BOOK REVIEW: Pariah by Thomas Emson ★★★☆☆
In 1888, five women are brutally murdered in the East End of London. The killer is never caught. In 1996, four women die in similar circumstances, their corpses mutilated. Again, the murderer escapes justice. In 2011, Charlie Faultless returns to the East End after fifteen years in exile. His mother and girlfriend were victims of the 1996 killings and he has returned to deal with the demons of his past. But his homecoming coincides with more atrocities, and the reappearance of history's most terrifying serial killer: Jack the Ripper. With old hatreds simmering, Charlie faces violent ordeals at the hands of men fuelled by revenge and demons raised from hell. And as the identity of Jack the Ripper is revealed, the truth about Charlie's past also comes to light and it is equally shocking
WARNING. CONTAINS SPOILERS.
I made one mistake. I judged a book by its cover. And now I have very mixed emotions about this whole book; I really can’t wrap my head around it.
Two things attracted me to this book. The first was the book cover, and I know I shouldn’t really do that but I’m sure we are all guilty of it. If the cover is atheistically pleasing then readers would most likely read the back and dive straight in. That’s what I did. The haunting green eyes are a focal point with a manly hand covering her mouth made me think ‘wow I have to read it.’
Second is the topic. The Ripper murders of 1888 have intrigued me in a way that I can’t explain. No one till this day can explain who was Jack the Ripper, why did he kill these women and to what purpose. There are many fictionalised versions of this mysterious case. This fictional story focuses on the Ripper’s rebirth and some fallen angels seemed like an interesting concept. Emson has taken a real-life case and thrown in some supernatural essence.
So as I began to read Pariah, I preferred his style of writing. Emson is a fast-paced writer and the chapters were pretty short so it was easy for me to get through the book. Some books have really long chapters and to me, it puts me off (but that is a personal preference).
The start of the book was promising. The main protagonists Charlie Faultless has come back to his home town and his writing a book about the murders that happened 15 years ago; the victims include his mother and his girlfriend. He meets some characters after a long time: Tash Hanbury, his dead girlfriend’s sister, and her daughter Jasmine who recently have been having terrible nightmares, her grandfather Roy Hanbury, an ex-gang leader and newly found Christian, a scrawny teenager Spencer Drake, the red herring living above Tash’s flat Hallum Buck and a dirty detective Don Wilks. But then the murders happen again.
Throughout the book there are certain messages, in particular, the one I liked is how there is evil in all of us, no matter how many times we try to reform ourselves, evil and sin will find a way into our hearts. I know it’s very religious if you think about it. I also liked how the story jumped between time frames which after all have a significant purpose to it. Although some authors really muck up the time frame and confuse the reader I think Emson handled it really well.
But there were some things that Emson really did not handle well.
For example, what in seven hells happened in the end? The beginning got me hooked, then the middle was a bit slow and then the climax was so rushed, I felt like slamming the book onto the floor in frustration. Some parts were a bit rushed or lacked explanation and I was left feeling like some parts were not justified. Like why did it have to end the way it did. I wish there is a sequel, where we’ll meet Faultless and I guess all those unanswered questions will be answered.
Not only was the climax rushed but it also didn’t tie in with the book. Emson took you on this journey about the creation of life (from a Christian point of view) and then chucked in a fight scene that seemed to just fly around in the sky (you’ll know what I mean when you’ll read it). The ending with the gates of hell opening up and the fight between the first and second evil just did not fit in with this book at all. It could have worked for another book. Yes, he did add a supernatural essence but it was all jumbled.
Plus the last chapter really annoyed me, not because it wasn’t a happy ending, but Charlie (who by now is revealed to be the second evil and a fallen angel) can’t love anymore (because some character who I can’t even understand rips out his heart) and he just flies away, leaving Earth. His purpose, in the beginning, was to find the person (or the thing) that killed his mother and girlfriend and then take his revenge. And after all that is done, he simply just leaves. Doesn’t Charlie deserve to live his life properly? There is more to life than revenge.
For some bizarre reason, I didn’t really like some of the characters as I felt that they just seemed to be there to fill in the gaps. I actually preferred the antagonists, like Jack, Hallam and Don because they were described so well and it’s from them the story moves onwards. However, the good characters like Tash and Jasmine seemed so bland. They may have a definitive role in the storyline but other than that their traits are so tasteless. Of course, they had a purpose but did they have to be so boring?
