Review by Kimmy Ann -- The Dark Web Murders by Brian O'Hare

[Kimmy Ann]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Dark Web Murders" by Brian O'Hare.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Set in present-day Northern Ireland, we quickly discover a dark side to the upper echelons of society, whose apparently respectable members are engaged in singularly distasteful activities. One individual in particular decides to express disapproval in a most heinous and accelerated fashion, but why?

Chief Inspector Jim Sheehan, an intuitive and well-seasoned detective, has his work cut out for him, as murders are being committed on a fast and furious timeline. His partner, newly appointed Sergeant Denise Stewart, is equally observant, with a dash of tech savvy thrown in as a definitive asset in this case. Both these characters, as well as the rest of their tightly-knit team, are rigidly committed in pursuing justice, even if it means occasionally bending rules and ruffling some feathers.

The Dark Web Murders is written by Brian O’Hare, and is part of an already established series, successfully incorporating these familiar characters once again. Some references to previous books are made, but not essential to the main story. It is a well-composed 306-page thriller, littered with well-disguised clues for you to return to after you’ve finished the novel. I picked up on a few while reading, but there really wasn’t much disclosure, which in turn delightfully allowed for surprising plot twists.

I thoroughly enjoyed the writing style - easygoing and fluid - it made this book a real page-turner for me. Mr. O’Hare provides a brief description of each character in a preface at the beginning of the book, but I chose to skip it, wanting to explore whether or not his writing would familiarize me with them. Even though the personalities had obviously been present in earlier books by this author, he quickly initiated them to me in-depth, describing proprietary mannerisms and bringing conversations which served to introduce me to their true nature.

In my opinion, this book deserves a 4 out of 4. I found the subject matter profoundly researched, without too many occurrences of explanations more sophisticated than layman’s terms - I find when technicalities are explored too deeply, it interrupts the flow of the story - there was a nice balance here. The characters, story and plot are very engaging and anyone who likes a good thriller/plot twist/action novel will enjoy this. Some mentions of aberrant sexual behaviour.

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The Dark Web Murders
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