The Black Shepherd (An Ash and Varg Thriller) (A Eurocrimes Thriller)

by Steven Savile

Peter Ash and Frankie Varg of the Eurocrimes Division are on the hunt for Varg's cousin who's believed to have fled to join a fanatical religious cult.

Frankie Varg of the Eurocrimes Division heads to Tallinn, Estonia, in search of her young cousin who's believed to have dropped out of university to join One World, a religion many believe to be nothing more than a fanatical cult.

Hot on her heels is her field partner Peter Ash, who's searching for the identity of a woman's charred body found in the woods close to Tallinn. When Peter arrives in the city, he finds Frankie attempting to infiltrate One World by posing as a runaway sleeping rough.

Brought into One World's all-encompassing embrace, Frankie is shown the work the organisation does with the homeless around the world. But is it all a cover-up for their more nefarious activities? Who is their leader, the mysterious Shepherd? What clues will the burnt body uncover . . . and is Frankie out of her depth?

• ISBN10: 0727888870
• ISBN13: 9780727888877
• Publish Date: 30 April 2019
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Canongate Books Ltd
• Imprint: Severn House
• Edition: Main
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 256
• Language: English

Reviews

[Jeff Sexton]

Excellent Continuation. This book picks up shortly after The Memory Man leaves off, with some major changes for the team - yet can also be read independently of the first, if you don't mind getting references to the ending of the first book while reading this one. Yet again, Varg and Ash find themselves starting a seemingly straightforward quest only for it to spiral into so much more very quickly. I will note that those sensitive to rape scenes will likely be disturbed by one scene in particular early - a not-overly-graphic rape is described "on screen" - and potentially by later developments in the story, though later scenes are likely not as problematic for people with these sensitivities as the early scene. Overall yet another very strong outing for Savile, and particularly with the rather abrupt ending in a cliffhanger, I very much want to see at least one more book in this series. Very much recommended.