Author: Barry Maher
First published: 2025
Contains spoilers
The Blurb: It’s 1982. Steve Witowski, a failed songwriter on the run from the law, finds himself caught in a supernatural thriller after an apparently innocent act of heroism—saving a woman from a vicious assault by a seemingly unstoppable wino. The woman, Victoria, is just part of a mystery Steve can’t unravel. Even as he’s looting the decomposing dead for the secrets of a self-proclaimed sorcerer. Even as he plummets into a nightmare of fire and blood and murder. Even then, Steve remains certain the sorcerer’s spells, the occult rituals—the supposed demons and supernatural horror—are simply delusion and fantasy. Steve is wrong.
Victoria, who has just bought a dilapidated church with a haunting past, entangles Steve in a deadly game of dark magic and rituals. As, unknown to him, the demon grows desperate, Steve plunges deeper into a world of crypts, grave robbing, and long-forgotten secrets, all while trying to escape his own haunted past. But when the face of the man Steve killed appears on his arm, the line between reality and nightmare begins to blur.
This supernatural novel will leave you on the edge of your seat, with wickedly funny dark humor and, ultimately, pulse-pounding suspense, as Steve and Victoria navigate a twisted adventure full of occult horror, supernatural suspense, and shocking revelations.
The review: The author of The Great Dick emailed me and asked if I would like to review the volume. I am always open to receiving books for review, but did explain that the blog is strictly vampire genre. Barry responded that “The demon is definitely an entity who feeds on people’s energy, the victims are left dead or devastated.” So, whilst demonic, we have what sounded like an energy vampire – though the demonic elements are low key until the ending.
However, the book is a blast and a page turner. I thoroughly enjoyed the read. The main character and narrator, Steve Witowski, is an utterly flawed but brilliantly conceived and revealed character and it is a testament to the sharp, pithy writing that the character keeps the reader enthralled.
The Blurb: It’s 1982. Steve Witowski, a failed songwriter on the run from the law, finds himself caught in a supernatural thriller after an apparently innocent act of heroism—saving a woman from a vicious assault by a seemingly unstoppable wino. The woman, Victoria, is just part of a mystery Steve can’t unravel. Even as he’s looting the decomposing dead for the secrets of a self-proclaimed sorcerer. Even as he plummets into a nightmare of fire and blood and murder. Even then, Steve remains certain the sorcerer’s spells, the occult rituals—the supposed demons and supernatural horror—are simply delusion and fantasy. Steve is wrong.
Victoria, who has just bought a dilapidated church with a haunting past, entangles Steve in a deadly game of dark magic and rituals. As, unknown to him, the demon grows desperate, Steve plunges deeper into a world of crypts, grave robbing, and long-forgotten secrets, all while trying to escape his own haunted past. But when the face of the man Steve killed appears on his arm, the line between reality and nightmare begins to blur.
This supernatural novel will leave you on the edge of your seat, with wickedly funny dark humor and, ultimately, pulse-pounding suspense, as Steve and Victoria navigate a twisted adventure full of occult horror, supernatural suspense, and shocking revelations.
The review: The author of The Great Dick emailed me and asked if I would like to review the volume. I am always open to receiving books for review, but did explain that the blog is strictly vampire genre. Barry responded that “The demon is definitely an entity who feeds on people’s energy, the victims are left dead or devastated.” So, whilst demonic, we have what sounded like an energy vampire – though the demonic elements are low key until the ending.
However, the book is a blast and a page turner. I thoroughly enjoyed the read. The main character and narrator, Steve Witowski, is an utterly flawed but brilliantly conceived and revealed character and it is a testament to the sharp, pithy writing that the character keeps the reader enthralled.
A tale of cults (or at least the aftermath of a cult) and a hunt for secrets, when we do get the reveal of the central creature, born of demonic ritual (using cadaverous flesh), things take a crazy turn. That we see little to start with is down to Steve not being aware of some of the activity in the background – though he is exposed to weirdness from the beginning.
There is, to be fair, mention of vampires when we get “‘You think you’re a fucking vampire?’ ‘Vampire?’ She laughed. ‘Sorry to disappoint you, Steve. The blood’s mine.’” So they are mentioned in passing, but the central creature is a form of energy vampire, as mentioned, and described as “a psychic parasite” at one point. The victims were left cognitively destitute but some are killed through the process. Though the creation process was different for this creature, I was conceptually reminded of Hanns Heinz Ewers' Alraune. This is a great novel and an excellent opening to a promising series. 8.5 out of 10.
In Paperback @ Amazon US
In Paperback @ Amazon UK
In Paperback @ Amazon US
In Paperback @ Amazon UK
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