Sepultura

Necropolis Series #2

by Guy Portman

A sociopath’s work is never done.

Dyson Devereux is a busy man, with a challenging new job in the council's Burials and Cemeteries department and a young son. Life should be fine.

But amid the mindless minutiae of his workplace, Dyson is fast losing patience with his crass colleagues and their contemptible clothes. Something’s got to give, and it’s not going to be Dyson.

Because unbeknown to those around him, beneath Dyson’s charming, Italian-delicacy-consuming veneer lurks something sinister. As his personal and professional lives threaten to spiral out of control, how long can Dyson keep his true nature under wraps?

Sepultura is a hilarious black comedy exposing the banality of public-sector bureaucracy.

“Hysterical. Takes dark humour to a whole new level” — Martin Allen, Author of Weed.

“A satirical gem” — Adam Riley, Comedian

“My kind of black comedy. You’ll either love Dyson, or love to hate him” — Sandra Seymour, Author of Breed: Slayer

Sepultura is the second instalment in the Necropolis Trilogy - #1 Necropolis #2 Sepultura #3 Golgotha. Sepultura can be read as a standalone novel.

‘…a character you can’t help but like no matter how outrageous he is’ – avid reader (Top 500 Amazon Reviewer)

‘…a gravely amusing distraction from other run-of-the-mill narrators’ – Littlebooknesslane (Top 1000 Amazon Reviewer)

If you like serial killer fiction and dark humorous crime you'll love Sepultura.

216 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2018

About the author

As far back as anyone can remember Guy has been an introverted creature, with an insatiable appetite for knowledge, and a sardonic sense of humour.

Throughout a childhood in London spent watching cold war propaganda gems such as He Man, an adolescence confined in various institutions, and a career that has encompassed stints in academic research and the sports industry, Guy has been a keen if somewhat cynical social observer.

Humour of the sardonic variety is a recurring theme in Guy’s writing. His first novel, 'Charles Middleworth', is an insightful tale of the unexpected. Like the author, the protagonist in 'The Necropolis Series' is a darkly humorous individual – though, unlike the author, he is a sociopath.

Guy is a dedicated blogger and an avid reader. Reviews of the books he has read can be found in the review section of his blog.

Click on my website link below and get 'Mangetout' for FREE.

These shocking and suspenseful stories are a must read.

Reviews

[David Savage · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found Sepultura hard to review. I couldn’t help liking the character of Dyson Devereux, I thought his disdain for others and looking for perfection was very well written (and his contempt for others was portrayed brilliantly). But for me there wasn’t enough story, I thought there was too much filler in the book – words written to increase word count?

The story that was there of a narcissistic sociopath that feels superior to everybody else was intriguing and had some dark humour that made the story readable and in a way enjoyable (at no point did I want to put the book down and stop reading).

The murder scenes were great, although if you are squeamish may be a bit much (excessive stabbing, dismemberment etc.).

Some of the accents (East London) that were portrayed made some of the characters hard work to read and the translation of Italian to English and back again were, for me, unnecessary and added nothing to the story.

That said, I did enjoy Sepultura, I just think the story of the murders and the ending could have been expanded a bit (for me, it ended too abruptly with not much conclusion – maybe this will be the basis for the next book?).

I would have to rate this book as 3 out of 5 stars. It was good in places and not boring. The character of Dyson is excellent, and I would like to read more of this character. While for me, it wasn’t exciting enough, with its dark humour, grisly murders and the great character of Dyson I would recommend giving Sepultura a read.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this type of crime novel where you get to spend some quality time inside the head of a killer. There is none of the old "whodunnit" this is all about how will Dyson control this situation.

Dyson seems to have come a long way since Necropolis. He still has an eye for fashion, food and quality kitchenware and he still knows how to get in a dig at Celine Dion. He is calm and controlled under any situation and for a sociopath he has a bit of a sense of humour. The first book was almost the birth of the killer, this one is the killer at work. There is still a few scenes which you can't help but compare again to American Psycho, especially the scenes where Dyson looks to be on the edge of losing control, that is where the comparison ends though as Dyson is a far better developed character.

Anybody with any sense can't help but agree with Dyson's actions, the characters he has to deal with on a daily basis would turn most into killers.

