Rating: 
Summary: A Hundred Years in the Making
Review: When Detective Superintendent Katie Maquire is called to investigate the discovery of a common grave in rural Cork, she little expects that mythology and madness are about to take a walk through the fabric of her life. Eleven skeletons, the flesh carefully removed from their bones nearly a century before, with raggedy dolls tied to each thighbone. An incomplete sacrifice, Katie finds out, to call up an evil witch. A ritual that once terrorized women in Europe and the US as the murderer traveled.But after a long rest a killer stalks again intent on completing the ritual. Cutting the flesh from his victims slowly, carefully keeping them alive until the last moment. For Katie Maquire, who must deal with these horrific crimes and her own husband's descent into the world of crime, this becomes a nightmarish dream. Police procedural, psychological thriller, and not a small dram of the bleak mythology of Ireland's darkest past are the key components. Against the foreboding backdrop, Masterton plays the practicalities of a police investigation and Katie's unraveling marriage with no small skill. His sin is in overdoing his effects. We spent too much time lingering over the torture of the victims without gaining much in the way of insight into the workings of what should be a very peculiar mind. While Maquire's character stands out, most of the rest of the cast could just as well be cardboard figures. Even so, this is very nearly a complete success as a mystery and a suspense story. I was surprised at the end, though, when Masterton suddenly tries to turn it into a horror story in order to justify the final action. Not only was this unnecessary, but it rings a false note in an otherwise sensible and engaging story. Despite its flaws, I enjoyed reading the novel, both for its story and the tidbits of Celtic mythology. It is likeable if not particularly laudable.
| 
