Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

Doctrine of predestination? Check. Religious fundamentalism? Check. Satanism? Check. Genetics? Check. Heinous crimes? Check. Homosexuality? Check.
In short, there's a bit of everything in this thriller, whose strangest element is that the most active investigator is a young Calvinist nun, moreover in conflict with her faith, who is an expert in eschatology. And, what's more, she investigates in collaboration with a satanic rocker. And the genetics? Genetics is a fundamental element of the novel insofar as it is mistakenly believed that geneticists like to play God. Of course, if they are psychopathic lunatics in the grip of religious fanaticism...
In short, too much stuff, which, as is often the case in these circumstances, means that many important things are not explored in depth and others float between the pages of the novel like leaves in the wind.

When I first saw this book I was intrigued by the cover, then I saw it was a crime/thriller book and was like "How does the nun in the cover relates to this?". Of course I then read the blurb and thought "Hum... Okay, that's how! But now... How does this book going to work out?!" And that's how I ended up signing up to the blog tour and I had a blast reading this book.

Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley.

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.
Natalie.

And don't ask me if I saw the hooded guy and the gate while I was under. Because I didn't see shit. Actually, I did, I saw you."


Oh wow. Early on I was getting major Michael Crichton vibes. This was so good, with so many characters I actually enjoyed reading about. I loved the forming relationship between two characters you'd never expect together and the events that caused them to even meet and grow closer. It was beautiful even amongst all the horrifying events. Human nature is a scary thing. The people you expect to be good won't always be so, and some you assume to be bad will surprise you. I actually really would love to read the second book by this author.

Such a amazing thriller and writing that I coudn't let go until it finished!
Catharine really has a way with her words that leave you hooked with what's happening with her characters that you are transfixed until the very end!

Loved reading and feeling the emoting go through me at each page I turned. So much so, that I already even bought my own copy! (As I am actually writing this after the book was released!)

I was in a very deep reading funk when I decided to give it a shot and now look at me! Finally a book finished after a full month without finishing anything!

Thank you Netgalley and Cameron Publicity & Marketing Ltd for the chance of reading this ARC!

Sister Helen Hope, a lecturer in eschatology (the study of death and the afterlife) at an unnamed university in Liverpool and a Calvinist nun (who knew there was such a thing?), finds herself drawn into the bizarre murder of a reformed penny-ante drug dealer. The murder victim has been killed and then literally crucified on a beach near Liverpool, accompanied by a Bible verse with special meaning for those who believe in the Calvinist tenet of predestination. Debut author Catherine Fearns’ novel only gets weirder from there.

Sister Helen makes an unlikely alliance with a foul-mouthed Norwegian heavy-metal band musician on tour in Northern England, and the pair begin investigating that murder and more crimes to come. At the same time, an odd-couple pair of detectives — the newly promoted Merseyside Detective Inspector Darren Swift and his female sidekick, Detective Constable Colette Quinn — are investigating the same series of crimes via a different route. What will each investigating pair discover, and who will close in first?

"Reprobation" proves much more complicated and offbeat than I have just made it sound. Fearns’ plot veers into unexpected directions and examines theological premises not much considered these days — not just ignored in the secular world, but in most religious communities. The term "reprobation" has come to mean “severe disapproval,” but it originally meant “rejection by God.” Under the Calvinist doctrine of predestination, those who aren’t the Elect are headed to Hell, despite their faith, their attempts at good works, or their life choices — in essence, rejected by God through not fault of their own. Such a theology makes for pretty grim religion, which readers can see revealed at the convent of the Order of the Sisters of Grace. But even for those who reject predestination, the novel reminds us of one of the central paradoxes of all religions: How can a loving God permit so much senseless cruelty and evil in the world?

Fearns’ novel isn’t perfect. Detective Swift comes across as a cardboard character inserted to play the role of religious skeptic, and Sister Helen makes some pretty implausible choices; however, <i>Reprobation</i> otherwise delivers such a fresh approach and so many twists that I almost devoured it in a single sitting, and I can’t wait for the sequel, Consuming Fire, due out this week.

Caveat emptor: Those who object to foul language will find plenty of that here. And those who are distracted by missing punctuation (like me) will fume and ask why Fearns didn’t get a better proofreader.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley and Cameron Publicity & Marketing Ltd. in exchange for an honest review.

I read Consuming Fire recently by Catherine Fearns and thoroughly enjoyed it, so wanted to read the previous novel featuring Quinn and Helen....so glad I did....

A young man is found tied to a cross, murdered..... so it begins...who would do such a thing, a crazy serial killer, a gang killing or a religious zealot...?

