#BlogTour-‘Severed’ by Peter Laws

During a communion service at a village church, the teenage son of a vicar brutally attacks his father with an axe. The horrified congregation watch the son escape and during a frantic police search rumours arise that the boy was involved in devil worship.
Professor Matt Hunter, an atheist ex-minister and expert on religion, is brought in to advise, yet he quickly suspects the church attack may have a far more complex cause.
Meanwhile, a ten-year-old boy called Ever grows up in a small Christian cult. The group believe they are the only true humans left and that the world is filled with demons called Hollows, but they’re working on a bizarre ritual that will bring peace and paradise to the world. Soon, the worlds of Matt and Ever will collide in one awful,
terrifying night where Matt is thrown into the frightening and murderous world of religious mania 

This is the third in the series of Matt Hunter novels and it is not for the weak of heart.

I consider myself a grizzled veteran of old school horror, yet found it hard going on occasion -but it was completley compulsive and I found it hard to stop reading!

The juxtaposition of love and hate, religion and cults-with arguments that organised religion is a cult-redemption and loss are all explored through the novel which opens with a horrific and unexpected crime.

Matt Hunter does not present himself as infallible-he is an ex reverend turned professor of religion-he and his family are the central tenet of the book against which the literal ‘severing’ of family ties, religion versus disbelief, love versus hate are played out.

I really enjoyed the scene with the giant duck and the relationship that Matt has woth his children, the dialogue and feelings reading these scenes were welcome breaks between the scenes of horror and investigation into religious mania.

The dark humour really worked well for me as a reader and I would definitely like to back track and work my way through books 1 and 2 , though not having read either did not spoil my enjoyment of Book 3 .

My thanks again to Anne Cater of Random Things and Allison and Busby  for the opportunity to review this freely received copy of ‘Severed’.

About the author

Peter Laws is an ordained Baptist minister with a taste for the macabre. He regularly speaks and preaches at churches and events. He lives with his family
in Bedfordshire.

Links https://www.peterlaws.co.uk/

Twitter @revpeterlaws

Peter Laws books to buy