The ending was brilliant, everything is all set up for an incredible third book, now I've just gotta somehow patiently wait for it's release.

Blog review is here>https://felcherman.wordpress.com/2018...

[Sean Randall · Rating 5 out of 5]

No, no, no! it can't just end there!

I've been looking forward to reading this since long before it came out on pre-order. Dyson is such a character that, even though you're not supposed to like him, you can't help it. I mean he's just impeccable. My only real regret is not being able to have my own opinion on the ties.

I never quite saw the appeal of the chick-lit novel, but I am perhaps now more able to appreciate some of the nuances - who would, after all, refuse an attractive Italian cooing "Sei veramente in forma" over ones genitalia? Perhaps distressed housewives have the right of it after all.

Truly comic, I chuckled in spots and squirmed in others. This book takes the macabre and makes it work. A superb addition to Portman's eclectic, wonderful corpus.

[Bandit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meet Dyson Devereux. The embodiment of sartorial perfection, a dedicated professional in the Burial and Cemeteries field, a polyglot, a smart and erudite man with impeccable tastes and manners, a devoted father…and also a sociopath and a murderer, because let’s face it, no one’s perfect. Dyson isn’t a serial killer per se (well, in numbers only), he’s really more just along the lines of a guy who tends to get rid of the intolerable elements in his life in a homicidal manner. The difficult thing is to balance his personal and professional lives with his murderous tendencies. That’s also where the dark comedy of it all comes in. Dyson is essentially a British version of the American Psycho in many ways, although, unlike Mr. Bateman, he isn’t meant to be a representation of the soulless consumerism culture or an emblem of a generation. I’ve recently read Portman’s take on dystopia Tomorrow’s World, so had a pretty good idea of what to expect tone wise, although this book is a completely different beast and kudos to the author for diversifying so easily and well. There is the same sort of darkly humorous glibness, but this was undeniably dissimilar in all the right ways and, for me, more enjoyable. Nice work of character driven fiction, even if the driver in this case is fairly unhinged. The way Dyson refers to those around him as an it, that alone is such a terrific stroke of characterization. He doesn’t mean it in some misguided politically correct way of appreciating gender neutrality either, he just doesn’t register them as equals, just a sort of lower forms of being. The ending seemed slightly abrupt. Or maybe that depends on how attached you’ll get to Dyson. But overall it was a very entertaining read and I appreciate the fact that the author once again manages to deliver a fun read within a very reasonable page count. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dyson Devereux’s nauseatingly suave sociopathic tendencies continue to escalate at a perverse pace in Sepultura, providing a gravely amusing distraction from other run-of-the-mill narrators.

Following on from his infamy in Necropolis (Book 1) newly appointed manager of Paleham’s burials and cemeteries continues to conceal his lack of empathy for pretty much anyone with a pulse. Except for his son, Horatio, providing he makes a concerted effort to speak Latin (bear in mind he’s three).

While he manages to camouflage his darkest thoughts under the graceful mask of coffee connoisseur, linguistic genius, and an impeccable dress sense, the world at large is merely a playground for Dyson’s arrogance. And when his department’s ‘foreign exchange’ program presents the opportunity to acquire an unusual souvenir he doesn’t hesitate to tailor his abilities to the task.

I couldn’t help but observe with relish Dyson’s latest interactions with the philistines who haunt his waking hours, as I eagerly wanted to learn which one would be naïve enough to step over his unfathomably low tolerance threshold! Plus the way he discretely christens his colleagues with his own apt nickname for them, rather than bothering to recall their real name, was characteristically droll.

Dyson’s private thoughts may not be considered ‘PC’ and some of his murderous and personal behaviour is explicitly graphic in places. But that doesn’t prevent me from wanting to see what the future holds for Paleham Council’s answer to Noman Bates, as the skeletons in his cupboard are trying their damnedest to break free.

(I chose to voluntary read and review this book, a digital copy of which was provided by the author with my thanks.)

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Jeffrey Dahmer may have kept human body parts in his fridge, but he was a sick individual, unlike me. I keep pimiento stuffed olives in my fridge, various other Mediterranean style mixes, cheeses such as this manchego and brie, these in addition to cold meat selections, milk, mayonnaise, bottles of Chablis and Semillon Blanc- not body parts. The only reason 'his head' is in the salad tray is because there is no room in the freezer.".....

