Book Review: Revenge of the Malakim by Paul Harrison

Last Updated: 18 October 2021

AD* | It's high summer and the streets of Bridlington East Yorkshire are awash with tourists. A serial killer is on the loose. DCI Will Scott and his team embark upon a fast-paced investigation to catch a killer with a unique agenda. As the body count rises the killer randomly moves location and the police are unwittingly drawn into a dark and sinister world where cover-ups and corruption reigns. A place where no one can truly be trusted and nothing is ever what it seems.

I intended to read Revenge of the Malakim in 2019 as you can see here, but as usual, that plan didn't quite work out and it was a further six months before I finally had a chance to pick up the book! 

Revenge of the Malakim is a fast-paced police procedural novel, where the stakes are high and the costs even higher. DCI Will Scott is the main character and lead investigator on the case; a family man with strong morals and a wise head on his shoulders, it seems there is no one better to lead an investigation as unique as this. 

The premise of this story is intriguing and it is interesting to see how things develop as the plot plays out throughout the book. Sadly, the extremely fast-paced nature of the story made it seem rather rushed at points, as though the author had so much they wanted to add that care was not taken over each aspect of the case. There is also a rather clumsy clue as to the killer's identity midway through which makes it quite obvious how the story will end - a real shame as it rather spoils the mystery.

The majority of the characters are taken at face value and there is little to set them apart from the others. The character who stuck out most in my mind was Mel, Will's wife. Mel is a former policewoman who now stays at home to cook, clean, look after the children, and essentially be the perfect 1950s housewife. Whenever Will went home Mel was ready and waiting to do his bidding and her entire life appeared to revolve around her husband. It's very frustrating to encounter characters like this who seem to exist solely for the sake of their partners. 

For the most part, the speech feels awkward and unnatural, the plot races ahead at breakneck speed, and once the big reveal is spoiled, there is little interest in finishing the story. Revenge of the Malakim had promise but sadly, it was unable to live up to expectations. 

Rating: 2 stars

Revenge of the Malakim is available to buy now.

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* I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

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