Dark Country, by Monique Snyman. If you love the kind of book that sets your mind on the edge at saying,” what the heck is going on here?!” Or were you find yourself simply saying, “nope”! Wait until you get a load of this book. It’s as if I was in the twilight zone of Geoffrey D. Slashes across ankles.
Slashes all over one’s body. Body parts shrivel up and disappearing! Entity’s staring over you as you sleep! My mind was completely numb after reading the first chapter. But guess what?
I kept reading. You want to know why? Because it was good. The authors writing is phenomenal. I mean she came with her research, her facts and her information. The plot of the story is well crafted for the chilling actions committed within the story.
I think that the characters were wonderfully choreograph together with the unsuspecting events surrounding the investigation, the team, as well as their personal lives. Most of the names of people and places I tripped over while reading them, but that was so minor to my opinion of the book. I found myself excited and completely invested in reading this book. I don’t know how the writer did it. Somehow the writer combined the paranormal, the occult, Ritualistic crimes together and out popped the ultimate crime mystery book.
And guess who is centered in the middle of all this chaos, none other then the Occult crime expert, Esme Snyder. This woman brought her “a game”. Esme was on point. She kicked butt and took names for past, present, and future cases. It was awesome to see that Esme has a structured team working with her, including her father and her grandfather.
And for emergency paranormal cases Father Gabriel. Oh Father Gabriel needs to camp out at Esme’s house. Whew lord! When Esme took a night trip to the kitchen, I got a flashback of Carol Anne. Where is Tangina when you need her?
This book did the excellent job of keeping me entertained from start to finish. I found the book both gripping and intense. Above all I feel that the book is very entertaining. I give this book two snaps and a, Howlen, stop sniveling and put your big boy underwear on. We got a job to do. Until next time my fellow readers… read on!

. “A fictional tale with one foot in reality”
This is how the author prefaced ‘Dark Country’ as Snyman wanted her readers to be aware that some of the events that occur in her novel are not that far removed from actual occurrences in South Africa today - what a way to open your book! I was already hooked!

When a ravaged corpse is discovered in Pretoria, South Africa, Esmé Snyder―an occult-crime expert―is called in to investigate. But she doesn't know the scope of what she's up against. Esmé is the target of a cat-and-mouse game with a serial killer who uses the paranormal to do his bidding, with the intent of becoming a god on Earth. With assistance from her team Esmé hopes to find the killer before he strikes again. As the body count grows, Esmé must figure out who is behind the heinous crimes before she ends up the final sacrifice.

I loved, loved, loved this book as it was a total hybrid of my two favourite genres, horror and crime!
Snyman created an interesting dynamic between the two genres that keep me intrigued from start to finish. I loved the feisty, Esmé and her handsome male counterparts and at the same time I really was invested in her hunt for the culprit of the ‘muti’ related crimes.

Gory, tense, atmospheric and exciting, this book had a little bit of everything and I can’t wait to join Esmé and her team on their next case.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an ARC of Dark Country by Monique Snyman!!

I love paranormal books and I loved everything about this book! I am Looking forward to reading more books by Snyman.

The premise was a winner for me with this novel - cult, folklore, suspense - and it delivered. Highlights for me were definitely the South African myth/folklore interwoven and the characters.
Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Dark Country is the first book in a series by author Monique Snyman which follows occult detective Esme Snyder as she investigates bizarre and horrific crimes in South Africa. This particular case involves a string of muti-murders: murders involving mutilation and dismemberment for the purpose of obtaining ingredients for some strange magical rituals.

Steeped in the magical folklore of South Africa, this story has everything from crime to potions to vengeful spirits which stalk Esme's every move as she works to find the crazed practitioner behind all the horrific acts. Esme herself is a pretty likable character: she's a strong, independent woman who knows her way around both a fistfight and and a magical showdown, she mixes with the upper crust and the low-down-and-dirties of the city, and she always makes time for a little loving action on the side.

I found the premise intriguing and the fictional news stories and crime reports mixed into the story a clever addition. I'm a sucker for any kind of regional folklore and belief system so this small glimpse into South African magic was fascinating. The ending felt a bit anticlimactic to me but this is the first in a series and some little clues at the end let the reader know that there's more coming, so perhaps the reason the ending wasn't fully satisfying is simply the fact that it isn't *really* the ending.

All in all, this was a good little crime thriller-meets-occult story and I definitely want to read more about Esme and all her exploits, both in the field and in the bedroom.

Dark Country was an bewitching book that intertwines Dark Occult, South African mythology and history with Thriller! Monique Snyman's writing is similar to Stephen King and Graham Masterton.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.


Please research TW/CW before reading.

A very interesting amalgamation of myth, magic, history, and crime! Brings the culture and society of post-Apartheid South Africa while plumbing the depths of the occult.

A superb, very grisly, occult crime thriller set in Pretoria, South Africa. Genuinely chilling with tons of atmosphere and great characters. Highly recommended reading.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC, in exchange for an honest review!

As someone who isn’t a fan of paranormal thrillers, I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It was very fast paced and managed to keep my attention from start to finish. There were a quite a few grammatical inconsistencies, but hopefully that will be worked out before it is officially published. I am not familiar with South African culture and mythologies. I would’ve liked for the terminologies to be explained a little more, as I had a hard time understanding what exactly was happening in certain parts. Some of the chapters were action packed but ended abruptly; these scenes did not usually continue in other chapters so you had to make your own inferences about what happened. Overall, I enjoyed this fast read and would consider reading any sequels or continuations in the future!

An excellent mix of paranormal and thriller that kept me on the edge and turning pages. It's well plotted and the South Africa background is fascinating.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Shocking, and one of the most well-written crime novels I've read in a long time. The author really infuses South Africa into the work as well as the realistic horror.

This is a wonderfully dark occult thriller that is simply riveting.

The author has a way with words – she immediately pulls you into an eerie world and doesn’t let you go.

I loved the South African setting and the bits of culture that bolstered the plot.

Our characters are compelling and I was extremely anxious for them.

Would love to read the author again in the future!

*ARC via Publisher