Reviews
A DARK REDEMPTION
“A superior novel, well written and plotted, with a convincing backdrop about a continent that rarely features in crime fiction.” MARCEL BERLINS, THE TIMES
“A Dark Redemption is a clever, multi-layered beginning to a promising new series…Sherez does a masterful job with a particularity haunting plot.” – Henry Sutton, Book of the Week in THE DAILY MIRROR
“The powerful flashbacks set in Uganda, where, as callow postgraduates, Carrigan and his friends were caught up in the atrocities perpetrated by the deranged members of the Lord’s Resistance Army, promise something quite different, and Sherez doesn’t disappoint. The past trauma resurfaces when the murder of a Ugandan girl takes the duo into the unseen world of the illegal immigrant. Fast paced and slick, this is the first in what could well be an outstanding series.” LAURA WILSON. The GUARDIAN
“The interplay of all the characters’ fear, guilt and longing for justice adds both depth and sharpness to the novel. A Dark Redemption is said to be the first of a series which is welcome news.” NATASHA COOPER – TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT
“Sherez is superb at evoking the unfamiliar world of immigrant communities, and his scenes set in Uganda are just as good. And although there is nothing more conventional than an unconventional cop, Sherez has beaten the odds and created an original detective in Carrigan.” JAKE KERRIDGE – THE DAILY TELEGRAPH. Full Review HERE
“Once I started A Dark Redemption I was on lockdown. It’s a riveting, powerful thriller whose subject matter is shocking yet firmly rooted in the real world. Carrigan and Miller are supremely believable characters and I really look forward to seeing them again.”
ALAN GLYNN, author of “Limitless”, “Winterland”, and “Bloodland”
“This is an outstanding book in every conceivable way. As a crime novel it’s near faultless, marrying a highly original story to a fast-paced narrative steeped in intrigue and surprise. But what really sets it apart is its depiction of 21st Century London, the prose equivalent of a Hogarthian nightmare – funny, freakish, disturbing and all too true. Stav Sherez has given his hometown the book it deserves.”
NICK STONE , author of “Mr Clarinet”, “King of Swords”, and “Voodoo Eyes”
“This intriguing and well-written thriller brings the horrors of Uganda and its vicious lawlessness to London…Highly original…Sherez ventures into a part of London that crime fiction readers probably never see…an underworld in which migrants live in parallel with their hosts. A salutary read, highly recommended.” JESSICA MANN – LITERARY REVIEW, FEB 2012
“Kicking off the start of a new series, A Dark Redemption has to be his breakthrough novel. If you seek something a little different to the familiar in your crime reading you will find it here. It’s an intelligent and superb read…one of the beauties of this novel, is the characterisation of the main characters themselves…this is an exceptionally strong start the series…London is painted on a new canvas, true to its time. Neither the writing nor the plotting disappoints. Do not miss this one.” RHIAN DAVIES Full review: It’s a Crime (or a Mystery)
“From the outset, A Dark Redemption establishes itself as a gem. Warehouses could be filled with all the crime books and films set in London, but still Sherez manages to put an original slant on the nation’s capital. There is enormous cultural sensitivity on show, but without Sherez leaving himself open to accusations of liberal tub-thumping. Dead-eyed former child soldiers stalking the streets of London sounds like something from a Daily Mail reader’s nightmare, but Sherez tackles the matter in all its bloodiness, brutality and complexity. This is powerful political and social commentary, scalding the search for simple, all-too-often violent solutions to Africa’s problems. Overall, A Dark Redemption is a well-crafted novel, with engaging characters, urgent subject matter and a firm basis in reality. If this foundation stone is anything to go by, expect great things from the Carrigan and Miller series.” MIKE STAFFORD – BOOKGEEKS.COM Full Review HERE
“In writing A Dark Redemption Sherez has taken those old Newsnight packages and worked them into a compelling crime novel which is honest-to-god unputdownable. His London is a pulsing mass of humanity, multi-layered and richly evoked, and he takes you to places many writers would rather ignore.Jack Carrigan is a deep, introspective character in the mould of Kurt Wallander, and in Geneva Miller Sherez has created the perfect foil. With cracking pacing and prose which tends towards the lyrical Sherez has produced a stand out piece of work that will definitely be making my top five books of the year.” EVA DOLAN – CRIMEFICTIONLOVER.COM Full Review HERE
“A superior example of the genre. Both thoughtful & thought-provoking, A Dark Redemption managed to explore a complex issue without either sensationalising it or treating readers like morons…the fact that it also provides a suspense-filled mystery is icing on this excellent cake.” REACTIONS TO READING – Full review here
“Everything I like in crime fiction is condensed in this book. A Dark Redemption is a solid and intelligent read. This is the kind of book that promotes and stirs interest in crime fiction. Highly recommended.” JOSE IGNACIO – THE GAME’S AFOOT. Full review HERE
“This is really the most important thing to get right in a crime novel, the page-turning element, and A Dark Redemption definitely has that…It delivers all the points that a crime novel should.” BOOKMUNCH (but they didn’t much like my prose style!)
