Hannah and Greg Woods are missing - they disappeared from their home in the early hours of the morning, leaving their parents in a panic. Greg was planing to sneak out on his own to meet his special friends, but Hannah wouldn't let him leave the house on his own so now they are both in trouble. Their disappearance gains instant attention, not only because of a nearby murder, but also because they are not the first children to disappear without a trace in the local area. Detective Inspector Pearline Ottoline used to be with Missing Persons and was involved in the search for little Isabelle Hart, and her failure to find her follows her around like a cloud - even though she is now with the Major Crimes. With two missing children the stress levels are rising, and she is putting herself under increasing pressure to solve the disappearance of the Woods children.
While DI Ottoline and her team are investigating the disappearance of the children their mother, Lily Woods, is frantically conducting her own search. She is determined to find her children, and she is not content to stay and home with her distant husband - she is going to find them. The horror of her missing babies is amplified by her forgetting to take her medication, and it feels like everyone is against her. As the case ramps up it slowly becomes clear that there is a link between current events and events at a commune where Uncle Saviour promised to lead his followers to Eternal Life. One of his most faithful followers is his niece Love, and as she grows up in the commune she develops a true and deep devotion to their goals - but what connection does the events of the past have with current events?
The cult is a somewhat predictable story if you look at the big picture and story arc - but it is one of the best examples of this type of story I have read in a long time. The technique of switching between events in the past and events in the current time is well used by crime authors, and there definitely seems to be a tendency for British crime authors to use it - but in this case Davies has done an excellent job of using the technique as it was intended. The tension in the story builds in the present, and the events of the past build in parallel, making you think you might know what is happening/happened but you're not 100% sure.
Davies has created some memorable and very relateable characters. No one is perfect, everyone has flaws, and you get to peel back the layers of the different people as you share their story. As someone who reads a lot (really a lot) of crime I can find it challenging to see past the cliché to really enjoy books and a lot of what I read (again really lots) ends up discarded after a chapter or two because the author fails to engage you with the story, or because the characters/setting just feels like every other book I have read. In contrast, I thoroughly enjoyed The cult and resented not being able to read the book in one setting - though on the positive side I can say that it is easy to keep track of the story if you have to pick it up and put it down a few times. A fantastic find and a great way to kick off 2022.
If you like this book then try:
- Mercy killing by Lisa Cutts
- Then she was gone by Lisa Jewell
- When I was ten by Fiona Cummins
- Sticks and stones by Katherine Firkin
- When darkness calls by Mark Griffin
- The puppet show by M.W. Craven
- When you are mine by Michael Robotham
- The slaughter man by Tony Parsons
- The girl in the ice by Robert Bryndza
- Crimson Lake by Candice Fox
- What was mine by Helen Klein Ross
- Eeny meeny by M.J. Arlidge
- Without trace by Simon Booker
- The liar's daughter by Claire Allan
- Good me bad me by Ali Land
Reviewed by Brilla
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