The Purification Ceremony

by Mark T. Sullivan

At a young age in the Maine woods, at the side of her father and great-uncle, a Micmac puoin, Diana Jackman learned to move freely in the wilderness, to sense a world invisible to most. A natural tracker from a long line of shamans, healers and hunters - an environmental software writer, estranged wife and mother - she has been taught by betrayal and loss to guard her feelings behind a wall of half-truths and silence. It has cost her many things: her family, her happiness, her peace. And it has brought her to a beautiful, frozen place of magic...and death.

Eight hunters have gathered on a vast, isolated estate in northern British Columbia, to track record book white tail deer at the snow-covered confluence of the Sticks and the Dream rivers. Diana Jackman is among them - drawn by the hunt and the ancient Power of her father's people.

But someone else is watching the hunting party - an insane and violent force of nature, hiding in the blinding whiteness of the Canadian winter. And now the hunters themselves have become the game.

One by one, they are being stalked, slaughtered and gutted like the animals they, themselves, are stalking. The killer is quick, relentless, frighteningly efficient.

For the first time in her life, Diana Jackman will know what it is to be prey - but she must fight the instinct to flee. To survive, she will have to rely on her father's teachings, and set out alone to hunt the hunter."

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Crime, Adventure, Horror

347 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published June 5, 1997

About the author

Mark T. Sullivan (b. 1958) is an author of thrillers. Born in a Boston suburb, he joined the Peace Corp after college, traveling to West Africa to live with a tribe of Saharan nomads. Upon returning to the United States, he took a job at Reuters, beginning a decade-long career in journalism that would eventually lead to a job as an investigative reporter for the San Diego Tribune.

Sullivan spent the winter of 1990 living with a group of skiers in Utah and Wyoming, and used the experience as the foundation for his first novel, The Fall Line (1994). In 1995 he published Hard News, a thriller based on his work as a reporter, and a year later he released The Purification Ceremony, which won the WH Smith Award for Best New Talent. His most recent work is Private Games (2012), which he co-authored with James Patterson. Sullivan lives with his family in Montana, where he skis, hunts, and practices martial arts.

Reviews

[Jon Recluse · Rating 4 out of 5]

A group of deer hunters in the winter wasteland of northern British Columbia find the tables turned on them, as they are hunted down, one by one, and left gutted like the game they once sought.

The prey of a maniac who moves like the winter wind....swift, unseen and lethal.

Their only chance of survival lies in the hands of Diana "Little Crow" Jackman, a Native American with a troubled past, who must call upon the tracking skills taught to her by her father.....and do the unthinkable....hunt down a hunter.

A well written, well paced thriller that delivers more chills than a Canadian winter...and not just from the cold. The addition of Native American lore gives the novel an added depth, highlighting the chasm between cultures....and between civilized people and the rabidly primal.

Highly recommended.

[Howard · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*

If about fifty or so pages of this almost four hundred page novel could be eliminated it would be a solid 4* thriller.

[OutlawPoet]

DNF 25% - a lot of this just hit me wrong. The mighty testosterone-filled hunters. The take on indigenous culture. Just really, really not for me.

[Maddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

PROTAGONIST: Diana Jackman, tracker
SETTING: British Colombia
RATING: 4.25
WHY: Diana Jackman (“Little Crow”) was raised by her family to follow the tenants of her Native American ancestors, a respect for the Power of nature mixed with a touch of mysticism. She became an expert tracker. As an adult, she managed to live in a suburban environment with her family, but she feels a deep calling to return to the woods. She joins a group for a deer hunting adventure in British Colombia. Immediately, one of the group is killed and the rest are in danger of the same fate. It falls to Diana to track the monster. In doing so, she faces unfinished business from her past and a threat that is more than equal to her own powers. Thankfully, there are not graphic descriptions of the hunt. The details about how to track were fascinating. The language of the book is poetic. The book was suspenseful and well written. The only negatives for me were the stupid relationship of a husband and wife on the hunt and a turn toward the mystical later in the book.

[Irmina Žu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Man, kaip europietei, šio trilerio stilistika kėlė stiprias asociacijas su nordic noir kūriniais/serialais, pavyzdžiui, „The Chestnut Man“ ar „Equinox". Tačiau šiuo atveju kruvinas trileris plėtojamas ne Skandinavijos, o Kanados miškuose. Ir itin svarbus vaidmuo atitenka ne skandinavų mitologijai, o indėnų genčių ritualiniams motyvams bei pasaulėjautai. Siekiant autentiškumo, genčių kultūriniai elementai ne laužti iš piršto, o išskleisti remiantis etnologų, antropologų ir elnių medžioklės specialistų žiniomis.

