A Darkly Disturbing Occult Horror Trilogy Series - Book 1

Mysterious psychiatric patient, Ruby, is being held and treated but a diagnosis hasn't been reached and therapy has been ineffective, leading her psychiatrist, Dr Jack McGowan, to consider hypnosis. The therapy has detrimental effects on him and his team. When fellow psychiatrist, Dr Kristy Silver, learns about Ruby she sees the similarities between her case and one of another patient from the same small village of Woodsend.

Pursuing the lead Kristy finds herself challenging her beliefs and perceptions as she find sheer terror as the result of her investigations.

Going by the description of this book it has an intriguing premise and sounded like an amazing horror read but, in hindsight, having just finished the book, it has a number of sticking points for me.

Firstly, there are a host of characters and the story is told from multiple points of view and from multiple points in time, which invariably leads to overlap and made the plot difficult to follow at times.

Characters such as Jack and Celeste seemed to be put front and centre then discarded once they had told their part, without any real resolution. This book was crying out for a decent editor.

There was more telling than showing and to give the author props, she did write the spooky horror element of this book really well, but just didn't deliver a satisfying conclusion, mainly because there is another book in the series.

The ending left me frustrated as we still don't really know who Ruby is, the mystery behind the Father of Lies continues and I'm not sure I want to invest time to be disappointed by another ending in book two as I'm told this is a trilogy.

It's been a while since I have felt this conflicted about a book, especially a horror book, as horror is my favourite genre. No doubt more dark secrets are to come in the series I just wish I could count on the next part of the story being effectively told.

Complex for this genre however in my opinion in a good way.. It lent depth to the story.. My only complaint is that it seemed to just leave you hanging pertaining to multitudes of different areas, hopefully the sequel fills in those missing gaps. Overall was a sinister read.

This is a book for those who seek understanding not entertainment. I would not even outline the plot to the vulnerable. Those who seek an inspirational picture of the horror we must battle in current times. ZamPaw

Mysterious psychiatric patient, Ruby, is being held and treated but a diagnosis hasn't been reached and therapy has been ineffective, leading her psychiatrist, Dr Jack McGowan, to consider hypnosis. The therapy has detrimental effects on him and his team. When fellow psychiatrist, Dr Kristy Silver, learns about Ruby she sees the similarities between her case and one of another patient from the same small village of Woodsend.

Pursuing the lead Kristy finds herself challenging her beliefs and perceptions as she find sheer terror as the result of her investigations.

Going by the description of this book it has an intriguing premise and sounded like an amazing horror read but, in hindsight, having just finished the book, it has a number of sticking points for me.

Firstly, there are a host of characters and the story is told from multiple points of view and from multiple points in time, which invariably leads to overlap and made the plot difficult to follow at times.

Characters such as Jack and Celeste seemed to be put front and centre then discarded once they had told their part, without any real resolution. This book was crying out for a decent editor.

There was more telling than showing and to give the author props, she did write the spooky horror element of this book really well, but just didn't deliver a satisfying conclusion, mainly because there is another book in the series.

The ending left me frustrated as we still don't really know who Ruby is, the mystery behind the Father of Lies continues and I'm not sure I want to invest time to be disappointed by another ending in book two as I'm told this is a trilogy.

It's been a while since I have felt this conflicted about a book, especially a horror book, as horror is my favourite genre. No doubt more dark secrets are to come in the series I just wish I could count on the next part of the story being effectively told.

Complex for this genre however in my opinion in a good way.. It lent depth to the story.. My only complaint is that it seemed to just leave you hanging pertaining to multitudes of different areas, hopefully the sequel fills in those missing gaps. Overall was a sinister read.

This is a book for those who seek understanding not entertainment. I would not even outline the plot to the vulnerable. Those who seek an inspirational picture of the horror we must battle in current times. ZamPaw

A disturbing tale of madness and horror combined with social problems such as drug abuse, homelessness, poverty and minorities (travellers), as well as crimes such as child abuse, paedophilia and satanic rituals. It’s disturbing because the spine chilling events are believable and horrific.
Almost the whole team of doctors and staff looking after Ruby, an unidentified and complex patient, who seems to have a multiple personality disorder, suffer unexplained accidents, disappearances, death or mental breakdowns, in a rural English setting. In the lonely and atmospheric moors of northern England.
At first the explanation seems to lie in the field of medicine, but in the second half of the novel, especially the final third, the plot becomes more complex, with constant flashbacks, new characters and events which turn the story towards to a more Satanical and supernatural focus.
It is book one in a trilogy, so the end is not final. On the other hand, it is mostly satisfactory, but distressing due to the people involved in the crimes and their nature. There are however plenty of unanswered questions and threads to be continued in book two...
The action takes place in winter and the final scenes occur at Christmas time, so it's a chilling seasonal read, too.
The shocking crimes and rituals are not gorily or explicitly described, but they’re still disquieting.
It is well written and I'm interested in reading the rest of the trilogy.

The writing is strong, the story powerful, and Sarah England uses excellent knowledge and understanding of psychiatry, mental health issues, and the workings of the subconscious to make demonic possession seem far, far too plausible for comfort.

A chilling read, and recommended - I'm gathering the courage for book two now!

Dr Jack McGowan after some thoughts decides to take on Ruby as a patient and hypnotises her. Ruby is deeply disturbed and is a patient at Drummegate asylum. Of course this is going to cause all sorts of problems and all hell is going to break loose. Who will survive this. This is the first time I have read any of Sarah England's work but it certainly won't be the last. A true mistress of horror read if you dare!

Father of Lies by Sarah England

The book starts of with psychologists & mental health, police involved, visiting a problem family.
Then it gets deeper, demonic possession, death, murder, psychological team get literally dragged in at the deep end!
Becky being in the middle is an interesting character, she doesn't follow blindly until evidence starts to show. Really good DID cover, believable & well written.
I loved this book, it kept me gripped from start to finish.
Definitely looking for more!

For the full review, go to bergenreadsbooks.wordpress.com

Plot: 2.5/5. Nothing much surprised me about this book. It was fun and there were predictably scary bits that may have been scary if accompanied by something leaping out at you on a screen, but overall it was predictable and unimpressive.

Characters: 3.5/5. I found most of the characters very likable, and it made me really nostalgic for my year abroad in Wales. I was legitimately concerned for some of the side characters’ wellbeing and hope they don’t meet a bad fate, but the main characters kind of rubbed me the wrong way. Ruby (and her other personalities) doesn’t really get a chance to be a person because she’s either an object when she’s in the hospital, or a monster when she’s possessed. I would have liked a little more potential for personhood and growth from her.

Style: 3/5. There wasn’t anything that really stood out about the writing style, it was an enjoyable enough read, but I probably won’t read the others. She could build tension a bit more, and had a hard time making the scary parts actually feel scary.

Originality: 2/5. This is straight up a classic demonic possession story. And that’s not a bad thing—we like archetypes for a reason—but she didn’t really compensate for the tried-and-true story type with really interesting or really unsettling elements, she just stuck to the tried-and-true, which made it a bit lackluster.

Overall: 2.75/5. Not a bad book by any means, but not my favorite. I like my horror scarier than what S. E. England gave me!

Ever well written possession horror novel. Written by a English writer it makes for a some what
Challenging read but for myself I love English novels so no biggy. Can't wait to read the rest of the series.