Minotaur: A dark and twisting psychological thriller

by Simon Cluett

“A gripping read, I read it in a day! . . . Brilliant, fast-paced . . . keeps you gripped from the first page.” —Amazon reviewer, five stars

After twelve brutal murders, a vicious killer continues to elude the police—but one desperate father may prove to be his downfall . . .

A cunning and sadistic serial killer known as Minotaur has already murdered and mutilated twelve women. When novelist David Knight comes home, he is shattered to find that his wife is the latest victim. But why has Minotaur taken David’s young son? And what is the significance of the maze drawn in blood at every crime scene?

David’s world is in ruins. The police have failed him, and time is running out. If he has any hope of saving his son, he must enter the killer’s labyrinth. But can he do the unthinkable and submit to the darkness within himself?

298 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 31, 2022

About the author

Simon Cluett has published 'Tales from the Dark Library: a horror anthology', and is a regular contributor to the popular 'Terror in the Shadows', and 'Tavern of Terror' anthology series.

Reviews

[Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is in my top 10 for this year.
Dragged me through the bushes and up the hills!
Absolutely had it all.
A serial killer and a kidnapping. Do they have anything in common. What’s going on.
Read it. Seriously read it!

[Martin Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Action packed killer thriller that had me hooked from the first page. The authors descriptive style brings the words to life and I found myself engrossed in the nightmare he has created. If you like a book that twists & turns, challenges your moral compass and is packed with blood & guts, this is for you.

I was given an advanced copy of this book by Bloodhound Books but this review is entirely my own.

[Caroline 'relaxing with my rescue dogs' · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay so this has been the best book that I have read in ages, it completely gripped me from the first page. It was dark but not too dark, really intense. Some plot points I just went with, but just wow it was so good. I just kept reading and reading as couldnt stop. The ending was brilliant exactly what I thought would happen.

Amazing.

I was given an advance copy by Bloodhound books but the review is entirely my own.

[Paul Korhonen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A hard hitting and gruesome crime thriller which sees a father seeking revenge on a serial killer and a pedophile after wife is brutally murdered and his son kidnapped. Definitely not for the faint hearted! A great read which had totally enthralled throughout.

I received a free copy of this book through ARC Bloodhound Books - thanks! I have given an honest review.

[Rosie Bray · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a killer of a thriller, kept my attention from the very first page and held it to the very last word.

It's not an easy read, but so worth it. The novel documents the descent of one family from a happy, normal existence into a nightmare world, a world carved out by the serial killer known as Minotaur. There are plenty of twists, to keep your guessing how the novel will end, and if the monster will get his comeuppance

I haven't read any of this author's other books before, but that will definitely change. A word smith, whose description enhances the nuances of the narrative.

Many thanks to Bloodhound Books for an ARC copy of this book, I am voluntarily submitting my review of this excellent book.

[Simon Alphonso · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simon Cluett was not a writer that I had encountered before, but was so taken with this powerful story about a family's descent from normality to extremity, that I contacted the author directly on social media. Not only did he take the time to respond comprehensively to my enquiry, but I found that he has a good pedigree of work behind him, although this seems to be the first novel (of many more, I hope).

The story will make the reader squirm with discomfort - can one support the wrong actions of a wronged man - and still maintain one's own moral compass?

I won't comment other on the story as I do not want to give anything away, but if you want a book to challenge you and stay in your head, this book should be first amongst your selections.

A very powerful and disturbing, but ultimately enjoyable read.

[Aileen Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was engrossed with this book. Gruesome murders and a father searching for his son make a book that you don't want to put down. The characters are well written and the story has a great pace to it. A new author to me but one I will look out for in the future

[Lesley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our main character David returns home to find his wife murdered and his young son missing - the work of the infamous serial killer the Minotaur, who has left his calling card - a mysterious labyrinth - drawn in blood on the wall.

Mistrustful of the police and with only his father-in-law for help, David heads out to track down his son. But can he hold himself back before he too becomes a killer?

This is not a book for the faint-hearted. The action is full-on and ferocious from the word go. Cosy crime it is not.

I really enjoyed this journey to the dark side on the part of both the Minotaur and David. The blurring of lines made for very interesting reading and I will look out for more by this author.

Thanks to the author and Bloodhound Books for the eARC of this book.

[Jaime · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had never read anything from this author before but he definitely has my attention. This was a fast paced thrill ride from beginning to end. The detail he writes with is great. If you love crime thrillers please do yourself a favor and read this book.

[Rebecca Charlesworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A first for me with this author, a good read with a good fast paced storyline that held my interest. I won’t write about the storyline as I feel this is a job for the blurb, to peak your interest and draw you in. I will say gruesome in places, gorey in others but what do you expect when a serial killer is in town.

