Devil's Demise

by Lee Cockburn

A cruel and sinister killer is targeting Edinburgh’s most powerful women, his twisted sense of superiority driving him to satisfy his depraved sexual appetite. He revels in the pain and suffering he inflicts on his unsuspecting victims but a twist of fate and an overwhelming will to survive by one victim ruins his plans for a reign of terror. His tormented prey will need all her courage if she is to survive the hunt. 

309 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 10, 2014

Reviews

[Dash fan · Rating 4 out of 5]

4☆ A Sadistic Gruesome Crime Thriller.

First of all I want to start by saying The cover for Devil's Demise is absolutely Chilling and is a perfect representation of the book

Devil's Demise is NOT for the feint hearted!!
There are some extreme graphic scenes including Rape, torture, murder.
There is also same sex scenes, abusive language towards women and swearing.

I have to admit the first several pages chilled me to the core!
 I almost stopped reading as it really got to me.
The opening scene is extremely graphic when a young sucessful women is subjected to the most horrific rape and torture it was sadistic and sickening.

What he didn't bargin for was her surviving....and she saw his face...she can identify him!

Ok I hear you thinking why the hell would I keep Reading!!!
One reason.... I wanted to see if this sick, sadistic bastard got caught (appologise for foul language but it drove me to it)

What I uncovered was the serial killer..... despises women so much he believes the pretty & sucessful women need to be taught a lesson.... feeding his sadistic, perverted sexual appetite. By raping and smashing them to pieces to make them unrecognizable.

However the killer was becoming too careless leaving his DNA all over the crime scenes it's only a matter of time before police close in.

I didn't particularly like the detectives.

Taylor Nicks is a Sergeant in the Major Crime Unit seemed more interested in sex and pleasing her on/off girlfriend and colleague Kay. Then finding the serial killer. She never seemed fully focused.

Marcus Black Detective Constable and Taylor's partner in the Major Crimes Unit.
He was more focused, good at his job and dedicated.  A family man.

One thing I didn't feel was relevant was the amount of sex scenes between the detectives.
It seemed irrelevant and made the book lose sight of what really mattered and that was catching the sadistic killer.
At times it felt like i was reading a mix between erotica and crime thriller.
I'm not prudish at all I just felt the crime side of it was being lost.

However despite all these points I felt compelled to keep reading.
I certainly would recommend NOT reading this at NIGHT!! I did and it freaked me out!

This book is chilling to the core, sadistic, suspenseful, graphic, it's somewhat  compelling, and strangely enough became a page turner that made me shiver.

As I said before read with caution!
It's not for everyone but if you was like me you couldn't not read on.

Thank you to Authoright  for this copy which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily

My Review is also on my blog website:

https://dashfan81.blogspot.com/2018/0...

[lizzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Devil's Demise

So, I stumbled across this book, always a sucker for a psychological thriller, always keen to read new authors. I'd read this book wasn't for the faint hearted, I'm not, so I looked forward to reading it.

Ok, so it's true, this book really isn't for the faint hearted! It's incredibly violent and graphic.
Our 'bad guy' here is John, a sadistic man who hates women. Especially the beautiful and successful women.

This book had the basis of a good plot, but it fell flat for me on so many levels.

The victim, brutally and repeatedly raped and beaten and left for dead. In fact, she should have died, and the fact she survived was just short of a miracle, the fact that she survived, lead to the story of John wanting to finish what he failed to finish the first time.

This is where things start going wrong for me. You have a woman, who has been violated in the worst way thinkable, and yes, her rapes and abuse where described to the reader in every detail. But yet, a few weeks later, she's having a sexual relationship with her physiotherapist? I'm sorry, but I don't buy that.
And while I've brought up the subject of sexual relationships - the biggest bugbear for me was the amount of sex in the book. Do not get me wrong, I am not a prude, and if sex is a relevant part of the story, then so be it.

