House of Flies blends supernatural horror with procedural police drama, delivering a story that moves at a steady, almost episodic pace—much like a TV crime series. The plot revolves around a series of eerie, insect-infested crimes, with swarms of flies acting as harbingers of something far more sinister.

It features disturbing imagery—particularly the recurring swarms of flies—and incorporates religious themes to support its horror elements.

However, while the premise is compelling, the experience is marred by occasional moments of unnecessary racism that felt out of place and off-putting. These moments disrupted the flow and detracted from the overall story. Despite the well-paced structure and intriguing supernatural twist, House of Flies ultimately wasn’t for me.

The idea of supernatural detectives pulled me in right away, and the pacing was refreshingly consistent—no slow, saggy middle like many mysteries fall into. While it didn’t offer much in terms of twists or tension, it stayed engaging throughout. That said, the repetition got tiring fast; I lost count of how many times I was reminded that they’re the pair for supernatural cases. Still, despite an ending that felt a bit too far-fetched for my taste, it was an easy, enjoyable read with a fun premise that kept me turning the pages.

This was another Patel and Pardoe novel which features the two detectives investigating cases which appear to be linked to the supernatural. An easy read.

What an interesting concept this was! The pacing was also fantastic sometimes with detective stories they’ll start with a lot of action and then simmer down until it’s almost a race to the finish. This was engaging throughout, though there is no real tension or twists. At times I did get a bit sick of the repetition, how many times did I need to learn they were the pair who dealt with supernatural cases. Overall this was a very easy read, maybe the ending was a bit too far fetched for me, but it was still enjoyable.

Masterton delivers a police procedural with a supernatural twist with his latest novel in the Patel and Pardoe series.
This time the detectives find themselves investigating a series of strange deaths by a mysterious figure targeting Catholic religious figures in which the bodies are left bloated and crawling with flies.
It's a mostly solid procedural that clicks along at a brisk pace and shows glimpses of Masterton's horror smarts - particularly with a number of gory death sequences. But the mystery kind of just unfolds without any real twists or tension, making this a breezy if somewhat forgettable read.