[Sharon Rimmelzwaan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been introduced to some great authors this year and Simon Cluett is up there with this book.
Minotaur is a crime thriller that is dark and twisted with some gore included. I thought it brilliant. From the first to last page I was glued to the book!
Characters that were flawed but understandable too. Yes this is not for those who don't do gruesome, I loved it!

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Bloodhound Books for the ARC. This was a new author for me and a genre that I don't normally read. Having said that, this was a thrilling but gruesome at times read which kept my interest to the end. Some unexpected twists and turns kept me reading late into the night and the book stayed with me for quite a while after I had finished it. The characters were well presented and despite some of the actions of the characters seeming a bit implausible at times, it was a good read.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to bloodhound books for letting me review this book. Having never read anything before by this author, i can safely say, i will read more books by him in the future, this had me gripped from the first page. Twists turns galore, quite dark in places, intense. Highley recommend

[Rhian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A dark and gripping thriller, as a man finds out what he is capable of doing.

[Mel Nicholls · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not what I was expecting but an excellent read! An intense thriller that had its gruesome moments but packed with twists and turns ensured it was read in one go.

[Mary Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, well that was brilliant. A new author to me and a fascinating delve into the mind both of a sadistic killer and how this developed from a young age, plus the mind of the husband of a victim whose boy was also abducted.

I thought initially this was going to a normal police procedural but I was so wrong and I've never been so happy to be wrong. The whole storyline had me hooked from the start and it felt totally plausible for most part of the desire and hunger for vengeance and justice. I flew through it as I really didn't want to put it down. While I predicted part of the ending, I definitely didn't see the final part coming so yet another surprise. A great read and I highly recommend it.

My thanks to Bloodhound Books for an advance copy of this and this is my honest review.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love a psychological thriller and this one did not disappoint. I was gripped from the first page, so much so I read the whole book in about 3 days. Often dark and brutal, fast paced with plenty of twists and turns. The authors style is definitely my preferred kind of reading. I fully recommend this read and look forward to reading more from this author.

[Merril Anil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Do you know what is the deal with the Minotaur? He is the king of the maze. I didn’t know that this Greek reference would stay true for this book too. No no, this book has nothing to do with Greek mythology. In fact, the book is a serial killer mystery and supposedly a gripping one. Why supposedly is because to me it didnt latch on at all. It was a giant maze for me. If you ask me what the book was all about, the answer is that I have no clue at all. I had this book on audio and I had this on double speed because the narration speed was really lullaby level and to make it even worse the accent was so thick that I couldn’t understand half of what was taking place. Now you might wonder if the audiobook wasn’t working why didn’t I read it like a normal person.? Good Question! The answer is that I really didn’t want to. I mean the premise of the book is good. No questions about that but the way it is being treated and narrated is pretty slow and too melancholic for my taste. So if the audiobook itself wasnt giving me the vibe of a gripper, I seriously doubted the actual book would have made any difference

The problem I found with Minotaur is that parallel investigations are done by almost every character in this book. So everybody is showing up places, finding clues or things that might give some answers (it doesn’t).
So you have no idea where to place your foot. As I said with the audiobook making it a bit challenging, I couldn’t see which and who were playing the roles and what they were doing. so for me honestly it was all muddled with sometimes things making sense and other times it doesn’t

Conclusion

Maybe I had picked this up at the wrong time or maybe the audiobook wasn’t the way to go for this one or maybe I might not have been the correct audience for this book. What may the case be, the truth is that I couldn’t fully grasp what was going on and I couldn’t immerse myself or even see an ounce of spark in the overall treatment of the book. It was too slow and melancholic for my taste but this very reason might be what the fans of the book had found appealing. Personally, this wasn’t my kind of book.

[Genevieve Paquette · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was repellant. I love a gruesome, twisted murder as much as the next person. I appreciate well phrased descriptions of depravity, I do, but I draw the line at child rape.
Spoilers, the villain, in a vivid yet disturbingly matter-of-fact scene, is sexually assaulted by his mother's boyfriend. He continues to be abused until one night, when he hears his mother scream and tell him to stop from the next room. The boyfriend was biting her breast and she wasn't into it. The child thought she was being assaulted and barged in to try to save her. He ends up telling her what the boyfriend was doing to him, but she takes the boyfriend's side, goes absolutely feral and beats up her kid. Voila,a serial killer is born.
As an adult, he killed his mother and then hunted down the boyfriend. He kept him shackled in a secret room in his old family home, feeding him the pureed breasts of his victims (stand-ins for his mother).
Anyway, it ends with protagonist saving his kidnapped son, beating the villain into a vegetative state, and going on the run. He finds the man who raped his son (the killer sold him to a pedophile) and killing him. But wait! He was part of a ring! He gets shot and killed by a member of said ring, and dies. Fin.
Zero payoff in that deeply unsatisfying ending. Like, hey, you killed one guy, awesome, but the network of twisted abusers is still going strong and also you're dead now and your already deeply traumatized son will have to grow up without you.
Ugh.
I'm struggling to come up with the right word to describe the vibe of this book. Unsympathetic? Exploitative? Mean? Surface level? Kind of hack-y? I don't know. It wasn't good.
Also, I listened to this and the high, wheedeling voice of the narrator, with his strange "is it a speech impediment or is it just his accent" pronunciation was horrible.