Our leading lady, DS Taylor Nicks is a lesbian. This really is not a big deal, or it shouldn't be. I'm reading a psychological thriller here, all I care about is catching the bad guy! So yes, it started to anger me a bit about the amount of lesbian sex thrown into the story. Completely unnecessary, and completely irrelevant.
Being a lesbian myself, it was at first nice to read of a strong woman in leadership. Taking the leading role as it were. But the more I read, the more I found myself wanting to step up on my soap box, why has this character, who had such potential as a leading lady fallen into the stereotypical role of every man's fantasy? I'm sure if you are one of those people who like to read about that kind of thing, I'm pretty sure there is a genre for that! Every couple of chapters, we are being told just how sexy and attractive Taylor is, and it also seems that the whole female population of this Edinburgh police station is a lesbian or bisexual....all notches on Taylor's bedpost. I know sex sells etc, but honestly, less really is more! And I found myself skipping pages, wanting to actually read a story with a plot - not pages of lesbian sex!

I'm sorry, and I really do hate leaving bad reviews, but this really was not for me at all, and just left me feeling angry for all the wrong reasons.

[Bookread2day · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lee Cockburn has become one my favourite top crime thriller writers. So far I have read three of her amazing crime stories that had me trembling in fear bringing me some discomfort with the most chilling characters.

I don't think this author Lee Cockburn will be stuck for any further cruel and sinister characters to write about and I'm looking forward more episodes of books to unnerve me again.

I sensed the dread of a devil of a man who watched a young woman for weeks then gained entry into her bedroom and raped her to satisfy his deprived sexual appetite. It's the scene from hell. DS Taylor Nicks and DC Marcus Black are called to this disturbing scene. Will DS Taylor Nicks be able to catch this evil monster before he targets another woman? So much more darker things happen in this plot that it will without doubt shock you all.

In my view Lee Cockburn is up in the crime thriller charts just like Val McDermid. I have read many of Val McDermid books and I know that all Val McDermid fans will Love all of Lee Cockburn Books.

[Carol-Ann MacKintosh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow • this book has a killer that's so brutal and unhinged, the scenes of his viciousness are hard to read but the book is so good, so well paced but definitely check your triggers as this is not for the faint hearted. The author Lee Cockburn herself is a retired police officer and with that knowledge and experience she brings the reader into such a dark and harsh world. This is her debut and she is hitting it out of the park, on to book 2!!!!!

[Honestmamreader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Devil's Demise is the first book in the D.S Taylor Nicks series. Taylor Nicks is a female lesbian detective sergeant located in Edinburgh, Scotland. Working alongside her is detective constable Marcus Black. Personality wise these two are very different. They are both dedicated to their jobs, but with a contrasting attitude to how they work. Marcus is more laid back and despite grief from their big boss Findlay just puts his head down and gets on with it. Taylor on the other hand is more vocal and fiery, willing to voice her annoyance when things go wrong.

Whilst Marcus is happily married, Taylor is happily single and is enjoying bedding a few of her female colleagues. But, as the saying goes never mix business with pleasure because relationships can get slightly awkward. I liked the partnership between Nicks and Black they blended well together and when the going got rough they make the perfect team supporting each other.

Ok, so we've established who's in charge of the case. Let's look now at who is behind the story of Devil's Demise. There is a sadistic, beyond evil serial killer on the loose in Edinburgh. We learn quite early who the killer is making this more a cop versus evil chase, rather than a mystery of whodunit. I must say the killer has got some serious issues, I've read a lot of crime and thriller books but haven't come across such a brutal murderer as this one.

The scenes of attack featured rape and it was very graphic and at times hard to read. So, that is a little warning to you if you do find things like this tough to read about. The overall brutality of the killers attacks were described in such vivid detail you could feel each punch and kick and taste the blood.

