Priest of Evil is a 700 page paperback and e-book trilogy. The three books are The Purifier, Pure Greed (sibling rivalry) and Pure Blood (blackmail lies and body parts).
Detective Sergeant Tom Jackson and his team carry out a drug bust only to discover it leads to something even more sinister. The story involves journalists, politicians, bikie gangs, and a spin doctor, all somehow connected to a small religion led by a fanatical priest known to his brethren as the Purifier. Tom pieces the clues together and solves the mystery which takes him from Sydney to the Gibson Desert, and from Monte Carlo to China. Priest of Evil has been edited by Cindy Cato.
Priest of Evil, The Purifier, Richard Osborn
No doubt about it, THE PURIFIER is part of a big, brave trilogy. Nothing at all wrong with these sorts of huge, conspiracy, world domination, evil threat, nuclear armageddon, master criminal types of scenarios. As long as the reader has the option of a bit of suspension of disbelief. Which this reader couldn't achieve.
The evil component of the book was obviously aiming very high, alas it headed rapidly into farce territory. Never with the dash and élan that would carry this sort of attempt through. Quickly it all became a bit too unbelievable, dare I say, silly for me.
I'm also, personally, never comfortable when action happens, and it is then explained, just in case the reader missed the action, or the point. There were altogether too many times in this book where I was told, in some detail, what was happening, rather than just being shown. This lead to an over wordy feeling, and a tendency to feel a little like I needed the joke explained. After every single joke.
Undoubtedly there will be other readers who will disagree violently - and that's the best part about the huge range of books that are out there these days - one for every single one of us. This definitely wasn't mine.