Review of Deity by Steven Dunne

Author Steven Dunne signing my copy of Deity
in Waterstones, Nottingham.
I was so fascinated by the character development
of DI Damen Brook in Deity
 that I bought the first book in series, The Reaper.

Deity by Steven Dunne is a cleverly constructed thriller with two disparate plot threads. The first is in the form of ritual killings based on ancient ideas. The second features four missing students from a Derby College and footage of what appears to be their suicides posted on the internet. 

This is the third novel to feature Detective Inspector Damen Brook of Derby CID. Damen is a complex man who finds maintaining relationships difficult. 

Fortunately for Brook, his sidekick, Noble, is someone who intuitively seeks to understand his superior in order to work with him. 

The conversations between these two give the reader an insight into how Brook's mind works and why he's so focused on the job to the exclusion of all else.

Each student featured in the suicide video is troubled by complicated relationships both inside and outside the home, and nothing is quite as it appears. 

As each strand of the plot is interwoven with increasing complexity, the truth of these relationships unravels with breathtaking speed, cranking up the tension.  

Identity is a core theme in Deity, every character either struggles with their sense of identity, or is hiding it beneath a mask. 

For those who struggle, it is the lack of a sense of their place in the world that the serial killer instinctively taps into. 

This is a ruthless killer who feeds on the shallow and the lost. 

The challenge for the reader is to work out what is real, and what is not in this novel. 

Movie references, social media and ancient history are carefully blended into the text, testing the reader’s general knowledge in relation to the action, as each plot strand evolves. 

Deity is a stunning, well-executed thriller that challenges preconceptions and asks questions about the direction that society is moving in. 

With thanks to Sam Eades for the review copy.Publisher: Headline

www.stevendunne.co.uk