Review by SolemUmbra -- The Dark Web Murders
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SolemUmbra
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Review by SolemUmbra -- The Dark Web Murders
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Dark Web Murders" by Brian O'Hare.]
This book was a roller-coaster of a ride. It has been a long time since I have enjoyed a book as much as I did this one. Readers need to be warned that it is not for the faint of heart or those with ethical issues. The Dark Web Murders was somewhat of a challenge to read. It was very well written, but the murders are very graphically described, and it touches intimately on very gray areas of ethical morality. I felt like it challenged the general thought process, almost got me to agree with the killer before stepping back and examining his argument more.
Brian O'Hare supplied a character list, and I realized that this book was part of a series focused on our main detective, Jim Sheehan. This character list was actually very helpful since he introduced the characters so rapidly with brief descriptions. O'Hare really kicks off the book in the prologue and the first chapters. They hit you like a punch in the stomach; I had to stop and catch my breath after reading them. The Dark Web Murders starts off with a young man in prison being attacked, and suffering an accidental death. Then, not long after, the murder of Judge Neeson is very strikingly described. It is discovered that he was a ring leader of an illicit and depraved sex club for wealthy people.
This book follows the perspective of two main viewpoints. We follow the detectives, trying to solve a series of murders starting with the Judge. They struggle to find how the homicides are connected. Then, we also follow the perpetrator and his dark web posts about his murders and the ethical issues he faces. This blogger identifies himself as Nemein, (Greek meaning to deal out) and describes his murders as Justice, Vengeance, Justified, Hate, and Satisfaction. In these posts Nemein dives deep into the human psyche and nature, and makes bold accusations. One such statement: it is not in people's nature to forgive; a victim's desire is to inflict a pain and brutality equal to what they suffered, and when this retribution is not achieved there comes more suffering and great outrage. O’Hare keeps you hooked by feeding the reader clues as they are discovered. In hindsight, he does an excellent job keeping the killer a secret, and I only connected the dots after all had been revealed. At the end, Chief Jim Sheehan connects the dots and confronts the killer in a grand showdown of wits.
O'Hare does not mince his words while writing, although he does his best to use medically correct terms to soften the blow to readers. He also spaces his chapters very well; explicit and difficult chapters are followed by almost, in comparison, dry chapters. They still kept me hooked by advancing the story and dissecting Neiman’s thoughts from his blog post.
I would highly recommend this book and give it 4 out of 4 stars. I would almost give it more. The English spelling of some words threw me for a loop, but I didn't spot any editing errors. I found it difficult at times to trudge through some arguments the killer made in his dark web posts. However, it played well into the development of his character. The Dark Web Murders kept me involved by pointing me directly to the killer, but forcing me to solve the crime and figure out his motive. I really like the level of involvement required to read this book. I would say that it is one you cannot easily set down and come back to. The book itself demands that you continue reading and solve the crimes. I really do not have any dislikes about this book; it was that good. I even feel like the killer and the wrap up was not obvious and predictable, as I feel many mystery novels are.
As I have stated this is not a book for the faint of heart or weak stomach. A reader has to be able to distance themselves from what they read in this book and their everyday lives. This book is excellent for older teens and adults, due to language, difficult context, and graphic content.
******
The Dark Web Murders
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
This book was a roller-coaster of a ride. It has been a long time since I have enjoyed a book as much as I did this one. Readers need to be warned that it is not for the faint of heart or those with ethical issues. The Dark Web Murders was somewhat of a challenge to read. It was very well written, but the murders are very graphically described, and it touches intimately on very gray areas of ethical morality. I felt like it challenged the general thought process, almost got me to agree with the killer before stepping back and examining his argument more.
Brian O'Hare supplied a character list, and I realized that this book was part of a series focused on our main detective, Jim Sheehan. This character list was actually very helpful since he introduced the characters so rapidly with brief descriptions. O'Hare really kicks off the book in the prologue and the first chapters. They hit you like a punch in the stomach; I had to stop and catch my breath after reading them. The Dark Web Murders starts off with a young man in prison being attacked, and suffering an accidental death. Then, not long after, the murder of Judge Neeson is very strikingly described. It is discovered that he was a ring leader of an illicit and depraved sex club for wealthy people.
This book follows the perspective of two main viewpoints. We follow the detectives, trying to solve a series of murders starting with the Judge. They struggle to find how the homicides are connected. Then, we also follow the perpetrator and his dark web posts about his murders and the ethical issues he faces. This blogger identifies himself as Nemein, (Greek meaning to deal out) and describes his murders as Justice, Vengeance, Justified, Hate, and Satisfaction. In these posts Nemein dives deep into the human psyche and nature, and makes bold accusations. One such statement: it is not in people's nature to forgive; a victim's desire is to inflict a pain and brutality equal to what they suffered, and when this retribution is not achieved there comes more suffering and great outrage. O’Hare keeps you hooked by feeding the reader clues as they are discovered. In hindsight, he does an excellent job keeping the killer a secret, and I only connected the dots after all had been revealed. At the end, Chief Jim Sheehan connects the dots and confronts the killer in a grand showdown of wits.
O'Hare does not mince his words while writing, although he does his best to use medically correct terms to soften the blow to readers. He also spaces his chapters very well; explicit and difficult chapters are followed by almost, in comparison, dry chapters. They still kept me hooked by advancing the story and dissecting Neiman’s thoughts from his blog post.
I would highly recommend this book and give it 4 out of 4 stars. I would almost give it more. The English spelling of some words threw me for a loop, but I didn't spot any editing errors. I found it difficult at times to trudge through some arguments the killer made in his dark web posts. However, it played well into the development of his character. The Dark Web Murders kept me involved by pointing me directly to the killer, but forcing me to solve the crime and figure out his motive. I really like the level of involvement required to read this book. I would say that it is one you cannot easily set down and come back to. The book itself demands that you continue reading and solve the crimes. I really do not have any dislikes about this book; it was that good. I even feel like the killer and the wrap up was not obvious and predictable, as I feel many mystery novels are.
As I have stated this is not a book for the faint of heart or weak stomach. A reader has to be able to distance themselves from what they read in this book and their everyday lives. This book is excellent for older teens and adults, due to language, difficult context, and graphic content.
******
The Dark Web Murders
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Killing Abel by Michael Tieman
