David McCaffrey

This book really got under my skin and it was so unique in the way that it was more about the punishment than the crime. Obadiah Stark is a chilling sociopathic killer who has a tattoo on his back keeping count of his victims. When his killing spree moves from America to Ireland he is finally captured and sentenced to death by lethal injection. One of the people in the crowd at the execution is reporter Joe O'Connell, who is writing a book on Stark. As he continues researching his book, he finds that something wasn't quite right with the execution and relentlessly digs until he finds out the shocking truth.

I really enjoyed Hellbound. It was so completely unique and had my brain in a bit of a tizz. I alternated between thinking either Obadiah is in the afterlife or something really freaky is going on. As Obadiah relives the same day over and over again (which to some would be punishment enough) you can feel him gradually becoming more human and less killer as he forms an attachment to his family. As Joe's investigation gets closer to uncovering the truth, Obadiah's real punishment is ready to be doled out.

This is a book that you definitely can't stop thinking about or talking about long after you've finished it. There are so many moral and ethical questions to dissect and discuss. Hellbound has given me a cracking moral question to mull over and discuss over a few beers: is one death adequate punishment for taking 27 innocent lives? I think not.

Hellbound is intelligent and unique; I will definitely be adding the prequel, In Extremis, to my kindle without delay!

I received this e-book from Booklover Catlady Publicity, in exchange for an honest review.… (meer)

I recently read Hellbound so naturally raced on to read this prequel, In Extremis. The famous Jack of 1888 is mentioned at the end of Hellbound, leaving a gasp of surprise that the reader can only recover from by reading In Extremis.

As a nation we have always been fascinated by the anonymity of Jack the Ripper. When the diary of cotton merchant, James Maybrick, was discovered in the 1990's he was accused of being Jack the Ripper although the reliability of the diary has not been corroborated. What is fascinating about Maybrick is the suspicious nature of his death, caused by arsenic poisoning; his wife, Florence, was convicted of his murder.

David McCaffrey, using facts and fiction, brilliantly recreates the story of James and Florence Maybrick. In Extremis could definitely be read as a standalone novella, but it is completely apt that it is a prequel to explain the ending of Hellbound. Instead of recreating the Ripper's crimes, we join the story as the final victim, Mary Jane Kelly, is murdered. We then meet Thomas Quinn, a member of the secret group, The Brethren, as the group decide that James Maybrick has killed his final victim.

I really enjoyed In Extremis; although it is a short story, there is so much packed into the book. Linking nicely to Hellbound, but at the same time adding flesh on the bones of the Ripper story. With an extract from the journal of James Maybrick, this is a must read for anyone fascinated with Jack the Ripper.

I received this e-book from Booklover Catlady Publicity in exchange for an honest review.… (meer)

I have previously read Hellbound and In Extremis by David McCaffrey, so I didn't hesitate when the opportunity arose for me to read Nameless. All three books revolve around Obadiah Stark, so I would definitely recommend reading the first two books before embarking on this one. You could probably read Nameless as a standalone but I think it makes a lot more sense, and is more enjoyable, when read as part of the trilogy.

Crikey! I thought Obadiah Stark, aka The Tally Man, was creepy but now that he's dead he has been elevated to cult status and there are a group of followers who are ready to continue his work. The apparent leader of the Branch Obadians, Lamont Etchison, has instructed Stark's followers to replicate the twenty seven murders that Stark committed, but on a much grander scale so that the world fears the name 'Obadiah Stark' once again.

Joe O'Connell is so obsessed with Obadiah Stark that it nearly cost him his life. As much as Joe can't help being dragged into investigating this cult, the cult is pulling him into their web and they will stop at nothing to silence Joe once and for all.

I have absolutely loved the whole Hellbound series and each instalment has oodles of shock factor to make you sit up and take notice, but Nameless feels so much more menacing. It was quite bloodthirsty at times, and necessarily so, but I didn't find it too graphic - just enough to make my stomach clench. There's a lot of action in such a short book, at only 154 pages, but it's so fast-paced that you could very easily read this in one sitting.

I'm definitely going to re-read the whole Hellbound Anthology. Parts of Nameless reminded me of the TV show, The Following, and even though you might now know how it ends, it doesn't stop you watching it again. So I will definitely be reading all of the Hellbound books again sometime, and I wouldn't be surprised if I enjoy them even more the second time around.

Pick up Hellbound, In Extremis and Nameless if you have the guts to enter the dark and dangerous world of Obadiah Stark.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.… (meer)