Dyson, like the vacuum cleaner, is state of the art. Think a high class British “Dexter,” from books and television. Dyson refers to others by inanimate object names. They are not people, they are referred to as “it,” or “Free Lunch.” The not so bright “Free Lunch,” happens to be his ex’s current boyfriend. No one is good enough, ask Dyson.

Even with a child of his own, Dyson makes no life adjustments. He’s cool, calm, and murderous. With a trail of questioning by the police, he’s unfazed. After all, he’s never been caught doing anything wrong. He has high end tastes, a strange job, and extremely strange social interactions.

He’s a creepy character, because I suspect there are the “Dysons” of the world roaming free. I wasn’t sure at first if I was going to like this book. I couldn’t stand Dyson. I’m not saying I liked him any better at the end, but he certainly held my interest.

Would he get caught? Will he raise his son to be a “Dyson Jr.?” Told from Dyson’s point of view. If you find yourself reflected in Dyson, whatever you do, please don’t contact me. It was definitely an interesting, suspenseful story. I wasn’t overly thrilled by the ending. That was me, you may be pleased with it.

Thank you Guy Portman

[Lauren Sapala · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m a huge fan of transgressive fiction and very familiar with the genre, so I had some idea of what to expect when I began Sepultura, but this book honestly blew away all my expectations. I had no idea that I was going to totally fall in love with the main character, Dyson, for one thing. And for another, I was shocked to find myself not only liking him, but actually rooting for him at every turn. Every time he killed someone I was just so happy about it that I started to feel like maybe I was a little crazy myself.

And it’s definitely the overwhelming charisma of Dyson Devereux that makes Sepultura such a delicious experience for the reader. I haven’t come across such an engaging character in a long time. He’s brilliant, sophisticated, snarky, cold as a snake, and oh-so-weirdly likeable. This sounds like an extremely odd thing to say about a serial killer, but I felt like he was someone I wanted to be friends with. I wouldn’t want to get on his bad side, of course, but that was also part of the beauty of Dyson’s character and the story overall. The people who do get on his bad side, well, you get it. They’re the people that we all fantasize about killing, whether we want to admit it or not. The super annoying coworker that tries to undermine you at every turn. The possessive person who’s dating your ex and is out-of-control jealous of you. All those people that, at one time or another, you just want to throw into a pit. Dyson throws those people into a pit for you. And it’s incredibly satisfying.

I will definitely be gifting this book to friends and rereading it myself. It’s just damn good. I highly enjoyed it.

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book with refreshingly dark humour.
I did find that Dyson had a tendency to ramble or over-describe which had me skipping huge chunks of dialogue and I do wonder how someone who thinks themselves meticulous and in control had (what seems to be) an unplanned child but hey, life happens.

Overall though I really enjoyed Sepultura.

[Ronald Keeler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sepultura by Guy Portman is an adventure in writing for Portman. The author bends a lot of rules as far as the mechanics of English. The novel is an adventure in reading as the reader constantly tries to figure out who some of the characters are. In tandem with this, Portman makes liberal use of a street-level British vernacular. This novel offers much to the education of readers without knowledge of this language form. Main character Dyson Devereux is probably immoral and definitely amoral as he goes about justifying his killing of other characters who give him problems. The descriptions of the killings are graphic as are descriptions of sex scenes which are obviously power, not sexually, motivated.

Portman has his hero, Dyson, rename his colleagues and characters whenever Dyson’s perception of the named character changes. Dyson is the chief of the Burials and Cemeteries Department of the Paleham Council, England. This seems to be a monstrous bureaucratic institution designed so that there is no clear sense of responsibility on the part of anyone for anything. Skilled players are never accountable. Dyson takes advantage of this to expand power into an area where none is needed, Burials and Cemeteries, so that he can feed his monstrous ego. There are never enough despicable deeds to feed such a horrible character. Although Dyson is the chief of Burials and Cemeteries, he has only one person under him, Goth. Goth is not his real name but Dyson calls him that due to Goth’s insistence on wearing all black and accomplishing whatever daily task assigned with a dour, frequently frowning, expression. Dyson even renames him Sullen Goth, a name that will be retained through most of the story.

