Review by jcosby1 -- The Dark Web Murders by Brian O'Hare

[jcosby1]

[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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The Dark Web Murders written by Brian O’Hare is a riveting tale of crime and mystery and is the fourth in the series showcasing Inspector Sheehan. As the title eludes, Inspector Sheehan is charged in stopping a serial killer whom emerges from a forbidden and dark world hidden within the complexity of encrypted websites.

The story quickly escalates into a murder mystery within the first two chapters when Judge Neeson is found savagely murdered in his own home and found by his loyal assistant. Only the night before, Neeson’s home was the setting of a lavish party. A party that sets the stage of a mysterious club that disguises their gatherings for political reasons but later will found to have a sinister and devious purpose. This club and this first murder weaves a quick pattern of suspense of who is behind this club, who is at risk of exposure, and who is next on the list of victims and suspects.

The audience is quickly introduced to Sheehan’s team, most notably a young female partner named Stewart who is as intelligent as she is beautiful. The team quickly delves into investigating guests at the party and former criminals whom have blatantly threatened Judge Neeson after receiving stiff prison sentences. Furthermore, as the team learns more of the club members, it becomes even more perplexing as such that the members are not people whom would be social acquaintances…in fact, they may even be enemies.

As the team is frantically investigating several suspects, a new character emerges by the name of Nemein. Nemein, which is Greek for ‘to give what is due’, has created a blog that chronicles his or her quest to define justification of the murder of Judge Neeson and the soon thereafter murder of Mr. Seamus Redmond. Nemein is an eloquent writer and is motivated by classical discourse and philosophical discussions. Both victims and latter victims receive the same “punishment” of smashed skulls and sodomized by a truncheon. It appears that someone is trying to punish the club and get justice for the humans victimized by its “menu” of provided sins. But this team of investigators finds this blog, thanks to the beautiful Stewart, and soon it is a psychological thriller of personality analysis, forensics, and police investigation that keeps you always wanting to read on to find out what is going to happen next. Does the team solve the mystery in time, before those close to the team are harmed?

What I liked best about this thriller is the complexity of the plot and how riveting it was to read. Unlike most books, I did not solve the mystery before Inspector Sheehan did. I had chosen the wrong villain and was shockingly surprised at the climax of the story. What I liked least about the book was how the dark web was introduced to the storyline. It was so abruptly and harshly introduced that it took a moment for my mind to absorb the darkness of the concept. However, these ploys used by O’Hare gave the tale chilling and thrilling twists every step of the way.

This book would be highly satisfying to those audiences who love a good psychological thriller and like to read higher level vocabulary. It is not a light read; but is a thriller and takes you to the dark places you hope humans will never be capable to go. I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars and recommend it to readers who like a challenging and perplexing read.

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The Dark Web Murders
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