Susumavus - visai neblogai, bet visgi iki pilno skaitymo malonumo kažko pritrūko, tad 3.5 ⭐️

[Jacky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Das Thema Jagd ist an sich nicht meins. Aber irgendwie fand ich es teilweise sehr gruselig, weil die Handlung in einem abgeschiedenem Waldgebiet passiert - die ganze Umgebung und Gegebenheiten lassen mich erschaudern und machen mir Angst. 3,5 Sterne.

[Jack Heath]

Synopsis: a young Micmac woman, Diana Jackman of Maine, has joined a hunting party in northern British Columbia. Someone is watching.

[Patricia Bergman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can recommend this for those who enjoy a good thriller with some interesting discussions of the philosophy toward hunting. It is a book that is hard to put down. It drove me to take an occasional break because of the stress from many of the scenes. I found it to be very well written.

[Andrew E · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mark T. Sullivan, The Purification Ceremony, published in 1996. The book is a mysterious tail with a noble character, Diana Jackson, who sets out on a hunting trip with a fellow group of hunters in the Snowy winter within the woods of British Columbia. The story is fast paced as the hunters are picked off one by one from the vicious serial killer, leaving me quite stirred and frightened when I set the book down, however I would pick it right back up to see what occurs next. The story is hair-raising, and bone-chilling as Mark made me feel as if I was right in the danger, being hunted myself.
Throughout the story, Marks knowledge of hunting was quite apparent which was very interesting with his views and tactics as I am an avid hunter myself, which initially led me to this book. Normally I am not into thrillers and almost horror like books but this novel really opened me up to a whole other genre. This Native American themed, suspenseful, almost horror like thriller that is worth the read as it still has me feeling uneasy days later. It is definitely worth the read.

[Kaiden Aibhne · Rating 3 out of 5]

A classic thriller that explores both the human reaction to being hunted and the eddies of memory. The plot moves quickly and information is well-paced as is the norm in well-written murder-mystery thrillers. The stereotypes of the genre are undercut by the inclusion of magical-realism in the arguably underdeveloped and underexplored elements of Native American spirituality. All in all, an enjoyable book.

[pete ellis · Rating 1 out of 5]

I make it a habit to buy Mark Sullivan’s book’s especially since reading Beneath The Scarlett Sky. That was exceptional. This one was a pain to slug thru and pretty far out thoughts. Huge disappointment. I would never recommend anyone to read.

[Aust · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tai galėjo būti geras, įtampos kupinas detektyvas, besivystantis įdomiame santykio su gamta, žiaurumu, savo šaknimis, motinyste, moteriškumu kontekste.

Galėjo. Ir vietomis tikrai buvo: su gražiais gamtos aprašymais, su daug detalių ir nuorodų į Šiaurės Amerikos indėnų papročius. Bet visa tai paskendo neproporcingame siužete, perdėtuose, netikroviškuose, klišėmis persisunkusiuose dialoguose. Absurdiškame santykių vaizdavime. Istorijos veikėjai – net ne mediniai, jie tiesiog pliauskos, kurių nė nemėginta išdrožti, tik nemokšiškai priklijuota viena-kita savybė. Šabloniška. Jei trofėjinė turtuolio žmona – tai višta isterikė blondinė. Jei žurnalistas, tai atsilupėlis siauraprotis ir savanaudis kraugėrys, mintantis kitų krauju ir ašaromis. Jei kietas vyrukas, tai kalbantis tik iš holivudinių filmų protagonistų nudžiautomis frazėmis.

Ne, iš tiesų tai jie visi kalba taip, lyg galėtų naudoti tik 80-ųjų holivudinių detektyvų klišines frazes. Aš net nepradėsiu apie visiškai krindžines a la flirto scenas.

Reikalus dar labiau pagadina vertimas. Nors gamtos vaizdiniai labai poetiškai aprašyti, tada į tekstą ima ir kaip koks pašinas įsikerta visiškai ne vietoje numestas žodis. Va lyg tą 80-ųjų trilerį kažkas būtų užgarsinęs mėgėjišku piratinės vaizdajuostės vertimu.

Ir čia aš net nepradėsiu apie siužeto kelius ir klystkelius, logikos spragas ir kitas nesąmones.

Tai dvi žvaigždutės už idėją, gerus norus ir tai, kad vietomi skaityti buvo net visai įdomu. Na ir už tai, kad kažkokios įtampos išties buvo, kuri paskatino paskaityti iki galo. Rekomenduoti nerekomenduoju, nebent jūsų gyvenime trūksta šleivo kreivo trilerio, kuriame grafiškai aprašomas gyvūnų žudymas ir žalojimas, kažkuriuo metu virstantis žmonių žudymu – beje, daug mažiau grafišku.

