Review by MarianaFigueira -- The Dark Web Murders

[Mariana Figueira]

[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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This crime thriller follows Chief Inspector Sheehan and his team of detectives through the investigation that starts with the brutal homicide of Judge Neeson. As the group pursues leads and interrogates suspects, the reader is made aware that the killer is posting descriptions of the murders on a blog on the dreaded Dark Web, justifying them through philosophy and other equally elevated motifs. The killer claims to be uninvolved from the horrific acts of violence he commits even as he gloats on his actions by publicizing them on the internet, and states he is on a mission to see justice done. This person is ruthless and so smart that leaves little to nothing for the detectives to go on, until Sheehan, too late, uncovers the truth.

Even though my summary of this book is quite simple, the plot is multifaceted: it has the homicides, a secret club, and insight on the relationships within the team, as well as some political aspects. It contributes to the depth of the book, since not only has the main plot but a lot of additional elements that add up to the story. Furthermore, this book had a ton of other details, such as specific and telling descriptions of non-verbal language, like postures or tone of voice; technical information about forensic examination and processing of crime scenes, as well as gruesome portrayals of various crimes. Consequently, everything in the story stroked as deliberate and thought of, adjectives also applicable to the plot, where every fine thing was purposeful. Another aspect I appreciated was the way the chapters where structured: each of them was a part of the day, which helped to give a sense of the timeline.

On the other hand, I did find coincidental that one of the main clues in the story came from chance instead of being searched for; and I thought that the answer to a riddle was too obvious, yet it set forth as a very complicated matter. I also suspected who the killer was since the beginning, and I am not usually the type of person that foresees these things. Nevertheless, neither of it got in the way of my enjoyment of this book.

I think the characters are phenomenal: each of them is well defined and has its differentiated personality, which shines through during the several briefings, meetings and interrogations that the detectives perform, and their strength and weaknesses play a significant role in the story. Jim Sheehan, the main character, is fierce and ingenious, but not perfect, very much like a real person would be.

Also, I find noteworthy that Brian O´Hare, the author, is from Ireland, which resulted in the book having a slightly different vocabulary and spelling sometimes; given that there is only one typo in this book, I consider it to be well-edited. Additionally, The Dark Web Murders is part of a series but provides enough background to be read individually.

Overall, I enjoyed this book so much that it didn´t feel like an obligation: it was my absolute pleasure to read it. The characters, the plot and the number of details in this novel are outstanding. Even though I found one typo and the killer´s identity was predictable to me, I give this book 4 out of 4 stars. Finally, note that this book includes graphic descriptions of violence, mentions of extreme sexual activities, instances of rape and child abuse, and therefore it would be well-suited for adults.

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The Dark Web Murders
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