reviewed by Krista McKeeth
by Paul Collins
When evil intent is just the beginning…
Matt Brannigan is a lawyer living on the edge. His daughter, Briony is psychic and trouble shadows his family wherever they go.
Cult guru Brother Desmond knows that the power within Briony is the remaining key he needs to enter the next dimension. Once he controls this, he will have access to all that is presently denied him.
When Briony is indoctrinated into the Zarathustrans, Matt and psychic Clarissa Pike enter the cult’s headquarters under the cover of night to rescue her.
So begins Armageddon…
Published September 15th 2013 by Damnation Books (first published September 1st 2013)
After moving into an old house with plans of fixing it up, Briony feels something supernatural living there. Her father Matt, after very stressful week, decides to go out for some drinks with a friend and leaves his family alone for the first night in the new house. When he gets home, he finds Briony in a ball of the floor, and his wife dead in the bedroom.
Briony finds sanctuary from the death of her mother with cult leader, Brother Desmond. She feels welcome among the Zarathustrans – until she figures out there is something more going on behind the walls. Meanwhile Matt, who’s at a loss without his daughter, turns to her godmother Clarissa for help. As a journalist interested in the Brother Desmond and the Zarathustrans, Clarissa becomes the key to helping Matt save his daughter.
Matt and Clarissa’s characters really move the story along. As the narrative progresses, the research and details about other cult’s around the world and the working of demons in our world was intense and informative in a very entertaining way. The pacing was excellent and kept my interest from beginning to end.
All of the characters involved in the story are very smart and intuitive. For example, Matt decides not to take the police’s advice but leaves Briony where she is, because (he believes) more often than not, children always return. Matt was my favorite character because we learn as he learns. He’s never had to deal with the supernatural before, beyond his wife and his daughter, yet with the Zarathurstrans he pushes head first into the unknown.
The story focus is on demons, Satan in particular. If you are a fan of horror stories that involve possession and cults, this one is for you. I really enjoyed learning about different popular cults from across time. The research that went into this story was abundant while not being preachy, and made it a creepy and intense experience. It’s definitely a book I will read again.