Dyson fascinates readers as he devises many schemes, criminal and immoral, to advance himself. No reader will like him. Think Hannibal Lecter on steroids. Description of a plot in this story is almost unnecessary and might vary in description from reader to reader. This five-star Amazon read revolves around two things, the actions of Dyson and the creative use of language to tell the story.
The creative language use began on page one and irritated me so much I almost abandoned the novel. Still, the bureaucratic bumbling described as Dyson tried to rent a car kept me engaged and by page ten it became obvious what Dyson (through Portman) was doing. Dyson used “it” to name whichever character irritated him most at the moment. This passage illustrates: “Further down the counter, behind a computer, is a fat female staff member. Someone in the queue enquires as to why it is not serving customers. Eyes fix on their accuser. A rebuke barked in Italian explains how it is far too busy to serve customers,” (Kindle locations 16-17). When Dyson shows up for work at Paleham Council, Department of Burials and Cemeteries, he surveys workplace colleagues; those other than Sullen Goth, his only employee. Dyson observes a department employee who considers himself at least an equal to Dyson and is dedicated to establishing superiority over Dyson. That is not going to happen. Dyson describes: “Up ahead is a gluttonous carcass, slouched over its desk, gorging on a McDonald’s McMuffin. I wonder how it survived the first wave of redundancies. Here’s hoping that it gets swept away in the second wave. Or maybe it is immovable and here to stay. I will give it a wide berth (Kindle location 71-73).

Dyson doesn’t just use “it” to describe characters. Many times he will use a phrase to describe his assessment of them. The phrase might change as his evaluation becomes more refined. The character might even briefly become “it.” The offices surrounding Dyson’s contain P-P-Priscilla, named for her stuttering. She will later become Groundhog Day because of her habit of telling the same story each day to the same people. She has no recollection of doing this. There is a woman too old for her skirt, identified as Inappropriate Short Skirt. The “it’ of McMuffin fame is Bryan, an acting strategic director and nemesis of Dyson’s. He will retain the title “it” for much of the novel.

Here is a passage that illustrates the vernacular used. As part of his job, Dyson must occasionally visit cemeteries. On one visit to a cemetery built over a former Great Plague site, Dyson speaks with two gravediggers. “The top of a head is peeking out from between piles of freshly dug earth. ‘Haur comes th’ big man,’ says Angus when I walk over. There is a second person in the grave, spade in hand. ‘Hou’s aw wi ye?’ says Angus. ‘Not bad. You have new teeth.’ ‘Aye, nu wallies.’ Angus removes his dentures with an earth-stained paw and holds them up towards me. A trail of drool is hanging from them (Kindle locations 145-148).

This novel is bursting with tongue-in-cheek dark humor about bureaucrats and their inefficiencies but it does not exempt comments on issues of the socially ridiculous. A man calls Dyson to inquire about where and how to bury a relative. “‘My aunt a-hhh needs an a-hhh alternative a-hhh eco-casket.’ I open the database and locate the details for EcoRest. ‘Got a pen?’ ‘A-hhh yes.’ ‘0-2-0-8-7-4-3-6-5-8-7. I repeat 020-8743-6587 … Which eco material did you have in mind for the casket …? Cardboard … Bamboo?’ ‘Hhh. Pineapple leaves.’ Once my nation ruled the waves, now its populace is reduced to pineapple-leaf death receptacles. Eco funerals are all the rage these days (Kindle locations 77-82).

This review takes material from the first 6% of the book. I read the entire novel and did not care for the ending. It doesn’t matter, this novel is so good throughout that it deserves five Amazon stars and a highly recommended rating. It will appeal most and greatly to fans of dark humor, an appreciation for snappy comebacks in dialogue (to include puns) and to those who can see the ridiculous nature of ever-expanding political correctness. Professional architects of micro-aggressions will be disappointed as they see their skewed perceptions of social justice taunted.

I liked the book and will read more from Guy Portman. I received a complimentary copy of the book from the author via Voracious Readers Only. At USD 3.99 on Amazon, it is worth the price.

[Sara Hawkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted to hate Dyson so much but I liked him. It was really interesting to get into the mind of a killer but I found I wanted more at the ending. It ended way too quickly for my liking and too abrupt. It is a fast read and enjoyable .

