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Apostle Rising
Detective Chief Inspector Frank Castle never caught the Woodlands Killer and it almost destroyed him. Now, years later, mauled by the press and traumatized by nightmares, he is faced with a copycat killer with detailed inside knowledge of the original case. He and his partner Jacki Stone enter a deadly labyrinth, and at its center is the man Castle believes was responsible for the first killings. He's running a sinister cult and playing dark mind games with the police. The investigation has a shattering effect on Castle and Stone. Dark coded ritualistic killings are being carried out on high-profile figures and the body count is rising. Castle employs a brilliant psychologist to help him solve the case, but some psychopaths are cleverer than others. The book has a unique twist, timed to perfection by the author. A dark, layered narrative with detailed psychological profiling, Apostle Rising is an extremely powerful noir crime story with a chilling dimension of horror.
374 pages, Perfect Paperback
First published March 10, 2011
12 people are currently reading
110 people want to read
About the author
Richard Godwin
107 books161 followersRichard Godwin is the author of critically acclaimed novels Apostle Rising, Mr. Glamour, One Lost Summer, Noir City, Meaningful Conversations, Confessions Of A Hit Man, and Paranoia And The Destiny Programme.
He is also a published poet and a produced playwright. His stories have been published in numerous paying magazines and over 34 anthologies, among them The Mammoth Book Of Best British Crime and The Mammoth Book Of Best British Mystery, as well as the anthology of his stories, Piquant: Tales Of The Mustard Man.
Richard Godwin was born in London and obtained a BA and MA in English and American Literature from King's College London, where he also lectured.
You can find out more about him at his website www.richardgodwin.net , where you can also read his Chin Wags At The Slaughterhouse, his highly popular and unusual interviews with other authors.
He is also a published poet and a produced playwright. His stories have been published in numerous paying magazines and over 34 anthologies, among them The Mammoth Book Of Best British Crime and The Mammoth Book Of Best British Mystery, as well as the anthology of his stories, Piquant: Tales Of The Mustard Man.
Richard Godwin was born in London and obtained a BA and MA in English and American Literature from King's College London, where he also lectured.
You can find out more about him at his website www.richardgodwin.net , where you can also read his Chin Wags At The Slaughterhouse, his highly popular and unusual interviews with other authors.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
May 22, 2011
I started Apostle Rising only two days ago and finished today since I couldn't put it down. Right from the beginning it gives an in-depth view into the main character's life. Detective Chief Inspector Castle is a clever yet alcohol addicted workaholic, not because he likes a glass to go with his supper, but because, even though years have passed, he still can't mentally handle the fact that he never caught one particular murderer: the Woodlands Killer. His regular nightmares add to the stress of his alcohol addiction, turning him into a troubled individual whose life has completely lost all sense.
But everyone gets a chance at redemption.
Now there's a copycat killer on the loose, someone who knows details of the Woodlands killings that never leaked to the press. Castle and his partner, Jacki Stone, suspect the same murderer might just have decided to strike again, leaving a bloody trail in his wake. But this is no normal murderer. He's a clever psychopath, cleverer than the police's psychologist and profiler, and the leader of an underground cult who carries out ritual offerings through spilling the blood of famous figures. He prides himself on staying one step ahead of the police while getting bolder in his choice of victims. As the killer keeps getting away and the public start to demand a scapegoat, Castle's sanity takes a turn for the worse, and now it's up to him to get his marbles together and stay focused for the sake of the murderer's victims and his own mental wellbeing.
I thought Apostle Rising was a fantastic read which reminded me a bit of Thomas Harris' Silence of the Lambs, minus the gory details and with a better insight into police investigation and a better writing style. There's no doubt the author knows what he's talking about and, even more importantly, knows how to bring his knowledge across without making it sound like a lecture. This was a chilling, fast paced story with plenty of details and a strong character, who seemed all too human. What I liked best was that I could actually feel Castle's tension and hear the demons inside his head. I would recommend this to anyone who wants a chilling, well-written story. You won't be able to put it down.
But everyone gets a chance at redemption.
Now there's a copycat killer on the loose, someone who knows details of the Woodlands killings that never leaked to the press. Castle and his partner, Jacki Stone, suspect the same murderer might just have decided to strike again, leaving a bloody trail in his wake. But this is no normal murderer. He's a clever psychopath, cleverer than the police's psychologist and profiler, and the leader of an underground cult who carries out ritual offerings through spilling the blood of famous figures. He prides himself on staying one step ahead of the police while getting bolder in his choice of victims. As the killer keeps getting away and the public start to demand a scapegoat, Castle's sanity takes a turn for the worse, and now it's up to him to get his marbles together and stay focused for the sake of the murderer's victims and his own mental wellbeing.
I thought Apostle Rising was a fantastic read which reminded me a bit of Thomas Harris' Silence of the Lambs, minus the gory details and with a better insight into police investigation and a better writing style. There's no doubt the author knows what he's talking about and, even more importantly, knows how to bring his knowledge across without making it sound like a lecture. This was a chilling, fast paced story with plenty of details and a strong character, who seemed all too human. What I liked best was that I could actually feel Castle's tension and hear the demons inside his head. I would recommend this to anyone who wants a chilling, well-written story. You won't be able to put it down.
May 16, 2011
I acquired an early fascination for ghost and horror stories, a delight to read, a greater delight to thrill. I loved reading tales that heightened my senses, tales that amplified every little creak, every unsettling noise made by settlement, by the night and by the wind. At school after lights out I used to read aloud by torchlight to the other girls in my dormitory, all sharing a shivery thrill.
But when I became an adult I put aside childish things and imagined fears. I still love Gothic fiction, the stories of people like M R James or Sheridan Le Fanu, but they have lost the visceral power they possessed on first acquaintance. I’m an adult now; fiction no longer has the same scary power.
Well, that’s not entirely true. There is a genre of neo-gothic in which I have recaptured something of the fascination and thrill of fear. I can think of two novels in particular that caught past moods, that challenged me on the simple level of instinct, that place where rationality gives way to more atavistic emotions. There is Thomas Harris’ Silence of the Lambs and Stephen King’s Gerald’s Game, both of which terrified me into the old ‘only a story’ frame of mind.
Now they have been joined by a third – Apostle Rising by Richard Godwin. I had no previous acquaintance with the work of Godwin, a writer, I’ve since discovered, of short stories. This is his first novel, a detective story that is so much more than a detective story. Normally I’m not that sympathetic to the crime genre, having quickly read and just as quickly forgotten some of the Rebus stories of Ian Rankin. But Apostle Rising gripped me from beginning to end with its imaginative plotting and clever writing. I try hard to avoid clichés and hyperbole but this is book is a tour de force, subtle and horrifying at the same time.
It’s a story of evil. It’s a story of two detectives, Chief Inspector Frank Castle and Detective Inspector Jacki Stone, and their encounter with evil, their encounter with its insidious power, which takes the former in particular to the gate of self-destruction. It’s the story of a cult, of religious mania, of copycat killings, of parallel murders, at the high of politicians, at the low of prostitutes.
I can’t be sure if this was in the author’s mind but the killings, often carried out in tandem, had overtones of the Manson family and Helter-skelter and the earlier Whitechapel Murders of Jack the Ripper. Some of the details, the horror of the crimes, are so vivid, so graphic in description that I found myself skipping before my imagination went into overdrive!
Godwin has a compelling style, lucid, limpid to a superb degree, prose at its purest. Most of the chapters are short, sometimes no more than a page or so, with hooks that compel one forward. Those passages in italics, which reveal the workings of the killer’s mind, full of apocalyptic, manic and semi-poetic meanderings, make for incredible reading. There are all sorts of unusual twists and turns. I was particularly intrigued by the references to Sir Thomas Wyatt, Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII, Richmond Park and hunting. If you want to find out anymore you will just have to read it yourself!
Apostle Rising is a book full of memorable characters and memorable incidents, a well-crafted puzzle in what I see as the best tradition of gothic fiction. It carried me along simply by its own momentum, by the way it’s shaped and by the clarity of the writing.