Along with the horror of the crimes this book was littered with erotic sex scenes. I'm guessing the author put these in so that we could see the complete difference in the sexual scenes. The barbarous rape of the killer and victims against the passionate encounters of two people enjoying themselves. Now I'm no prude but as the story went on and yet another sex scene occured (usually involving Taylor and one of her conquests) I did find myself wondering if they were ever going to solve this case or be too preoccupied with getting their leg over.

Overall this story was very good plenty of action and tension to keep us on the edge of our seats. But, there were a few things about the plotline that niggles me. Why would someone escaping evil conveniently leave paperwork showing were they are going? How could everyone in Edinburgh have seen a photofit bar two police officers? And, how could you not recognise someone through a photo that is obviously a clear description. But, as soon as your face to face "Oh yeah, I used to work with you" 🤦🏼‍♀️this deserves a faceplant emoji.

Yet, despite these little misgivings. I really did enjoy this book and will be reading the rest of the series. Thank you to Faye for giving me the opportunity to be on this blog tour for Clink Street Publishing. So, many fantastic books on offer.

[W.H. Brown · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did Not Finish. Worst book I've ever tried to read. Terrible writing, cardboard characters but the worst is the misogynistic pleasure the "author" seems to take in the rape and murder of the female victims. The fact that some people like it - even women - makes me despair for society. There are great books out there with half the good reviews this garbage as. Shame on you for liking this trash.

[Martel · Rating 3 out of 5]

2 and a half stars, because this serial killer was one of the most realistic one I ever read about, at least in the first quarter of the book, and because I liked the ending ;).
The novel also managed to accomplish its aim by being quite scary and disturbing.
These were the positives points.
But they didn't quite make up for a plot that seemed to come straight out of a B horror movie, with extreme graphic violence (especially sexual, so huge trigger warning here) police blunders, unlikely coincidences, flat characters and a killer that went from realistic to classic unstoppable villain.

[Janel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Look at that menacing book cover, it’s so fitting – Devil’s Demise is crime fiction at its very darkest.

I can tell you, right of the bat, this book is brutal and it won’t be to everyone’s taste. Devil’s Demise is dark from the offset, the story opens with murder, yep you guessed it, this is a serial killer thriller, perhaps featuring one the darkest, most-hateful murderers in all of fiction!

“It thrills him to watch the life of another slowly drain away before him.”

A serial killer, with a deep hatred for women, is racking up his body count, and it’s up to DS Taylor Nicks and DC Marcus Black to put an end to his killing spree. I’ve read many serial killer thrillers but this is the first time I had to physically move the book away from me when reading certain parts, like I had to literally get away from the words. The sexual abuse that accompanied some of these killings was, at times, so hard to read, I feared the evil was seeping off the pages so I had to read at a distance. You have been warned: there is quite a bit of explicit sexual content in this book, graphic and brutal at times! Not all the sexual content is of the murderous kind, there’s some passionate scene too, however, these intimate scenes in contrast to the abusive ones just highlighted how brutal the abuse was. At times, I thought the erotica, was unnecessary and added nothing to the plot except this contrast, which wasn’t really needed as the scenes were violent enough. Right, that’s the reader warning out of the way.

Regarding the plot, we learn very early on who the killer is, and what follows is a game of ‘catch me if you can.’ I like that Cockburn gave all the chapter’s titles, the first chapter is called “evil awaits”, spot on, so fitting!

The characters are well developed, I really liked the character of DC Marcus Black, a family man, all round good guy. DS Taylor Nicks, however, hmm, the jury’s still out on her, she did a few things I’m not happy with, one being, if you are on duty, you do not sneak off with your girlfriend for a quick fumble, especially while there is a serial killer on the loose, tut tut. I usually really enjoy reading the character’s backstory, but here it annoyed me, too much erotica involved for my liking. What’s not debatable however, is how well these characters were developed, likeable or not, the author used them to create a very real story. You’re gripped by this book as you develop such a deep hatred for the killer, you need him to be caught!