I received this book free from Voracious Readers in exchange for my honest review

[Justin Sarginson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very enjoyable from start to finish. I was actually disappointed when I came to the end as I was left wanting more, which is a sign of just how good this book is. Pre-ordered the sequel.

[lexlooksatbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

*** You can also find this review live on my blog! ***

I did receive this as an advanced digital copy from the Author however all opinions are honest and my own. I did purchase book number one, Necropolis from Amazon and my 5-star review for this can be found here.

I know that this book isn’t even released yet but I already need the sequel! This was yet another fantastic book and it was great to follow along with more of Dyson’s life and see what happened following his departure from Newton Council and his police encounters due to the missing people surrounding him starting to pile up!

In Sepultura, we follow Dyson and his new role as the head of Burials and Cemetries in Paleham Council. He’s now a father and has his son Horatio, which made for very funny interactions as he tried to teach him Latin at the age of three and complained about his table manners. We get to see him utilise his Italian skills as a translator for the council and their Twin-Town scheme with the Italian town, Rovito and we also watch how he deals with the unsightly and downright annoying humans who try to get in his way and make his life harder.

Just like with Necropolis, this was filled with the dark humour that we’ve come to love and Dyson trying to make his way through meeting and communicating with new humans and fantastic ways f describing them and how much they irritate and annoy him. His nicknames were yet again, on point, and I love that I don’t even know the real names of the some of the more prominent side characters, just their nicknames and how Dyson knows them. I think it makes it so much easier to remember certain characters and let’s be honest, it’s realistic – especially for someone like Dyson who doesn’t have the time or even care to learn people’s name.

I really enjoyed the ending to this too; I don’t want to spoil it but I’m really interested to see where it goes and how Dyson is going to get himself out of this as being charming can only get you so far! It also seemed like the most logical ending and I’m glad that Guy took it down that route as any other route would have seemed force or vastly unrealistic and one of the things I love about Necropolis and Sepultura is the realism and relatability to Dyson’s everyday life and surroundings, special living in the UK myself.

I really would recommend picking this up if you’ve read Necropolis, it’s the perfect sequel and has only cemented how much I love hearing about Dyson and his activities despite how much I probably shouldn’t. If you haven’t picked Necropolis up yet then I really urge you to do so, so that you can come and pick this up! You can pre-order this at Amazon UK and is due to be released on January 11th 2018.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dyson’s back. And this time it’s personal.

The Great British Psycho returns in a new instalment as he narrates his attempts to go straight in a world that’s increasingly getting on his nerves. And, as we’ve come to expect from Portman, it’s a mordant delight.

Like the first book Necropolis, each character in Sepultura is distinctly rendered, from passive-aggressive workmates to sultry and sociopathic signoras. And there’s enough detailed descriptions of sex, violence and body disposal to keep you going through the night.

But rather than repeat the same formula, Sepultura develops the world and the character, putting Dyson in interesting situations arising from his actions in the first book. For example, what does a privileged sociopath teach his son? Latin, of course. And whereas in Necropolis we wondered whether Dyson would achieve his goals, in Sepultura Portman sets up an impending sense of doom as Dyson can only keep a lid on his impulses for so long. Given how badly some of his colleagues dress, who can blame him?

Because in the end that’s the true strength of both these novels – the compelling voice of its narrator inculcating us into his devilish logic. More than just a British Bateman, Dyson Devereux is the gruesome corollary of a previously dominant class trapped in a world of equal opportunities and diversity in the workplace. From his assumed vantage point of clear superiority, we can’t help but see it his way.

That ability to make us empathise with a mind itself incapable of empathy is testament to Portman’s skill and imagination. There is not a false note in his portrait of a haughty, reckless, sadistic mind bereft of redeeming features, unless you count a dark wit sharp enough to kill.

[H Petty · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was sent to me as a Voracious Readers member. Although the underlying theme of this book is dark and psychotic, I loved the dry humorous writing style and was giggling out loud often whilst reading it.

Completely non-politically correct Dyson Devereux holds a respectable job as Head of Cemeteries and Burials at his local Council. He is consumed with his perceived status in life and believes he is a fashionista, judging others by their lack of refinement and self presentation. He gives colleagues nicknames which he feels reflects their outward appearance, such as "Floral Frock" and "Sullen Goth".

