Review by jadriscoll -- The Dark Web Murders

[jadriscoll]

[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 book is for those that like to read fictional murder mysteries and about the process of finding a killer through crime scene information and detective work. The modus operandi (MO) has some disturbing conduct and a group called “The Club” that displayed deviant sexual behavior, so readers beware. I disliked most, the sexual undertones of the story; yet, this aspect supported the evilness in this story. This novel is the fourth in a series; but it stands alone. I rated The Dark Web Murders by Brain O’Hare as 4 out of 4 . I gave this novel this rating because it had information about the internet that has a secret layer called the “Dark Web” and the characters were well-developed. There was a list of each person in the story at the beginning of the book with a brief description and a glossary of common Northern Ireland terms and acronyms for police work. The language uses common words from the UK.


The story takes place in Northern Ireland with a young boy, Kevin Lane being incarcerated into Magilligan Prison. His friend suggests, to kept to himself and don't get into trouble; then he might serve half of his seven year sentence. While taking a shower the first night, Kevin is approached by three prisoners, and he is killed by hitting his head on the shower wall. The warden deemed the death as an accidental fall by slipping on soap in the shower.


The story resumes six years later with Judge Trevor Neeson having a dinner party at his home. There were Twelve new members being inducted into The Club. He is called away from his dinner guests to receive a phone call. He needs to take care of business, and he devised a plan with his assistant Mr. Doran. Someone is demanding more money than they had agreed. Mr. Doran was going to meet the black mailer that night. The next morning Judge Neeson is dead on his lounge in his home. The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) are at the scene to process evidence surrounding the crime. There was no information left by the killer. The PSNI learn that Judge Neeson held a dinner party, and they divide up to interview 12 guests the good ole fashion way, as well as a list of potential killers from Judge Neeson’s disgruntled criminals that he sent to prison. The PSNI determined that Judge Neeson had a second safe that might contain the secret information that they need to break this case wide open. Meanwhile, the dinner guests were stating the same story, they were meeting to see how to repeal Brexit. Their interest was to stop Britian from leaving the European Union that would affect Northern Ireland’s economy. The PSNI know that this is a smoke-screen as little non-verbal clues during each guest's interview gives them away.


The second murder was a principle of a local high school and his Labrador while they were out for an afternoon walk. PSNI are trying to decide the connection between the deceased of these two murders; because the MO is the same, so they believe that the killer is one person. In the meantime, Mr. Doran was assaulted to find Judge Neeson’s second safe that has damaging information to members of The Club and other business dealing. The PSNI find the second safe at Neeson’s home; but the safe is highly valuable safe and it will take time to get into it. While Sergeant Denise Stewart finds blogs by the killer on the Dark Net and brings to Chief Inspector Jim Sheehan. They learn about how the third and fourth killings occurred even before they get to the crime scene. Sergeant Stewart knows how to create an IP address that can’t be followed back to her; yet, the killer’s IP address is not detectable to PSNI. A third victim was a barrister of the Queen’s Counsel. He was drugged and killed at his apartment by a person that he met at the local bar. A fourth body appears after PSNI learned details by the killer on the Dark Web. Detectives are not sure if the killer is male or female; and the Scene of Crime Officer is not finding any significant clues at the crime sites. The killer is smart enough to wear a protective covering to prevent trace clues from being revealed. PSNI needs to work together to piece this puzzle together and capture the killer. The plot takes different turns to reach the conclusion of the story.


Brain O’Hare writing style is easy to follow and captivates his audience in telling this complex story. The Dark Web Murders by Brain O’Hare has an ending that the reader doesn’t see coming. This murder mystery was a page turner and late night read. I highly recommend this novel.

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The Dark Web Murders
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[riyosha]

Nice review!