Book Review: ‘The Diabolist’ by Layton Green

Dominic Grey and Viktor Radek are back in a no-holds-barred dark and suspenseful novel taking us back into the underworld of religion and its various offshoots. Private investigators, specializing in cults, in The Diabolist they have drawn a dangerous murder that will test the very heart of their own conviction.

Grey and Radek are investigating the bizarre and almost supernatural death of a well-known satanic priest. Each witness is spellbound by what they observed, or thought they had. As the investigative team move forward, they realize they will have to split up as another murder occurs in Paris under the same circumstances.

Grey is uncomfortable with separation but Radek is insistent. There is something going on that strikes fear into the heart of all those involved. As the strange and eerie evidence begins to pile up, Radek finds himself in a mental backlog of his past. While Grey pursues the chilling leads in Paris and on to London, Radek tracks his memories of the past and finds the very devil at his own door.

Has mass hysteria swept the cults of the underworld, or is the figure that seems to appear and disappear at will, challenging and killing his adversaries with fire, really a new and powerful master? Can Grey uncover the answers before his friend meets the very fate of the rest?

The Diabolist is a novel of darkness and suspense, with a charismatic pair of investigators. Having followed this team in The Summoner, the case that brought them together, I am even more interested to learn the depths and interactions have only improved. The descriptions are so vivid, I picture them in my mind, rooting them to find and unearth the things that often paralyze us with fear.

Reading the tale you feel an odd relief that they are on the job. The fear felt by the characters permeates your reading as you move forward. As I stopped to turn up the lights, I had to remind myself that this is a story. One that will move you to the edge of your seat as you shake off your fear.

If you enjoy dark suspense, and really want to find an interesting read for the summer months, The Diabolist is a great find. The characters are bold and yet carry flaws that make them so likable, you will enjoy their exploits as they delve into the differing cults in an effort to educate others to the tricks and practices. Yet there is just enough realism as well that if you are an X-Files fan, this will be another venue for the often strange happenings that cannot be explained.

A great work for a reading group, the protagonists will draw you in, and keep you looking for more.