“The book was an excellent read. The flashbacks to Uganda were concentrated into three main sections which I thought worked well and gave the book a strong structure. They were quite difficult passages to read as you could feel the total disorientation of the young men in a strange country and it was clear that once they came into contact with the rebel army, it wouldn’t end well. The descriptions of the modern-day murder were equally chilling but I thought not gratuitously so. The book is full of facts about London, much of which I didn’t know and provided an insight into the lives of African immigrants and their dire living conditions. Both Corrigan and Miller were interesting characters. It is difficult to create a ‘maverick’ detective these days without falling into cliché but I though Sherez managed it with understated ease. There is a nice twist to the ending, again subtly done and I’m pleased that it is part of a new series as principal characters deserve a second airing.”
SARAH WARD – Crimepieces
“This is Stav Sherez’s first venture into the police procedural and he’s taken to it like the proverbial duck to water, but with, I would suggest, a good deal more grace. The flavours that Sherez adds to the novel are many and varied with his keen observations about his characters’ interactions, a side of London you rarely see in crime fiction and an African history that Carrigan is desperate to forget. All of this has a ring of authenticity that draws you in and holds your attention captive throughout.
Meanwhile, proving that he can plot with the best of them, Sherez adds a twist at the end that will have you shivering. ‘A Dark Redemption’ is classy, captivating and worth every penny I’m about to urge you to spend on it.” MICHAEL J MALONE CRIMESQUAD Full Review HERE
“Sherez delivers fully, but then he goes one stage further. Just before the half-way stage, Sherez turns down the thermostat and the whole narrative takes on a distinctly chilly and unsettling air, which is something he does very well indeed. To give away any more would be crass, but I would recommend A Dark Redemption to anyone looking for a satisfying policier which deserves to be the opening shot in a long and successful series.” MIKE RIPLEY Full Review HERE
“A Dark Redemption by Stav Sherez is beautifully written and chilling at the same time. This is Stav’s third novel – I know he’s not new boy on the crime writing block – but this book is a terrific read.
- Dreda Say Mitchell, author of “Running Hot” and “Hit Girls”
“A Dark Redemption is the first instalment in what promises to be an electrifying series.” THE SUNDAY TIMES (AUSTRALIA)
THE BLACK MONASTERY:
“Works like a charm….the vocation of place is wonderful, the themes – guilt, greed and the islander’s suspicion and dislike of the tourists on whom they depend for their living – expertly handled and the Indiana Jonesy ending spectacular.” Laura Wilson, The Guardian
“intriguing and highly descriptive….complex and interesting storyline…and range of enigmatic characters.” – Yorkshire Post
“For an atmospheric and accomplished thriller, look no further than this dark tale of religion, murder and corruption….Sherez’s evocation of the jaded holiday isle is superb…..Forget Captain Corelli’s Mandolin and Mama Mia – this destination is more similar to the sinister setting of John Fowles’ The Magus….dynamite fiction…..the book is thought provoking in a way that makes its gory plot all the more satisfying.” The Independent
“A complex tale of greed, guilt and lust….menacing atmosphere and moments of true horror” – Sunday Telegraph
“A dark…disquieting tale.” – Literary Review
“Stav Sherez brilliantly captures the claustrophobic atmosphere of a small island at the height of an intensely hot summer….the menace is palpable, the characterisation is fully rounded….fast paced and deliciously creepy, The Black Monastery is very much a book to devour in one sitting.” – Daily Express
“It takes nerve to add a cult, castration and mass suicide to an already heady mix yet Sherez pulls it off with aplomb. The result is an atmospheric tale of pure nastiness.” - Mark Sanderson – Evening Standard
“A dark and compelling crime thriller which slowly unwinds the many strands of a murky blood-streaked mystery while also managing to graph the desecration of a former paradise….a deadly game of cat and mouse….a thumping good read.” – Irish Examiner
“If you need an antidote to Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, look no further.” The Sunday Times
“inventive, suspenseful and very exciting….one of the year’s best thrillers.” Mike Ripley, Shots
