Perfect Prophet

I am the Resurrection, and I am the Light So says Jesus. And Ian Brown. But not Alec Lowell, lead guitarist in ‘The Great’ and the antagonistic protagonist of Diane M. Johnson’s second novel, an atheistic anarchist who finds himself thrust into the centre of the ultimate Light vs Dark battle. This story plays out as a supernatural mystery, fantastical elements of black magic and miracles running alongside the classic ‘Whodunnit’ (or rather, Whoissit) of the true persona of The Man, Ashland’s satanic cult leader. The reader is taken on a journey of theological debate and personal struggle as Alec survives a bullet that should surely have killed him, returns home to his family and begins to uncover the secrets of his devoutly religious father. I found the language and style of writing a little heavy going at times, and this novel took several evenings of perseverance to complete. The subject matter, as any type of theology, requires more than comfy slippers and a mug of hot chocolate to fully devour and appreciate, and I felt the great time leaps between Alec’s major life incidents confusing at times. The idea of an entire town being composed of Satanists, and not knowing who (including law enforcement) to trust came across very intensely, and had me ‘edge of my seat’-ing as if I were watching a Final Girl trying to survive the night in a classic horror film. Overall, I really enjoyed Perfect Prophet, if I could suspend my disbelief at the darkest of dark magicks taking place in a small town in Wisconsin, of all places. And The Great singer Cleo’s propensity to call everyone ‘hon.’ If you’re after something with a little more meat than your standard mystery thriller, I would recommend giving this a try. But keep a clear head and an open mind as you go! I received a copy of this book from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.