In the midst of the murders and ‘the chase’, I really appreciated the flecks of ‘cop humour’, when you deal with these kind of cases, I can fully understand why you would use humour as a barrier, to protect yourself, as a mechanism to keep going in the face of evil. It was also nice for me, as the reader, to see the humour, to put a smile on my face and create a barrier between me and the evil too.

Lee Cockburn definitely knows how to write some powerful words, to make you wince when reading, to feel that cold chill. The plot is well thought-out, gripping in its intensity, and if you don’t mind reading violent scenes, sometimes of the sexual nature, I recommend this book. It’s a thriller, almost bordering on horror, that makes evil very real to its reader – it’s dark, no holds-barred crime.

*My thanks to Rachel at Authoright for providing me with a digital copy of this book*

[Michael Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cockburn’s narrative rains down on you like punches to the back of the head. This is a fast paced, paging turning novel. Just when you think you’ve escaped the terror of a sadistic serial killer and into the arms of a loved one Cockburn pushes your face in the dirt and stabs you in the ribs. Be ready to be at the edge of your seat with your heart racing. And if you like reading into the wee small hours until your eyes bleed then this is the book for you.

[Amanda ChocolatePages · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was griping from the very first chapter. It was very dark, gritty and in some parts hard to read because it was so violent. But all of this considered, it made me want to finish the book so that I knew the devil would demise! Whether or not he does, you will have to read it and see.

I was initially attracted to this book because it was based in Edinburgh, from the description it sounded like a thriller I would enjoy. I also liked the cover, which I think represents the book really well. The cover shows what I think is Edinburgh castle and over it the evil eyes which represent the killer in this book. The gritty descriptions of the killer has made me shiver as I looked back at his eyes on the cover. This is the most evil fictionary man I have read about. Lee Cockburn has some imagination to think up such a twisted terrible bad guy. The title is so correct in calling him the Devil!

The book was written in a different way to other thrillers that I have read, as we know exactly who the killer is and his motivations from the start. So, we hear about what the killer is thinking and the victims and the police. It is a cat and mouse chase type book, which continues right the way through to the very end. (Though he is certainly not mouse-like).

The characters are very well developed, even the killer is described in such a way that although you can’t understand why he is so evil, you see why he thinks he is entitled to do what he does. I didn’t read this book at night time, which is when I read most often. The reason for this is that the ‘devil’ was so creepy and scary! This is one example of why I didn’t read this at night.

“..everyone knows someone that is a little different, but that does not make them serial killers who enjoy torture and sexual abuse”

The two cops that are on the hunt are Taylor and Marcus. We hear about their private lives aswell as their intense police work. In with this horrendous serial killer case that they are working on, we are given a few small reprieves from the intensity of the chase, which was welcomed.

“….Hungry?” Tayor smiled….

“Starving!” he repied, “I don’t know why I ever ask you. You’re a gannet.”

As I mentioned I liked that the book was based in Edinburgh. This is increased as I was reading, because occasionally there is Scottish colloquial words used in the writing. A very nice touch to make the Scottish fictional police force authentic.

“…she was a real salt of the earth and loved a blether”

I am going to give this book 5 stars because it was well thought out, it was so intense that I wanted to read it faster and faster to see if the victim was ok, if John would be caught, and to see how things worked out for Taylor. (the police woman who was leading the case). If you don’t mind some violence and very descriptive words within a book, then this is a brilliant read. If you are of a weak stomach and easily freaked out, its maybe not the book for you. I however, loved it.

