I have been a fan of F.G. Cottam ever since reading Dark Echo several years ago. Since then I have also read House of Lost Souls, The Magdalena Curse, and Memory of Trees. I enjoyed all of these and with The Lazarus Prophecy I think Cottam has reached a new peak.
This one started out as a typical serial killer novel where several women in London are killed and eviscerated in a method very similar to the work of the Whitechapel Killer (aka Jack the Ripper) back in 1888. The killer leaves cryptic messages in blood in obscure languages, some of which are no longer in use, and there are generally ties to the year 1888. Because of his knowledge of languages, he is dubbed the "Scholar" by the police. So is this a copycat killer who mimics the Ripper or is it someone or something more sinister? The novel then moves on to a secret Catholic outpost in the Pyrenees where a group of pious monks have been secretly performing rituals contrary to the modern Church for hundreds of years. They are also the keepers of the titular Lazarus Prophecy, an end of days prophecy made by Lazarus based on the time he was deceased prior to Christ bringing him back from the dead. So how is all this related and who is the killer and what is his purpose? Police investigator, Jane Sullivan along with the help of a psychic who is almost killed by the "Scholar", and a disillusioned theologian are tasked with identifying and stopping the killer and finding out how he is tied to the Ripper.
I was totally engrossed in this mystery/thriller/horror story and would highly recommend it along with Cottam's other works. There are several other books he has written that I still need to read and I will be looking forward to doing so.
This one started out as a typical serial killer novel where several women in London are killed and eviscerated in a method very similar to the work of the Whitechapel Killer (aka Jack the Ripper) back in 1888. The killer leaves cryptic messages in blood in obscure languages, some of which are no longer in use, and there are generally ties to the year 1888. Because of his knowledge of languages, he is dubbed the "Scholar" by the police. So is this a copycat killer who mimics the Ripper or is it someone or something more sinister? The novel then moves on to a secret Catholic outpost in the Pyrenees where a group of pious monks have been secretly performing rituals contrary to the modern Church for hundreds of years. They are also the keepers of the titular Lazarus Prophecy, an end of days prophecy made by Lazarus based on the time he was deceased prior to Christ bringing him back from the dead. So how is all this related and who is the killer and what is his purpose? Police investigator, Jane Sullivan along with the help of a psychic who is almost killed by the "Scholar", and a disillusioned theologian are tasked with identifying and stopping the killer and finding out how he is tied to the Ripper.
I was totally engrossed in this mystery/thriller/horror story and would highly recommend it along with Cottam's other works. There are several other books he has written that I still need to read and I will be looking forward to doing so.
