The Puritan

by Birgitte Märgen

WE'RE ALL SINNERS. Pray. You're. Not. Next.

A man's body is found hanging in the Boston Common, his eyes missing and skin mutilated beyond recognition, transforming him into a winged demon. Weeks later, a young girl's body is discovered under a layer of ice, her skin carved into angel wings.

Boston Homicide Detective Marti Zucco and her partner, Detective Neil Cavanaugh, are in a race against time to stop the wing-maker, a twisted psychopath who has left a trail of complex clues. A gang-ridden path that will take them through the gates of Hell and into an underground world of sexual perversion.

For Marti, her faith will be tested as more bodies continue to mount and she walks among the ghosts, following in the footprints of the killer known as the Puritan.

Say thy prayers,
ye devil-tongued fools,
lest the Wing-Maker come for you.

"Dark. Gruesome. Evil. Everything I love in a mystery!" -Tracy, Amazon reviewer

"...the comparisons to Thomas Harris are well-earned." -Danielle R., NetGalley reviewer

"Smart, dark, gritty." --Brittney, NetGalley reviewer

"...this is the BEST book I have read to date." --Laura, Goodreads reviewer

MINDHUNTER meets HANNIBAL LECTER in this brilliantly crafted and disturbing thriller from Birgitte Märgen, the haunting new voice of horror and suspense. In the tradition of Thomas Harris, Michael Connelly, and Jo Nesbø, THE PVRITAN is a thriller fueled by a serial killer terrorizing Boston and the detectives trying to stop him. Who is the Wing-Maker? Can he be stopped, or has the soul of his next victim already taken flight?

A Readers' Favorite 5-Star Seal Recipient
An Indies Favorite Recommended 5-Star Seal Recipient

Genres: Horror, Thriller, Fiction, Mystery, Crime

Paperback

First published September 3, 2020

About the author

BIRGITTE MÄRGEN is the author of "LIE LIKE THE DEVIL" and "THE RED DEATH," whose writing has also been featured in Mystery & Suspense magazine. Her foretelling medical thriller "THE RED DEATH" was written before the Covid pandemic. The serial killer thriller, "LIE LIKE THE DEVIL," has received two reader awards, including Reader's Favorite & Indie's Today.

A note from the author:
A huge THANK YOU to all my readers! If you enjoyed one of my books, please leave a review on Amazon & Goodreads, it is a tremendous help to us authors. I read all my reviews and enjoy hearing what my readers have to say! Please give me a follow as well, I have written a few new books that are being shopped around, and you will see the latest updates!

Instagram:
/birgittemargen

Tiktok:
@birgittemargen

Reviews

[Bandit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Geneva Bible was published in 1560, it was the first one to be translated into English, thus predating King James version by many decades. It was the Bible of Shakespeare and his contemporaries. And closer to the theme of this book, it was the Bible of pilgrims, the book they brought over with them to guide them through the New World. And with so many pilgrims being puritans (technically Separatists, but details details) there you have the book’s title and spelling and it’s titular killer’s motivations. Brought into a terrifyingly strict, somehow at the same time religious and murderous family, he eventually grows up to become a one man team of judge/jury/executioner with morbidly artistic leanings. So the mutilated bodies appear and an intrepid duo of detectives, an all too serious good catholic girl second generation cop Marti (short for Martina) and a socially adept charmer Neil. So there you have it, a pretty much by the book police procedural, a very decently done thriller, considering it was a fairly random Netgalley find, unknown (to me) author, small publisher, etc. I’m not actually a huge fan of procedurals, it’s one of my least favorite kinds of thrillers, but this was dark and disturbing enough to override some of my presets. Wasn’t a huge fan of Marti, she seemed much too straightlaced and at times downright prudish for an experienced metropolitan detective, as in don’t blush in a sex store, Marti, seriously, you’ve seen savagely brutalized dead bodies, you can do this. But at any rate, she managed to solve the crime, so there’s that. Would have liked to know more about the killer, the thing dark psychological thrillers so enjoy unraveling, but here what you know comes from third person perspectives, finds, etc. But again, the author managed to make his brief but striking killing spree memorable plenty, so much so the book positively veers into the horrific realm at times. It’s certainly dark enough in tone and mood. So yeah, a perfectly entertaining serial killer story, especially for fans of police procedurals. Reads very quickly too. Thanks Netgalley.

[Pooja Peravali · Rating 3 out of 5]

Detective Marti and her partner are investigating a serial killer who is creating unholy angels out of his victims. It is a race against the clock as they must catch him before he strikes again.

This is a twisty and dark procedural with strong religious overtones. I enjoyed the grounding in the setting of Catholic Boston, and the vivid writing. However, the leads were a touch undeveloped, and the last 20% I did not really enjoy at all, as the pace suddenly increased and there was no adequate resolution to the book.

Disclaimer: This book was won in a Goodreads giveaway. This is my honest and voluntary review.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Puritan is an exciting and creepy crime thriller about a serial killer who is dubbed by the media "The Wing Maker". The victims are branded with a letter and a piece of a 16th century bible, The Geneva Bible, is lodged somewhere on their person. Is this killer on a crusade? This is the question posed to Boston PD Detectives Marti Zucco and Neil Cavanaugh as they do everything in their power to stop him, with their investigation taking them to the darker underbelly of Boston.

Its a while since I have read a really gripping serial killer thriller. I read 60% of this in one day - I was hooked from the first page. The storyline gave me serious chills and I literally couldn't put it down. It is so fast paced with likeable lead characters in a dark and disturbing atmosphere.

Boston is a great setting for this book and there are a few chapters featuring the Pilgrims from the 1600's that settled in Boston. I also loved how some of the locals' accents were written in the Bostonian accent. There are also chapters featuring the killer and giving us some insight in to his mindset which I really liked.

The last few chapters are very exciting and lead to a great climax, with plenty of twists and turns to keep me turning the pages. However, there were a few loose threads and unanswered questions that I would have liked explored further but all in all, an excellent and riveting read. 🌟🌟🌟🌟

[val | starrynight.reads ✨ · Rating 2 out of 5]

* Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a digital arc in exchange for an honest review *
2 Stars. This book is about two detectives, Marti and Neil, and their search for a serial killer who kills his victims and carves angel wings into their skin.
I was intrigued by this book because of the premise. Mindhunter means Hannibal Lecter? Sign me up. However I didn't feel like it lived up to those comparisons. I really did like the descriptions of the crime scenes and the autopsies. They were very descriptive and vivid and gruesome really, but I felt that that was the only strong point of the novel.
The characters felt very flat and 2 dimensional and didn't have a lot of substance to them. I didn't feel connected to any of our main characters. We get to know about Marti through some backstory on her life but while it was supposed to add something to the story, I didn't think it made any difference. Her personality was very flip-floppy throughout the entirety of the novel. One minute she's intimidated and scared by a suspect she's interviewing and the next second she's yelling and demanding answers from them. I also felt that the ending was completely rushed and I felt unsatisfied by the way it ended. It seemed too easy and everything seemed to wrap up too perfectly.
All in all I felt that the book could have had more substance. it had an interesting plot but I don't think it was developed as much as it could have been. To me it seemed like a less developed episode of Law and Order.

[Whisper19 · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Book given by NetGalley for review)

The Pvritan is your typical horror thriller about a serial killer operating in Boston. The plot follows the lead detective on the case, Marti Zucco and her partner Neil Cavanaugh as they try to piece together the evidence connecting the gruesome murders where the killer hangs their victims, makes “wings” from their skin, brands them and leaves messages from an ancient Bible inside their bodies.
This modern story however opens with a scene from 17th century Boston. The murders and the reasons for the murders in 21st century mirror the 17th century scenes and give us, the reader, a slight advantage over the detectives.
Marti and Neil are your standard detective partners – completely different but work together well. She is a single woman unable to keep a guy, really unwilling to tie herself to an idiot, but hey. Neil is a chubby hubby and father of one, soon to be two, kids. They work with their colleagues and work to solve this case before the killer strikes again.
Now, there are several reasons why I gave this novel only 2.5 stars.
First let’s talk about the characters. All the characters are almost cardboard cut-outs or caricatures of typical murder mystery characters. The other detectives in the precinct and in the suburbs are lazy and don’t really want to put in any extra work, their boss sends in for outside assistance from Behavioural Unit. The single moms are flirty, smokers that dress inappropriately. The married moms are protective momma bears who are dominated by their husbands. The dads are either absent because reasons or are pater familias with all the emotional understanding of a slug. The leader of the Satanist cult is a person who is able to seduce a woman on the other side of a one-way mirror (also, giving off vibes of the “vampire” character from BBC’s Luther). Poor overuse of murder mystery tropes.
You just never connect with any of the characters. Not even Marti. You learn about her past but her personality is so all over the place that you can’t seem to grab a hold of her. She is a brainiac who knows all the Latin names of all the birds that surround her and who doesn’t eat poultry because she once took care of a bird with a broken wing. She is also a person who can’t guess that an A branded on the skin of a victim stands for “adultery,” even though she’d just spent time researching and realising that M stands for “murder,” W for “witchcraft” and B for “bestiality.” She has a strange aversion to tattoos and really looks down on anyone who is crazy enough to mar their skin with drawings. She is scared of a person she is interviewing in one moment and in the next she gets all up in his face for no reason at all… You see what I mean? Just all over the face.
Even with 2D characters I could have enjoyed this novel had the plot been presented in a better way. The story points sometimes get lost. The big revelations in the investigation come every once in a while, like in any other murder mystery. And as in many, they are presented in the form of a slight cliff-hanger. But, what Märgen does next is just swoosh past the information. She doesn’t give it to us but instead we get these jumps in time and we are left hanging there. I don’t mind working for my content, but this was a bit much.
In addition to this, there are so many false routs she takes us on and presents in detail that we are almost fooled for a moment, but then a revelation comes that this was just a detour and in fact another path is the right one. Of course, to make thigs worse, she doesn’t explain the right path either. For instance, there is no explanation why these 17th century executions are copied. We know, or we can guess, where the killer found out about them but we don’t know for sure. We also don’t know why the mutilation, why the staging. Did the killer think he was making them into angels? Did they repent and he saw himself as taking them to heaven? There is no explanation why these victims were chosen?
All in all, a weak attempt at a story that had so much potential.

[Mr. Horror · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me a free copy for a review!

This book was very 50/50. Some parts had strong suites while other parts of the book were just.. unnecessary.

I loved the two detectives, I loved how roles were slightly reversed; the female detective was the brutish/mysterious one while the male detective was the fun lighthearted one. (Also loved animals, haha how fun).

I think overall this needed one more edit, there were alot of things about that had me hooked, I loved that the female detective had to work on a case that challenges her beliefs and had her lifestyle flipped. I think character development is important but, I felt her character just...stayed flat. Never really grew, just felt she kept running around in circles thinking she's evolving.
Of course, she falls for her detective partner (boring and kind of a let down) (um also he's married and has kids?! But this is a whole different discussion).

I liked the idea of this book, this storyline did sort of seem like an episode on Criminal Minds but that's okay, maybe I'm overthinking.

I loved the gruesome parts, such as people's eyeballs being taken out and having a religious script in its place (seriously, creepy and cool) or parts where people's body's were being flayed open to display wings, all of the victims murders were pretty gnarly and I liked it!
But the way the detectives actually went about taking care of the case, was meh.