[Bill Barnes · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wordy

Too wordy with worthless detailed descriptions. Paint a broad strobe picture of the surroundings and let the reader fill in the blanks. Being spoon fed every detail is insulting. Thought the premise and plot a little off. One description left out was why did she lose custody of her children. Must have been bad. Then waits until the last minute to try and contact them before,leaving on an "important" deer hunting trip. She does not ellicit a hell of a lot of sympathy. Fir someone supposedly an expert tracker she sure missed a body ganging from a tree. Tracking a big buck means you are 100% aware of everything including the trees. Was she of the Fugauee tribe?Only got through a third of the story and gave up.

[Jt · Rating 1 out of 5]

So, a female deer hunter with a computer engineering and chemistry degree from MIT who also happens to be a shaman decides to go on a soul cleansing deer hunt to Canada immediately after losing custody of her young children (due to some erratic behavior). The group of hunters in Canada suddenly become the hunted, and their killer happens to be.....wait for it...a shaman. Yeah, that's plausible. Should I spoil the ending for you because its so hard to predict, wink wink. Read 'Beneath the Scarlett Sky' by the author because it is a lovely story. But then don't read any more stores by Mark T. Sullivan. C'mon Mark. You're better than that.

[Dave Patton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I smelled the wolf!

Rarely does a novel, or work of fiction take me so completely to the author's imagined world.. To the author I would say, your writing; your prose, almost made the storyline irrelevant. I felt the cold.... I sensed the danger. Pity, anger, fear and sorrow are the watchwords. Thank you....

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Renewal

This is a beautiful book about the renewal of the soul and also the return to the real self that is often lost in our day to day life. I learned about my own soul as well as “Little Crow’s”. I am in awe of the author ‘s ability to communicate with words and hope that one day I will be able to do the same.

[Jonesy 23 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written and chuck full of detail This was completely out of “reading zone” and I pushed through the tale The story line was good, but it was too heavy in hunting detail and Indian tribal traditions that I got lost in the story. Avid hunters and super spiritual folks might really enjoy this, but it was not one of my favorites from this author.

[Daniel Simpson · Rating 5 out of 5]

fantastic

Had read Scarlet Sky and thought this author couldn’t possibly maintain such gripping writing.
I was very pleasantly rewarded.
This story turns on 2 or 3 parallel levels.
It will make you think deeply about yourself and the world/nature.
A captivatingly rich and deep read that is fortunately accessible to all readers.
One word …… READ this book.

[Catherine J Kearns · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Read

Enjoyed the suspense. Have always enjoyed Indian Lore and some of the talks. We're interesting. You should enjoy this book but not as a horror story. To thin to cut horror.

[Sharon Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book!

I love the outdoors and this book puts you in touch with nature and also a way of studying our inner purposes that we don't go deep enough into our souls to ever discover!

[Susan Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Diana Jackman, a young Micmac puin, accompanies a group of hunters on a quest for a largr white-tailed deer. However, she gets far more than she bargained for and her Micmac spirituality is called on to understand and bring healing.

[Kris Naelapaa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spine tingling suspence

Slllivan is a gifted writer. He uses incredible spot on detail and there is poetry in his narrative. The outdoors and Nature are merged into the narrative with unbelievable poetry and ease.

[Kathleen Rolfingsmeier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hunting

A perfect story. Exquisite development of the main characters. Fascinating detail of the process of hunting tying in ideas of what lies beyond the world we know through our 5 senses. On to another Sullivan story.

[Faith · Rating 3 out of 5]

just ok

I think Mark Sullivan is an outstanding author and have read several of his books, but this one disappointed. Too introspective by far. For me, too much of the storyline centered around the protagonist’s inner conflict.

[Tina Barnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

A riveting story

This book kept me enthralled throughout. I very much enjoyed it, never wanting to put it down. Thank you Mark Sullivan for a fantastic read. Looking forward to checking out your other books.

[Judy Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well Written and Intriguing

I have all of the Mark Sullivan books that I have read. Each is different and each story so well told. Thank you to Mark Sullivan for writing this intriguing story which kept me involved with each character.

[Michelle Krabinz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thrilling, exciting, surprising. A very gripping story with a lot of unexpected turns and details.

[Mark Trenier · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the book. The suspense was palpable--I couldn't put it down.

[Janice Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really enjoyable read.

[Kevin Key · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the 2nd Sullivan book I’ve read. What an imagination! Brilliantly written. I’ll be reading more of his books.