One of the best books I have read by this author in a long time. I could not put this book down. A masterpiece of this genre. A Satanic cult like no other. Visceral, chilling and bloody terrifying. A band of homeless are now a cult to be reckoned with. A pile of bodies that have been torn apart, cooked then eaten and this is only the beginning. This book is enough to put you off eating meat for life. It is upto Detective Jamila Patel and Jerry Pardoe who are called in fort the most bizarre and gruesome cases. They need to solve this case before more unsuspecting victims are abducted, killed and EATEN!!!! One of the best horror stories I have read in a long time. Loved it!!!

I’m a vegetarian, but damn this book made me even Mor skeptical about BBQ meat. You better have a strong stomach if you read this gruesome story! I cringed. I gasped. I kinda loved it. What a horror book. I like that it brought in some cultural stuff along with the creepiness. That’s always fun.

Gruesome, gory and graphically violent...everything you would expect from a Graham Masterton book!

I really enjoyed this and I must admit and some points it even made me cringe with some of the graphics details of cannibalism but I do love a horror novel and this didn't disappoint.

So, this book is about a cult that eats people but its more than just that. There are supernatural and mythical elements which I enjoyed and the characters were likeable with some comedic relief thrown in. Graham is a master storyteller and it shows in this back.

Suspend your belief a little and just enjoy the ride!

Would recommend but if you have weak constitution maybe give it a pass!

I have to be honest that opening was unlike any I've read before, and it left me with high HIGH expectations for the rest of the book. While there are many places where the story did meet those expectations there were sadly a number where they were not. I did enjoy the book I just think that the story missed out on being great with the lack of backstory and character attention that would have really brought the reader into the story.

From the first couple of pages, I was gripped. I don't think I have ever read a book with a more gruesome opening for a while!

The Shadow People initially starts and rivals the same thrills one gets when they watch the Saw films, and it was arguably much better in places.

The plot itself hinges around a group of homeless cannibals roaming the streets of London, however as the story unfolds, it connects itself (somewhat strangely, in my view) to the Holocaust.

A four-star rating is all I can give in this instance, as the plot did stall on occasion, as I was left with the urge to know whether parts of the book are based on facts or fiction.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher Head of Zeus for an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

First, the cover of this book is amazing. It's what made me grab this one and want to read it. Unfortunately, I couldn't connect with the story. I love a good murder/cult/thriller but this one left me wanting MORE backstory, character growth, and detail on the characters lives. It was very surface level. I admit I didn't finish it. However, I will encourage others to give it a try!

Really enjoyed this book by Graham Masterton. I haven't read anything from him in years, but when I saw this, had to get it. Now I remember why I always enjoyed reading his books, and will need to catch up again. Great characters, great pacing, and a great story. #TheShadowPeople #NetGalley

Holy hell Batman.

I’ve been wanting to read a Graham Masterton title for some time now and boy did it not disappoint!

“All he could say was, ‘Christ on a bicycle, Jerry. I mean, Christ on a fucking bicycle.’”

Not for the faint of heart, this book legitimately makes me want to lock my doors and never leave the house. All I’ve been looking for is a book that lives up to the descriptors of horror and downright terrifying language.

That’s exactly what I got.

“The mundane sight of them having their supper made her feel completely detached from reality, as if she were a princess in a Grimm’s fairy tale, trapped in a tower.”

Hand on heart, I’m a fan. From the obvious Englishness of the writing to the gory, gory writing, I couldn’t have asked for more.

There are a fair few too many characters to wrap your little head around at first, but then all becomes clear and easy to follow but in bite sized chunks (can I even say that about this?) preferably. I haven’t the stomach for more and I’m never usually queasy about fiction.

Graham Masterton has long been one of my all-time favorite genre authors. Though admittedly I’ve not followed his recent work too closely; the man began veering into detective stories, worse yet detective series and so my interest ebbed accordingly. But this novel promises such exciting things – cults, cannibals, subterranean terrors – that it seemed like the right choice to check out if only to see if Masterton still got it. And surprise, surprise, he definitely still does. Way to age properly, like some sort of nightmare wine.
This is actually one of his detective series novels, from somewhere in the middle it seems, and I didn’t even care. The way the book is structured, it doesn’t really seem to require any prior knowledge of this world going in. There are two detectives, a Muslim woman and a white (I think? Is it ever specified?) man in England who headline the team of investigators assigned to a terrifying series of brutal murders. To uncover the truth, they’ll have to descend into the world below the streets of London, the world of abandoned metro tracks and forgotten secrets.
I love that for a book setting, one of my favorite books is set below London’s streets. The cannibal thing…well, it’s pretty brutal even among the famous cannibal fiction. Masterton is certain to remind you throughout this book time and again that though he may be branching out with detective aspect, he is still very much a teller of terrors and a whisperer of visceral nightmares.
There are other things here that are very much Masterton of old, including a killer backstory with a Nazi connection no less and fascinating esoteric religion/mythology angle. And overall, this is just pure fun. Gory AF, but lots of fun.
The writing is dynamic, the characters are likable or interesting or both, Masterton even proves his hip and woke status here and there (way to stay current), and the story is genuinely entertaining. Despite being over 400 pages, it speeds by too. Don’t know why I stayed away from these books for so long. Lesson learned. Fans of the Masterton of old, rejoice, the man is still fun to read. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.