But yes. The cover art was really good. Deceptively good. So kudos to the artist/designer.

[Keeley Ribchester · Rating 2 out of 5]

David ,an author ,returns home from business trip after hearing his son has been in hospital. I’m his return david finds his wife murdered and som missing. The police are called and the case becomes another of a serial killers dubbed the Minotaur.
Lydia Peck had been the Detective Chief constable in the case but as the death tally mounted and lack of suspects and leads the papers scapegoated her out of the job landing it on the table of Detective Inspector Rybak. She follows leads to a person of interest but really the case isn’t going forward with the Police.
In steps Frank the Father of David’s murdered wife Zoe. He decides to crack the case himself and David also jumps on board.
They piece together clues and eventually crack the case. Not to give away spoilers!
In all it was a story of 2 men out to avenge the death of a woman they both loved and exact revenge on the killer.
The story wasn’t the best I’ve read and I have read many books from this genre! it seemed rushed in places. The story came from the side of David and the side of the Killer but it just wasn’t that gripping for me. I had to push on to read it and it was all slightly predictable. The book didn’t take long to read maybe it needed to be more to add further depth to the characters and plot line.
I was given this book to read and review from Bloodhound books.

[Sandra Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story comes out October 31. 2022. The paperback out and available October 17, 2022. The books is an experience you have to read, A real must-must- read. The novel is chilling, thrilling, and suspenseful. A real psychological thriller of a serial killer that killed 12 women, and the latest a novelist wife Zoe Knight, David Knight a bestseller novelist is away and researching and doing an interview with The Dublin Herald. But David Knight caught a flight back home to England after his son health issues and his wife is pregnant. Then something horrendous, objectionable, and dreadful just unbelievable happened to this man family. The way he found his wife, Zoe Knight, and his young son is missing with his wall a pattern. Drawing in blood. This book is outstanding, second to none, and extremely grippingly good. This novel will keep you turning the pages. I hope you read this book.

[Carol Clayton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This book has it all. I haven't heard of Simon Cluett before, so this was my first by him. It's a fast paced and challenging book. Certainly not for the feint hearted. It's quite gory and has some horrible experiences for the main character, David. He's on a journey following the death of his wife and the abduction of his son. He is challenged morally and ethically many times. The author writes in such a way, I was hooked from the beginning. This is a great read, although it truly disturbed me at times, I found myself thinking about the book when I wasn't reading it Ana anxious to get home to read more, always a sign of a good book for me

[Bobbi Wagner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this suspenseful story. This is a newer author for me which I enjoyed his writing style and I look forward to reading more from him in the future. This is a well written story where a killer continues to keep from getting discovered until one father may just be his downfall. This is a great story that is hard to put down and full of action. The characters pulled me into the story from the start. I had no problems connecting with them as they brought their story to life. I had no problems picturing myself in their world, the author did a great job with this. This is a fast paced, engaging story that I highly recommend.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m not really sure where to begin. A psychological thriller/horror story which played with my mindset let alone the characters.

I’m not going to give much of the plot away but, suffice to say, a father seeks revenge after his wife is brutally murdered & his young son kidnapped. A killer with the moniker the Minotaur is plying his trade.

A dark standalone with plenty of gore to keep me happy but maybe a tad far-fetched in places. Certainly not for the faint-hearted but will I read more by this author? You bet I will, once I’ve reset my moral compass!

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This is one of those books that you want to keep turning the pages to find out how it ends but at the same time you want to read slow and savor it because is that good. All of the characters in this book are well written but the serial killer created is extremely twisted and the thing of nightmares. The pace to the plot is perfect and it has quite a few twists and turns. I voluntarily reviewed an advance readers copy of this book.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book.

Not what I expected in a good way.

Gripped from the start and captivated till the end.

Twists and turns a plenty with a plethora of excitement thrown in on every page.

Highly recommended, 5 stars from me.

[Farhan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read. Minotaur is a strong character.. but you feel sorry for him at the same. The protagonist.. although he is aggrieved, but he turns into the same evil which he was trying to eliminate. Mixed characters.