IndieReader:
IR Rating 3.5 Stars...

Author Diane M. Johnson builds a universe... populated by interesting characters in PERFECT SACRIFICES (Perfect Prophet Book 3), a brutal story of gray moralities and dark magic with a surprising finale...

A struggle between a Satanist cult and the people caught up in its prophecies reaches its crescendo in this bleak, violent horror novel... Johnson has done an excellent job of building a believable fictional universe in PERFECT SACRIFICES (Perfect Prophet Book 3)....The violence can be brutal, so those with triggers tied to torture and killing will have a tough go of it. The Satanists are literally everywhere in this small Midwestern community...Good people are introduced, try to do the right thing, and are betrayed by a Satanist in their midst...in some horrible way...Lucas is an effective character, a man tortured by his own past actions and desperate to make good, even if it means repeatedly putting himself in harm’s way. Johnson’s plotting is intelligent, and if it never quite surprises it also never veers into the ridiculous. The final act holds a few surprises, especially considering how brutal the bulk of the story is. For fans of bloody, magical, religion-flavored mayhem, this will do just fine.

Author Diane M. Johnson builds a universe that feels real, populated by interesting characters in PERFECT SACRIFICES (Perfect Prophet Book 3), a brutal story of gray moralities and dark magic with a surprising finale.

"This third installment of Johnson's Perfect Prophet supernatural thriller series finds family and friends caught in a cult's web of rituals and retribution.

Devil worshipping death-metal guitarist Alec Lowell left all that behind to become a faith healer. In the same vein, his Satanist half-brother, Lucas, lives a quiet life in a Wisconsin cemetery after leaving a cult. But now cult members want Lucas as a sacrifice for "the Dark One."... It's not long before others in the half-brothers' orbit are in jeopardy, including Alec's ex-wife, Belinda, and their son, Jake, as well as Jake's girlfriend, Maggie. Lucas isn't on the best of terms with everyone—as a member of the cult, he once kidnapped Jake "with some deranged notion to repent for his sins." Nevertheless, they'll need to rely on one another to stand against a group of merciless killers... The narrative moves at a blistering pace, dishing out copious twists throughout rather than saving them for the final act. This sequel nudges the spotlight away from the half-brothers and allows the outstanding supporting cast to shine, especially Belinda and Maggie. The supernatural elements are understated; magic is in play but no single character is all powerful (that doesn't make the villains any less horrifying...). The author deftly integrates pre-existing subplots and character relationships, but readers may want to check out the preceding books first to avoid spoilers. While a fourth installment is possible, this one concludes on a satisfying note.

A somber, kinetically charged, character-driven sequel." -- Kirkus Reviews

The urge to save a life no matter what powers the bloody and searching third entry in Johnson’s inventive, irreverent Perfect Prophet series. That drive—and a missing young girl abducted by adherents to a vicious cult— clarifies the action in a story whose plotting and metaphysics have, by this volume, gotten thornily tangled. The focus remains on brothers Alec and Lucas, boys born into a mad prophecy and the worship of Satan. Alec started the tale as a Satanic death-metal rock star, became an evangelical faith healer of legendary power, and as Perfect Sacrifices kicks off is living inside the dying body of a billionaire cult leader—but is almost immediately crucified and (apparently) killed at last. (His son lives on, though.) Lucas, meanwhile, lurched from Team Satan—he served as a high priest—to Team God to a life of pained exile.

Now, though, as the cult he once led gathers its power to fulfill that still-unresolved prophecy, Lucas realizes he can’t hide out from responsibility, especially when a teen believer in Alec is taken by the cult and forced to watch her mother’s murder. That’s just scratching the surface of the complexities and surprises of this series, which takes matters of faith, morality, family, and trauma seriously, while still steeping readers in cult and supernatural horror that Johnson, even three books in, pens with fresh, unsettling relish. Highlights include ravens, a wicked knife, a blood ritual, and Lucas’s continual feeling of being “back on his knees, head bowed before the God who hated him.”

The plotting is more dense than in previous entries, with many characters and mysteries to track—new readers should not expect to pick up the gist, and even returning fans should probably look back at the previous book, Prophet Reborn, for context, clarity, and richer connections. What works best is the heart that has always set this series apart, the sense of fraternal bonds and the weight of destiny, but also the possibility, even amid cult murders, of redemption.

Takeaway: Bold climactic volume of a belief-themed horror series that takes faith and evil seriously.

Comparable Titles: Lynn Hightower, Greg F. Gifune’s Children of Chaos