OVERALL: this was okay. That's all.
I don't know if I would recommend this, it was a good read but I did put this down MULTIPLE times and had to tell myself to finish the book .
*This book flashes between timelines as well and the parts where it flashes back, (in my opinion) are the weakest parts. Very unnecessary and I think that's what actually took away from the book rather than add to it.*

That's all for now my friends,

Until next time,
-Mr. Horror

[Rowena Hoseason · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Puritan undoubtedly owes a lot to the books of Thomas Harris – notably The Silence of The Lambs and Red Dragon – and to TV series like Criminal Minds and Mindhunter. In particular there’s a big tip of the hat to Agent Clarice Starling: not only is the protagonist cut from similar cloth but the killer communicates by cramming messages into his victim’s intimate orifices.

We have a killer who uses gruesome methods to despatch and display his victims. A female detective takes the lead in the investigation, and pushes herself and her colleagues to bring some small measure of justice to the dead. And to locate and stop the murderer, she must get inside his head to understand his sickening inspiration…

This plot is delivered at a decent pace, without unnecessary literary frills or flourishes. The author has an engaging, accessible style of writing, and concentrates on proficient storytelling rather than deep, meaningful moments of soul-searching. The mystery is more of a police procedural than it is a story of psycho profiling.

There’s a series of flashbacks to ghoulish historical interludes, which reveal the horrors of the Salem witch trials in all their brutal ignorance. For all its grisly subject matter, this is a surprisingly easy read. The author doesn’t bring anything particularly new to the party but she delivers a tense, carefully constructed thriller. The story doesn’t get bogged down in domestic dramas, nor is it ruined by a cascade of increasingly improbable plot twists. Instead, The Puritan delivers a solidly satisfying experience.
8/10

There are many more reviews of cracking crime/thrillers over at http://www.murdermayhemandmore.net

[B · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book a lot. Murder mysteries are interesting to me, and this one was really well done. Smart, dark, gritty. The partner "Neil" was a little obnoxious, but the main character, "Marti" was well-written and fleshed out.

Good descriptive techniques of the murder scenes, well-written autopsy scenarios.

Highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read the e-ARC.

All opinions are my own.

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars.
THE PVRITAN has everything I love in a mystery - fast paced, dark, and gruesome, with a serial killer antagonist, and a smart female lead to boot. Marti and her partner Neil are detectives on the trail of a serial killer with religious overtones to his killings, that may be tied to a Satanic cult and the Salem Witch trials... or maybe not. My only complaints were the flashbacks could have been integrated into the present action a little more smoothly, and the end, while exciting and fulfilling, seemed abrupt. I tried a few times to scroll on in my Kindle before I realized that that was, in fact, that. I really hope that we will see more Marti and Neil featured in a sequel/series of books.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Independent Book Publishers Association for the opportunity to read THE PVRITAN in return for my honest opinion.

[Kathryn Barnett · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE PURITAN by Birgitte Margen

Unknown to all, a 16th century bible is stolen from a family museum, add a church of Satan, bodies given wings and murders with clues hundreds of years old. Shake well and you have one of the most terrorizing serial killer sprees to ever terrorize Boston.
There seems to be no connection between the victims and Boston Homicide Detectives Marti Zucco and Detective Neil Cavanaugh are at a loss. There are clues left but they are confusing and seem to be more obscure as time passes. Soon it becomes apparent that both Marti and her partner Neil have gone from hunters to prey in the mind of the killer. The terror level rises until the book comes to an intense and thrilling conclusion,.
This is honestly one of the best mysteries I have ever read and I would recommend it to anyone. I am now going to the library to find more of the authors books. This is the 4th, so I have at least 3 more to read and enjoy. Bye now!

[Genevieve Paquette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley and IBPA for letting my read this in exchange for a review.
I'm not sure about this one. There was a lot I liked about it. I read it pretty much straight through, staying up past midnight, even. It was an engaging, really well paced read. I did enjoy it, for the most part, but i think the thing is, it was pretty good, but it could have been very good, you know? I feel like it could have used one more edit.
The characters were moderatly well developed. Writing that makes me feel like I'm writing a report card, but bear with me. There was an attempt to give them backstory and a life and personality outside the police, but Marti's disastrous love life and possible just-acknowledged unrequited love for her married partner was such a trope and was completely unnecessary, as was the somewhat over-the-top scene with her long-distance boyfriend (who was cartoonishly horrible). I did appreciate that that was not all there was to her, though- it was nice that we got to see her as a family member, parishioner (it was nice to get some positive Catholic representation, not gonna lie) and, to a degree, neighbour. Oh, and bird lover, although even though I think that was supposed to be a key part of her character, it was just sort of mentioned offhand.
Neil, on the other hand. Ouch. I realize that gallows humor is a cop staple (at least according to the fictional procedurals I love to read), but that was all the poor guy did- almost all of his lines were tasteless quips, or at least it seemed that way. He could have used at least one more dimension... And ok, yes, he was supposed to be charming and socially adept, that didn't really come across all that well. And to repeat myself, the "work husband" relationship with his partner felt a little cheap. (It really would be nice to see more healthy platonic relationships in fiction...)
The writing was solid, although there were some strange phrasings and word choices that stuck out.
The story had so much potential. I love a good, gimmicky hook and this one was prime. Gruesome murders staged in an outrageous and very specific way, harkening back to the days of the Puritans. Awesome, right? But the way it played out, it was fine, it was entertaining, but boy, did it fizzle out in the end. The ending was rushed, abrupt and kind of... flat? It just sort of ended. I found myself checking to see if it was a glitch, or if maybe there was something wrong with my copy. There wasn't.
I may sound unduly harsh, but it's because I really do think that this could have been fantastic. As it is, it was good, and I will absolutely seek out more from the author, but I do feel a little let down.
Finally, kudos to the artist responsible for the cover. An absolutely stunning piece of design that suited the book perfectly.

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

Detective Marti Zucco and her partner, Detective Neil Cavanaugh, are called to a crime scene in a public park in Boston. Upon their arrival they find the body of a man hanging from a tree displayed in the form of an angel with his eyes removed. Only later discovering that the murderer left an extract from the bible within the victims eye socket. With the victim linked to local gangs, Marti and Neil are on the hunt to find his killer but when the body of a fifteen year old girl turns up they realise this is more than a turf war murder. With the balance of Marti’s strong belief system and the quirkiness of Neil’s sense of humour, the duo find themselves investigating satanic cults and religious sects. Can they find the murderer before it’s too late?

This book was fantastic. I loved the historical element to the story involving the puritans which I never really knew anything about. The characters were great together, Marti with her recurring nightmares, caring for her Nonna and her determined head and Neil, the loveable clown, cracking jokes and someone who clearly watched too many movies. Neil was definitely my favourite of the two, the line he uses after meeting the satanic cult “They’re like a vampiric Manson family” definitely shows his ability to try and bring an element of laughter to an otherwise awful situation! This book is available on @NetGalley until 10 December 2020 and is currently available on Kindle Unlimited and I would highly recommend any crime lovers to give this a go and share your thoughts. Definitely a 5 out of 5 book for me!

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[Ashley Twardy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Pvritan is an excellent and atmospheric mystery! It’s fast paced and keeps you wanting to read more.

Marti and Neil are called to a bizarrely, unsettling scene. A murdered man, ‘displayed’ with wings made out of his own skin. At first the detectives think this may gang related; perhaps an initiation that went to far. While digging into this theory, another body shows up and they realize that theory no longer stands. The way these people are killed is both gruesome and without a specific pattern, although the murderer does have a certain M.O. The killer has been leaving them a unique paper trail; scrolled pages from the Geneva bible that have been placed inside each victim. They must figure out who this murderer is and fast. Marti and Neil soon find themselves pulled into some depraved situations, but nothing will prepare them for what’s going to happen next.

This book had my heart racing a few times. The only complaint I have is how abruptly the book ends...I was hoping there’d be an epilogue at the end or something more. Overall, the book is a great mystery and thriller, I definitely recommend!

[Syeda Sumayya Tariq · Rating 4 out of 5]

Say thy prayers,
ye devil-tongued fools,
lest the Wing-Maker come for you.

When a series of ritualistically killed, mutilated bodies start appearing in different parts of Boston, it's up to the two detectives to catch the culprit and find out the motives, before the body count increases.

This is more like Dexter meets Hannibal, but minus the sass and cannibalism. Such an interesting premise, and cool cover! The story is fast-paced, gripping, and intriguing. The atmosphere is kinda dark and gritty what with the glimpses into the witch trials and mindless religious fanatics. The characters are so well-written, and the slight humour is well-placed to cut down on the dark overtones but I'd have preferred it if it didn't, like, give me something proper dark, lol.

There was one problem though, nothing annoys me more when the 'strong, lead female detective' starts getting 'hots' for 'the bad guy', like?! Please go home? Lol! There were a few unanswered questions left at the end that I would have liked explored further, but overall it was an enjoyable read.

Thanks to Netgalley, author, and publishers for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A MAN'S BODY is found hanging in the Boston Common, his eyes missing and skin mutilated beyond recognition, transforming him into a winged demon. Weeks later, a young girl's body is discovered under a layer of ice, her skin carved into angel wings.

Boston Homicide Detective Marti Zucco and her partner, Detective Neil Cavanaugh, are in a race against time to stop the wing-maker, a twisted psychopath who has left a trail of complex clues. A gang-ridden path that will take them through the gates of Hell and into an underground world of sexual perversion.

For Marti, her faith will be tested as more bodies continue to mount and she walks among the ghosts, following in the footprints of the killer known as the Puritan.

This is a real page turner, I was totally engrossed from the beginning! I loved both of the lead Detectives; Marti, the serious one trying to make her dad proud and Neil, the one who has to make jokes at the most inappropriate times!

This is a great pick for thriller fans looking for a quick read!

[Laura Hundley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Say thy prayers,
ye devil-tongued fools,
lest the Wing-Maker come for you

Oh my goodness. I love this book. I was hooked from the first page. This is a compelling thriller that rocked me to my core. I can honestly say that this is the BEST book I have read to date. The author takes you on a roller coaster ride where you are whipped around trying to figure it out and rooting for the detectives, yet just when you think you are finally done you start all over again. The characters are extremely complex with traits of both simplicity as well as astuteness in the way they seem to play the cat and mouse game with the killer. It is a very fast paced book that has immaculate writing and perfect editing. I cannot even think of a negative about this book but I do know that I will be purchasing every book this author writes. This is a first for me and I am speechless. Utterly speechless.

[Jei · Rating 5 out of 5]

I devoured this! You know I'm a no. 1 Fan of well written books, books that I can't put down. This one is sooo good!! Margën's writing style might me the best one I encountered. This book is a predicted five star and OMG! Amazing! Marti is such a great character I remember the scene where she laid out three evidences for the man who confessed responsible for the homicide. Fcking genius! Her partner Neil a very funny character who lighten up the story throughout the book. This book is well written and well researched. I love it! I hope this will get a lot of hype someday. We should support independent publishers and authors. I hope I can get a physical for this very soon. I will put every book that Märgen will publish on my radar.

[Glenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I stayed up waaaay too late finishing this but I just couldn't put it down!  A fast-paced thriller where we have Boston homicide detective Marti and her partner, Neil, searching for a serial killer dubbed the wing maker (so named due to the unusual and disturbing way he displays his victims).  It's creepy, at times horrifying, and with plenty of twists and turns to keep you going right up to the very last page.

[Ilana Costello (patel) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A decent murder mystery with a solid plot and interesting characters. The detectives in this are written as in depth people. Even better the murderer is written as an person with depth too. I appreciate that the murderer in this was not just left as insane, but the full forming of his mentality was explained.

[Hana Jane (stardewhana) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to thank Netgalley and Birgitte Märgen for giving me a chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review. You can read my full non-spoiler review at: https://inkdrinkerhana.wordpress.com/...

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Please find my review for The PVRITAN by Birgitte Margen here.

[Walter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting thriller of serial killer in Boston. How evil can happen even among regular people.

[Fiction Majorette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marketed as Mindhunter meets Hannibal Lecter, this book synopsis had me right from the hook. We follow detectives Marti Zucco and her partner, Neil Cavanaugh, as they look for the killer who has been branding and mutilating their victims into grotesque angels. Their search leads them all around the Boston area as they try to connect the dots between their very diverse victims and the secrets they held. This is a fantastically crafted detective thriller and the comparisons to Thomas Harris are well-earned. This book was nearly perfect for me right up until the last 5 pages or so which was a real disappointment.

Overall, this novel has a fantastic atmosphere and setting. It is a split POV with most chapters following Marti and Neil's investigation, but we do get some chapters from the killer's POV as well as flashbacks to 1600s Boston. Märgen's descriptions are hauntingly beautiful yet simple so the reader doesn't get bogged down with the prose. The narrative is almost deceptively simple but manages to build on itself over the course of a scene to really increase the atmospheric setting. These more simple scenes are then used to highlight the occasional dream or possible hallucinations that some characters have. These dream sequences are extremely vivid and often unsettling and bizarre which only added to the overall tone of the novel. The best comparison for the overall tone would be the Hannibal TV series - it is very similar with the dream-like sequences, the brutal killings, and the pockets of dry humor stuck in odd places. (The Hannibal TV series is, in my opinion, one of the most perfectly written and structured TV series I've ever seen and I think everyone should watch it). Marti's partner Neil is a great tension release with his smooth talking witnesses and occasional jokes. He felt like a sort of *wink wink nudge nudge* sense of humor which worked well to ease up the tension in a scene just enough for the reader to take a breath before diving back into the darkness.

Now on to where I feel the novel took a really hard nose dive: the ending. In general, my issues with the ending can be wrapped up in the fact that there wasn't any sort of come down or resolution chapter. There's the big confrontation at the end and then, if this was a movie, it would snap to black and credits would roll. I've never met a book that handled the ending this way and liked how it was done. Most of the time, it simply leads to a big case of emotional whiplash where the story was cruising along at 60mph and then hit the brick wall that is the end of the book. In this case, however, the lack of resolution chapter left me with pretty significant questions that I felt needed to be answered. And I don't usually mind open-ended books, but there's endings that are open ended because that's how life is and there are endings that are open-ended due to plot lines not getting tied up properly. And, to me, this novel falls into the latter category.

Full thoughts available on the blog: https://fictionmajorette.blogspot.com...

[Kim Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

The PVRITAN by Birgette Margen was a dark and disturbing read. I really enjoyed it! It takes place in Boston and follows homicide detective Marti, a woman with a somewhat troubled past. Someone is killing people, displaying them and gruesome ways, and leaving Bible verses in their bodies from an old Geneva Bible which is what the Puritans used in the 1600’s. I love the way that this book intertwined the history and present day. The author did a fabulous job of keeping the killer‘s identity a secret. I had no clue who was the murderer. Some readers may not like the gruesomeness of the murders. However, that does not bother me and it only added to the creepy factor of this book. I hope there will be more books from this author because this one was really good. Make sure to read this one! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

[Heather Gadd · Rating 4 out of 5]

This scary slow-burn has words that leap off the page and images that will haunt you.

