is not sure about the officers’ titles. It also helps keep the characters straight in the reader’s mind.
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The Dark Web Murders
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
4 out of 4 stars
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The fourth book in the Inspector Sheehan Mysteries series, The Dark Web Murders by Brian O’Hare, tells the story of a devious, brilliant murderer who likes to blog about his deeds. Inspector Sheehan and his equally brilliant team of policemen are tasked with stopping the killer. After the task force discovers a second victim who was killed and mutilated in the distinctive way the first victim was killed and mutilated, they realize they are dealing with a serial killer. When Sergeant Denise Stewart discovers the killer’s blog, the team is able to analyze it to find clues to his character, but they can’t trace the writer since the blog is on the Dark Web. The connection between the victims also remains a mystery to the detectives on the task force. By the time they see the connection, the killer has changed his methods in a way that puts members of the task force in danger. The author gives the reader an edge by providing a prologue which gives the reader information the task force does not have. The prologue helps the reader figure out the symbolism of the way the murders are committed and the killer’s motive. Even with that help, the author does not give away the name of the murder until the last minute when Sheehan uncovers him.
The thing I liked most about the book was the character of Inspector Sheehan. He is clever and has a sense of humor. I particularly like the instances when he is able to shock his detectives by deducing something. Then, instead of explaining how he knew, he says something like, “I’m a chief inspector. It’s my job to keep tabs on everything.” I also liked that the reader had insight that the detectives did not. The element I disliked most was the initial blogs. It was frustrating trying to figure out the foreign words and phrases the murderer used in his blog. To be fair, the author does have the task force explain those words and phrases later on in the book.
I rate O’Hare’s The Dark Web Murders 4 out of 4 stars. The characters were well developed and interesting. The reader gets enough information to make an informed guess about the name of the murderer and his motive, but the book remains suspenseful. It is particularly exciting as it nears the climax.
I recommend this book to any adult who enjoys an exciting mystery. The description of the murders and the frank discussion of sexual practices may be off-putting to some readers. I would not recommend it for younger readers for those reasons.
Although it appeared to be professionally edited, there were a couple of minor errors, but they do not detract from the book. The book is set in Northern Ireland, so some of the words use United Kingdom spelling, and the titles of the police on the task force are somewhat different from those used in the United States. The author provides a list of characters along with descriptions and titles at the beginning of the book. That information should help anyone who is not sure about the officers’ titles. It also helps keep the characters straight in the reader’s mind.
******
The Dark Web Murders
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon