DESCENT INTO THE HALLWAY OF MADNESS

by Anthony Di Angelo

A dark and harrowing psychological thriller. A twisted tale of murder and despair. When a killer begins his reign of terror over the city, two broken detectives must overcome their demons to stop the death toll from rising. But nothing is what it seems.

416 pages, Hardcover

Published November 20, 2021

Reviews

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This thriller had an atmosphere that drew me in from the beginning. Something that struck me initially was how much I sympathised with the police officer protagonist and his partner. It seemed to me that they were both lonely, and sought comfort in strangers, as is sometimes the case. I was compelled to read on because I felt the need to know more about these characters and their struggles, and I wanted to know if they would overcome their difficulties later on.

Something that interested me a great deal was a character who was consistently referred to as 'the killer'. That had an impact on me - in fact, I found it quite chilling. As a reader, I knew that this character was antagonist, but of course, I had questions. Who exactly was this character? Why did they feel the need to do what they did? Did they feel no remorse at all? The author presented this character in a way that made me as a reader feel interested in them.

There were some twists towards the end, and the identity of the killer was something that came as a surprise. When you're reading a thriller, that's what you hope for. Something that surprises you, even if you find the surprise unsettling. A very gripping and gritty thriller.

[azu · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5

In this book, we follow the story of two detectives, John Davis and Selena Lopez, as they attempt to solve a series of grotesque murders while simultaneously navigating their personal struggles. We also get to know the mastermind behind these crimes, "The Shadow," who enjoys playing a cat-and-mouse game with the detectives.

The narration is brilliant; it keeps you on the edge of your seat and is compelling and addictive. However, it could benefit from trimming some overwritten paragraphs, particularly those heavy on descriptions or unimportant details. Despite this, the overall experience is fantastic. The characters are well-constructed, especially Selena and John. You can feel their sorrow, dreams, yearning, and pain. I found myself experiencing John's desperation and paranoia, as well as Selena's sorrow and desire for redemption. The supporting characters are also interesting and well-developed, not merely filler. The killer's backstory is terrible, mournful, and shocking, providing an additional layer of intrigue.

All in all, this is a great book. Unfortunately, it was a bit disappointing for me because I figured out the killer's identity within the first two chapters, so I was just waiting for the other characters to catch on. I appreciated the backstory and the killer's persona, but the book lost some of its mystery for me as I knew the killer's identity almost from the start.

Overall, "Descent into the Hallway of Madness" is a brilliant thriller. If you're a fan of murder mysteries and psychological crime thrillers, this book is for you. Just be mindful of the trigger warnings.

[Word_Worm_S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Descent into the hallway of madness has everything I was looking for in a physiological thriller and was not let down in the slightest. When reading thrillers, they tend to get repetitive and predictable but this one really isn’t the case. I can say with full certainty this is one of my favourite books, I was hooked and in love right from the start.
Every character from small characters like Alexis and Tricks to the main characters like John and Selena felt impactful; the loss of anyone was hard felt and the emotions felt by them was easily passed onto me as a reader.
The whole book was full of surprises; you never quite knew what was coming next and whenever you thought you had it, the next page proved you wrong. So often I found myself on the end of my seat, hanging onto every word. The way anticipation was built was almost surreal and is something a lot of books in this genre are missing.
The structure of the book was brilliant, the way the point of view was switching around and being picked up again later on really helped build and drive the story forward. A common problem I have with books of this style is that usually by the end I’m still left with questions and confusions, though here I felt that everything was answered and tied up perfectly.
This book was an absolutely fantastic read; I’ll be reading more of Anthony Di Angelo’s books.
I strongly recommend it for anyone who needs that switch up from the usual predictability of this genre.

[Carol Denise Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

The moment you knew a killer was in the mix, I thought it was Captain McGee the whole time. I had no clue about the shadows. What I loved about this book was the realism of how one never knows or has a clue who may be watching them and when. When the author describes the mother on the cell phone while the killer (who didn't kill the child) was interacting with the child, this blew me right away. Moreover, John's attachment to his ex-wife saddened me, but I was so glad she had moved on to being married to a doctor who gave her a better life because John was not a suitable mate, even a prostitute. Speaking of when the prostitute he was dating, Alexis, told him he had changed and was too rough, those were the first clues to John's never-ending decline. The character of Selena, a cop on the edge and a mother whose daughter was murdered by a merciless killer, was enough to keep the reader wanting to find out who did it. The author is gifted and knows a lot about the police department, whether it's routine or he's a hell of a researcher. One thing I loved about this book was how much I needed to get back to it and the way one needed to pick away a great dessert. It's been a long time since I enjoyed such a great reading ride. I look forward to what this writer will do next.

[Priscilla King · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't like it, myself. I give it four stars for keeping me guessing and keeping the plot moving. Those are things thriller readers look for, and this book delivers. It also delivers explicit sex, explicit violence, or both on almost every other page. Good characters do horrible things and the bad character does even worse things. Violence and cruelty are deplored by depicting them graphically. There is a strong female protagonist who snaps out of the bad habits she's formed while mourning, possibly due to visions of her daughter in Heaven though little is said about them, and identifies the killer, confronts him, and lives--but it's hard to feel much sympathy for her after she's been described as ripping the tube out of a patient's throat, the week after a relative described having a doctor remove a feeding tube. I also felt that the author's yanking the point of view away from a character in order not to disclose "what s/he saw there," repeatedly, was a kind of cheating. Then again, I also felt that the author had identified "the killer" in chapter one and was surprised at the end. For people who like that kind of thing, this is definitely a book they'll like.

[Fatima Musa · Rating 4 out of 5]

An intriguing story of a vicious killer who is on a mission to destroy not only women of a certain calibre he hates but also, the two detectives in charge of investigating the crimes he committed. A mystery/crime fiction that sends chills down the spine and keeps getting more interesting with each page further.
I love how this book is unpredictable and how it keeps one guessing and racking brain from the beginning to the end. What I don't like much is how detailed the violent acts were described.
My favorite character is Selena. A strong woman whose career almost went down the drain after the murder of her daughter. I love the effort and how determined she was to see that the murderer is found.
I highly recommend it to anyone who loves the thrill that comes with reading crime fiction.

[Alice Oliver · Rating 5 out of 5]

This dark and chilling thriller grabs you from the very first page and doesn’t let go. With a killer on the loose and a city paralyzed by fear, the story masterfully weaves together murder, trauma, and suspense into a tightly packed narrative that’s as emotional as it is unsettling.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you want to read a captivating thriller with lots of twists and turns then this is your book.
You follow two detectives chasing a serial killer. But this is a summary too simple for this story.

The main characters are described very well and you get to know them and their personal problems. The more the story develops the more thrilling it gets.
As I don't want to give any spoilers:
Get yourself ready for many twists and turns. A lot of surprises are waiting for you to discover whilst reading.

The author provides clues about the identity of the killer but still you're gasping when the whole truth gets revealed.

As much as I like the detailed descriptions of the violence (be aware of that too), elsewhere he could have been a bit less descriptive.
But:
On the whole this is a great mystery/crime thriller.