[Ray (: · Rating 1 out of 5]

this story contains multiple rape scenes from the rapists POV so TW for that

the book was written like a 13 year olds wattpad fanfic. it has spelling and grammar mistakes throughout, the sentence structure isn’t great, it swaps POV between characters from one sentence to the next with no clear indication making it hard to follow along and the books timeline was unclear with unspecified time jumps and flashbacks you either didn’t know were flashbacks or couldn’t tell how far back they were until a couple chapters later.

the book is filled with badly written sex scenes that do nothing for the plot other than take up space

the characters are totally unrealistic in the way they interact with each other speaking only in cliches and things no one would ever say and this also occurs in how the characters think

the writer puts great emphasis on how attractive the main detective taylor is to both men and women as she has it mentioned at least once in every chapter taylor’s involved in as well as saying how this is a great burden making it hard for her to remain faithful to her unofficial girlfriend a couple times, similarly her partner marcus is also continuously called attractive when he comes up though to a lesser extent than taylor

the book has the potential to be somewhat interesting with thorough editing and a better ending

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love a serial killer thriller and I enjoyed this book. I was a little sceptical to start with as there is a fair amount of quite explicit sexual content which I struggled with. The violence is also quite brutal and very graphic but that didn’t bother me so much.

You find out who the killer is relatively early on in the book so the plot is built more around the hunt for the murderer, more cat and mouse than ‘whodunnit’. I did wonder at times how the killer was managing to get away from the police as he seemed quite bumbling! There were moments where I thought, ‘they’re going to get him now, surely…’.

The characters are well written but I struggled to connect with them. The killer oozes evil and I wonder if the author intended to write a crime novel that could also border on being a horror novel (the cover certainly gives that impression).

Would I recommend this book? I would but my recommendation comes with a warning; there are quite a few explicit sexual scenes within the pages of this book. It’s certainly not for the fainthearted!

Three and a half stars out of five.

Thanks to Rachel at Authoright for providing me with a copy of Devil’s Demise in exchange for an honest review.

[Leanne Hardy · Rating 1 out of 5]

wanted something darker to read so gave this a go, it is a nasty read but what really lets this down is how John goes from being described as podgy and slovenly to all of a sudden a Michael Myers type character unable to kill and just keeps coming (even running for miles) and outsmarting everyone at every turn and a silly reference to Clark Kent when the main copper realises she has actually worked alongside this madman & didn't realise even when at his work looking for him to question him!! Silly is the nicest way to put it.

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

A killer stalks the streets of Edinburgh seeking a twisted revenge on beautiful women. Successful beautiful women. He gets off on their fear, on the power he has over them and the pain he can inflict. He’s untouchable. That is, he’s untouchable until one of his victims survives.

Lee Cockburn’s Devil’s Demise is a frustrating book for me. This is distinctly a first book, with all the pitfalls those tend to have, but it’s a first book that I had really wanted to like. There were a number of solid ideas here and I feel like the characters could have been interesting given more space to interact, but then the writing itself didn’t support them.

A lot of my issues with the writing come from the odd sort of third person omniscient thing going on. It is all tell and no show to the point that our introductions to the major characters are more or less just lists of traits and how other people react to them. After being told so much how evil and terrible the antagonist was, the serial killer who had committed multiple on page rapes, it started to feel more than a bit like Cockburn didn’t trust her audience to understand but that she also didn’t know how to get it across better. Likewise, being told how good and honest and hardworking the protagonist was without being shown much at all of her doing her job, I started to not believe it, she complains about her boss and worries about her maybe girlfriend a lot though. This continues throughout the book, we get told how bad the protagonist feels about failing to catch the killer or how she and her maybe girlfriend are just so into each other or how terrible and glory hogging the boss character is. It’s distracting and leaves me feeling very little for the characters except mild annoyance.

It’s also all very declarative. The characters don’t so much speak as they declare things at each other. When a situation is meant to have humor, it gets noted that that’s just the sort of gallows humor police all have. This is, again, very repetitive. It ties into how everything is told to the reader while also making the characters feel less human because the way they communicate is just off.

The book also has a weirdly huge focus on all the sex these characters are having. It feels like if you cut out all the sex scenes the book would be a third its total length, half if you removed the consensual sex scenes. I’m probably exaggerating somewhat but this is a book that interrupted itself multiple times, completely breaking tension, to show characters having sex. The sex scenes themselves wound up feeling repetitive and emotionless and half the time I had trouble figuring out just what characters were doing. Though, again, that feeds into the book being so reliant on telling the reader everything. If the action isn’t being shown, then it is going to feel stilted.

That’s really as far as I can get into the writing without going into spoiler territory. As I’ve said before, this was a book I really wanted to like. The concept of a serial killer driven to punish successful women by his own feelings of not being given the respect he deserves is an interesting one for me. Mission driven serial killers are terrifying. I liked the idea of one of his victims surviving and becoming the focus of his hunt, because a single victim could give the reader more time to get to know them and identify. We did get a fair amount of time with the victim, but we spent a lot more with the killer and that just felt weird for me. I feel like stepping back from the killer, leaving him more in the shadows and more a mystery would have been a benefit to the book. I really didn’t want to know how hard he got every time he thought about hurting women.

Ultimately, I’m left disappointed by Devil’s Demise. It’s a book I wanted to like and it had a number of ideas that could have been good. Unfortunately, the writing and the repetition of descriptions and opinions wrecked it for me. I feel like Cockburn could be a solid writer with more practice and the benefit of a second pass with an editor. I wouldn’t read the next book in this series, but might try out one after she has had more practice. Devil’s Demise gets a two out of five from me.

I was sent a copy of this book as part of Authoright's Spring Reads in exchange for an honest review.

[Steph Warren · Rating 3 out of 5]

*I received a free ARC of this book via Authoright’s Clink Street Spring Reads Week 2018. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*

Lee Cockburn has a background in the police force, and her experience and affection for the work shines through in Devil’s Demise, as she recreates the cop-humour banter and passionate desire for justice carrying them through the regular routines.

This story is far from regular though, and is aptly named, because the antagonist is almost superhuman in his pure evil and ability to evade capture. The reader is introduced to the depraved serial killer early in the book, so rather than a crime mystery, this is a thrilling cat and mouse game, leading to an epic manhunt at the climax.

A trigger warning that this story is very, very dark: packed full of graphic rape and violence, especially violence enacted on women. The killer is a sadistic madman who wants to hurt women in every way imaginable, and does so at every opportunity. There is also graphic violence against men and animals, but not (surprisingly, really, in context) children.

There is a balance here though too. Women are seen through the killers eyes as weak and vulnerable, small and doll-like, but we also see them strong and successful, and from the very beginning it is a woman that withstands and stands against him. The sex too is balanced, with the vicious, graphic rapes countered by sensual encounters between loving, romantic partners and hot lustful hookups with mutual respect and pleasure.

There are no shades of grey in this story. The ‘baddies’ are 100% evil and bad, ugly and smelly. The ‘goodies’ are beautiful, clever, successful and caring. I did feel a lack of nuance in the character portrayals, and also in the style of writing, which was very bold and direct; telling the reader outright what the characters thought and felt, rather than leaving the reader to interpret their actions. I also found the dialogue somewhat stilted in places, more expositional than natural conversation tends to be.

That said, the main focus here is on the adrenaline-fuelled chase, between good and evil, strong and weak, order and chaos. I have never come across such an apt title, as with no supernatural elements at all, the killer is the closest I have ever seen to a devil in human form.

I noted and enjoyed the parallel with Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein in the woodland encounter between the ‘monster’ and an innocent, curious child, and wondered at the outcome of that encounter, about the nature of monstrosity and the capriciousness of perversity; but as the hunt resumed and the bloodlust rose, I confess such musings were lost in a pure desire for the killer to be taken down and out, hard and fast.

This is an action thriller verging on the horror, and not for the squeamish!






