Set against the backdrop of a serial killer on the loose named The Oracle, a group of friends take a childhood pact to the next level.

Detective Prosper Snow started life as a chubby, bullied kid and when he is seriously injured, his friends form The Kult, a group sworn to avenge each others' tormenters by beating the crap out of them.

The Kult takes their vigilante justice to the next level when one of their wives is brutally attacked and rather than beat the perpetrator, this time the call is to kill him. Prosper takes his job as a law man seriously and is set against this, but is manipulated and dragged along until he is so entrenched there is literally no escape.

A handful of secrets, some gruesome murders, and clever misdirection on Shaun Jeffrey's part kept me guessing up until the point that Oracle's identity was revealed, who he might be. The Kult is a cleverly woven story that does not disappoint. ( )

When I was in my teens and early twenties I read a lot of thrillers about serial killers but in recent years I’ve found myself drawn to them less and less. When I read the synopsis for The Kult though I was intrigued, I liked the sound of a group of childhood friends coming back together as adults, so I thought I would give it a go.

The book starts by introducing The Oracle and giving the reader an insight into him and what he does. I found parts of this a little grizzly, but kept reading and was pretty quickly hooked. It then introduces Prosper, first as an policeman investigating The Oracle, but then as a member of The Kult – a club he and his friends set up as teenagers to right the wrongs they suffered. The other members want to carry out one more act but for Prosper it’s not an easy decision any more, he’s responsible for upholding the law but their plan will break it a few times over.

The decision to carry out their plan and frame The Oracle for it seems as sound as any plan to get away with murder does, but as is to be expected things don’t go to plan and the book quickly spirals into a tense thriller. The reader certainly gets the sense that time is at a premium for the characters, it’s not at all clear who is going to survive by the end of the book.

Prosper is an interesting character, he’s certainly drawn in all shades of grey. I found myself wondering at times what I was actually hoping for by the end of the book. I didn’t want for The Oracle to kill The Kult but I wasn’t entirely sure they deserved to get away with their crime either. I found this added to my enjoyment of the book, the sense of unease I had about the activities in the book meant that I became more involved with what I was reading.

In general this was a good read and I found myself eager to get back to it when I had to put it down. It is pretty grizzly in places, I don’t think I could recommend this to anyone who’s a little squeamish. I’m not sure it’s entirely reignited my taste for the genre, but I do think I’ll probably find myself reading more in it again. ( )

When I was in my teens and early twenties I read a lot of thrillers about serial killers but in recent years I’ve found myself drawn to them less and less. When I read the synopsis for The Kult though I was intrigued, I liked the sound of a group of childhood friends coming back together as adults, so I thought I would give it a go.

The book starts by introducing The Oracle and giving the reader an insight into him and what he does. I found parts of this a little grizzly, but kept reading and was pretty quickly hooked. It then introduces Prosper, first as an policeman investigating The Oracle, but then as a member of The Kult – a club he and his friends set up as teenagers to right the wrongs they suffered. The other members want to carry out one more act but for Prosper it’s not an easy decision any more, he’s responsible for upholding the law but their plan will break it a few times over.

The decision to carry out their plan and frame The Oracle for it seems as sound as any plan to get away with murder does, but as is to be expected things don’t go to plan and the book quickly spirals into a tense thriller. The reader certainly gets the sense that time is at a premium for the characters, it’s not at all clear who is going to survive by the end of the book.

Prosper is an interesting character, he’s certainly drawn in all shades of grey. I found myself wondering at times what I was actually hoping for by the end of the book. I didn’t want for The Oracle to kill The Kult but I wasn’t entirely sure they deserved to get away with their crime either. I found this added to my enjoyment of the book, the sense of unease I had about the activities in the book meant that I became more involved with what I was reading.

In general this was a good read and I found myself eager to get back to it when I had to put it down. It is pretty grizzly in places, I don’t think I could recommend this to anyone who’s a little squeamish. I’m not sure it’s entirely reignited my taste for the genre, but I do think I’ll probably find myself reading more in it again. ( )

I wasn't expecting much when I downloaded this mystery ebook, after all it was free. It was terrific, keeping me guessing until the end. The main characters are a group of childhood friends who form a club as kids which lasts through thier adulthood. Prosper, who is now working as a detective has believable flaws and currently working to solve a serial murder, when the kult is called together once more. And from here the thrill starts and never ends until the end of the book, which leaves you wondering what will happen in the next one. Definitely read this book if you have the chance. It is worth the time. ( )

Read this review at Smash Attack Reads! http://www.smashattackreads.com/2011/05/review-kult-by-shaun-jeffrey.htmlThe Kult is my first taste of horror in a long while, and boy, have I missed it. This book was pretty awesome in all its gory, thrilling, sadistic glory. I really enjoyed the author’s writing style and use of phrasing and foreshadowing. And, he’s a really good story teller! The story keeps you on your toes as you try and figure out who the serial killer is, and cunning misdirection by the author ensures you will be quite surprised when the killer is revealed.There are two plotlines at the beginning of the story, but then all of a sudden – BAM! – they merge with horrifying clarity. That is when the story heats up and sucks you in for the hellish ride. I felt the character’s agony, fear and terror through much of the book. There’s one scene where a character is running from the killer in a pitch black warehouse. The character’s terror was palpable and my hair was standing on end throughout the entire scene! I love to be scared. I‘m a haunted house and horror movie junkie, and this scene was pretty vivid!Being a social worker, I enjoyed the inclusion of the the psychopathology of serial killers, which I find pretty damn fascinating. Anti-Social Personality Disorder, anyone? This book is obviously not for the faint of heart, but for those who love a good mystery horror thriller, definitely partake in the horrific awesomeness that is The Kult. ( )