In all honesty, I can’t imagine myself reading this book ever again. Although the concept of the infamous Jack the Ripper coming back to claim his fifth prize in this century would make an exceptional read, the ending really bugged me. However, if Emson did make a sequel, where we see Charlie again then maybe I’ll give that a read.
Rating 3/5
Publishers: Tantor Media Inc
Publication Date: 19 July 2013
Genre: Mystery/Horror
Two things attracted me to this book. The first was the book cover, and I know I shouldn’t really do that but I’m sure we are all guilty of it. If the cover is atheistically pleasing then readers would most likely read the back and dive straight in. That’s what I did. The haunting green eyes are a focal point with a manly hand covering her mouth made me think ‘wow I have to read it.’
Second is the topic. The Ripper murders of 1888 have intrigued me in a way that I can’t explain. No one till this day can explain who was Jack the Ripper, why did he kill these women and to what purpose. There are many fictionalised versions of this mysterious case. This fictional story focuses on the Ripper’s rebirth and some fallen angels seemed like an interesting concept. Emson has taken a real-life case and thrown in some supernatural essence.
So as I began to read Pariah, I preferred his style of writing. Emson is a fast-paced writer and the chapters were pretty short so it was easy for me to get through the book. Some books have really long chapters and to me, it puts me off (but that is a personal preference).
The start of the book was promising. The main protagonists Charlie Faultless has come back to his home town and his writing a book about the murders that happened 15 years ago; the victims include his mother and his girlfriend. He meets some characters after a long time: Tash Hanbury, his dead girlfriend’s sister, and her daughter Jasmine who recently have been having terrible nightmares, her grandfather Roy Hanbury, an ex-gang leader and newly found Christian, a scrawny teenager Spencer Drake, the red herring living above Tash’s flat Hallum Buck and a dirty detective Don Wilks. But then the murders happen again.
Throughout the book there are certain messages, in particular, the one I liked is how there is evil in all of us, no matter how many times we try to reform ourselves, evil and sin will find a way into our hearts. I know it’s very religious if you think about it. I also liked how the story jumped between time frames which after all have a significant purpose to it. Although some authors really muck up the time frame and confuse the reader I think Emson handled it really well.
But there were some things that Emson really did not handle well.
For example, what in seven hells happened in the end? The beginning got me hooked, then the middle was a bit slow and then the climax was so rushed, I felt like slamming the book onto the floor in frustration. Some parts were a bit rushed or lacked explanation and I was left feeling like some parts were not justified. Like why did it have to end the way it did. I wish there is a sequel, where we’ll meet Faultless and I guess all those unanswered questions will be answered.
Not only was the climax rushed but it also didn’t tie in with the book. Emson took you on this journey about the creation of life (from a Christian point of view) and then chucked in a fight scene that seemed to just fly around in the sky (you’ll know what I mean when you’ll read it). The ending with the gates of hell opening up and the fight between the first and second evil just did not fit in with this book at all. It could have worked for another book. Yes, he did add a supernatural essence but it was all jumbled.
Plus the last chapter really annoyed me, not because it wasn’t a happy ending, but Charlie (who by now is revealed to be the second evil and a fallen angel) can’t love anymore (because some character who I can’t even understand rips out his heart) and he just flies away, leaving Earth. His purpose, in the beginning, was to find the person (or the thing) that killed his mother and girlfriend and then take his revenge. And after all that is done, he simply just leaves. Doesn’t Charlie deserve to live his life properly? There is more to life than revenge.
For some bizarre reason, I didn’t really like some of the characters as I felt that they just seemed to be there to fill in the gaps. I actually preferred the antagonists, like Jack, Hallam and Don because they were described so well and it’s from them the story moves onwards. However, the good characters like Tash and Jasmine seemed so bland. They may have a definitive role in the storyline but other than that their traits are so tasteless. Of course, they had a purpose but did they have to be so boring?
In all honesty, I can’t imagine myself reading this book ever again. Although the concept of the infamous Jack the Ripper coming back to claim his fifth prize in this century would make an exceptional read, the ending really bugged me. However, if Emson did make a sequel, where we see Charlie again then maybe I’ll give that a read.
Rating 3/5
Publishers: Tantor Media Inc
Publication Date: 19 July 2013
Genre: Mystery/Horror
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