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Show Of Evil
Show Of Evil
Jun 25, 2025 5:36 PM

Author:William Diehl

Show Of Evil

When Linda Balfour, a young mother, is found butchered in small-town southern Illinois, a coded inscription stamped in blood on the back of her head brands her mutilated body. For Chief Prosecutor Martin Vail, the Bloody insignia drags up memories he'd like to forget - memories of Bishop Rushman, slashed and dismembered ten years ago by an altar boy, Aaron Stampler. But if Stampler is locked away, he cannot have murdered Linda. With his career - and his life - on the line, Vail needs answers fast before the killer signs someone else's life away.

Reviews

Spine-tingling

—— New York Times

Move over John le Carre. William Diehl has written a rip-roaring roller-coaster of suspense, riveting from beginning to end

—— Sidney Sheldon

Enough plot twists, violence, and romance to jumpstart a zombie's pulse... Diehl's fast pacing and smooth mix of humour, tension and malevolence add up to bracing entertainment

—— Publishers Weekly

Brilliant ... This is first class stuff, an unstoppable tale, a real page-turner not to be missed

—— Sarah Broadhurst

Linskey delivers a flawless feel for time and place, mixed with unrelenting pace

—— The Times (Top Five Thrillers of the Year)

Immensely satisfying, utterly compelling. Prepare to add another name to your must-read list

—— Eva Dolan

Crumley is a brilliant purveyor of dialogue and a master of melancholy loneliness.

—— Marcel Berlins , The Times

Impressive . . .Gardner's debut begins at speed and scarcely draws breath thereafter.

—— The Times

Few thriller debuts possess the confidence and verve of Frank Gardner's CRISIS . . . a book of exhilarating panache.

—— SUNDAY TIMES

A seriously compulsive page turner.

—— PETER SNOW

Combines insider knowledge with heart-in-mouth excitement.

—— i-NEWSPAPER

Action-packed . . . the book’s title scarcely does justice to such a thrilling read.

—— HUFFINGTON POST

Fast moving.

—— THE SUN

Irresistible . . . smart, authentic and always entertaining . . . high-voltage storytelling at its best and worthy of Frederick Forsyth or John le Carre.

—— CRIME REVIEW

Gardner obviously has an up-to-the-minute understanding of contemporary warfare and he is also a very good writer. This is a thrilling adventure.

—— LITERARY REVIEW

Gardner is a dab hand at ratcheting up the tension . . . a must read.

—— BUSINESS STANDARD

A compelling read.

—— SIR JOHN SAWYERS, Former Chief of MI6

A journey into the dark underbelly of the British Raj.

—— Charlotte Heathcote , Daily Express

A promising start to Mukherjee’s atmospheric new historical crime series.

—— Patrick Worth , Compass Magazine

Enjoyable tale… Agreeably witty and sharply written, this is an evocative portrait of a multifaceted Calcutta.

—— Literary Review

This guy is a real find… Mixes family history with a good helping of imagination.

—— Sue Price , Saga Magazine

An assured novel: well researched and vivid, with a strong plotline, delivered with verve and some appealing wry humour.

—— Laura Wilson , Guardian

A vivid sense of history and locale

—— Best Books of 2016, Financial Times

Meticulously researched and delivered in clear, lucid and intelligent prose, Mukherjee is a fantastic addition to the stable of international crime writers, whose books effortlessly cross boundaries and bind readers in a community of excellence and enjoyment.

—— Eastern Eye

Vividly described, full of humour and humanity, it's a wonderful picture of that time and world, as well as being a perfect murder mystery novel.

—— Liz Anderson , iNews

Bursting with lively historical details about post-World War I India, this is a stirring and entertaining mystery

—— Library Journal

This brilliant mingling of real history and fictional invention kicks off a series that does for the Raj what Philip Kerr did for the Reich

—— Karen Robinson , The Times / Sunday Times Crime Club, *Best Books of the Past Five Years*
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