Look inside the mind of a cold-blooded, narcissistic killer who has chosen all of his victims and is now killing them one by one in a gruesome and sadistic way. Then he posts all the gory details of what was done to the victim and how the murder was accomplished on the Dark Web while trying to justify what he did to those reading.
What is the Dark Web? The author answers that question himself in this line from the book: Lurking just below the surface of the clear web—that is, the normal internet—is a vast network of vile and corrupt activity called the Dark Net, or the Dark Web, or even on occasions, the Deep Web.
https://www.iflscience.com/technology/what-dark-web/
The police don’t have a clue as to the identity of the killer. Once they discover his writings on the Dark Web, small details begin to reveal themselves to those investigating. I was shocked when I learned who the killer was. I should’ve seen it, but no. I missed all the subtle clues woven into the story. I know that if I read it again, they will all jump out at me.
Brian O’Hare has once again written a first-rate murder mystery. I wish that sadistic psychopathic murderers like the one written about in The Dark Web Murders were only a part of the world of fiction, but unfortunately, there are some truly dark and depraved people in this world.
The ending is fraught with so much tension—Inspector Sheehan is faced with an impossible choice to make—that it had me pacing the floor while reading. I found myself unable to lay my Kindle down and barely able to breath until I reached the conclusion. The ending was fantastic, but then I was sad there was no more of the book to read.
I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. If you would like to purchase your own copy, I’ve provided an Amazon link for you below.
Amazon Link: The Dark Web Murders (The Inspector Sheehan Mysteries Book 4)
Recommended Articles:
The 11:05 Murders (Inspector Sheehan Mysteries Book 1) – a Review
The Doom Murders (Inspector Sheehan Mysteries Book 2 – a Review
The Coven Murders (Inspector Sheehan Mysteries Book 3) – a Review
Three Inspector Sheehan Short Mysteries – a Review
Favorite Sentences:
He rose to his feet, nervous, uneasy, obviously not comfortable being seated while the chief inspector towered above him.
Jones’ voice, a deep basso profundo, seemed to start somewhere near his boots, causing all sorts of reverberations in the floor before it got to his mouth.
On the right of the path was a very scraggy patch of ground that by no stretch of the imagination could be called a lawn.
Oh, my entire psyche squirms, crawls, convulses at even the intimation of a moment of such delicious angst!
New Words Learned:
ambit – the scope, extent, or bounds of something
avuncular – of or relating to an uncle
Brexit – the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union
callow – inexperienced and immature
cognomen – an extra personal name given to an ancient Roman citizen, functioning rather like a nickname and typically passed down from father to son
flagrum – a whip used to inflict punishment
Heretic’s Fork – The Heretic’s Fork was an iron rod which had bi-pronged forks on both sides. Read more about the horrors of being tortured with this device here: https://www.thevintagenews.com/2017/04/05/20-most-gruesome-medieval-torture-devices/. The heretic’s fork is #7.
Judas Chair – Also called the Judas Cradle, this awful torture device resembles the wooden horse, and it was made to penetrate a person in a highly painful way. Again, visit this link to learn more about this medieval torture device: https://www.thevintagenews.com/2017/04/05/20-most-gruesome-medieval-torture-devices/. The Judas Cradle is #13.
ignoble -not honorable in character or purpose
mollified – pacified
persiflage – light and slightly contemptuous mockery or banter
poncy – pretentious or affected
spleen – A spleen is not just an organ in your body. The way it is used in the book means bad temper or spite.
spurious – not being what it purports to be; false or fake
troglodyte – a person of degraded, primitive, or brutal character
vicissitudes – a change of circumstances or fortune; typically one that is unwelcome or unpleasant
About the Author:
Brian O’Hare, MA, Ph.D., is a retired assistant director of a large regional college of further and higher education. He is married, and he has three children, ten grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. He plays golf three times a week off a ten handicap and does a lot of voluntary work. Any writing he has previously done was academic…very much restricted to a very specific readership. Several articles in educational journals were followed by a number of book-length reports for the Dept. of Education and the University of Ulster.
Great review, Lisa, and as always, generous in your judgement. I am delighted that you seemed to enjoy it. Thank you for your kind words. Brian