Nothing is creepier than a string of murders that seem completely unrelated except for one tiny, religious, detail. Detectives Marti and Neil hunt down a killer, leaving no stone unturned, investigating Salvadoran gang members, high schoolers, and satanic cults. Torn back and forth between Boston’s Puritanical past and the dark reality of the present, a delicious tension builds, a psychological and spiritual nightmare. Following the clues, the detectives wade through psychic tips and false confessions. Tramping through graveyards leads to gruesome discoveries and dead ends. Close calls and near misses keep you on the edge of your seat while wicked suspense will drive you through until the bittersweet conclusion.

NetGalley and the author granted me access to an advanced copy of this title. The opinions are my own.

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ever feel like someone's watching or knows what you are doing. If not, read this scary thriller about a serial killer with an odd regimen of torturous punishment for his victim's deeds. Detective Marti and her partner Neil, find bodies with a mysterious burn tattoo somewhere on each victim's body. Flashbacks to an earlier time in American history illustrate the punishment given to present day victims. All the way through the book, the author has laid a sinister history of the killer and slowly his past is revealed. Liked the way the book plot evolved although i would not read before nighttime dreaming. This was a free book to read and review. I really enjoyed the thriller mystery and will keep author on a must-read list. Read if you dare!

[Kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed this story, the darkness and intrigue, the twists and turns. A serial killer with religious convictions defiles his victims bodies by carving their skin into wings. While the flashbacks are well written, and, I suppose, are written to give insight into the motives of our killer, they feel out of place. I would have loved to go a bit more indepth into the flow of decisions the serial killer makes, - we dive into untangling the psychological aspects via third person observations.. Overall a good procedural detective read.

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

[Viktorija · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be very honest, I wasn’t a big fan of the book’s dedication, which was to police officers everywhere, but I suppose it’s exceptionally hard to find a thriller that doesn’t involve the police at all. They play quite a big role in this story as well, and the main character, Marti, is a homicide detective. The killer she and her partner are after is an interesting and sinister character, which makes the case particularly exciting.

The shorter chapters set in the past connect very well with those set in the present and really help set the mood (for murder). Sometimes I kind of wish they were longer, so that the connection would be made even more explicit, but I do realize that would have been too much, seeing as there is a lot going on in the present as it is. I interpreted those short chapters as vignettes, little moments captured to help capture the thematic essence of the novel and give us a taste of some of the brutality that went into the foundations of America. This violence still finds echoes in the melting pot that is the present-day nation, as the bodies displayed by the Wing-Maker amply show. It’s no coincidence that his hunting ground is Boston, which is portrayed in its many facets.

Related to the last point, another great strength of the novel are the various memorable characters that the detectives meet on the way – from cult leaders to fresh-faced teenagers to quirky shop assistants and everything in between. Showing the investigation process, the legwork, the conversations with all the weird people, the dead-ends, all that is truly fascinating and gives the novel realness and grit. An aspect that I also find worth mentioning is the conversation with the first victim’s family. Because they’re immigrants, the way the author chooses to portray them as very human rather than as a stereotype is, I think, super important, so that’s another thing I really enjoyed.

Marti is also quite likable and believable as a main character and her backstory and struggles are relatable, especially considering the kind of killer she’s facing.

Even months after reading the book I can vividly recollect the chilling crime scenes and some of the more gruesome aspects of the killer’s profile. The writing is really crisp and atmospheric, and the themes develop parallel to finding out more about the killer’s motivation. All in all, while it certainly can’t avoid some clichés that come with the genre, and while at times it may seem like there’s too much going on for one book, this is definitely an exciting and powerful read that I can honestly recommend.

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love a good horror/thriller, so I was really excited to get to read The Pvritan. It was a great serial killer murder mystery with roots in the Salem Witch Trial era of history. My only complaint is that I wish that there was more of the ties back to history. I enjoyed the present day story on its own, and it moved pretty quickly. I would definitely recommend this book to others who like creepy mysteries.

[Clariana · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am very much afraid I found this one a dreary, by the numbers serial killer novel. I felt the characters were paper thin and stereotypical and the atmosphere completely lacking, as if there were too much distance between the author and what she was writing.