The only criticisms I have are on minor points of detail. It thought that some of the police work was not as careful as it might have been, particularly in relation to the final political victims. The last one should have been under closer observation, given his connections with the penultimate victim. Also I was surprised by the way in which Karl Black, the villain-in-chief, a wholly malevolent individual, the novel’s Hannibal Lector, was finally pinned down by the confession, offstage, of his principal collaborator, Jonas Wilkes, who had hitherto shown no sign of co-operating with the police. No explanation for his change of mind is offered.
This is minor stuff, though, and if you think I’ve given the game away by naming names think again; this book will keep you guessing to the end and beyond. And just pray that you never meet Blade.
But when I became an adult I put aside childish things and imagined fears. I still love Gothic fiction, the stories of people like M R James or Sheridan Le Fanu, but they have lost the visceral power they possessed on first acquaintance. I’m an adult now; fiction no longer has the same scary power.
Well, that’s not entirely true. There is a genre of neo-gothic in which I have recaptured something of the fascination and thrill of fear. I can think of two novels in particular that caught past moods, that challenged me on the simple level of instinct, that place where rationality gives way to more atavistic emotions. There is Thomas Harris’ Silence of the Lambs and Stephen King’s Gerald’s Game, both of which terrified me into the old ‘only a story’ frame of mind.
Now they have been joined by a third – Apostle Rising by Richard Godwin. I had no previous acquaintance with the work of Godwin, a writer, I’ve since discovered, of short stories. This is his first novel, a detective story that is so much more than a detective story. Normally I’m not that sympathetic to the crime genre, having quickly read and just as quickly forgotten some of the Rebus stories of Ian Rankin. But Apostle Rising gripped me from beginning to end with its imaginative plotting and clever writing. I try hard to avoid clichés and hyperbole but this is book is a tour de force, subtle and horrifying at the same time.
It’s a story of evil. It’s a story of two detectives, Chief Inspector Frank Castle and Detective Inspector Jacki Stone, and their encounter with evil, their encounter with its insidious power, which takes the former in particular to the gate of self-destruction. It’s the story of a cult, of religious mania, of copycat killings, of parallel murders, at the high of politicians, at the low of prostitutes.
I can’t be sure if this was in the author’s mind but the killings, often carried out in tandem, had overtones of the Manson family and Helter-skelter and the earlier Whitechapel Murders of Jack the Ripper. Some of the details, the horror of the crimes, are so vivid, so graphic in description that I found myself skipping before my imagination went into overdrive!
Godwin has a compelling style, lucid, limpid to a superb degree, prose at its purest. Most of the chapters are short, sometimes no more than a page or so, with hooks that compel one forward. Those passages in italics, which reveal the workings of the killer’s mind, full of apocalyptic, manic and semi-poetic meanderings, make for incredible reading. There are all sorts of unusual twists and turns. I was particularly intrigued by the references to Sir Thomas Wyatt, Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII, Richmond Park and hunting. If you want to find out anymore you will just have to read it yourself!
Apostle Rising is a book full of memorable characters and memorable incidents, a well-crafted puzzle in what I see as the best tradition of gothic fiction. It carried me along simply by its own momentum, by the way it’s shaped and by the clarity of the writing.
The only criticisms I have are on minor points of detail. It thought that some of the police work was not as careful as it might have been, particularly in relation to the final political victims. The last one should have been under closer observation, given his connections with the penultimate victim. Also I was surprised by the way in which Karl Black, the villain-in-chief, a wholly malevolent individual, the novel’s Hannibal Lector, was finally pinned down by the confession, offstage, of his principal collaborator, Jonas Wilkes, who had hitherto shown no sign of co-operating with the police. No explanation for his change of mind is offered.
This is minor stuff, though, and if you think I’ve given the game away by naming names think again; this book will keep you guessing to the end and beyond. And just pray that you never meet Blade.
March 8, 2011
Richard Godwin is a prolific writer of short fiction. Of course, prolific doesn’t necessarily mean good, but in Godwin’s case he never puts a foot wrong.
I’ve loved his short stories and the way he constructs them. He makes me look into the darkness for a few seconds more than I’d like until I see what it is he wants me to see and he holds my attention at places where I might rather be skimming into easier territories.
He also has an amazing versatility in terms of the settings, characters and voices he uses as though he’s some kind of twisted ventriloquist.
My only reservation about tackling his debut novel Apostle Rising was that he wouldn’t be able to transfer his talent from the short piece to the long. It didn’t take me long to realise that there was no problem for him on that score.
He handles the police-procedural aspect of things as though this were the tenth in a series, with a craft and poise I hadn’t expected. At the same time he dips us into the bloodbath of his darker-workings just to let us know he’s still around.
‘Apostle Rising’ is like a massive Venn diagram of plots that are fitted together skilfully to produce one very satisfying whole.
Detective Chief Inspector Frank Castle is a long in the tooth policeman who was damaged years before by a series of murders known as ‘The Woodland Killings’. His life is spinning out of control as alcohol obscures his memories from his waking life only to drag them into his dreams. His side-kick DI Jacki Stone who knows Castle is good at his job also knows he’s a poor role model as a human being. The way their characters are drawn I reckon I could have read about them working any-old case and enjoyed it. Make their case a copycat of The Woodland Killings, throw in the twisted cult leader Karl Black and his training of a band of extremist believers and add a host of slayings of political figures and you’re in for a treat.
Just like in his short stories, Godwin has you staring at things you’d rather look away from at times as though he’s holding your head in one direction with one hand and your eye-lids up with the other. It gets messy out there – brutally so. It also becomes psychologically disturbing as we see Karl Black work his way into the minds of Castle and Stone. There’s nowhere to run once your inside and there’s not going to be a way out until you get to the end, Godwin’s new twist on the term page-turner.
One note of caution - if you don't like graphic scenes of violence this isn't for you. If you do, you're in for a treat.
I’ve loved his short stories and the way he constructs them. He makes me look into the darkness for a few seconds more than I’d like until I see what it is he wants me to see and he holds my attention at places where I might rather be skimming into easier territories.
He also has an amazing versatility in terms of the settings, characters and voices he uses as though he’s some kind of twisted ventriloquist.
My only reservation about tackling his debut novel Apostle Rising was that he wouldn’t be able to transfer his talent from the short piece to the long. It didn’t take me long to realise that there was no problem for him on that score.
He handles the police-procedural aspect of things as though this were the tenth in a series, with a craft and poise I hadn’t expected. At the same time he dips us into the bloodbath of his darker-workings just to let us know he’s still around.
‘Apostle Rising’ is like a massive Venn diagram of plots that are fitted together skilfully to produce one very satisfying whole.
Detective Chief Inspector Frank Castle is a long in the tooth policeman who was damaged years before by a series of murders known as ‘The Woodland Killings’. His life is spinning out of control as alcohol obscures his memories from his waking life only to drag them into his dreams. His side-kick DI Jacki Stone who knows Castle is good at his job also knows he’s a poor role model as a human being. The way their characters are drawn I reckon I could have read about them working any-old case and enjoyed it. Make their case a copycat of The Woodland Killings, throw in the twisted cult leader Karl Black and his training of a band of extremist believers and add a host of slayings of political figures and you’re in for a treat.
Just like in his short stories, Godwin has you staring at things you’d rather look away from at times as though he’s holding your head in one direction with one hand and your eye-lids up with the other. It gets messy out there – brutally so. It also becomes psychologically disturbing as we see Karl Black work his way into the minds of Castle and Stone. There’s nowhere to run once your inside and there’s not going to be a way out until you get to the end, Godwin’s new twist on the term page-turner.
One note of caution - if you don't like graphic scenes of violence this isn't for you. If you do, you're in for a treat.
March 25, 2011
The first striking note upon reading “Apostle Rising” is the stunning fact: this is Richard Godwin’s first crime novel. The construction is carefully and cleverly plotted. The entire book is precisely paced with short chapters, keeping the reader anticipating the next.
Twenty-eight years after the unsolved case of “The Woodland Killings” nearly destroyed him, Chief Inspector Frank Castle must now find a copycat killer. With the assistance of his partner DI Jacki Stone, they try to penetrate Karl Black, a suspect from the first investigation. Black has founded a dark cult, The Last Brotherhood, which has a different interpretation of Christianity. In addition to the copycat killings of politicians, a new rash of prostitute murders occur, further stretching police resources and the psychological impact on Castle and Stone.
