Der Herodes-Killer

DCI Rosen #1

by Mark Roberts

«Ich komme nicht aus dem Dunkel. Ich bin das Dunkel.»
Eine grausige Verbrechensserie erschüttert Vier Schwangere wurden schon mit entleertem Bauch gefunden, eine fünfte wird vermisst. Da bekommt Inspector Rosen einen entscheidenden Hinweis. Father Flint, einst der wichtigste Okkultismuskenner im Vatikan, klärt ihn auf, dass der unbekannte Täter ein Vorbild Auf dieselbe Weise mordete ein berüchtigter Satanist aus dem 13. Jahrhundert. Ein Mörder von heute, ein Mörder im Was verbindet ihre Taten?
Und dann erfährt Inspector Rosen den Grund, warum Father Flint in ein einsames englisches Kloster verbannt wurde …
«Mit Komplexität, Tempo und einem Helden, von dem wir bestimmt noch mehr hören werden, präsentiert sich Roberts als ein wirklich origineller Krimiautor mit einem Hang zum Düsteren und Unerwarteten.» (Daily Mail)

Genres: Crime, Thriller, Fiction, Suspense

384 pages, Paperback

First published October 17, 2012

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Mark Roberts was born and raised in Liverpool and was educated at St. Francis Xavier's College. He was a teacher for twenty years and for the last thirteen years has worked with children with severe learning difficulties. He received a Manchester Evening News Theatre Award for best new play of the year. He is the author of What She Saw which was longlisted for a CWA Gold Dagger. Blood Mist, the first in his DCI Eve Clay series, went to number one in the Australian kindle chart.

Reviews

[Paula Brandon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Does the lead detective have a tortured past? Check!

Does he have a person in his life he is close to who fits the killer's motives? Check!

Does he have a boss who seems to want his head? Check!

Does he have an ambitious colleague who wants to undermine him? Check!

I enjoyed this when I read it in 2013. Even back then it was unoriginal and predictable, but it kept me entertained. If I had read it today, I would have given it 1 star, because it is EXACTLY the same as every single other British police procedural out there!

[T. K. Elliott (Tiffany) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those books that, when you unpack it, you find yourself wondering what's so good about it. But you still end up reading it in two sittings.

In some ways, this didn't quite live up to the promise of the blurb - I would have liked a little more occult weirdness - and it has all the most formulaic bits of formulaic detective fiction. The detective with A Past. The awful boss. The personal connection (as soon as that turned up, I knew exactly what was going to happen... and it did). There wasn't anything remotely surprising about much of this book. Plus, in some ways the writing was a bit clunky.

But...

I still couldn't stop reading it.

Mark Roberts clearly has the extremely important (for a writer) ability to write characters that you care about, and that you want to see succeed and be happy. So all the other deficiencies of this book just don't matter in the face of his ability to tell a good story with good characters. As they say in my family (usually when your punchline just flopped), "It's the way you tell 'em."

Will I be reading the second (and so far only other) book in the series? Absolutely. I already have it. :-)

[Jeet · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this from the library, had never read anything from this author before, but reading the back of the book enticed me...and I'm glad I did pick it...this is a real page turner...at one point I was just sitting up in bed, totally tense, just reading and wanting to turn the page!!! I loved the whole under cover Vatican theme (which has always been an interest to me), the occult connection was great, and it's scary to things that these practices do take please. I loved the Rosen character, very likeable and you felt as if you knew him, he reminded me of Thorne in Mark Billingham's books. The ending was great, not at all wishy washy, so am now looking forward to see what became of Flint!!! I didn't suspect Flint at all at the beginning, just thought he was a misunderstood priest!! A definite read, would def recommend, look forward to reading another book from this author...:)

[Katrin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ab der Mitte war es vorhersehbar, aber war trotzdem sehr gut.

[Noa Cohen · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the worst book I've read all year.

It was horribly written, predictable, clichéd, uninteresting, poorly set up and the ending was a crock of shit. There are also a ton of plot holes, the characters were incredibly boring and I couldn't have cared less about them.

I finished it out of pure stubbornness. This, along with Her and Daughter, definitely makes the shortlist for some of the worst books I can remember reading.

Do not bother.

[Black Butterfly · Rating 4 out of 5]

SATAN COMES TO EARTH AND TAKES ON HUMAN FORM. WHILE READING THIS I THOUGHT IT FELT REAL, A LOT LIKE WHAT THE WHOLE WORLD SEEMS TO BE DOING RIGHT NOW, EVIL ABOUNDS EVERYWHERE YOU LOOK. I DID FIGURE OUT EARLY ON WHAT THE EVIL WAS. I DID ENJOY IT. ;D

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars - dark and gripping.