Dyson's young son lives with his ex-partner and her new boyfriend who Dyson views as an unemployable looser and consequently nicknames him "Free Lunch". Problems arise when their paths cross and Dyson's true character is revealed.

As the Council which employs Dyson is twinned with the Italian town of Rovito, a visit from the Italian Council workers is arranged, and followed shortly by an excursion to Rovito by Dyson and his colleagues. All does not go as planned and Dyson finds himself living on borrowed time...

An interesting plot with unexpected twists which kept me engaged and keen to find out what happened next. Let down only by a slightly weaker ending, hence the 4 stars, not five.

[Norman Coe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny, sick, suspenseful. But oh the ending, how could you do that to me? I feel like I need a shower.

[Kylie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this book....more than i thought i would to be honest. I read this in 2 sittings, I needed to know what happened. Would definitely recommend this book.

[KarnagesMistress]

I received this book for free through Goodreads Giveaways. It is a Kindle book.

[Jacqui · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sepultura tells the story of a sociopath named Dyson who works in Burials and Cemeteries and deals with people who irritate him in a very illegal way.

Dyson’s move to Paleham Council was under a cloud of suspicion, but he has hidden the dodgy details from his new co-workers well. Not that he interacts with them or even tries to remember their names. All he wants to do now is make sure his department runs smoothly and that everyone adheres to his strict rules regarding the graveyards. And of course, he wants to make sure his son receives a good education. The problem is that Free Lunch (as he names his ex’s current partner) is a lowlife druggie that shouldn’t be in her life and has some influence on his son. Well, he is not really a problem. Not when Dyson can get rid of him. In really small pieces.

Dyson’s mastery of Italian puts him in a group of people about to participate in a town swop, where councils who do the same work but in different countries come together to discuss strategy. Good wine, sexy women and picturesque surroundings. Sounds good, right? Well, there is one annoying co-worker, but Dyson knows how to deal with annoying people...

Boy oh boy was Dyson a guilty pleasure of a character! As much as you knew it was not the right thing to do to support him, each time the body count got higher and another annoying person was wiped off the earth you did a little happy dance. I loved the snarky character of Dyson and the way he saw things being so cut and dried. If you didn’t like something, do something about it. Obviously, this is not ok in real life, but in the book it really was funny. The town swop was an interesting idea but the paperwork and bureaucracy in Italy sounded like a nightmare. I hadn’t read the first one in the series but this book could be read as a standalone. However, the ending is a major cliffhanger, so be prepared to have many questions.

The editing was very good and only a few mistakes cropped up like the incorrect use of “here, here” and using wined instead of whined. Some things that you thought were mistakes turned out to be for effect like calling a person It or having a stutter when remembering the beginning letter of a person’s name. The one thing I couldn’t fathom though was using this to label a person: Mar-keting. Sometimes getting too clever with accents creates confusion.

I have never read a book in the transgressive genre before and didn’t know what to expect. I’m certainly glad I did as I loved it and will definitely be reading more. Thanks to Voracious Readers Only and the author for a copy of the book.

[Jill Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

UGH - once again a book whose blurb never tells you that it's the second in a series... I started reading this one and while I was highly intrigued by the concept and character, just kept feeling like I was missing something - so I turned to other reviews. Yeah, I am missing something - THE FIRST BOOK. This is a sequel. I don't understand why authors/publishers/publicists would not mention that right up front - it is very difficult to jump into a story mid-stream, and it leaves readers (or at least this reader) feeling confused and irritated because we spend the time requesting and reading (or at least starting to read) something that we then realize we aren't understanding/following because there's an entire story that happens before the current book...

So needless to say, I didn't finish this one. It's a great concept and I'll put the first in series (Necropolis, apparently) on my To Be Read list, but I have too many other review commitments in line ahead of this one to be able to read two books in order to do a review here. If I'd known it was a sequel, I wouldn't have requested it. PLEASE publishers/NetGalley, provide that information BEFORE we request titles - it wastes our time and the publishers' copies to send things to us that we can't properly review...

(I've given three stars because NetGalley forces a star rating and I don't think it's fair to the author to say I didn't like it when I don't know if I would have if I'd read the first book before starting this one...)