Weaved within the story are italicized passages in the first-person, allowing the reader into the mind of the killer. These insights are often poetic, sometimes wrathful, but always sinister in their foreshadowing of the bloodshed to come. The murderous author of these beliefs describes and elevates the murder weapon with veneration to such a degree, it nearly becomes a character itself.
Godwin’s diction is tremendous. The accounts of the murders are visceral, a witnessing of the crime in minute detail. A few had even this reader, a party to several autopsies and many embalming sessions, cringing from the intense depth and duration of these torturous killings. The ability to display this facet interposed with the killer’s dynamic philosophy, and the detectives’ slow struggle to closure, displays Godwin’s deft craft.
“Apostle Rising” is beautifully written with colorful language and vivid descriptions. Godwin’s deep psychological exploration of his characters may have his readers delving deeper into their own minds.
© 2011 Kristin Fouquet
Twenty-eight years after the unsolved case of “The Woodland Killings” nearly destroyed him, Chief Inspector Frank Castle must now find a copycat killer. With the assistance of his partner DI Jacki Stone, they try to penetrate Karl Black, a suspect from the first investigation. Black has founded a dark cult, The Last Brotherhood, which has a different interpretation of Christianity. In addition to the copycat killings of politicians, a new rash of prostitute murders occur, further stretching police resources and the psychological impact on Castle and Stone.
Weaved within the story are italicized passages in the first-person, allowing the reader into the mind of the killer. These insights are often poetic, sometimes wrathful, but always sinister in their foreshadowing of the bloodshed to come. The murderous author of these beliefs describes and elevates the murder weapon with veneration to such a degree, it nearly becomes a character itself.
Godwin’s diction is tremendous. The accounts of the murders are visceral, a witnessing of the crime in minute detail. A few had even this reader, a party to several autopsies and many embalming sessions, cringing from the intense depth and duration of these torturous killings. The ability to display this facet interposed with the killer’s dynamic philosophy, and the detectives’ slow struggle to closure, displays Godwin’s deft craft.
“Apostle Rising” is beautifully written with colorful language and vivid descriptions. Godwin’s deep psychological exploration of his characters may have his readers delving deeper into their own minds.
© 2011 Kristin Fouquet
March 11, 2011
Apostle Rising is akin to King’s Children of the Corn. Only with noir. Whiskey. Knives. Politicians. And a hell of gore. It is a maze through a psychopath’s mind, only you get to solve the puzzle with Detectives Castle and Stone as they try to hold their own personal lives together while the killer(s?) tease and taunt through horrific killings and rituals. My favorite character in the book is poetic, mentally disturbed and has an obsession with King Henry VIII and the first wife whose head he chopped. The ending is a fast paced rollercoaster ride. It sews together all the clues Godwin builds up through the book and will have you banging your fist on the table saying why didn’t I guess who was behind it all! I dare you to give the labyrinth of Apostle Rising a shot. I’m a fan of Godwin’s and I want more.
March 19, 2011
Richard Godwin's dark thriller, Apostle Rising, is one helluva a ride, with all the violence and insanity found in his short works. Unlike his short stuff, this one is mainly from the perspective of the cops rather than the criminals.
Inspector Frank Castle's career has been defined by his inability to solve a string of murders two decades ago. When a new serial killer is on the loose showing clear similarities to the first, Castle quickly becomes obsessed. And as nemesis/prime suspect/religious nut Karl Black mercilessly taunts him, Castle becomes increasingly pathetic and hits the bottle hard.
As you might expect, this ain't your granddaddy's police procedural. With plenty of gore and a relentless pace, you'll find yourself compulsively moving on to the next chapter every time. And Godwin's got a phenomenal twist in store that I doubt you'll see coming.
Inspector Frank Castle's career has been defined by his inability to solve a string of murders two decades ago. When a new serial killer is on the loose showing clear similarities to the first, Castle quickly becomes obsessed. And as nemesis/prime suspect/religious nut Karl Black mercilessly taunts him, Castle becomes increasingly pathetic and hits the bottle hard.
As you might expect, this ain't your granddaddy's police procedural. With plenty of gore and a relentless pace, you'll find yourself compulsively moving on to the next chapter every time. And Godwin's got a phenomenal twist in store that I doubt you'll see coming.
May 19, 2011
Edgy, twisty police procedural set in U.K. also features the brisk pace of a modern thriller. Detective Chief Inspector Frank Castle and his kick-butt partner DI Jacki Stone match wits with a serial killer driven by his dark religious convictions. The spare prose style and laconic dialogue remind me somewhat of Ken Bruen's work. Tom Spinner, the police profiler, has a meaty supporting role. Enjoyable, exciting read.
March 21, 2012
A downward spiral into madness of a sprawling, demented architecture. A byzantine plot that can only be the work of a true master of the craft. There is so much to see, so many directions to go, that you never know what to think, who to trust or where to look. APOSTLE RISING reads like a furious, unleashed wave of creativity and talent. While I cannot really say it was controlled, it's a psychological thriller that is crazy in all the right ways. Count me as a fan of this guy.
December 29, 2011
Noir/Horror has a new ‘master’… his name is Richard Godwin
Having been introduced to Richard’s dark telling of the depravity the human soul is capable of in his Pony Equus stories in Pulp Metal Magazine, I thought I was prepared for Apostle Rising… oh, foolish girl!
The third night in, reading Apostle Rising, I awoke in that sinister, slivery hour between midnight and pre-dawn… from a horrible nightmare… heart pounding in my chest, body drenched in sweat and a scream threatening to spill over my lips… an itching between my shoulder blades and the image of a dark, silvery blade dripping with blood locked in my brain. Oh… my… god!
Yes… Apostle Rising is THAT good!
Apostle Rising is a police procedural/psychological thriller of the first order… dark, twisted and suspenseful. Richard gives nothing away in his narrative… no red herrings… no leading one down the garden path. From the very first page, one knows this is not going to be a pretty ride. Richard’s writing has a dark, sinister feel that, for fans of crime/horror, is irresistible to put down and impossible to ignore. His rich, dark, imaginative prose draws one in much like one of those water vortices in the northern Atlantic… undeniably powerful and compelling.
Ahh… but, we were talking about a novel, not water phenomena, weren’t we?
More than a quarter century previous, Detective Chief Inspector Frank Castle of the Metropolitan police was unable to mark ‘closed’ to the Woodlands Killer case; a case which almost destroyed Castle’s career and left him with deep psychological scars.
The ghosts of those long unsolved murders from decades past still haunt Frank, and now with what appears to be a copycat killer on the loose, DCI Castle, along with his new partner, DI Jacki Stone, is once again drawn into a madman’s dark desires and lusts.
I am trying to be careful here, and not reveal too much, so… this might be a good place to add a SPOILER ALERT! Proceed at your own risk… you have been warned!
As the body count mounts, Castle and Stone become enmeshed in a nightmare that may very well end both their careers, as well as Jacki’s marriage. At times, Frank seems either unaware or unable (or, unwilling?) to escape the monster’s(s) influence, so blind has he become in his singular quest to bring a killer to justice and redeem himself.
Castle’s ‘custom’ with the ‘ladies of the night’ reveals not only the frailty of his psyche, but also his determination to see justice… at whatever cost!
Will Frank become the monster he seeks to destroy? That is a question the reader is forced to ask themselves, as we watch helplessly, the dark metamorphosis of a once proud and honourable man. DCI Castle seems only too willing to cross the line between good and evil in a desperate attempt to stop a madman.
One wants (perhaps, though… this is only me)… feels the need to… to put the book down occasionally… if only to give their mind a brief respite from the tension… the dark horror… the mesmerizing litany of the mysterious ‘Order’s’ perverted agenda… the stark look into the mind of a killer(s) so lost in his (?) own twisted, evil psychosis that one feels a shiver of fear run down their spine, and wonders… not for the first time, perhaps… if they remembered to set the dead-bolt.
The dark-haired girl tried to run… escape… but the air surrounding her was thick… it had a weight that pulled her down…
Oops! Sorry… little flashback to that nightmare I had earlier (shudder).
