I AM NEMEIN. I AM EMOTIONALLY DETACHED FROM MY KILLINGS. I AM NOT, THEREFORE, A MURDERER. I AM AN INSTRUMENT OF NEMESIS, A PUNISHER. This is a theme running through a number of blogs on the Dark Web, written by a serial killer. He is highly intelligent and employs philosophical argument to justify a series of gruesome murders. However, he describes the killings in lurid detail, and with such … with such gloating relish, that he utterly negates his delusion of detachment and reveals himself to be a cold-blooded, narcissistic psychopath.
Sheehan and his team rush headlong down a series of blind alleys in the pursuit of the psychopath, who continues to murder his victims with impunity. He is fiendishly clever, utterly ruthless, and tests Sheehan’s famed intuition to the limit. Indeed, Sheehan only learns the truth during a horrific climax when some members of his team experience a most harrowing ‘laceration of the soul’ that they will never be able to forget. It is unlikely that the reader will either.
“The first thing I thought after reading this book is: Why isn’t Brian O’Hare better known in the crime writing world? This man is extremely talented, and his book a wonderful ‘whodunnit’ that left me guessing until the end.” [Joseph Sousa, Crime Writer]
“Head and shoulders above most mystery authors who are published today, Brian O’Hare deserves a wider recognition. You won’t regret purchasing his books.” [C&B Todd, Amazon Reviewer]
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Inspector Sheehan is World-Class
This is an amazing book! It was my first time reading an Inspector Sheehan mystery. The time was well spent and I am convinced I will be reading more.
They had a great team of investigators, a good list of suspects and a good plot overall. The story had good depth and the intricacies of an excellent crime fiction novel. If you actually pay attention, it should be possible to confirm the killer before he is revealed. I think it is commendable because clues are not hidden from the reader. They are there for you if you want to solve the mystery. And it’s not easy either.
Inspector Sheehan is a brilliant man. I would have loved to know more about the character. Perhaps I’ll start reading the series from the top. 100% recommended.
I received an advanced review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
An Engrossing Murder Thriller with a Gut-Wrenching Finale
The Dark Web Murders is an engrossing—and by its end, harrowing—serial-killer, murder thriller. Initially, it’s a ‘crowd whodunit,’ deriving mystery from the excess of viable, and in this case, powerful suspects. “So, we have a dead judge who has just been partying with another judge, a law professor, a couple of property millionaires, a prominent surgeon, a well-known barrister, a socialite and a playboy, a gambling machines tycoon, a media mogul, a top civil servant, and a restaurateur.” This part of the story has the feel of a well-developed police procedural, bolstered by the considerable deductive skills of our protagonist, Chief Inspector Jim Sheehan. “Sheehan didn’t miss the deliberate nature of the judge’s composure.” That’s a lot of fine reading of body language.
The author maintains and grows the tension by giving the reader insights before Sheehan and his team; we are reading the blog posts of our demented killer on the dark web well before Sergeant Stewart discovers them. I found myself yelling at the book, trying to tell Sheehan not to get distracted. But distracted, he isn’t. He’s picking up on some very subtle clues that are sprinkled throughout the story. But author Brian O’Hare didn’t just plant understated evidence for the killer—that’s not devious enough for this writer. He had me suspecting another individual almost from the start with a series of chance meetings and mannerisms that fit our killer. If you like being fooled as much as I, you’ll enjoy the author’s skill at planting red herrings. The story ends with a well-known but extremely well-written, gut-wrenching moral dilemma.
My qualms about the book are few and quite minor. For one, the story felt complete a couple of chapters before the book ended. Even the method Sheehan used to fill in the details of the killer’s motivation seemed unnecessary; Sheehan already knew where to get those answers. Also, the killer’s posts on the dark web are complex, pseudo-philosophical arguments written in a style reminiscent of nineteenth-century novelists such as Austen, the Brontes, Dickens, and others. I understand Sheehan’s interest in those posts—what serial killer doesn’t leave clues to identity in his or her manifesto—but how did the killer get such a following on the dark web? The killer’s motivation also seemed a bit at odds with the his/her description as a narcissistic psychopath, although no diagnosis will fit any specific individual perfectly. And finally, some of the content deals with depraved, sexual behavior—pedophilia, extreme sadism to the point of death, human trafficking. If you are strongly affected by such topics, be forewarned.
Overall, The Dark Web Murders is an engrossing murder thriller filled with subtle clues, only some of which point to the killer.
I was given a copy of the book by the author. I elected to write this candid review.
I have yet to read a novel by Brian O’Hare that I didn’t thoroughly enjoy, and The Dark Web Murders is no exception. Over the years I’ve grown to know and love Chief Inspector Sheehan and his team. I enjoy following the clues that have been so expertly laid out by O’Hare and try to figure out who the murderer is? Sheehan will be pushed to the edge in this particular story, unknowingly placing himself and his team in the crosshairs. The killer is a real piece of work, a psychopathic monster, and the other suspects involved are no better. The story touches on the dark side of humanity and will likely make you squirm as you read. I know I did. I think what makes it so horrifying, at least for me, is to know that no matter how terrible, what happens in the Dark Web is a very real part of our society. If you enjoy thrillers, if you like to follow the clues and try to figure out a murder mystery for yourself, you can’t go wrong with novels by Brian O’Hare. The Dark Web Murders is an excellent crime novel that sits right up there with the best of them.
This author writes awesome fast–paced, edge of your seat thrillers and this is one of them. Wonderful characters that are easy to commiserate with and a storyline that kept me glued to the pages.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The Dark Web Murders written by Brian O’Hare was a wonderful read. I love this genre of book, crime/detective/mystery stories where I can hope that the good guys are smart enough to come out on top.
This book is about DCI Jim Sheehan and his team who are on the hunt for a killer who has found a gruesome way to kill his victims, the killer then tries to justify and explain each murder in a blog post on the dark web.
What I enjoy most in a book is being able to be so absorbed in the story that time just flies, and this book did just that. I did not want to put it down. Brian created a world that I could feel and see, his characters had depth and as the story evolved, I got to know a little about each and every one of his characters and their quirks. Brian’s writing style was fluent and easy to read, however his blog posts on the dark web slowed me down a little as I had to think about the language and what was being used, that was a nice touch though.
I enjoyed how his team discussed the evidence, which wasn’t very much of it, and voiced different theories as they worked the case. There were quite a few red herrings, with regard to who the perpetrator was, I got a nice surprise at the end to discover I was wrong, I actually didn’t know who dun it until the end.
Brian gave enough details about the murders for me to get a pretty good picture in my head of what the killer did to his victims, and it wasn’t pleasant.
This book is aimed at mature readers and I highly recommend it. I would not recommend this for young readers though due to the graphic nature of the murders and adult entertainment that some of the characters engaged in.
The author gifted me a copy of this book via Voracious Readers Only.
A gripping, quick paced, compelling read! Intense! Complex! Disterbing! Scary! Grusome!
Well written! Well thought out characters! Contains a few unnecessary (cuss) words. Read!
The Dark Web Murders by Brian O’Hare is a disturbing, detailed, and complex thriller. Chief Inspector Sheehan and his team of detectives are hunting a serial killer known as Neimen. As they try to find a connection between the victims, they will uncover a disturbing hidden world of darkest depravity. They must hurry, as the killer has his sights on one of their own. Wonderful plot and characters in this well-written crime novel. This was my first novel by this author, but not my last. I received a copy of this book for an honest review.
Brian O’ Hare hammers down his fourth book in this series. Each chapter is a different time (and sometimes date) and moves forward pretty consistently in pace and twists. O’Hare does a good job of managing expectation with reveals.
This interesting story follows (mostly) Jim Sheehan. There is a pretty large cast of characters here (which the author mentions), and most of them are pretty well-developed. There were a few that seemed like templates with no depth, but those were characters that weren’t really necessary (in my opinion) anyway. I did feel those same characters were just there to move the plot then forced other spaces throughout the story just to give their existence more meaning. It’s certainly creative, but probably not necessary and it stood out a bit to me.
I was impressed with the plot and style, having read many stories like this I found that the execution and style (and topic, with the main antagonist here being almost impossible to find), was done superbly.
As many others said, these books are done well. I recommend you go through all of them, you’d enjoy them.
The Dark Web Murders (The Inspector Sheehan Mysteries Book 4) by Brian O’Hare is a great addition to this series, but works well as a standalone book as well. The author helpfully lists the cast of characters in the beginning of the book along with helpful abbreviations for police personnel that are particular to Ireland. Sheehan and his team must now solve a series of gruesome murders. The dark web plays heavily in this book and certainly makes the story feel more modern and current than it might have otherwise. For those who love blood and gore, rough language, and explicit sexual content, this is a fantastic book that also has a strong plot, well wrought characters, and a fast pace. Subtle clues throughout set this book above the rest, making it a worthwhile read.
The Dark Web Murders is the fourth in Brian O’Hare’s Inspector Sheehan Mysteries. Featured around a serial killer that kills his victims in a very distinct and gory way, Detective Chief Inspector Jim Sheehan and his team hustle to find clues that points to the killer, or the next victim. By chance Sergeant Stewart finds a blog on the dark web outlining and boasting about the murders, and at times they posted the killings before they found a body. As it move the final target into place by the psychopath, Nemein, the team discovers the final prey. Can they find him before the killer strikes again?
Brian O’Hare writes with passion and mystique. The Dark Web Murders hides the killer until the end, throwing clues to several people who were not honest in their dealings with the police. Only to find out they were hiding something very cynical. I found this novel very mesmerizing and compelling, though I would only recommend it to those who can handle mature and disturbing content. Excellent plot and engaging characters.
