Trick or Treat by Jason Sharp

Seasonal Thriller #1

by Jackson Sharp

Religion, madness and murder align among the teeming spires of Oxford, England, in this terrifying Halloween thriller from Jackson Sharp. Perfect for fans of Karen Rose, Richard Montanari, Chris Carter, and Alastair Gunn As Halloween approaches, the mutilated body of a young woman is found in a remote field, posed to resemble a piece of ancient religious art. Then, when another body is displayed to similarly chilling effect, it's clear that there is a link between the two murders. As panic spreads across Oxford, DI Lauren Rose must stop a killer with a dark and dangerous obsession. But as the investigation deepens, Rose realises that the city is being stalked by an evil that has revealed itself before far from Oxford. And that there is a pattern. A reason for the name The Halloween Killer...

Genres: Horror, Halloween, Thriller, Crime

Paperback

First published October 8, 2015

About the author

Jackson Sharp lives in the UK. Trick or Treat was Jackson's first thriller, and Twelve Deaths of Christmas is his second.

Reviews

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[ItzSmashley · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

Struggled with this one at times, pace was very slow and there wasnt enough content to justify the 350 pages for me. However I did keep going and I thought things picked up toward the end with a decent reveal and ending. Do not think I would reccommend this one though, much better detective thrillers out there.

[Betsy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too British. Too slow. 2 stars

[Jam Sinclair · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I struggled to put it down. Fast-paced and gripping from the start. It kicks off with the discovery of a gruesome murder in Oxford, at the start of October, that leads Inspector Lauren Rose down a much deeper, darkening path. A good amount tension and surprises, and the feeling of time running out is portrayed well. Found myself reading really fast at some points to hurry up and find out more, lol. Also, the book starts with 2 separate stories which flick back and forth from each chapter, like a main story and sub story (that normally bugs me, but here I found both stories equally exciting and could sense they would eventually blend)
The writing style was easy and comfortable to sink in to, and written with good insight and understanding into the mind of the mad and the extremely religious (well it seemed so to me) I felt close to the characters, and liked them. Lauren and DCI Hume are both great. Found it very easy visualising the people and the scenes vividly, which always adds to the feel of 'escapism' :) Really, really enjoyed it. A great Halloween read. Dark and quite gruesome at some points, with a constant feel of something building up, and a good conclusion. Thrilled to now realise there will be a sequel. Can't wait. I think Mr. Sharp did a great job and will definitely be reading more.
Would recommend this to any crime / suspense / horror fans, and some YA fans too.

My rating is 4.5 but as it's Sharp's debut novel I felt it deserved to be rounded up to 5 :)

P.S and I love the cover!

[sophhhhh · Rating 2 out of 5]

what a fucking shit show

[Ali Bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like a gruesome murder or two with a gutsy female Detective this is the book for you. Based around Halloween Detective Lauren Rose has to solve the Trick or Treat murders (gory and not for the faint hearted) conducted by the Halloween Killer. Very descriptive. Set in Oxford so think along the lines of a female Lewis. I enjoyed it very much ...great ending too. Perfect for anytime reading but especially these dark Winter nights. Would make a good film/tv drama.

[Clare · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exciting debut from Jackson Sharp, I especially enjoyed the cliff hanger ending.

[What Is Chelle Reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

For this book being another random find on the @worldofbooksltd website it was excellent!

'Little Mouse' is a child living in a Croatian monastery when it is under attack; Little Mouse is left behind and is shot but, by some miracle, survives. He is starved by 'The Priest' who tells him his survival is God's will and he will now become God's instrument...

DI Lauren Rose is called to a field near Oxford to investigate a crime scene. Katerina Zrinski's body is posed like the painting of Saint Catherine, a harrowing sight for any police officer. Investigations lead her to Prof. Matt Brask who assists her investigations as more bodies are found depicting paintings of tortured Saints. With the investigation flagging cases in Croatia and France, can DI Rose stop the Trick or Treat Killer before someone else dies?

I loved this book - I have zero complaints, the story played out well, no gray areas, no aspect of the story left untold or unclear, the characters are very relatable and the story sounds like a perfect movie to watch on a stormy night with a blanket!

5 out of 5 for this one! Definitely worth it!

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, that was unexpected .. when you pick up a book at a Library sale purely on the cover you may be forgiven for choosing a dud .. but not in this case ..

A brilliant read, especially for the Halloween season .. a very dark, gritty and grizzly crime thriller, plenty of page turning action, a determined and likeable cop, macabre killings and a big slice of Satanic religious ideology .. all stirred up in the cauldron of Oxford during the month of October ..

Not for the faint hearted, but recommended to those who like their killings both gruesome and meticulously planned and their twists cleverly worked out ..

[Ella Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

I meant to time it so I read this book over Halloween but unfortunately I was a little late. I still really enjoyed this book. I found it really gripping from page one and I really looked forward to reading it each night.
The murders were very graphic, but the concept behind the story was very interesting and I liked the little snippets in italics between chapters in the killers mind and it was interesting to see this all come together at the end.
I wasn't a fan of the ending and I would have preferred something a little more conclusive after such a crazy ride.
But overall very enjoyable, especially around spooky season.

[Jo Cleobury · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved this book x

[Amie Monnox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good gripping book does take some commitment to carry the book on but overall well written

[Sonia Critchlow · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a slow to get going this book. Lots of lovely gruesome murders, but a super slow story.

[Vicky Cawkill · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read. Very gruesome and gory.

[Gram · Rating 3 out of 5]

A serial killer thriller which is also a fast read. The basis of the story is that REALLY bad things happen to nice people. The murders are extremely gruesome - possibly too much so for some readers of crime fiction. For most of the book, Jackson Sharp divides the action between the story of a young boy's horrific religious upbringing during the various conflicts in the former Yugoslavia and the police investigation, driven by Detective Inspector Lauren Rose. I didn't really sympathise with her, even though Sharp hammers home that Lauren is a highly effective police officer and that she suffers mightily at the hands of her misogynist colleagues. However her overall boss and an American professor are portrayed as decent men. But, I found that Lauren's constant battle against her bickering, shouting male co-workers does get a bit wearing and tended to spoil the story for me. Otherwise, the tale rattles along with many false trails along the way and has a terrific cliff-hanging ending - with a twist!

[Cliff · Rating 4 out of 5]

A detective series set in Oxford? I thought we'd heard that before but then a new kid on the block appears. However, this is not, very much not, Morse. There are dons in this, yes. But they aren['t getting murdered at sherry parties. There's no dashing around leafy lanes in a vintage Jag while listening to opera. This is police work at the real coal face, on sink estates, home to refugees from the former Yugoslavia. The murders (for there are several) are very nasty and graphically described. The identity of the murderer is obvious from early on in the book, but not until the denoument do we know who s/he is in Oxford. I found the book pacy and well written. The character of DI Rose is sympathetically drawn. There is a whizz bang of a twist at the end!

[Sue Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good, fast paced storyline. The journey's into the killer's mind (in italics between chapters) were a bit deep for me and I wondered if the story really needed them, but about two thirds of the way through they made sense.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a first in what looks to be a series this was a good read, maybe a bit too graphic for some people.

[Jirinka (sony08) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story, but the writing could be better. I found the male-female police banter a little annoying and stereotypical. Overall quite good and I would look out for the next book.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall not a bad read, was pretty predictable in places and I found the over - excessive use of swear words a bit tedious and misplaced, but on a whole still a decent read.

[Andrée · Rating 1 out of 5]

Lauren is not Warshawski sadly and the graphic detail of the muders bordered on 'pain porn'

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read with an ending that makes me want to know more!