[Luci · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this book for free through Voracious Readers Only, and did not realize it was the second in the series until after I had started it. To its credit, you really don't have to have read the first book to jump into this one - though it is definitely now on my to-read list along with this one's sequel. Quite an amazing read. It is different from books I usually read and from those I have been reading as of late in that it is not particularly thriller, though it is psychological. I would describe it as a bit of a case study into a sociopath. I found myself identifying and sympathizing with the main character - though his name initially threw me off as a strange choice, I eventually grew comfortable with it - agreeing with him throughout the book wholeheartedly in every situation. Well, that is to say, except for his decision to flee Italy early and implicate himself in the disappearance of Bryan - that I did not understand at all. Surely the irritation at staying in Italy for longer than originally planned was a lesser need than to appear less guilty than necessary. Though I will say that it creates an interesting new situation for the next book, which I am now dying to read.

[Caroline Willis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to say this wasn't like any book I'd read before. I think I got to about half way through before there was an acutal murder, though there was reference to a number of missing people. The book was more about Dyson Devereaux and his psyche, which was interesting - I loved his perception of the people he interacted with and his names for them - sullen goth, flowery frocks. I am now also a lot more in the know about men's suits, ties and how to co-ordinate them well (in Dyson's view anyway). I hated the ending - it left so many questions unanswered - why, what evidence did they have, what happend to Dyson, was he found guilty, why was nothing said about the repurcussions on the people who attacked Dyson. I received a free copy of this book from Voraciousreaders.com in exchange for an honest review.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to thank Voracious Readers Only and Guy Portman for the opportunity to read Sepultura and leave a candid review.

Okay, so I like Dyson Devereux. Yes,I recognize that he is a murderer, but he's so damn likable. Most of us limit ourselves to fantasizing about murdering those who annoy us on a daily basis, but Dyson actually carries through. Even his nicknames for victims and potential victims (I'm talking to you, Floral Frock) show his disassociation and lack of regard for others. But he's a sociopath; what can I expect?

I greatly enjoyed spending my time with Dyson and his foibles. I did deduct one star because of the ending -- I'd really like to know how the detectives figured out Dyson did it and why they considered it overkill. It felt like the book ended just a little too soon for me.

[Nikki Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Voracious Readers Only in exchange for an honest review.
Initially I was little off put by the first person present narrative. I pushed through and I am glad I did so - what an enjoyable and entertaining book.
I found myself routing for Dyson - I too found Floral Frock irritating (having worked with a very similar character) I found myself compiling my own 'hit list' of the people within Paleham council that I thought Dyson should help remove from the world.
I am kicking myself for not having read the first book to feature Dyson and will remedy this immediately.
I loved the dark humour and finished the book in one day.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book from Hidden Gems, and this is an honest and voluntary review.

I'd never heard of this author previously, but I can tell you it won't be the last book I read of his. An excellent dark comedy humour, thriller/mystery writer.

I won't go into the details of the book because the blurb and other reviewers have covered this, but what I will say is that the main character gives a new meaning to 'Don't judge a book by it's cover'. Extremely egotistical, suave and sophisticated from the outside, but a calm and lethal killer from the inside.

Why only 4-stars? A cliffhanger. Regardless, a recommended read.

[Ileana Renfroe · Rating 4 out of 5]

What had me hooked from the very beginning was part of the blurb - "Sepultura is a caustic black comedy featuring an unforgettable sociopath." How could you not want to read it?

I'm glad I did because we meet Dyson dealing with raising a young son and the challenges of a new job. Then things begin to unravel and that's when it gets very interesting.

The only thing I would have liked to know ahead of time is that this is not the first book in a series. Otherwise, I enjoyed reading Sepultura.

[Elaine Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not my usual genre but very funny. It would have worked for me as well if he wasn't a sociopath/serial killer as the observations on other people and the life of the council were very engaging.
I was given a complimentary copy by Voracious Readers in exchange for a review.

[KellyFish · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is like a more readable American Psycho but I'm desperate for a sequel!!! What happens next? What's the evidence? What happened to the Italian with the stolen phone?! So many questions!

[DLV · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Voracious Readers.
The book was well written
with interesting characters.
Great suspense!

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable, Dyson is a tremendous character. Looking forward to reading the next one.

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

An invigorating distinct variety of publication!