DI Darren Swift, on his first major case as DCI and his colleague, DC Colette Quinn are part of the team to investigate and hopefully solve this bizarre case.

Quinn meets Helen Hope a Calvinist nun, who studies death and humanity and her ‘friend’ Mikko, a rather colourful, death metal musician who help bring some sense of reason to this dark and disturbing crime.

Swift is keen on following a drug angle in the murder case, but Helen discovers that there someone is mixing the concept of fate with DNA and genetics......mixing science with religion....

There are great characters in Quinn, Helen and Mikko, which is a real credit to Catherine Fearns creative and expressive writing.....twisty, dark and full of detail....brilliant.

I would like to thank the Author/the Publishers/NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book for free in exchange for a fair and honest review

I received a copy of Reprobation by Catherine Fearns from Cameron Publicity & Marketing Ltd through NetGalley.

I didn’t know what to expect of this book. I’m an atheist so I don’t know about religions much and Calvinism is a new knowledge. Reprobation was my first book which revolves around religion.
The main character being a calvinist nun is original and just so imaginative that I had to read this book. And I wasn’t disappointed. The story kept me up well into the night which is always a good thing.

I very much liked the characters, especially Helen - our nun - and Mikko. It was interesting to follow Helen and Mikko investigate a series of murders. I mean a nun and a leader of a death metal band investigate a murder. How crazy and amazing is that?
We also follow the official police investigation but that almost seems like a background addition.

All in all I very much enjoyed Reprobation by Catherine Fearns and I highly recommend it. I am giving 4 stars because although there is a closure to the murder case, the story feels kind of unfinished. I would’ve liked to know what happens to Helen and Mikko.

This book is SO COOL!!!

What do you get when an author decides to write a murder mystery which has a Calvinist nun, a heavy dead metal singer and a newly appointed young DI all working towards solving a series of murders which are somewhat entwined with the Calvinist doctrine of predestination (a doctrine which states that a person is already predestined to go either to hell or heaven irrespective of his deeds in this world) and a crazy geneticist's obsession with it.... you get a story which is original, unusual, fast paced and very enjoyable.

I loved the pairing of the nun, Dr. Helen Hope who also happens to be a lecturer on Eschatology (a study of death and afterlife) and Mikko, the dead heavy metal singer/ guitarist! I mean they have to be one of the oddest pairing I have come across so far in my reading journey but they work brilliantly!!

The plot line is engaging, the pace is fast, the writing style is easy and engaging and the characters are interesting--ticked all my boxes. The cover picture is intriguing as well, it is the first thing that caught my attention and made me request for the book.

Thank you Netgalley, the author Catherine Fearns and the publisher for the ARC!!

Interesting read - strong characters and a good strong stortline. The chapters flowed and kept you interested, good crime story

Once again I would like to thank NetGalley for providing me with a Kindle copy of this book to read and impartially review.
The blurb for this book immediately roused my interest, see for yourself below.
Are you one of the elect?
Dr. Helen Hope is a lecturer in eschatology – the study of death, judgement, and the destiny of humankind. She is also a Calvinist nun, her life devoted to atoning for a secret crime.
When a body is found crucified on a Liverpool beach, she forms an unlikely alliance with suspect Mikko Kristensen, lead guitarist in death metal band Total Depravity. Together, they go on the trail of a rogue geneticist who they believe holds the key – not just to the murder, but to something much darker.
Also on the trail is cynical Scouse detective Darren Swift. In his first murder case, he must confront his own lack of faith as a series of horrific crimes drag the city of two cathedrals to the gates of hell.
Science meets religious belief in this gripping murder mystery.
See what i mean lets face it the most unusual pair of amateur detectives you are ever likely to come across, and throw in two young professionals heading up a team for the first time to investigate a gruesome local murder, and yet its so strangely believable brought together beautifully thanks to superb characterisation, and a real feel for time and place.
To say this book is unusual in many respects is an understatement, but its also a very good story, a fast paced page turner, original and very well researched. Frankly if i am honest most of the genetics theory went straight over my head, but in no way spoilt my enjoyment of a very good read.
Complex and very thought provoking, tense with some humour thrown in for good measure. I look forward to more in future after this very successful debut.
Strongly recommended.

This book was pretty good. It raised some really good moral questions about predestination. If you knew you would go to heaven once you died would you continue to act like it or would you do whatever you wanted to? In the middle of that is a murder mystery. Overall I enjoyed this book. It is very different than any “Cop” book I have read before. Catherine Fearn is a good writer which beats quite a few other writers in the mystery genre who I have read. Totally give this one a go if you get the chance. Besides that, I got free access to Reprobation through NetGalley.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2647427321

Thank you for giving me the chance to read this brilliant book.

