Driven by unearthly visions, a convicted killer escapes from a maximum-security psychiatric hospital. Days later a woman is ritualistically murdered in the grounds of a mysterious London church. When a Roman coin is discovered under the victim’s skin, Vincent Blake – London’s leading stolen-art investigator – is called in to assist the police with their investigations.A series of copycat murders, … copycat murders, all carried out within the vicinity of connected London churches rocks the heart of the city. As the body count rises, Blake is thrust into a race against time to solve a centuries-old mystery that sets him on a collision course with a terrifying secret.
Nothing can prepare him for what he has to face, because the churches are not what they seem … they have been designed by the Devil’s Architect.
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Absolutely amazing! I can’t say enough about this authors writing. Fantastic storyteller!
The History of Things to Come #1 – This is my first read by this author and I enjoyed the story immensely. The ultimate battle between Good and Evil, and the coming of the Tribulation. Mr. Simpson wrote a book worth reading, with his well thought out story lines; his well defined characters; and a large blend of history with fiction. The story is fast paced with plenty of suspense; some predictable episodes, but an entertaining, substantial book.
Unfortunately, he didn’t edit with a fine tooth comb, making mistakes that are noticeable but doesn’t stop the flow of the story. 4*
The Devil’s Architect #2 – Having read the first book, I was happy to find Devil’s was even better. Extremely intriguing, full of London’s history, ranging from the Druids to the Romans to the present, blended with stories from the Bible give the reader a substantial read that difficult to put down. Well written and thought out, the story lines are suspense filled with various events through time brought into play keeping the reader immersed in the pages. The characters are developed enough, and the main characters keep growing, to keep the reader’s interest; some are fascinating.
With owning the first book of the series, I contacted the author to review this book since the third book was available for review. He kindly shared this book with me and I was well entertained. Needs minor editing. Included are various bits of information used in the story; some repeated verbatim from the story, some additional; and all were interesting. 5*
The Logos Code #3 – A fabulous ending to an intriguing, mesmerizing trilogy. Well written and well thought with a wonderful blend of history, religion, science, fact and fiction. The story is difficult to put down and I relish having all three books to chain read. This is a substantial, interesting read and the research and preparation that the author did makes this series of books a must read.
The characters add to the adhesion of the elements composing the trilogy. The main set of characters have developed incrementally, while the supporting characters add depth and meaning along the story lines. The locations and artifacts are important characters, too, and the blending in of several religions add reinforcement to the story lines. The author’s vivid descriptions, along with the fast paced, action packed plot, and understandable, relaxed writing style reinforce the must read element. I received this after contacting the author to review his trilogy. 5*
EVE CAN’T BLINK
After reading A History of Things to Come by this same author, I learned to take notes while I read The Devil’s Architect. I didn’t want to forget important events or the history I learned while reading this.
It’s an intense murder/mystery with a ton of history behind it. Ritualistic murders are taking place around churches that were designed by Nicholas Hawksmoor, who was an apprentice under Christopher Wren who was also a scientist and an architect. But Hawksmoor had a more sinister agenda than Wren and it is reflected in his designs of churches that have no Christian symbols on them at all. Look them up. I did and was fascinated. Until I started reading books by Duncan Simpson, I had no idea what was compelling these historical figures and I’d never heard of Nicholas Hawksmoor.
Back to business here. Dr. Vincent Blake is an archaeologist who works closely with the London police department. He’s got a strong background in art and helps to recover stolen paintings and relics. But he also works on murder cases when they involve such things. When a schizophrenic serial killer escapes from a hospital where he is being treated for an illness (how he escapes will blow your mind) and murders start happening again, Blake and the police department know exactly who they’re looking for. They just have to catch him before he kills again and a the final eclipse in the tetrad. This is actually a deal where these eclipses happen to fall on significant Jewish holidays, something that is rare, and the fourth one is about to happen. Meanwhile, the bodies of young women with their eyelids cut off and a rare coin shoved into a pocket in their skin that the killer carved are showing up at Hawksmoor churches. There’s more mutilation to the bodies and any type of metal the victims may have been wearing was taken off them and set beside their bodies. The whole thing was grisly and odd, but it had purpose.
This book isn’t page after page of ugly, bloody scenes. Not at all. We’re not taken inside the mind of the killer who is performing these ritualistic murders. We think we know who the perpetrator is and we know Vincent Blake is working the case with the police department. We’re with him while he’s dealing with a drug addicted sister, his daughter going through physical rehabilitation after an incident in The History of Things to Come (the previous book in the series), and trying to catch the maniac murderer before he gets his final victim.
This was a “step-on-the-gas-and-go-go-go” book. From the first introduction of Enoch Hart, the schizophrenic, former special forces guy who is incarcerated at Broodmoor high-security psychiatric hospital after killing a high church official, through the exploration of exorcisms, biblical verses, Satanism, ritualistic murders, lots of history, and a hell of a twist toward the last third of the book, yeah I was glued to this. Oh, and let’s not forget the enigmatic Mary and her black dog. She was in the first book, too.
I love books that teach me things while I read and I learned a lot while I was swept away in this story. You don’t have to be a student of history, art, religion, or psychology to enjoy this book. But you should read it with an open mind and maybe a shot of whiskey. It’s that intense.
The author did his homework and this is a book with smarts. It had my reader in one hand and my phone in the other, looking up these churches and Nicholas Hawksmoor.
This was a truly fascinating read.
*This is the second book of the Dark Horizon Trilogy, but can easily be read as a stand-alone novel.
Love his series. Very Dan Brown!
enjoyed reading
Enjoyed this one immensely