Too often in reviews, comparisons between authors come out sounding trite or forced… I tend to stay away from them myself, unless…
Apostle Rising is how [Stephen] King would write if he did noir… the relentless, escalating horror of Richard’s deftly written prose leaves one on the edge… breathless… having serious second thoughts perhaps, about taking that evening walk unaccompanied.
Engrossing, beautifully written horror… with the technical detail of a first class police procedural, Apostle Rising is a ‘must-read’ for any fan of crime fiction or horror.
A final thought on Richard Godwin’s debut novel -
I have read countless books, seen countless movies… the ‘monsters’ in those pale in comparison to the walking evil in Apostle Rising.
Thank you,
Veronica Marie Lewis-Shaw
Portland, Oregon
26 December 2011
Having been introduced to Richard’s dark telling of the depravity the human soul is capable of in his Pony Equus stories in Pulp Metal Magazine, I thought I was prepared for Apostle Rising… oh, foolish girl!
The third night in, reading Apostle Rising, I awoke in that sinister, slivery hour between midnight and pre-dawn… from a horrible nightmare… heart pounding in my chest, body drenched in sweat and a scream threatening to spill over my lips… an itching between my shoulder blades and the image of a dark, silvery blade dripping with blood locked in my brain. Oh… my… god!
Yes… Apostle Rising is THAT good!
Apostle Rising is a police procedural/psychological thriller of the first order… dark, twisted and suspenseful. Richard gives nothing away in his narrative… no red herrings… no leading one down the garden path. From the very first page, one knows this is not going to be a pretty ride. Richard’s writing has a dark, sinister feel that, for fans of crime/horror, is irresistible to put down and impossible to ignore. His rich, dark, imaginative prose draws one in much like one of those water vortices in the northern Atlantic… undeniably powerful and compelling.
Ahh… but, we were talking about a novel, not water phenomena, weren’t we?
More than a quarter century previous, Detective Chief Inspector Frank Castle of the Metropolitan police was unable to mark ‘closed’ to the Woodlands Killer case; a case which almost destroyed Castle’s career and left him with deep psychological scars.
The ghosts of those long unsolved murders from decades past still haunt Frank, and now with what appears to be a copycat killer on the loose, DCI Castle, along with his new partner, DI Jacki Stone, is once again drawn into a madman’s dark desires and lusts.
I am trying to be careful here, and not reveal too much, so… this might be a good place to add a SPOILER ALERT! Proceed at your own risk… you have been warned!
As the body count mounts, Castle and Stone become enmeshed in a nightmare that may very well end both their careers, as well as Jacki’s marriage. At times, Frank seems either unaware or unable (or, unwilling?) to escape the monster’s(s) influence, so blind has he become in his singular quest to bring a killer to justice and redeem himself.
Castle’s ‘custom’ with the ‘ladies of the night’ reveals not only the frailty of his psyche, but also his determination to see justice… at whatever cost!
Will Frank become the monster he seeks to destroy? That is a question the reader is forced to ask themselves, as we watch helplessly, the dark metamorphosis of a once proud and honourable man. DCI Castle seems only too willing to cross the line between good and evil in a desperate attempt to stop a madman.
One wants (perhaps, though… this is only me)… feels the need to… to put the book down occasionally… if only to give their mind a brief respite from the tension… the dark horror… the mesmerizing litany of the mysterious ‘Order’s’ perverted agenda… the stark look into the mind of a killer(s) so lost in his (?) own twisted, evil psychosis that one feels a shiver of fear run down their spine, and wonders… not for the first time, perhaps… if they remembered to set the dead-bolt.
The dark-haired girl tried to run… escape… but the air surrounding her was thick… it had a weight that pulled her down…
Oops! Sorry… little flashback to that nightmare I had earlier (shudder).
Too often in reviews, comparisons between authors come out sounding trite or forced… I tend to stay away from them myself, unless…
Apostle Rising is how [Stephen] King would write if he did noir… the relentless, escalating horror of Richard’s deftly written prose leaves one on the edge… breathless… having serious second thoughts perhaps, about taking that evening walk unaccompanied.
Engrossing, beautifully written horror… with the technical detail of a first class police procedural, Apostle Rising is a ‘must-read’ for any fan of crime fiction or horror.
A final thought on Richard Godwin’s debut novel -
I have read countless books, seen countless movies… the ‘monsters’ in those pale in comparison to the walking evil in Apostle Rising.
Thank you,
Veronica Marie Lewis-Shaw
Portland, Oregon
26 December 2011
April 5, 2011
Article first published as Book Review: Apostle Rising by Richard Godwin on Blogcritics.
In the age-old debate of nature versus nurture in the formation of a murderer, one has to wonder what happens when you put fanaticism in the mix. In Apostle Rising by Richard Godwin, you will find a dark and sinister mystery that may beg to answer the question.
Following the leads of a new and vicious group of murders, Detective Chief Inspector Frank Castle finds himself back in to the same nightmare that destroyed his family and life years earlier. In the original case, the murderer was known as the Woodlands Killer because of where he left his victims. Knowing in his gut who the killer was and yet not able to find proof created a living, breathing hell for Castle. His entire life became the case; it got inside his head in a way that was not healthy. His wife left him and he became a mockery due to press exposure of the case. Pressure from the case continued to hold sway and Castle turned to alcohol, another way to drown his pain.
Now many years later there is a copycat, killing in much the same way. Castle is convinced that his old nemesis is behind the game. He and his partner DI Jacki Stone, race against time to gather the clues and stop the new murderer before he kills again. Castle is convinced that Karl Black is behind these killings as well, there is religious fervor in the destruction of the body; the deaths are brutal and sadistic.
Drawn deep into the fabric of the newest killing spree, Jacki understands the hypnotic and psychological pull of the case. Her life has now begun to twist in the same fashion as her husband leaves her for another woman. Unable to pull back from the precipice she continues on the case to find this sick and masochistic maniac as bodies begin to pile up. Getting in the mind of such a killer is tantamount to losing your soul, but she understands that Castle needs her help. He cannot do this without her, and she believes she is strong enough to withstand the pressure without breaking. Can they follow the clues to find the real killer? Is Karl Black involved, or is it as the press portrayed, just another mishandling of a serial case from the prior years? Will Castle be able to redeem himself? The new killer is invisible but Castle is convinced that Black is the puppet master. Can he prove his theories?
In Apostle Rising, Richard Godwin has written a brutal and suspenseful mystery, dotted with murders and mayhem throughout. The murders are graphic; crafted with visual process the scenes bring the picture to mind. The story has a dark and fanatical backdrop, with threads that interconnect. The suspense and mystery are superb; you never understand the emotional depravity until the end. It is an end you never see coming.
Castle is a charismatic and likable character. His damaged psyche is a part of what draws you to his fragile and one-track mind. He is determined to track his nemesis and solve both sets of murders. He is often in the fog of alcohol, which is now a part of his life. His depiction keeps you eager to find his thoughts and solutions, hanging on his knowledge.
Jacki is tough and yet she too is a figure that draws your sympathy. Castle is like a father figure to her, and she feels as though he needs her strength. She is hurt by her husband’s treachery, but angry as well. Not sure if she can allow him back, she continues to push him away. She is slowing losing the battle to hold her mind and keep it clear from the psychological workings of Karl Dark.
I would recommend this novel for those who love thrillers. Be prepared as the scenes are visual and quite graphic. The pace is a bit slow with the evolution of the new killer, and with a look into the inner workings of his mind. The tension keeps the read going, and leads you in an unexpected direction. Godwin has created a great whodunit. This book stays with you long after the final page.
This book was received free from the author through his publicist. All opinions are my own based off my reading and understanding of the material.
In the age-old debate of nature versus nurture in the formation of a murderer, one has to wonder what happens when you put fanaticism in the mix. In Apostle Rising by Richard Godwin, you will find a dark and sinister mystery that may beg to answer the question.
Following the leads of a new and vicious group of murders, Detective Chief Inspector Frank Castle finds himself back in to the same nightmare that destroyed his family and life years earlier. In the original case, the murderer was known as the Woodlands Killer because of where he left his victims. Knowing in his gut who the killer was and yet not able to find proof created a living, breathing hell for Castle. His entire life became the case; it got inside his head in a way that was not healthy. His wife left him and he became a mockery due to press exposure of the case. Pressure from the case continued to hold sway and Castle turned to alcohol, another way to drown his pain.
