The Coven Murders opens with a horrifying account of a ritual Black Mass with a human sacrifice in an abandoned church. Twenty-one years later, near an old ruined church in an area of outstanding natural beauty, Chief Inspector Sheehan and his team discover the skeleton of a young woman. But what seems initially to be a straightforward case, brings the team into conflict with a powerful Satanist … Satanist who has plans to offer up to Satan another human sacrifice on the evening of the great Illuminati feast of Lughnasa. Several murders occur, baffling the Inspector until he makes a connection between the modern murders and the twenty-one year old skeleton. The team’s pursuit of the murderer, and their determination to protect a young woman who is targeted by the coven, lead to a horrific climax in a hellish underground crypt where Sheehan and his team, supported by an exorcist and a bishop, attempt to do battle with the coven and a powerful demon of Baphomet, jeopardising not only their lives, but risking the wrath of Satan upon their immortal souls.
An Inspector Sheehan Mystery
by Brian O’Hare
Wow, what a ride that was! It was scary. [C. Todd, Beta Reader]
Next time you hear anyone say that murder mysteries are never well-written or literary, shove this book in their face. [Willcape, blogger]
Head and shoulders above most mystery authors who are published today, Brian O’Hare deserves far wider recognition. [A.C. Amazon reviewer]
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This is the third in series, and by this time I was getting to know Jim Sheehan and his merry band of detectives. It immediately gave me a good feeling, and straightaway the storyline took off. Once I started I couldn’t stop and every waking moment I had my nose buried in the story devouring it as I went.
I was also disturbed by it and in a way that it got under my skin. Why would the affable, likable Sheehan change? He had a blazing row with his wife and acted completely out of character. That really bothered me. Even his wife was behaving strangely. Then we get to the police station and into the office. All the detectives I knew and loved were behaving oddly. They were in fact horrible, rude, objectionable, and just downright nasty.
All was revealed and the climax of the story was terrifying. In fact, he was brilliant as the story moved from a normal crime story to a scary occult tale. Five Stars. Totally brilliant writing from O’Hare!
We skipped the second installment within The Inspector Sheehan Mysteries and began reading the third one in the series, called The Coven Murders. Thinking only about the name of the book, you definitely get a feel for exactly what this book is about. Yes, there is a practicing coven in Sheehan’s vicinity and murder is the IT game again. This story is a little darker and a bit more into a darker ritualistic practice, but it is a fascinating concept and O’Hare continues to draw readers into the series with the magnitude of his mysteries!
Inspector Sheehan and his team have been through a lot, but when it comes to faith–this is one thing that they have yet to agree on. Everyone in the unit has seen their fair share of creepy and gruesome, but is it truly enough to believe in something that is other-worldly? Sheehan and his team are about to find out as they dive into a case of a twenty year old murder. Human bones outside of an old and ruined church are found, which appear to be that of a young female and the cause of death is later found to be one stab wound to the chest. There are certainly some warning flags that go off when Sheehan trifles through the remains of the church, but he dismisses them all and continues on his way. When they get a call of two new bodies with one stab wound each to the chest, they are cautious to link the two crime scenes together without solid evidence. The MO paints a clear picture that these murders are affiliated once more bodies turn up with the same stab wound, but in what way–that is the mystery!
O’Hare has a superb story-line, filled with creativity, historical elements, and originality. The concepts and the plotting in The Coven Murders are fantastic and will leave the reader with the urge to dive into the next in the series. The pace is quick and steady from the beginning and carries through the entirety of the story. O’Hare provides an urgency to solve the case as sinister and unexplained happenings begin to shroud around the Inspector’s unit. The scenes are vivid for the imagination and characters are credible. This is the third installment in the Inspector Sheehan Mysteries, but these can be read as standalones. With the exception of a few characters that are introduced in previous installments, the crime is totally new and do not warrant an absolute need for their backstory. If you are interested in mysteries, crime fiction, and police procedure, this may be a perfect fit. Fair warning, once you plunge into this novel, you may find yourself picking up the rest of the series soon after.
A paperback copy of this book was provided to Turning Another Page by the author and in no way affects the honesty of this review. We provide a five-star rating for The Coven Murders by Brian O’Hare.