An overwhelming sense of terror fills the air as the old man looks up into the stony lifeless expression of a demonic face: black, passionless pools for eyes, a grin so monstrous he knows his life will end that night. He seems to float out from the shadows; gripping the older man’s throat, he tilts his head sideways, staring emotionless at the helpless struggle of the old man. It thrills him to watch the life of another slowly drain away before him. The man’s legs quiver as he gives in to the monster.

– Lee Cockburn, Devil’s Demise

Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
https://bookshineandreadbows.wordpres...

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are of a sensitive disposition just one look at this creepy cover gives an inkling into what is involved inside. Yes, it’s a crime thriller with murder involved but Devil’s Demise drops a notch or two in the ‘eeeeek’ stakes when the gruesome graphic abuse hits you. Don’t get me wrong I enjoy a decent killer story and I’m pretty immune to a lot of horror movies these days after seeing so many, but when it’s a book and written in front of you it’s kinda hard to close your eyes through the icky bits lol.

The killer is known pretty early but the beauty of this story is how they can escape capture and continue a reign of terror. I have no idea how Lee concocts these killers but she has a vivid imagination that is put to great use via the written word.

Set in Edinburgh, a lovely city with grimy parts the undertones of the Scottish language filter in with some dialect that overseas readers (hell even UK!) may struggle with, but the content is usually decipherable. The detectives Black and Nicks are well developed and I like their banter. Insights into their private lives relieves some pressure from the torrid chase.

Devil’s Demise will keep you reading long into the night but beware the creepiness, I was engrossed from beginning to end. Some people may find it hard to differentiate the gory rape sex scenes from the consensual scenes .. yes, there is erotica included but that is part of a loving relationship. So don’t dislike this book purely on the basis it’s full of sexual content you need to read it in order to form an opinion and read in context. Sorry, but I hate to see books/authors condemned because people are not aware that a bit of the text may ‘upset’ them then malign the whole book. So on that note I really enjoyed this in the thrilling, chilling concept it was designed for.

Thanks to the author, publisher and Rachel at Authoright. I read and reviewed voluntarily.

[Peter · Rating 1 out of 5]

And the lesson is - less is more.

I am not a prude, I am ex forces, ex rugby playing red blooded male. ( Qualifications out of the way). So I am not a stranger to either sex or violence, but I really struggled with what was a constant stream of unimaginative written sex and gratuitous violence.
I also believe that a sense of place is essential in making a book a good read and unfortunately Edinburgh was conspicuous by its absence.
I know sex and violence sell but they do not make a good read.

[Lina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh wow! I did not expect so much action in this book. Brilliant read.
This is a gripping story. One that will leave you scared and make you feel like you are being followed. I was so terrified I had problems with going to kitchen during the night. Amazing. Simply amazing. I cannot wait for more from this author. What an astonishing debut novel from Lee Cockburn.
The characters are believable. I think at point too much. Being inside their heads helps you understand them. Amazing.
Total page turner.

[Stacy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had high hopes for this one, but I just couldn't finish it. Honestly it was just a struggle, and I tried.

The excessive use of exclamation points, over the top descriptive sex scenes which just seemed out of place and mixed-up plots and descriptions of events and characters. In one paragraph someone is wearing a tight firring t-shirt and two paragraphs later a loose-fitting sweater. I feel like Beta readers, or an editor should have caught this.

Lots of triggers in this one too - killing a dog and brutal excessive rape scenes. Hard pass.

[Bill Dennis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Read ...

OK. For me one of the best writers is Chris Carter although having read all his books they are a bit same !!
What a read through Devil’s Demise. The author spends a lot of time getting you to know everyone including “the nutter” so you get an all round feeling of tension which is exceptionally executed throughout. Well done Lee Cockburn - it’s just such a shame you have no more books available ( I think but will check ..! ) A clear 10/10.

[Gill D. Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd read mixed reviews but read Devil's Demise with an open mind. I thought it was brilliant! I could imagine each scene in great detail, it kept me frantically turning the pages and I loved the believable Edinburgh cop camaraderie.
The book is very graphic with intense scenes of sex, rape and violence but it didn't phase me, if anything it made it more realistic albeit disturbing. Five glorious stars from me!