The Dark Web Murders by Brian O’Hare is a great piece of crime fiction, with a twisting and gruesome plot that has one of the most shocking conclusions to any book I have ever read. I don’t want to give too much away on what happens, but I will say that the antagonist in this novel is probably the most formidable I have ever come across. It makes for a seriously tense and exciting read.
I hadn’t read any of the Inspector Sheehan Mysteries before reading The Dark Web Murders, and you don’t need to. Some of the characters may be the same, but each mystery is a self-contained plot. After really enjoying this gritty and thrilling crime novel, I definitely will be adding some more of the Inspector Sheehan Mysteries to my bookshelf.
Irish author Brian O’Hare was Assistant Director of Southern Regional College in Newry in Northern Ireland, writing many articles for educational journals as well as reports for the Department of Education and the University of Ulster. He retired early following a liver transplant to become a highly respected author of fiction. His books to date include A SPIRITUAL ODYSSEY, FALLEN MEN, and the INSPECTOR SHEEHAN MYSTERY series of which this is Book 4, THE DARK WEB MURDERS.
Brian acknowledges his concern for his readers by offering a very fine cast of characters to help keep the story accessible, a glossary of abbreviations used in the book, and then offers an informational (and atmospheric) Prologue, set in the year 2012 (the story that follows takes place in 2018): ‘It was a soft prison, he had been told. Medium security overall, with low security accommodation for selected prisoners. His friend had tried to sound cheerful but the concern in his eyes was inescapable. The unexpected display of feeling, however, had pleased the boy, despite his dire situation. They hugged, the boy tearful. “I’ll come and see you when I can,” his friend had promised, and again trying to allay fears, he added, “Keep your head down, Kevin. Stay out of trouble and you’ll serve only half your sentence. You’ll be out in three years.” The words carried small comfort now. The young man stared apprehensively through the prison-bus window as Magilligan Prison came into view. He fought panic as his eyes traversed the bleak, lonely landscape, the seeming miles of fences surrounding low, concrete, H-shaped buildings. His breathing began to come in short gasps. Deep breaths, he urged himself. Don’t lose control. The hard men are in the Maze….’
Masterfully written, the complex plot is summarized as follows: ‘I am Nemein. I am emotionally detached from my killings. I am not, therefore, a murderer. I am an instrument of Nemesis, a Punisher.’ This is a theme running through a number of blogs on the Dark Web, written by a serial killer. He is highly intelligent and employs philosophical argument to justify a series of gruesome murders. However, he describes the killings in lurid detail, and with such gloating relish, that he utterly negates his delusion of detachment and reveals himself to be a cold-blooded, narcissistic psychopath. Inspector Sheehan and his team rush headlong down a series of blind alleys in the pursuit of the psychopath, who continues to murder his victims with impunity. He is fiendishly clever, utterly ruthless, and tests Sheehan’s famed intuition to the limit. Indeed, Sheehan only learns the truth during a horrific climax when some members of his team experience a most harrowing ‘laceration of the soul’ that they will never be able to forget.’
This is mystery writing of the highest quality by an author who deserves very wide recognition. Highly Recommended.
The Dark Web Murders is the fourth book in The Inspector Sheehan Mysteries series and is a compelling crime thriller.
I really enjoyed this book and found the characters to be well developed. The storyline is well written and flows nicely, with a serial killer, taunts on the dark web, suspense, twists and turns, and a great conclusion.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received this novel in exchange for an honest review upon completion. Brian is an amazing author. This novel was so well written and at the onset well laid out with character descriptions that were very helpful. I found it difficult to put down this book once I had read the first chapter. It is a bit edgy in content but if you look at the title and think eeew…don’t read it. This book isn’t scary though it could be a bit bothersome to folks with difficult histories. I don’t want to put any spoilers in so please know that I loved it and am going to go back and read the first three books in the series. The hardest part of this novel is how true it could actually be and probably is somewhere in our world. It was so well written that I felt like I was watching the entire investigation from the Serious Crimes Office. Bravo Brian.
After the Prologue, I braced myself for a bloody ride. I read murder mysteries, but this story took the blood and gore a step farther than the usual serial killer. I wanted to turn my face a few times, but then I couldn’t read the book. Unfortunately, it only works for horror movies and TV shows.
Other than the gory murders, I enjoyed the story. It moved at a quick pace. I had to work hard to remember the vast number of characters. Even with the chart at the beginning, it was a chore. The twists and turns and subtle clues held my attention.
The story was a learning experience for me on police procedure, Northern Ireland, and the Dark Web. I’m always ready to learn something new. The Club piqued my interest with heir dark activities and exclusive membership, reminding me of The Club in my book.
If you are a murder mystery fan, you will enjoy this book. Keep the lights on.