Horror generally makes me run screaming in the other direction. I am a coward with my own active imagination. And I value my nightmare-free sleep a lot. So I rarely ever read anything that could interrupt that sleep with panic. Not that this means I always succeed in avoiding scary books but I sure do try. So why did I willingly pick this up, knowing that it is classed as horror with paranormal elements? It's hard to explain but I had it on good authority that there was more here than just a story about a serial killer. And there was but perhaps not enough for a reader like me, who is generally put off by the gory and the gruesome.

Esmé Snyder is an occult investigator in her family's business who is sometimes called to consult on cases with the South African Police Service. The story opens with her being called to the scene of a particularly ghastly crime. The body of a mutilated twenty-something black woman has been discovered in a field and the murder is being considered as a possible ritual murder. Quite quickly, several more ghastly ritualistic murders are discovered but nothing seems to tie them together besides the horrific mutilations, the attention seeking aspects of the crime scenes, and the way that there is something paranormal at work, draining the life force from and deadening the entire crime scene. Esmé will have to track and try to stop this soulless killer even as he might be tracking her.

The novel is narrated by Esmé but also offers third person chapters that give the reader the serial killer's point of view. This allows the reader to see his motivations in a way that Esmé cannot. There are also news articles and internet comments about the cases showing the public's response to both the horrors of these murders and the police handling of them. Mixed in with the murders and Esmé's investigation is some information about her family and past and even more about her on-again, off-again involvement with a co-worker, which evolves into a love triangle. Both of these plot threads are very secondary to the ritualistic, ancestor magic driven sacrifices that litter the story. Esmé is a strong character but she makes questionable decision after questionable decision, often resulting in her needing rescue herself. She is smart enough not to do these things, and yet... She holds herself at an emotional remove and doesn't accept help easily, despite being surrounded by people who can, should, and want to help. The inclusion of South African myths and religion makes the story more intriguing, especially for readers not familiar with either. It is clearly a story about power and evil and what drives people to such lengths. The final pages of the novel definitely imply that the end is not the end and that there will be more books to come. While this may not have been the book for me, it would be a good book for people who enjoy horror and serial killers, those who are fascinated by religious zealotry growing on a scaffolding of insanity, and those who appreciate a little of the paranormal and the unexplainable in their reading. ( )

The mythological focus of the seedy story makes this a super engaging story. I love anything that involves ancient gods or religion so this book really scratched that itch

I received this ebook for free through LibraryThing Early Reviewers. I loved the mix of paranormal and mystery in this book! Following the occult-crime detectives on their journey was very exciting and I never really knew what was going to happen next since paranormal is the norm in their world. I also enjoyed the gore and the creatures. The internet comments on the news postings were so incredibly realistic - those were super fun to read. I think the only thing I was left wanting more of was build up and maybe even a back story for Yena to make him feel more evil and creepy. We know he wants to become a God, and his way to do that is to perform sacrifices by killing people and mutilating them, but we don't really know why he wants to attain these goals or what will happen once he does so. He almost felt like too normal of a guy, even despite being a serial killer who has certain paranormal powers. I'd love to have felt more afraid of him. Overall, this story was very well written and kept me hooked! ( )

I received this ebook for free through LibraryThing Early Reviewers in exchange for an honest review.

First off, the premise of the book caught my attention - supernatural, serial murders, set in South Africa. Everything about this excited me.
The characters were fleshed out nicely to where you felt you knew them in a way. There were some excellent scary moments, and fast paced action in places. The graphic description of the murders, and torture had me on edge. A heady mix of trashy romance novel sex scenes are strewn throughout, leading me to believe this would make a good movie. Dark, suspenseful, violent and erotic, it's all there ( )

Dark Country by Monique Snyman—an early readers’ review:
This was a scary read but the scariest sentence was in the author’s note: a work of fiction with one foot in reality. Criminal insanity is frightening but coupled with religious fervor (religions not common to this reader), this read kept me off balance and jumpy throughout.
It was well written—lots of action, few “slow” passages, a definite struggle between good and evil. I was compelled to read it quickly.
It is clearly an introduction to a sequel—perhaps a series—with a fearless heroine and a madman focused upon furthering his “career”. ( )