Now many years later there is a copycat, killing in much the same way. Castle is convinced that his old nemesis is behind the game. He and his partner DI Jacki Stone, race against time to gather the clues and stop the new murderer before he kills again. Castle is convinced that Karl Black is behind these killings as well, there is religious fervor in the destruction of the body; the deaths are brutal and sadistic.
Drawn deep into the fabric of the newest killing spree, Jacki understands the hypnotic and psychological pull of the case. Her life has now begun to twist in the same fashion as her husband leaves her for another woman. Unable to pull back from the precipice she continues on the case to find this sick and masochistic maniac as bodies begin to pile up. Getting in the mind of such a killer is tantamount to losing your soul, but she understands that Castle needs her help. He cannot do this without her, and she believes she is strong enough to withstand the pressure without breaking. Can they follow the clues to find the real killer? Is Karl Black involved, or is it as the press portrayed, just another mishandling of a serial case from the prior years? Will Castle be able to redeem himself? The new killer is invisible but Castle is convinced that Black is the puppet master. Can he prove his theories?
In Apostle Rising, Richard Godwin has written a brutal and suspenseful mystery, dotted with murders and mayhem throughout. The murders are graphic; crafted with visual process the scenes bring the picture to mind. The story has a dark and fanatical backdrop, with threads that interconnect. The suspense and mystery are superb; you never understand the emotional depravity until the end. It is an end you never see coming.
Castle is a charismatic and likable character. His damaged psyche is a part of what draws you to his fragile and one-track mind. He is determined to track his nemesis and solve both sets of murders. He is often in the fog of alcohol, which is now a part of his life. His depiction keeps you eager to find his thoughts and solutions, hanging on his knowledge.
Jacki is tough and yet she too is a figure that draws your sympathy. Castle is like a father figure to her, and she feels as though he needs her strength. She is hurt by her husband’s treachery, but angry as well. Not sure if she can allow him back, she continues to push him away. She is slowing losing the battle to hold her mind and keep it clear from the psychological workings of Karl Dark.
I would recommend this novel for those who love thrillers. Be prepared as the scenes are visual and quite graphic. The pace is a bit slow with the evolution of the new killer, and with a look into the inner workings of his mind. The tension keeps the read going, and leads you in an unexpected direction. Godwin has created a great whodunit. This book stays with you long after the final page.
This book was received free from the author through his publicist. All opinions are my own based off my reading and understanding of the material.
October 6, 2011
With the same single-minded obsession with which Javert hunted Jean Valjean in Les Miserables, Chief Inspector Frank Castle will not be derailed in his pursuit of the blood trail leading to a maniacal killer. Unlike Valjean whose only crime was to break a window and steal a loaf of bread for his starving sister and children, this murderer is a serial killer who grotesquely hacks his victims, then crucifies them on the trees of Richmond Park!
For Castle the heinous killings are a detective’s deja-vu. Nearly 30 years before, he was the one in charge of an earlier case with the same modus operandi, a case that went unsolved, cost Castle his marriage and nearly destroyed him. Now these horrific bloody murders have resumed and Castle, with his partner Jacki Stone, burdened with her own marital demons, is granted a second chance to bring justice and closure to a case, once cold, and now reheated to fever pitch. Castle is convinced that Karl Black is the psychopathic beast responsible for the earlier Woodland Crucifixions. He is determined this time, with the help of his partner and forensic DNA unavailable back then, to apprehend Black. Meanwhile, the dead-ends, the frustrations revisited on him, the mounting numbers of dead bodies found, continue to take their toll on him. He tackles each day, moving through the investigation in a downward spiraling whisky haze.
Apostle Rising by Richard Godwin is no run-of-the-mill novel, dashed off in the heat of a plot-driven story. It is carefully researched, a kind of verbal road map that invites the reader down roads that appear solution-bound but instead lead to ingenious dead-ends. The reader is compelled to continue reading, the thought foremost in the reader’s mind: “Who could have done this?” Like an adept journalist Godwin meticulously lays out the what, where, when, and how, keeping the reader hooked into the suspenseful plot as the who and why unravel towards the end.
As an excellent crime-fiction detective, Chief Inspector Frank Castle stands way up there with Edgar Alan Poe‘s C. August Dupin in “The Murders in the Rue Morgue,” Arthur Conan Doyle‘s Sherlock Holmes novels, Dashell Hammett‘s Sam Spade, and Elmore Learonard’s Timothy Olyphant.
As an avid reader of crime novels, I predict that Apostle Rising will certainly become another classic in the literature of crime fiction.
I highly recommend you purchase a copy of Apostle Rising for the pure delight of reading a novel that satisfies, one written by an author whose expertise is evidenced in this novel and the numerous crime short stories he has written over the years.
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Salvatore Buttaci is the author of two flash collections published by All Things That Matter Press: Flashing My Shorts and 200 Shorts.
September 29, 2011
Detective Chief Inspector Frank Castle descended deep down into a strange and murky world 28 long years ago. When he was still a young officer Castle was involved in the hunt for the “Woodlands Killer,” so named because of the location the horribly mutilated victims were found.
Though Castle was convinced the killer was a man named Karl Black, not only could Castle not gather enough evidence to have Black arrested, but Black was able to play mind games with Castle that had devastating consequences. Determined to prove Black was the killer, Castle spiraled into an obsession that cost him his marriage, a great deal of respect among his colleagues, and very nearly his sanity.
The “Woodlands Killer” was never caught.
Now, 28 years later, a new series of killings are occurring that mimic those from long ago. His colleagues think it the work of a copycat, but Castle isn’t so sure. Especially not with Karl Black still in the area, now running a sinister cult and every bit as willing to jump back into playing mind games with Castle. This time, however, Castle isn’t alone in his pursuit of Black. His young partner, DI Jackie Stone, is ready and willing to help Castle tackle the case. But as Castle sees Stone starting to fall into the same pattern of obsession and self-destruction he went through Castle is forced to make a tough choice: pursue Black at all costs, or save Stone – and himself – from a descent into the depths of madness?
In his debut full-length work author Richard Godwin has taken the best aspects of horror, police procedurals, and thrillers and deftly stitched them together into a riveting exploration of the path of destruction, both physical and psychological, that occurs when two police officers are willing to risk everything to go up against a sadistic, ritualistic killer bent on carrying out his twisted obsession.
The prose flows beautifully and seamlessly, which makes it all the more startling when an episode of violence rips into the narrative. And do be warned, the body count is high – as Castle notes at one point, “If this guy keeps up at this rate, there’ll be no hookers left.” – and the murders are described in graphic detail. Far from being gratuitous, however, Godwin employs the brutality of the crimes to remind the reader of what’s at stake and what Castle and Stone are up against, both in terms of saving potential victims as well as their own sanity.
But as Castle and Stone spiral ever deeper into the case and their obsession with Black they are forced to confront details that don’t quite add up and to ask themselves, are they really after the right man? Gripping from start to finish, and with an ending I guarantee you won’t see coming, Apostle Rising is a seriously intense and creepy piece of work.
Though Castle was convinced the killer was a man named Karl Black, not only could Castle not gather enough evidence to have Black arrested, but Black was able to play mind games with Castle that had devastating consequences. Determined to prove Black was the killer, Castle spiraled into an obsession that cost him his marriage, a great deal of respect among his colleagues, and very nearly his sanity.
The “Woodlands Killer” was never caught.
Now, 28 years later, a new series of killings are occurring that mimic those from long ago. His colleagues think it the work of a copycat, but Castle isn’t so sure. Especially not with Karl Black still in the area, now running a sinister cult and every bit as willing to jump back into playing mind games with Castle. This time, however, Castle isn’t alone in his pursuit of Black. His young partner, DI Jackie Stone, is ready and willing to help Castle tackle the case. But as Castle sees Stone starting to fall into the same pattern of obsession and self-destruction he went through Castle is forced to make a tough choice: pursue Black at all costs, or save Stone – and himself – from a descent into the depths of madness?