[Maggie Bonner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn't put it down!

I literally couldn't put this book down from start to finish. This is not my usual genre of book but found it just gripping. Excellent story and characters. Cant wait to read the next 2 books.

[Amanda Rich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not normally the book id go for but wow! I couldnt read it fast enough with. The anticipation of wanting to know whats happening next!
Very graphic but i feel in this case its not unnecessary it describes well the horror of the situation.
Love it! Definently reccomend!

[Jean Simpson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review

I enjoyed the book very much but I felt that the sex scenes were far too graphic and added nothing to the story. They could have been there but not in such detail.

[Mairi Byatt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Certainly cannot say I ‘enjoyed’ this novel! But could not put it down!

[colin woodgate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Page turner

From the very first page I was hooked & needed to keep reading to know how it ended. I’ve already recommended to friends .

[Elite Group · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sex and Violence in bucket loads!

Detective Sergeant Taylor Nicks and her partner, Detective Constable Marcus Black, are called to the scene of a brutal rape. The rapist has not bothered to hide his DNA, knowing that he is not in the system. His arrogance and belief that he will never be caught makes him feel invincible. Unfortunately for him, one victim, although very badly injured, survives and is able to give the police a description of her attacker.

The detectives are faced with not only trying to stop him before he rapes and murders other women, but it seems that no matter how many hours they put into trying to trace this man, he always seems to be one step ahead.

This has got to be the most graphic violent, depraved and sick book I’ve ever read. I quickly learnt that the Lee Cockburn gave more than a cursory description of the rapes, so was able to fast forward after reading the details of the first one. Unfortunately, the author then put in sexual acts again with every minute detail. Maybe it’s me, but I prefer to use my own imagination in both crime and sex scenes.

The storyline is the reason for the three stars. It was a gripping plot which twisted and turned until the very end. (The ending was truly brilliant and is one of the three stars I’ve given). However, Lee Cockburn has relied on stereotype characters. Taylor Nicks is a tall, beautiful, sexy lesbian. Marcus Black is tall, well-built and handsome. Their boss is a bumbling Detective Inspector who was promoted because of the “boys club”. The rapist; pure evil. Dirty, slovenly, dead eyes. All too predictable with nothing unique to set them apart from other characters one finds in mediocre books.

Hopefully Lee Cockburn’s next book will concentrate more on his unique storytelling and he’ll find characters who, in their own way, are also unique from other authors, giving us the chance to follow a new vibrant series. I also hope that in the future he leaves the sex and violence more to our imagination. The scenes in this book were far too graphic for my liking.

Treebeard
Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

[Robin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Stopped reading after 50 pages. One of the worst books I have read for a very long time. Stereotypical characters and excessive violence are just about bearable but when coupled with some of the most inept writing I have encountered it makes for a completely wasted hour of my life that I will never get back. Avoid at all costs!

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, what can I say? Devil’s Demise has a dark, dark storyline. There were a lot of moments where my heart was in my mouth and I couldn’t stop reading. It is a great horror/thriller book that really keeps you wanting more.

The part I enjoyed about this book was that it was not a ‘whodunnit’ but more of a cat and mouse game. You know who the killer is from the start and you follow his story to find out why he got there.

There is one aspect of the book that I didn’t like and this is the only reason why it’s a four heart review! There’s a very ’50 shades’ side to this book and I personally don’t believe that the book benefited in any way from the ‘erotica’ parts. It did disappoint me a little bit because I really think the book would have thrived without these scenes. Each to their own though!

[Sally Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had me gripped from the second page, not my normal read but after meeting the author I thought I would give it ago and was certainly not disappointed . It's very dark but you need to know what happens keeps you gripped right the end. Hard to believe that it is her first book , can't wait for the second one :)