[Ships · Rating 4 out of 5]

Took me a while to get into this one, I found it rather depressing and dismal, there was little or no light relief at all in the pages.
It's gruesome and dark thoughout, despite this I was pulled in - albeit reluctantly, which is the mark of a good book in my eyes. All the way until three quarters the way through I had this pegged as a three star, till towards the end our author builds the tension to an intolerable level I thought I was going to scream with the tension.
Loved the antag priest character and the fact that Rosen was such a plain down to earth character, no bells and whistles just a guy trying to catch a killer..
Recommended if you like it dark and the protag fighting impossible odds....

[Joanne Parkington · Rating 2 out of 5]

A more predictable read you will struggle to find ... after the first few chapter's it's blindingly obvious who the killer is and who the next victim will be and even the ending ... which is a shame as, apart from being over flowery at time's, it's written quite well and that's helped in no small part by the very short chapter's which make the story pass by in lightning speed. Formulaic character's & plot ... Much better police proceedural's out there than this dull & unexciting drivel.

[Kittykorn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this in one sitting, loved every minute of this book couldn't put it down. I think I've found a new favourite author hands down. If you you like crime thrillers then Mark Roberts your man. I'm off to read book two

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

DCI David Rosen is on the trail of Herod, a serial killer who abducts pregnant women and tears the infants from their wombs before dumping the women's bodies. This was a thrilling read with plenty of excitement.

[John Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

A real page turner of a book

What a fast moving exciting thriller this was. A serial murder story with a satanic backdrop, it had everything. I will be on the lookout for other books written by this author.

[Gordon Johnston · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first in a new series that contains Roberts' signature of well developed characters and religious mythology driving a serial killer.

This time the action is London based, rather than Liverpool (setting for the excellent Eve Clay series) and we are introduced to DCI David Rosen. He is on the trail of Herod, a killer who kidnaps pregnant woman before removing the fetus and killing the mother. Then a priest with a strange background contacts Rosen with some information ...

There are elements of this novel that seem familiar to the point of being hackneyed: Rosen's troubled past, his over-promoted boss,, the police politics. But the story arc is good and the suspense builds nicely as the chase nears its completion.

[David Sharkey · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 pregnant women have been murdered, their bodies dumped around London, their unborn babies removed, the whereabouts of the fetuses unknown. DCI Rosen leads the charge in trying to find the killer, but with no forensics, witnesses, or concrete motive to go on, the investigation is stalling. That is until a priest from a small parish in Kent calls with an offer of help.

Enjoyed this one! A pretty straightforward crime thriller, decently original premise, realistic characters and development. Not overly twisty but the story was interesting enough on its own. Will definitely read the sequel!

[maria seilius · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark subject .

I found this to be a good read . This book had me totally gripped at times , annoyed at having to put it down as work called . I did feel some disappointment as I thought a couple of the characters should have had their motives explained . I still find myself wanting to know what drove them ( frustrating ). Never the less the next novel by this author is on my wish list .

[Carolyn Docking · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book about DCI Rosen pushing his way through an investigation of murders of pregnant women, which ultimately affects him in a terror stricken moment. Showcased how darkness invades people's lives and can change their life direction, which is what happened to a young boy without a good upbringing. Watching these worlds collide was suspense filled and kept me reading this book super fast.

[Leona Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyable, creepy, scarey and complex crime-thriller. Yes, it had the usual 'damaged' detective and the inter-departmental shenanigans with a couple of 'bad' coppers, but I loved the prose and although there were some 'triggering' moments, I was gripped right through to the end.

[Sandra Leivesley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A damaged detective hunts a serial killer. Nothing new there, but the story, with it's gruesome killings and damaged detective, is solid enough. But it didn't quite live up to the hype, though I will give the second book in the series a try.

[Meagan Sykes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel was slow at first but I stuck it out and recommend this mystery. This was offered to me from BookBuds I recommended this site also

[Sherry Ledbetter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed it greatly

This was a good detective story. I really enjoyed it. I enjoy the English mystery most of all the stories. Thanks Mark!

[Carol L Griswold · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!

What a ride through the pages of this book! There was so much tension throughout, so hard to put down. I definitely will read more from Mark Roberts.

[Kin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Non mi è piaciuto.Sensazionalistico e sfumatamente esoterico. Poco credibile.

[Dinesh Raghavan · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.2*, fast paced and riveting...

[Cybercrone · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as #2. There are only these two in this series.
Will try one of his other series now.

[Julie Unwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bit gruesome

[Vivien · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was ok. The beginning was boring & I knew Harrison would be a dirty cop. He proved it when he stole Rosen's phone & conspired with the killer. Even though he confessed, it was too late.

[Rosalyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really really enjoyed this and was unable to put it down.
I am already looking forward to DCI Rosen 2

[Clarissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such a good British police procedural. The ending wrapped up too quickly with loose explanations. Overall - excellent exposition, nice characters, and an interesting story.

[David Cowpar · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great murder mystery with a dark theme and a good adventure figuring it out. There is a sequel. I’m hoping to get it!

[Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gruesome premise which provided an easy absorbing read to hang on the beach in Vietnam.
Will endeavour to obtain the second.