In his debut full-length work author Richard Godwin has taken the best aspects of horror, police procedurals, and thrillers and deftly stitched them together into a riveting exploration of the path of destruction, both physical and psychological, that occurs when two police officers are willing to risk everything to go up against a sadistic, ritualistic killer bent on carrying out his twisted obsession.
The prose flows beautifully and seamlessly, which makes it all the more startling when an episode of violence rips into the narrative. And do be warned, the body count is high – as Castle notes at one point, “If this guy keeps up at this rate, there’ll be no hookers left.” – and the murders are described in graphic detail. Far from being gratuitous, however, Godwin employs the brutality of the crimes to remind the reader of what’s at stake and what Castle and Stone are up against, both in terms of saving potential victims as well as their own sanity.
But as Castle and Stone spiral ever deeper into the case and their obsession with Black they are forced to confront details that don’t quite add up and to ask themselves, are they really after the right man? Gripping from start to finish, and with an ending I guarantee you won’t see coming, Apostle Rising is a seriously intense and creepy piece of work.
April 9, 2011
Apostle Rising by Richard Godwin is the story of evil at its most fundamental level--that of mankind.
Someone is getting away with murder and it is Detective Chief Inspector Frank Castle’s job to bring the killer to justice. Collect the evidence, follow the clues, snap the cuffs on, and home in time for dinner with the family, right? Oh so wrong. This killer wasn’t playing by TV crime show rules. He wrote his own, and being held accountable for his depravity was not among them. The best laid plans often fail to come to fruition, and this monster crept away into the night. Left in his wake, however, was more than dead bodies. The victim left alive was Frank Castle. He lost his family, his sense of order, the respect of many and the illusion of sanity. Life went on, as did his obsession.
Years later, the nightmare begins again, and the victims are not the only ones being crucified. Frank Castle’s anger and fear are brought to the surface as death once again stalks the streets. Is it the same killer who eluded him years before, come back to satiate desires to torture and murder, as well as to push Frank over that last hurdle into insanity once and for all? Is it all part of his diabolical scenario to force Frank to watch helplessly as his new partner, DI Jackie Stone, falls headlong into the same dark well of despair as the killer nourishes the seeds of the obsession she shares with Frank?
This is not the story of caped crusaders. No laser eyes or spider-like reflexes or instincts present. Frank and Jackie are the human kind of crime fighter. The kind with hopes and needs and flaws just like the rest of us. What sets them apart is their dedication to protect the innocent from the demons that at times walk freely among us who are always thirsting for one more soul. Is this new killer a specter from the past, or is it a deranged copycat paying homage to his psychopathic hero?
Join Frank Castle and Jackie Stone as they try to unravel layer after layer of confusion and chaos in their search for the truth and try to stop a madman’s deadly rampage. And in the end? We can only pray they are the ones left standing.
Someone is getting away with murder and it is Detective Chief Inspector Frank Castle’s job to bring the killer to justice. Collect the evidence, follow the clues, snap the cuffs on, and home in time for dinner with the family, right? Oh so wrong. This killer wasn’t playing by TV crime show rules. He wrote his own, and being held accountable for his depravity was not among them. The best laid plans often fail to come to fruition, and this monster crept away into the night. Left in his wake, however, was more than dead bodies. The victim left alive was Frank Castle. He lost his family, his sense of order, the respect of many and the illusion of sanity. Life went on, as did his obsession.
Years later, the nightmare begins again, and the victims are not the only ones being crucified. Frank Castle’s anger and fear are brought to the surface as death once again stalks the streets. Is it the same killer who eluded him years before, come back to satiate desires to torture and murder, as well as to push Frank over that last hurdle into insanity once and for all? Is it all part of his diabolical scenario to force Frank to watch helplessly as his new partner, DI Jackie Stone, falls headlong into the same dark well of despair as the killer nourishes the seeds of the obsession she shares with Frank?
This is not the story of caped crusaders. No laser eyes or spider-like reflexes or instincts present. Frank and Jackie are the human kind of crime fighter. The kind with hopes and needs and flaws just like the rest of us. What sets them apart is their dedication to protect the innocent from the demons that at times walk freely among us who are always thirsting for one more soul. Is this new killer a specter from the past, or is it a deranged copycat paying homage to his psychopathic hero?
Join Frank Castle and Jackie Stone as they try to unravel layer after layer of confusion and chaos in their search for the truth and try to stop a madman’s deadly rampage. And in the end? We can only pray they are the ones left standing.
June 30, 2011
Apostle Rising mixes a number of genres, and does it flawlessly. There are elements of the police procedural, with two sets of connected serial killings being investigated. There are horrific elements that are a match for anything you’ll read in a straight horror novel. And there are edge-of-your-seat twists and turns that keep your head spinning and which are the basics of the thriller. The final twist caught me completely by surprise even though I read a lot of thrillers and am generally pretty good at picking out the hints. This one had me smiling because it was just perfect, and yet I never saw it coming.
The story is also written in luminous and often poetic prose:“The woods are cast deep in folded meadow shade, hues of blackness tinged with the heavy odours of autumn, rotting to nothing in the scattered leaves where insects scurry and blind slugs creep and grope their way to mulch.”
One of the main reasons I picked up this book is because I’d read a number of Godwin’s short stories and always enjoyed his prose. Godwin is a helluva stylist and I’m a sucker for beautiful language, especially when it is combined with a dark sensibility that gives it backbone.
Finally, we have good characters, both heroes and villains. I like heroes who hurt but move ahead despite the pain, characters who stand for something, who fight the good fight. Frank Castle and Jacki Stone have those qualities. And the villains (there are more than one) are a good match for our heroes. Overall this is a very strong outing for what I believe is Godwin’s first novel. I’m looking for even greater things ahead for this writer.
The story is also written in luminous and often poetic prose:“The woods are cast deep in folded meadow shade, hues of blackness tinged with the heavy odours of autumn, rotting to nothing in the scattered leaves where insects scurry and blind slugs creep and grope their way to mulch.”
One of the main reasons I picked up this book is because I’d read a number of Godwin’s short stories and always enjoyed his prose. Godwin is a helluva stylist and I’m a sucker for beautiful language, especially when it is combined with a dark sensibility that gives it backbone.
Finally, we have good characters, both heroes and villains. I like heroes who hurt but move ahead despite the pain, characters who stand for something, who fight the good fight. Frank Castle and Jacki Stone have those qualities. And the villains (there are more than one) are a good match for our heroes. Overall this is a very strong outing for what I believe is Godwin’s first novel. I’m looking for even greater things ahead for this writer.
August 7, 2012
Debut novel by Richard Godwin and it's like it was written by someone that does this all the time.
This is what I've called elsewhere a true mystery.
Usually, what you get when you read a mystery is, for instance, someone going around offing people and the writer tends to give up around the third page and says, "Screw it. I'm going to let everyone in on the identity of the killer."
So we know who the killer is and now the writer focuses on the cops or the P.I. or some old lady that should really be minding her own business trying to hunt down this maniac.
And that's what passes for mystery stories in our fiction.
Not in Richard Godwin's fiction.
In Richard's world, gruesome crime scenes are a reality. In Richard's world, sometimes the killers get away. In Richard's world, there are actions and there are consequences and sometimes the wrong people get hurt.
And in Richard's world, the mystery of who the killer or killers are remains a mystery until it's actually time to reveal that card. And the placement of that card simply means that another, an even bigger trump, is waiting around the corner.
And that's because Richard's world is the real world. The one that we all live in and the one that some of us die in and the one that has gruesome murder crime scenes and consequences and hurt, devastated, broken people.
No matter what you say, I think you'd rather live in Richard's world than live in some fantasy land where you're told everything is going to be all right because it just ain't so.
This is what I've called elsewhere a true mystery.
Usually, what you get when you read a mystery is, for instance, someone going around offing people and the writer tends to give up around the third page and says, "Screw it. I'm going to let everyone in on the identity of the killer."
So we know who the killer is and now the writer focuses on the cops or the P.I. or some old lady that should really be minding her own business trying to hunt down this maniac.
And that's what passes for mystery stories in our fiction.
Not in Richard Godwin's fiction.
