5 out of 5 stars
On Amazon (universal link)
On Goodreads
How I discovered this book: Recommendation
In a Nutshell: An assassin who needs to lie low discovers strange happenings in the village of Little Baddington...
Local Gods is a dark and terrifying little gem that I looked forward to getting back to each time I had to put it down. London assassin Pete Collins allows personal vengeance to enter into his paid work, which does not please the faceless men he serves. On the advice of his handler, he drives into deepest Gloucestershire, out in the sticks, to avoid any heat that might come his way.
After a strangely cool reception on the night of his arrival (with the exception of new pub landlord Craig, who has made the mistake of trying to inject Little Baddington with the culture of Hampstead), Pete becomes increasingly unsettled by every experience in the village, and every local with whom he comes into contact. And it's only going to get worse. Suffice to say that Pete the contract killer soon starts to feel like the 'goodie'.
I love a story that surprises me all the way through, with developments I can't predict at all, and this was one such. It's not a particularly long book, I imagine about 65 or 70K words (though I might be wrong, as the words do tend to whizz by when you're eagerly turning the pages!). It's beautifully edited, with never a superfluous sentence, just the right amount of detail and atmosphere, with characters that pop into life as soon as they appear. And the ending ... so, so good. Really wish I hadn't finished it, though!
As is probably obvious, I highly recommend this novel. If you're not the sort of person who spooks too easily...
It sounds perfect. Thanks, Terry!
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