I can echo what someone said to put a nun in this role was a bold and brave move and I am glad it worked as well as I never imagined it would. Being a former Liverpool resident this was a really good read. I am still stunned but how well written it was.

As for Calvinism, I have never heard of it until this book. I am tempted to look more into it. This is a strong debut from an author I have never heard of before and I will look to pick it up when it's released.

Highly quirky and dark mystery that takes place in today's Liverpool. The main characters are a Reformed Church nun -- not sure that these congregations exist -- and the lead in a Norwegian rock band. The premise is unusual and topical, though at a few turns, somewhat farfetched.
I enjoyed the setting, the characters and the story line, and easily kept reading to the end. Recommended for fans of noir mysteries who are looking for a fresh setting and story. I'm eager to see what the second book in what, I hope will be a series, offers.

I really wanted to love this book. I think with a little more work, I could have. But unfortunately, it didn't work out that way.

I'll start with the good stuff:

The author put so much love into describing Liverpool, the city that the story takes place in, that you can tell she really cares about it. She really has a knack for settings and it showed, especially in the beginnings of the chapters.

Her characters were all quirky and different. They were one of the reasons I requested to read this book: a nun, the lead singer of a heavy metal band, and detectives all trying to solve the same crime. I really cared about them.

The religious content was handled well and lent the mystery a very compelling base.

However. there were aspects that I think this story really struggled with.

The timing was all over the place. There is a part in the book in which a character indicates six weeks had passed since the first page and I had a very hard time believing that. The passage of time felt stilted. This coupled with the pacing, which felt very uneven. At some points, the book lagged to a near-stop and at other times, things were resolved in leaps and bounds. It messed with my perception of time and was very frustrating.

I also believe the author struggled with writing the middle of the book. It seemed disconnected from the first and last acts, with too much focus on character introspection and not enough on the mystery itself.

Lastly, the mystery was resolved very unsatisfactorily for me. It all felt too quick with very little hints to show where the story was going so that the twist felt like it came out of thin air.

All that being said, I still enjoyed what I read and would read another book by this author.

#Repribation # Netgalley
A reallly good book, my only problem with this book is how a retired detective and a ex nun go on the trail of a serial killer. I loved the character of the cynical detective. Yet they do work well together. If I had one negative it’s the Heavy Metal link. I thought it was good without having to put that in the book, it’s was overall a bit too much which I didn’t think was necessary at all. Science, meets religion it’s heavy metal connections was a bit too much to bare

I loved this unique thriller. Calvinism is something that has always fascinated me - particularly the doctrine of predestination andeschatological verification, which completely terrifies me, and so I really enjoyed this one. Some questions weren’t answered as well as I would have liked (particularly some eschatological ones but hey that’s eschatology), and parts of the investigation were too smooth and obvious. But that didn’t detract much from the story

This is a great debut novel which has so much going on at so many different levels. On the face of it, it is a police procedural involving the help of a civilian who becomes interested in trying to help the solve the case but it really is so much more. DI Darren Swift is newly promoted and back at the station where he worked years ago in Liverpool. Together with colleague DC Colette Quinn he is working his first murder, a strangled corpse found nailed to a cross with strange religious writing and left on the beach. Dr Helen Hope is a Calvinist nun who lectures part time at the university in eschatology, basically an expert in "what happens to us when we die?" the question she poses to her new students. Her strict religion teaches that this is pre-ordained and, since it appears that the killer believes something along the same lines, she is enlisted to help explain the biblical quotes in this and other crime scenes. She becomes curious and tries to carry out her own investigation, making an unlikely friend of death metal frontman Mikko Kristensen in the process. The whole topic of what happens after death and if it has already been decided for us, together with the study of genetics and the morally debatable question of the use of gene therapy is all opened up in the book whilst never giving the impression of preaching or taking sides. I did feel I got to know Helen and her personal dilemmas much better than any of the other characters who appeared a little "flat" in comparison. It's hard to say more without giving away too much of the plot, but this is a very interesting book which I would recommend to anyone who wants their mind stretching a little whist enjoying a good story.

When a body is found crucified on a beach with a strange religious quotation, Darren Swift consults Sr Helen, a Calavanist nun. She is an expert in the end of days. This is Darren's first murder case and he is full of doubt. Sr Helen is intrigued by the case. She forms an unlikely partnership with a Death Metal musician to find out how a rogue geneticist is involved- not only in the murder but in a plot to change everything Helen believes in.

This is an unusual book with a real mix of characters. The style also takes a bit of getting used to. Once I got into it I really enjoyed this book- good start to my 2019 reading!

Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.