In Richard's world, gruesome crime scenes are a reality. In Richard's world, sometimes the killers get away. In Richard's world, there are actions and there are consequences and sometimes the wrong people get hurt.
And in Richard's world, the mystery of who the killer or killers are remains a mystery until it's actually time to reveal that card. And the placement of that card simply means that another, an even bigger trump, is waiting around the corner.
And that's because Richard's world is the real world. The one that we all live in and the one that some of us die in and the one that has gruesome murder crime scenes and consequences and hurt, devastated, broken people.
No matter what you say, I think you'd rather live in Richard's world than live in some fantasy land where you're told everything is going to be all right because it just ain't so.
May 31, 2011
3.5 stars. Reviewed by Mona at RexRobotReviews.com
With an eye for detail, Richard Godwin's Apostle Rising is an intensely riveting, horrifying crime story. Vividly detailed, Godwin ensnares the mind as it entices the reader to look deeper into criminology, the minds of a killer and the people who capture them.
In what at first reminded me of a technical manual on police procedure, this book became an enthralling and gruesome story I just couldn't put down. The characters blend well in this story, as the characters evolved with the plot I found myself relating to them more. This writer tossed me into the story, I feel like I know the characters.
I found my heart pounding as I continued to read. The visual details bring to life a deep, dark visceral murder mystery that had me on the edge of my seat! I reccommed this book to those of you willing to delve a bit more into a darker, creepy mind, as well as those that love the complex, technical side of murder. Not reccommended for those of a soft stomach!
With an eye for detail, Richard Godwin's Apostle Rising is an intensely riveting, horrifying crime story. Vividly detailed, Godwin ensnares the mind as it entices the reader to look deeper into criminology, the minds of a killer and the people who capture them.
In what at first reminded me of a technical manual on police procedure, this book became an enthralling and gruesome story I just couldn't put down. The characters blend well in this story, as the characters evolved with the plot I found myself relating to them more. This writer tossed me into the story, I feel like I know the characters.
I found my heart pounding as I continued to read. The visual details bring to life a deep, dark visceral murder mystery that had me on the edge of my seat! I reccommed this book to those of you willing to delve a bit more into a darker, creepy mind, as well as those that love the complex, technical side of murder. Not reccommended for those of a soft stomach!
December 29, 2012
Godwin offers a brutal tale of murder, trauma and heartbreaking suffering. Castle and Stone face a villain whose chutzpah is matched only by his malevolence -- and his seeming inability to get caught. Castle, haunted by the elusive killer years before, has been consumed by the case, drinking his way out of his marriage and nearly his job. Stone finds herself slipping toward the same fate, and begins fighting her way back from it. The addition of a second set of serial murders seems impossibly vicious -- the only thing worse is that the two killers seem to be working in concert.
Not for the faint of heart, Apostle Rising offers a bloody bouquet of excruciating murders and bizarre religious mania. Right down to the final, cruel twist of discovery, each page offers more horror. But you read on in hopes that Castle and Stone will survive ad that they will finally stop the unrepentant mastermind behind the crimes. Prepare your heart for darkness -- and like most of the characters in this book, you'll probably want a strong glass of something to help you bear it.
Not for the faint of heart, Apostle Rising offers a bloody bouquet of excruciating murders and bizarre religious mania. Right down to the final, cruel twist of discovery, each page offers more horror. But you read on in hopes that Castle and Stone will survive ad that they will finally stop the unrepentant mastermind behind the crimes. Prepare your heart for darkness -- and like most of the characters in this book, you'll probably want a strong glass of something to help you bear it.
May 6, 2011
Richard Godwin shows an amazing ability to present an evil so real it will sneak into the reader's reality as well as the fictional reality of Apostle Rising's cast of characters. I've been reading a long time and have only rarely experienced the kind of disquiet this book produces in the reader's mind. Don't expect a man in a monster mask jumping from the shadows and yelling BOO! It's not that kind of book (though one scene had that exact effect on me and I don't scare easy). A masterful exposition of what happens inside the mind of a psychopathic killer and the minds of the police officers who have to wade through the horrific damage it wreaks on their own souls. A unique first novel I shall remember for years.
July 18, 2011
A simply stunning debut novel. Richard Godwin gives us a darkly poetic, deeply visceral tale of religious fanaticsm, political intrigue, and fractured minds on both sides of the law. For nearly four hundred pages each short chapter is as the thrust of the knife the killer is using to hack up a slew of victims, leaving Detective Inspector Frank Castle flailing in his wake. Always one step behind, Castle struggles to keep a grip of his own fragmenting sense of reality as the killer ploughs relentlessly on.
An intelligent, disturbing, beautifully written debut novel from a writer plying his craft from within the darkest reaches of the human psyche.
An intelligent, disturbing, beautifully written debut novel from a writer plying his craft from within the darkest reaches of the human psyche.
March 9, 2011
Richard Godwin has written a fantastic thriller that had me riveted through the entire book. One of the few that I've read in less than 24 hours, it will have you on the edge of your seat the entire time. His ability to tell the story through multiple characters was well done and intriguing, I promise you won't be disappointed with this one. The book left me breathless and dying for a sequel!
May 12, 2012
After reading Richard Godwin's book Mr. Glamour, I asked myself how anything else could live up to that quality of writing. Apostle Rising did that and then some!! It was brilliant and entertaining beyond words!!
I never imagined that the story would play out like it did. I was hooked from the first word until the last, and I can't wait for a sequel!!
There will be a sequel, right?????
I never imagined that the story would play out like it did. I was hooked from the first word until the last, and I can't wait for a sequel!!
There will be a sequel, right?????
November 3, 2011
Very well written, with an interesting plot line - 2 serial killers who are somehow interlinked. Also with an interesting twist towards the end. Some very graphic scenes in it, especially towards the end!
September 5, 2012
Loved it. Going to seek out everything Godwin has written...
October 16, 2019
I'm perplexed by this book. I'm reading it because it has almost universally great reviews on Goodreads and yet..
..I think it's dreadful and junked it after 133 pages.
The characters are flimsy after 133 pages DI Castle has drunk so many whiskies that I'm not surprised he's having problems catching the killer(s). I'm surprised he can even put his socks on.
The villain Black is utterly shallow, how on earth he's supposed to have sufficient force of personality to assemble a Charles Manson-esque bevy of followers is quite beyond my comprehension.
And as for the bodies, I've already lost count and I'm barely a third of the way through.
Reviewers remark upon the attention to detail but fail to question how the prostitute killer is able to pull his victim's head back by her hair with his left hand, apply chloroform with his right, whilst simultaneously driving a car? Are we to believe that he does this whilst waiting for the lights to change or he simply takes his hands of the wheel?
I note that the author is also a Londoner, which leaves me wondering when he's ever seen street walkers in Greek Street?
It's well paced and I was turning the pages quite quickly but apart from that I can't find anything positive to say in defence of this tripe. Life's too short to plough through the rest of it.
..I think it's dreadful and junked it after 133 pages.
The characters are flimsy after 133 pages DI Castle has drunk so many whiskies that I'm not surprised he's having problems catching the killer(s). I'm surprised he can even put his socks on.
The villain Black is utterly shallow, how on earth he's supposed to have sufficient force of personality to assemble a Charles Manson-esque bevy of followers is quite beyond my comprehension.
And as for the bodies, I've already lost count and I'm barely a third of the way through.
Reviewers remark upon the attention to detail but fail to question how the prostitute killer is able to pull his victim's head back by her hair with his left hand, apply chloroform with his right, whilst simultaneously driving a car? Are we to believe that he does this whilst waiting for the lights to change or he simply takes his hands of the wheel?
I note that the author is also a Londoner, which leaves me wondering when he's ever seen street walkers in Greek Street?
It's well paced and I was turning the pages quite quickly but apart from that I can't find anything positive to say in defence of this tripe. Life's too short to plough through the rest of it.
April 23, 2019
Apostle Unbound By Richard Godwin. 10 February 2019 at 20:16
Apostle UnboundApostle Unbound by Richard Godwin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Apostle Unbound is written by Richard Godwin. I have been given an advanced copy to read, with no obligation to review, but I just had to review this anyway. Excellently written, this is my kind of story. I don’t watch a lot of TV., but this would be what I was looking to watch.
