MY REVIEW:

This is a story that spans the centuries, starting in Spain then to Australia and then across mainland Europe.

A nun commits suicide in Public during a holy festival.  The reasons for this choice are found in her book of confession.  It is discovered by her daughter Siobhan.  As Siobhan goes through the confession the story of her mother is laid out before her.  Rather than being the mother who walked out on them a few years ago, she is actually something very different and the safety of her daughters is paramount.  Siobhan has a younger sister, Jess, but it’s only Siobhan who the confession is for.  As the story unfold the reason for this and many other things become apparent.

The story takes us through the Catholic faith, discussing saints, secrets, monasteries, churches, libraries, books, manuscripts and codices.  It soon becomes obvious that there has been a lot of research into this subject.  For the most part it is well paced, only slowing slightly towards the end a huge amount of dates, places and people are mentioned, but still enjoyable and digestible.  There are some brutal scenes depicted in this book and so is not for the fainthearted.

At the end of the book there are a lot of unanswered questions that I assume will be answered in a following book, or books.  I look forward to reading more from this author.

I would recommend this book to readers of thriller, historical fiction and mystery.  It is not a book for the faint-hearted as there are some quite brutal scenes described in this book. It is not comfortable reading but is part of the plot.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Australian eBook Publisher for allowing me an ARC copy of this book, for my honest and unbiased opinion.

THE BLURB:

A nun commits suicide in front of thousands in Spain. In Australia, Siobhan Russo recognises that nun as her mother, Denise Russo, who disappeared six years ago.

In search of answers, Siobhan travels to the isolated convent where her mother once lived. Here she discovers Denise’s final confession, a book that details a heinous betrayal that left her crippled and mute, and Denise’s subsequent deal with the Devil to take revenge. In the desperate bargain Denise made with the Prince of Darkness, she wagered Siobhan’s soul.

As Siobhan discovers the fate of her soul, she learns that hidden within the pages of her mother’s confession is part of The Devil’s Prayer, an ancient text with the power to unleash apocalyptic horrors.

And now her mother’s enemies know Siobhan has it.

Can Siobhan escape an order of extremist monks determined to get the Prayer back? Can she save the world from its own destruction?

Explicit Content Warning: “The Devil’s Prayer” is a historical horror thriller that contains brutality, rape, sex, drug abuse and murder. Readers may find its content offensive and confronting.

You can view the video teaser for the book on https://vimeo.com/156061258. (less)

BOOK DETAILS: