The Lazarus Prophecy

The Lazarus Prophecy is a supernatural/horror/crime story that involves attempts by the Catholic Church to contain an ancient evil. Unfortunately, not everyone believes in the concept or the prophecy, and as a result a terrible demon is loose in London. The first victims are prostitutes, and in spite of the distressing mutilations of the bodies, the killer has left no clues. With each victim, the killer has left a message, written in archaic languages requiring linguists to decipher them.

Always a step ahead, the killer enjoys taunting the police and leaving them hand-delivered messages directing them to the next body. DCI Jane Sullivan is in charge of the investigation, and in spite of her impressive solve rate, the investigation remains stymied.

When the killer moves from prostitutes to a well-known and respected actress, the media attention becomes pervasive, whipping up public fear and putting pressure on not only the police, but the government itself.

What are the connections to the Whitechapel Murders of 1888? To the secluded monastery in the Pyrenees? To historical characters and their descendants? Who hopes to profit from the frenzy of blame? What is the end-game of the killer?

This is a horror story, and even if you can't fully accept all the details of the premise and have some questions about a few gaps in explanations, you may not be able to avoid the feelings of dread and trepidation the novel evokes.

This is my third book for Carl's RIP IX challenge. It certainly kept me on tenterhooks.

NetGalley/Bloomsbury

Horror/Supernatural. Sept. 2, 2014. Print length: 289 pages.

Riveting read that kept me reading late into the night. Loved it!

I stayed up very late to read this one! Could not put it down even though I don't believe in demons but maybe this book has changed my thinking

I received an ARC copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Lazarus Prophecy is the first book that I have read by F.G. Cottam although he is popular among my book friends. Now I can certainly see why.

It is an accurate description to call this a supernatural crime story but it is much more than that. The Lazarus Prophecy really elevates the form, like The Club Dumas did years ago. And it does it with fine writing, great characters, a horrifying villain, and a very intricate, layered plot that reaches back to the time of Christ. He also does it with tremendous description and sense of place. I had a strong sense of London (both present and 1880’s) and that mountain keep that houses the monks of the Order of , who we have never heard of but who nonetheless have literally saved the world many times over.

Cottom begins by flipping back and forth between two story lines. The first is a really well done police procedural with the difference being that the killer is supernatural, although they don’t know that yet. The second story line deals with a secret order of monks living in a mountain keep. Ordained by St. Peter himself, they remain secret because if the general population knew of their existence and more importantly WHY they exist it would be too much. Sort of a “You can’t handle the truth” situation if ever there was one. They are accurately described as "God's gaolers." At this point in the novel I was impressed by how well Cottam handled both aspects—the crime story and the supernatural one. I think it is quite rare to be this versatile. John Connolly does it. So does Cottam.

The plotting was especially well done. Slowly building tension to a climax and then, right near the end of the book (judging by the amount of chapters left) we suddenly are dropped down a rabbit hole into 1888 London. Distracting? Jarring? Not at all. It was my favorite part of the book. So go ahead and add a strong and equally well done historical aspect to the description of this novel. I went from really liking this book to loving it. And when we returned to present for what could be called “round 2’” Cottam has set up a no holds barred white knuckle ride to the finale.

I have now read several of Cottam's books and this did not disappoint. In fact it provided a welcome, if somewhat horrific at times, alternative to some of my other reading. I do appreciate a well-written fantasy/horror/demonic/ whatever book and Cottam has become my go-to author in this area.

As the book begins, there has been a string of recent murders of women in London in recent weeks, with only the deaths of prostitutes being known. But the killer is changing course and moving into the world of "movers and shakers" and leaving behind clues in long dead languages. He is also mimicking crimes from the 19th century. The cast of characters who stand to meet this threat is varied and also quite interesting, each with strengths and weaknesses, motives all their own and personal goals. The question is who is the killer and can they find him before more die. The police lead is DCI Jane Sullivan, known for her skill in such cases. Who the others are --- it would reveal too much to reveal who they all are. But it is an interesting cast.

My only qualm--the violent crimes against the women victims. I realize that it is a part of the history here as well as the overall story. But I have read too much of this elsewhere lately and have become sensitized. I do know from reading Cottam's other books that he does not victimize women. He writes by his plot. So, I found that at a certain point I could not stop reading and had to see what the ending was going to be. And no hints here. Of course not.

A advanced copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Scary stuff,edge of your seat page turner

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