A fantastic read this series gets better. It had me gripped from the start and I look forward to reading more.

I thought I enjoyed this book more than I did. A pretty interesting idea that has plenty of shock value and some exciting scenes but, its ultimately let down by very poorly written characters and at times an almost child like style of writing, despite the subject matter.

The story of a strange cannibalistic cult and two police officers brought together to try and find out who they are and stop them before more people are killed, cooked and eaten! Throw in some demons, drugs, ancient languages, loads of gore and you have the makings of a mad but fun read.

Our two police officers - DS Jamila Patel and DC Jerry Pardoe, where do I start with these two? Jerry is both a misogynist and racist it seems. He also speaks in cockney rhyme a lot of the time which is utterly bizarre. As two dimensional a character as they come and with no likeable traits whatsoever, it is hard to take the character seriously, let alone emphasize with him or root for him.

As for Jamila, well, at least Jerry is two dimensional. Jamilia is a one dimensional, almost robotic like character. Like an afterthought to throw in some Pakistani folklore knowledge of demons etc.
I mean her dialect read like it was written for a robot. As poorly written a main character as I can remember ever reading. Like there is no response from her either physical or verbal when Jerry throws in his "Pakis" trope. Nothing, just moves onto the next robotic sentence she has been given.

As I said at the start, there are some interesting and fun ideas in here from a horror perspective and there are some really good sections in the book but, without characters of any substance its hard to be engaged in any meaningful way.

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC through Netgalley.

Being my first experience reading a book by Graham Masterton, I found myself pleasantly surprised. This book is a good mix of crime novel and horror. I didn't know going in that this is actually part of a series and this book is the third. The series follows the detectives, so this one works as a stand-alone without there being any trouble understanding what is happening.

If you're a fan of horror, gore, and cults who participate in cannibalistic rituals, then you should give this book a chance.

Not for the faint at heart! Seriously, this should come with a caution label. This is a gore fest folks! Seriously, Graham Masterton could teach a course titled: Gore fest 101 how to make readers gag while keeping them engaged and turning the pages.

Wow wow wow! Firstly I would say this isn’t for the faint hearted & should definitely come with warnings! Incredibly gory and creepy And takes a while to get into but a very interesting read.

This is definitely one for fans of horror but was probably a little too much for me. I am sure you probably would never have read a cult story like this one...

Though I have read Masterton in the past, it's been a number of years. I didn't realize at first that this is actually the third book to feature DC Jerry Pardoe and DS Jamila Patel. In the beginning, there are some mentions of previous cases that started to give me the feeling that this wasn't exactly a standalone thriller, but even starting here, I think that this works on its own (although I am looking forward to going back and catching up on the start of the series!). It's a bit of a grisly read for the holidays - but it's entertaining. As I have said before, Masterton masterfully handles dialects - making me wish that I had an audio version of this one. I really enjoyed the bantering dialogue here.

Plot-wise, this holds plenty of shocks - so much so that I don't want to give too much away here! It's all a bit over-the-top, but in the best sort of way. Be warned that you will need to suspend disbelief to be thoroughly entertained. The gore factor is also pretty high here - not only in the details and grisly deaths, but in some other stomach-churning scenes. The scenes of the feasts especially make this reminiscent of a horrific Fae court updated into a new type of horror. The descriptions of the smells especially ooze off the page. It's well-written and while I never felt frightened, I definitely felt entertained!

DC Pardoe and DS Jamila Patel are back (hooray!). This time the creepy crime they are trying to solve involves....cannibals. I only got in to reading Graham Masterton novels a couple of years ago but he has become a firm favourite and I always get excited for his next book. His stories are so imaginative and clover, and downright twisted. It takes a lot to scare me nowadays as I read so much horror, but the great GM is one author that genuinely gives me the creeps. Highly recommended, as usual.

I found this book a bit slow to start but once it got going I was hooked ! This book is quite disturbing with gore. I struggled to sleep after finishing it.

Warning ⚠️ Do not read either whilst eating or with a full stomach!
Dark, gruesome and fully engrossing. His best book my a big mile.
Loved it in all its gory glory 🖤
Do not let that put you off though as the whole book isn’t all guts and gore, it’s a really clever work of crime fiction that it is a must read for mudder mysteries and suspense thrillers, not just horror fans!

Probably my favorite Graham Masterton so far! It was so good, I read it in one sitting and I am already planning to reread it soon!!

This is not my first Masterton, and not even my first in this particular series. So here we have the typical Masterton hallmarks of visceral, gruesome violence, set against a bewildering mystery, with a slight infusion of paranormal elements towards the end of the book.

Jerry Pardoe and Jamila Patel are back, and while I thought Pardoe was a bit too much of a stereotypical cockney lad in the previous book, he has a bit more going on here. There's still the slightly forced cockney rhyming slang, but he develops a relationship with another character, which gives his character some much desired weight. Patel is still the more intrigueing character, but mostly because she feels more guarded, sometimes even nondescript. I'm starting to wonder if Masterton is just being careful with the character, which is fair enough.

The mystery works pretty well, it can be quite harrowing but keeps going at a good pace. The supernatural elements were the weakest part of the previous book, but are much stronger here.

An interesting entry in the series.

3.5 stars