“A gripping page turner.” New Straits Times
“Sherez’s evocation of place is most impressive….The Black Monastery is clever crime fiction…both thrilling and confronting.” Canberra Times
“Sherez paints magnificent images….the evocation of place is sublime in this distinctive and capable thriller….the superb prose in this novel makes it a very enjoyable reading experience.” Independent Weekly (Australia)
“Delicious metaphor-laden language and genuinely page turning conclusion….” reactionstoreading.com
“Atmospheric, faultlessly written, perfectly paced and thought provoking – this is a story of regrets, secrets and revenge. The Black Monastery is a thriller of the highest quality. Sherez’s prose is at turns terse and lyrical and every word is exactly in the right place.” crimesquad.com
“Taut and tightly written with revelations tumbling one after the other.” bookgeeks.com
“The book garners a deep emotional response….a novel to be enjoyed but not too quickly; thus taking in every piece of prose, because every little thing matters here.” it’sacrime.com
“A dark murder story….intriguing and well written.” Tangled web
“Compelling, gripping and a little horrifying, Sherez has written a very different take on paradise.” birdogblogspot.com
THE DEVIL’S PLAYGROUND:
‘Demonstrating rare intelligence, brilliantly structured, beautifully
written, this is the finest first novel I have read in some time. It is
altogether extraordinary, and introduces a major talent.’
-James Sallis
“Sherez is hunting big game. He takes the most frightening atrocities
of the twentieth century and explores them in a way you’ll never forget.
The most exciting, compelling and clever thriller I’ve ever read.”
- Matt Thorne
‘A brilliant and disturbing book. As an investigation of human perversity,
it is fascinating; as a thriller, it stands comparison with the very best.
Mesmerising.’
- Toby Litt
The Devil’s Playground leads us willingly into the darkest parts of
Amsterdam, where the past invades the present and not even your own identity
is certain. A taut thriller which dissects the legacy of a frightful history
with intelligence and care
- Louise Welch
The Devil’s Playground is a spider web of love and terror, madness and grace, that brilliantly weaves some of the darkest moments of human history with the horrors that lurk just below the surface of modern life. A page-turner of mysterious murders, lost manuscripts, sexual obsession and deadly secrets.”
- Rennie Sparks (The Handsome Family)
“This book probes so relentlessly, fearlessly and deeply into the unspeakable darkness that it manages to work its way through to some impossible and redemptive light. I’ve read it twice and I’m sure I’ll read it again.”
- Steve Wynn
“The story is totally and utterly gripping. It deals with the most horrendous and dismaying material of all. A young promoter of a music magazine, actually, which is close to home here at Classic FM, he is in despair, his magazine’s just collapsed and suddenly he spots an old man outside his window who seems to be hovering for two or three days, not begging, not doing anything much. He invites him in and a whole series of events is unleashed. The series of events actually leads us to Amsterdam. It’s actually the best depiction of Amsterdam I’ve read since the novels of the late Nicholas Freeling. It leads us to the Holocaust museum and, in fact, it leads us into the Nazis’ worse kind of corruption and snuff movies and so on and it comes to a terrific ending. I mean, for a first novel this is extraordinarily ambitious and, I think, extraordinarily accomplished. All you want when you close the last page is to wait for the next novel by Stav Sherez. Now that’s as good as a first novel gets.”
- Classic FM
“Stav Sherez is a gifted writer … deserves to be the thriller of the summer”
- The Economist
“Impressive … a meditation on representations of violence decanted into a crime thriller”
- Time Out
“Ambitious, audacious, powerful”
The Observer
“Remarkably ambitious”
- The Sunday Times
“A dark crime thriller than begins with an act of kindness and ends with every moral certainty having been burned away….The Devil’s Playground is appropriately named. A highly charged, plausible and disturbing piece of work”
- The Big Issue
“A page-turner of a thriller”
- Metro
“A razor sharp thriller. Like Robert Harris, Sherez has an immaculate sense of pace, expertly propelling the story along. Gripping to the end”
- Jack
“A hypnotic page turner”
- City Life
“Juggernaut pace and moral-twisting narrative”
- The List
“Thought provoking and incredibly atmospheric debut”
– Publishing News