Rainer Razes Cain by Gregory R Marshall

After witnessing the inexplicable, Rainer finds himself out of the police force and working as a bounty hunter. When a couple ask him to infiltrate a cult and bring home their daughter, Rainer thinks it will be an easy mission. However, what exactly are the Children of Cain up to? There’s more to their enigmatic leader, Solomon, than meets the eye. What are the monsters that live in the woods?

An exciting journey into men and monsters, Rainer Razes Cain explores themes concerning truth and manipulation with a horror twist.

Wow! This book grabbed me from the first page. I would have read it in one sitting if my phone battery hadn’t died.

The plot is exciting, multi layered, complex, and sprinkled with plenty of horror and science fiction elements. It went in different exciting directions and I was eager to find out what happened next.

Rainer is a great main character. He’s a good man trying to find meaning and purpose in a world where the truth is obscured by smoke and mirrors and predators lie in wait to subvert and control every strength and weakness. 

The other characters are well written and realistic. Solomon, the leader of the cult, was wicked without falling into cliche. Cara, the young woman Rainer was tasked with finding, was a real person with realistic motivation and behavior, not some damsel in distress. Even minor, one scene characters were well drawn and treated with respect. 

There are some heavy themes in this book, and I loved how the author handled them. The different characters and scenarios do justice to the complexity of the ideas of life, purpose, truth and belief that underpin the whole novel.

The writing is smooth and draws you into the world, keeping you immersed for the duration of the novel. The pacing is perfect. Lots of tense scenes, creeping dread, and ultimately action make the novel entertaining and compelling. I particularly loved Rainer’s memories that surfaced on the nostalgia drug. They brought extra dimensions to his character. 

There are some really cool elements to this book that I’d love to rave about, but I don’t want to spoil anything. All I can say is that there were developments I did not expect, and then further developments that were even more fun, exciting, and disturbing. 

I can’t wait for the next Rainer book.

I award Rainer Razes Cain…