It is a good old crime with a few deluded serial killers. I think it has 11 sections and approximately seven chapters within the sections, so a nice long read, but it felt like it took two minutes. I am not sure which way round I have read the book, as in if it follows another book. This may be the second in the series, but it ended as if there will be another; which I will definitely read.
I don’t like risking any spoilers, so I won't get too much into the nitty-gritty, but I would recommend reading it if you are a crime fiction person. I would also warn that the murder scenes are graphic.
Apostle UnboundApostle Unbound by Richard Godwin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Apostle Unbound is written by Richard Godwin. I have been given an advanced copy to read, with no obligation to review, but I just had to review this anyway. Excellently written, this is my kind of story. I don’t watch a lot of TV., but this would be what I was looking to watch.
It is a good old crime with a few deluded serial killers. I think it has 11 sections and approximately seven chapters within the sections, so a nice long read, but it felt like it took two minutes. I am not sure which way round I have read the book, as in if it follows another book. This may be the second in the series, but it ended as if there will be another; which I will definitely read.
I don’t like risking any spoilers, so I won't get too much into the nitty-gritty, but I would recommend reading it if you are a crime fiction person. I would also warn that the murder scenes are graphic.
March 8, 2013
This, according to the jacket blurb, is Richard Godwin's first venture into the realm of the crime novel, and for all of me he can return to his previous pursuits. The way Apostle Rising ends, however, a sequel seems inevitable, though I won't be along for the ride. I see that those who came to Goodreads before me on this topic disagree with my assessment, but it wouldn't be the first time I submitted a minority opinion.
What's the matter, you ask? Godwin has a reputation, I guess, in the noir world, and Apostle has a healthy dose of that. Chief Inspector Castle is a raging alcoholic with all kinds of other emotional handicaps. His sidekick, Stone, is having severe marital problems, many of which are her own fault. Although Godwin tries to lay their dysfunctions at the door of the gruesome work they do, it's hard to buy that there's any excuse at all for their behavior and attitudes. And their troubles affect their work in pursuing a couple of serial killers with nasty religious attitudes. They're often slow on the uptake, clumsy in their interviews. Most notably in the case of a wealthy businessman they know will be targeted, but for whom they wait till tomorrow to provide protection instead of doing so immediately, which would have saved his life and shortened the investigation.
The there are the manifestos. Long, rambling, religious tracts supposedly from the notebook of the killer (whose identity we don't know.) After the first three or four, I just skipped the repetitive rest. Plus, the same sentiments in almost the same words get repeated while we're in the killer's mind as he goes about his bloody work. The bodies pile up in numbers so huge as to be laughable rather than terrifying. Also, speaking of repetition, the police profiler conducts sessions in which he reiterates his theories as if we and the inspectors haven't heard them before.
All in all a most unsatisfying piece of work involving people with virtually no sympathetic or likable traits.
What's the matter, you ask? Godwin has a reputation, I guess, in the noir world, and Apostle has a healthy dose of that. Chief Inspector Castle is a raging alcoholic with all kinds of other emotional handicaps. His sidekick, Stone, is having severe marital problems, many of which are her own fault. Although Godwin tries to lay their dysfunctions at the door of the gruesome work they do, it's hard to buy that there's any excuse at all for their behavior and attitudes. And their troubles affect their work in pursuing a couple of serial killers with nasty religious attitudes. They're often slow on the uptake, clumsy in their interviews. Most notably in the case of a wealthy businessman they know will be targeted, but for whom they wait till tomorrow to provide protection instead of doing so immediately, which would have saved his life and shortened the investigation.
The there are the manifestos. Long, rambling, religious tracts supposedly from the notebook of the killer (whose identity we don't know.) After the first three or four, I just skipped the repetitive rest. Plus, the same sentiments in almost the same words get repeated while we're in the killer's mind as he goes about his bloody work. The bodies pile up in numbers so huge as to be laughable rather than terrifying. Also, speaking of repetition, the police profiler conducts sessions in which he reiterates his theories as if we and the inspectors haven't heard them before.
All in all a most unsatisfying piece of work involving people with virtually no sympathetic or likable traits.
March 7, 2011
2.5 stars
It was ok. If I was asked to recommend this book to a friend or family, I would describe it as an airplane book. Something a casual reader grabs to read on the plane because they stupidly forgot to charge their laptop. You know, the person who runs into the gift shop, stops at the first rack of books on display, flips over a few covers and then tosses it at the cashier. Hey, I've been there--and got burnt every time. Airports have a small selection that tends to lean toward bestseller crime/detective novels. Obviously, it is because they a. sell and b. are popular. As I was told recently, most have what the industry calls a winning formula. However, this formulaic novel fell very flat for me. The main character is a seasoned detective who failed on an old case and when the killer appears to resurface, he is determined to get it right this time. He has a drinking problem, whiskey, and a younger, sexier female partner with relationship problems. In my opinion, if you are going to use a 'winning' formula, then you have to develop the characters in a way that makes me care. Let's face it, why should I? I mean the fictional world is over-crowded with middle-aged white detectives with a drinking problem. As a reader, if you want me to invest in a journey to solve a problem then you must provide good company. After the fifth body, and a wandering pair of cut-outs I truly lost all interest. After a hundred pages I should be going somewhere, but I found myself wishing the serial killer would just off the detectives so we could all go home.
It was ok. If I was asked to recommend this book to a friend or family, I would describe it as an airplane book. Something a casual reader grabs to read on the plane because they stupidly forgot to charge their laptop. You know, the person who runs into the gift shop, stops at the first rack of books on display, flips over a few covers and then tosses it at the cashier. Hey, I've been there--and got burnt every time. Airports have a small selection that tends to lean toward bestseller crime/detective novels. Obviously, it is because they a. sell and b. are popular. As I was told recently, most have what the industry calls a winning formula. However, this formulaic novel fell very flat for me. The main character is a seasoned detective who failed on an old case and when the killer appears to resurface, he is determined to get it right this time. He has a drinking problem, whiskey, and a younger, sexier female partner with relationship problems. In my opinion, if you are going to use a 'winning' formula, then you have to develop the characters in a way that makes me care. Let's face it, why should I? I mean the fictional world is over-crowded with middle-aged white detectives with a drinking problem. As a reader, if you want me to invest in a journey to solve a problem then you must provide good company. After the fifth body, and a wandering pair of cut-outs I truly lost all interest. After a hundred pages I should be going somewhere, but I found myself wishing the serial killer would just off the detectives so we could all go home.
July 31, 2013
Ghastly, hackney'd, cliche ridden police procedural crime novel. It is very brutal which is overly described but even this I found excusable given the genre. The real problem with this novel is the ridiculously over blown descriptions of setting, continual references to the main character as being a 'jaded drunk' /washed up policeman- he actually says this to his partner at one point after the writer had had at least 2 other characters notice it and references the main characters extensive drinking habits, at which point I had to wonder how stupid the novelist thought I was that I couldn't grasp his first basic character cliche!
The female partner is the usual mix of physical kick ass perfection but with so much doubt in herself as 'a woman' that she clings to a philandering husband and is easily upset by some very basic name calling by the villain. Speaking of which numerous references to his blackness and ability to manipulate people and 'get in their heads' does not substitute for some actual believable menace. This character does nothing more than tell people he's better than them and ways in which they are deficient. To his disciples he spouts high sounding nonsense and demonstrates none of the charisma that is suggested.
Not to ruin the ending but after all this it was a convenient nonsense that basically had very little to do with anything that had gone before.
This was a first novel so hopefully the writer will learn that less is more and show don't tell.
The female partner is the usual mix of physical kick ass perfection but with so much doubt in herself as 'a woman' that she clings to a philandering husband and is easily upset by some very basic name calling by the villain. Speaking of which numerous references to his blackness and ability to manipulate people and 'get in their heads' does not substitute for some actual believable menace. This character does nothing more than tell people he's better than them and ways in which they are deficient. To his disciples he spouts high sounding nonsense and demonstrates none of the charisma that is suggested.
Not to ruin the ending but after all this it was a convenient nonsense that basically had very little to do with anything that had gone before.
This was a first novel so hopefully the writer will learn that less is more and show don't tell.
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