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Mo Hayder's previous novels The Devil of Nanking and The Treatment have ranked her among the most exciting and provocative thriller writers now working. In her latest, Ritual , Hayder gives us a taut, chilling tale of clandestine occult practices, New Age medicine, and the drug underground, set in a hypermodern urban landscape challenged by colliding immigrant cultures.
Just after lunch on a Tuesday in April, nine feet under water, police diver Flea Marley closes her gloved fingers around a human hand. The fact that there's no body attached is disturbing enough. Even more disturbing is the discovery, a day later, of the matching hand. Both have been recently amputated, and the indications are that the victim was still alive when they were removed. DI Jack Caffery has been newly seconded to the Major Crime Investigation Unit in Bristol. He and Flea soon establish that the hand belong to a young man who has recently disappeared. Their search for him—and for his abductor—lead them into the darkest recesses of Bristol's underworld, where drug addiction is rife, where street-kids sell themselves for a hit, and where one of Africa's most disturbing rituals may be making an unexpected appearance.

416 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

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4,111 people want to read

About the author

Mo Hayder

40books2,487followers
Mo Hayder left school at fifteen. She worked as a barmaid, security guard, film-maker, hostess in a Tokyo club, educational administrator and teacher of English as a foreign language in Asia. She had an MA in film from The American University in Washington DC and an MA in creative writing from Bath Spa University UK.

Mo lived in Bath with her daughter Lotte-Genevieve. She was also the actress Candy Davis, who was most known as the blonde secretary on � Are You Being Served?�

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 676 reviews
Profile Image for Magdalena aka A Bookaholic Swede.
2,021 reviews869 followers
January 11, 2018
One of the best things when it comes to reading is discovering new authors. I have wanted to read Mo Hayder's Jack Caffery series for a long time and now I have finally read the book three in the series. And, Ritual is a pretty awesome book, with a compelling story and interesting main characters.

I instantly came to like both Jack and Flea and I enjoyed getting to know them both in this book. Jack, new in Bristol, has come to the city looking for the Walking Man to ask him something. Flea has not recovered from losing her parents in an accident two years earlier and she is also looking after her younger brother who is depressed after the accident that took their parents life. I think the twist and turns in this story were really great, and I liked how the Jack and Flea's life becomes intertwined with each other. Both are two damaged people and have their own personal demons.

The African witchcraft theme that felt new and interesting and made the book deliciously dark and engrossing. I was curious to see who would be behind it all and I must admit that I was surprised that it did not turn out to be the one I came to suspect towards the end of the book. I felt the book did end with some loose threads (but since I now also have read the next book do I know that the next book will pick up directly after this book ends and address the loose threads).

I liked this book very much and I recommend it warmly!
Profile Image for Mike (the Paladin).
3,148 reviews2,080 followers
June 21, 2016
I don't really know how I would classify this book when it comes right down to it. I mean there is an idea/plot for the story behind it all. That said the bulk of the book concerns everybody's emotional baggage.

The book opens with the promise of a mysterious story...once it gets around to actually opening...with a disembodied hand discovered in a deep murky pool of water where visibility is almost zero.

Our introduction to the book had been about one of the odd deep sinkhole pools of water in the world. One of those places that in the past was usually said to be a bottomless pool. Good stuff. The mystery is there and our interest is aroused.

Then we launch off into the most depressing account(s) of the participant's personal lives imaginable.

Well, okay I suppose if you try you could imagine more depressing pasts and situations but I hesitate to consider what that could mean....

Anyway while we do eventually get a (sort of) story concerning dark rituals by the time we got there I just didn't care anymore I was glad it was all over.

Obviously I'm not the target audience for this work. Maybe you are? If the emotional baggage story sounds like your bag try it.

Not for me.
Profile Image for Vaso.
1,605 reviews215 followers
September 18, 2018
Το τρίτο βιβλίο της σειράς με τον Τζακ Κάφερι, θα έλεγα ότι είναι πιο πολύ επικεντρωμένο στο να μας συστήσει τη Φλι Μάρλι και να μάθουμε το παρελθόν της, ενώ συγχρόνως εξελίσσεται κι η υπόθεση που ο επιθεωρητής έχει αναλάβει.
Το βιβλίο κυλάει γρήγορα, αλλά θεωρώ ότι δεν είχε την "ένταση" που περίμενα.
Profile Image for Yigal Zur.
Author11 books145 followers
August 4, 2019
very good thriller good story, good plot. interesting characters it is the first one i have read of Mo Hayder and i will look definently for others.
i liked the mux with the african world and its myths, with the world of diving and with the weird fellow the walking man.
i found that there is a bit too much repeating of the dream connection between dead mother and her daughter and same with the main policeman and his long missing brother. we readers catch very quickly no need to feed with spoon. so sometimes a small page jump is needed. a bit of more tough editing could do good. but on the whole nice and rich read.
Profile Image for Dannii Elle.
2,269 reviews1,800 followers
May 23, 2016
So for this review I think I'll keep it to the point and just repeat what I wrote in one of my status updates as I believe it aptly sums up this book:

African witchcraft, drug trips, dismemberment, prostitutes and deep-sea diving - what's not to love in this book?
Profile Image for Wayne Barrett.
Author3 books118 followers
February 20, 2018

This third installment of the Jack Caffery series didn't nearly stand up to the hardcore quality of the first two. This was much less of a horror novel and much more a mystery. A mystery that wasn't so much a "who dunnit" as it was a "who cares".
Profile Image for Thanos.
93 reviews19 followers
December 20, 2017
Τρίτο βιβλίο της σειράς και θα πω ότι απογοητεύτηκα.

Τα πρώτα δύο βιβλία ήταν πολύ δυνατά και ήμουν σίγουρος ότι κάτι τέτοιο θα ίσχυε και εδώ. Ξεκινώντας λοιπόν διαπιστώνω πως κάτι δεν πάει καλά... Και τελικά έτσι συνέχισε μέχρι το τέλος. Απλά σε όλη τη διάρκεια κάτι δεν πήγαινε καλά.

Αρχικά, ήταν λες και έλειπε ένα βιβλίο μεταξύ από τη Σιωπή των δέντρων και την Τελετουργία. Αφού πολλές φορές αναρωτήθηκα μήπως έχω χάσει κάτι.

Έπειτα θεωρώ πως είχε πολλά άσχετα και ασύνδετα θέματα.



Ίσως να θίγει κάποια από τα παραπάνω θέματα στα επόμενα βιβλία της και να ήθελε να αφήσει να αιωρείται ένα μυστήριο. Αν είναι έτσι, δεν το κατάφερε...

Όπως δείχνουν και τα δύο αστέρια της βαθμολογίας, δεν έμεινα καθόλου ικανοποιημένος.

Κρίμα, γιατί η σειρά ξεκίνησε πάρα πολύ καλά. Μάλλον θα δώσω και μία ακόμα ευκαιρία στο τέταρτο βιβλίο της σειράς και εκεί θα κρίνω καλύτερα�

Συνεχίζουμε!
Profile Image for Daniel.
81 reviews9 followers
March 26, 2025
3.5 ⭐️

This felt like a toned down version of Jack Caffery. It still has some grisly, gory moments, of course, but it doesn’t have the same suspense or tension of the earlier two books. Those kept me on the edge of my seat. It’s definitely readable though. Of course if you’re a fan of this series you’re going to read them all anyway. Hoping the next one is better.
Profile Image for Bill.
1,031 reviews399 followers
July 27, 2012
I'm sorry to say that Ritual was a disappointment for me.

Mo Hayder hit two grand slams with and . These were two crime thrillers that stood out from such a thickly saturated genre. Quite the feat for a new writer on the scene.
My gushing reviews on these:



What made these great was how successful she was at engaging the reader
in not only the storyline of the crimes at hand, but the personal struggles of the main protagonist, Jack Caffrey. Running in parallel, these aspects of those novels had me glued to the pages. My care meter was running into the red for the poor victims, for Caffrey, and for what happened to Caffrey's brother.

My expectations with Ritual ran as high as they did with The Treatment.
But what I got was not so much progression with Caffrey, but an introduction to a couple of new characters, which I guess now will continue for further novels. And the case? Well, nowhere near as shocking as what had happened in the previous two novels.
So I went from two novels that equally hooked me with two running storylines to one that struggled to hold my interest on both fronts.

I'm rating this one two stars, because that indicates "it was ok".
If the first two books hadn't been so outstanding, I would stop the series here. But Caffrey's character was the most interesting inspector I'd come across, so I'm giving Mo a mulligan here. But I'll be giving the 50 page rule when I get to it.
Profile Image for Osama.
548 reviews86 followers
September 28, 2019
الرواية الثالثة في سلسلة المحقق جاك كافري للكاتبة البريطانية مو حيدر. تدور أحداث الرواية في مدينة بريستول جنوب غرب بريطانيا حيث تكتشف بطلة القصة فليي مارلي يدين مقطوعتين لضحية مجهولة. وتم دفنهما في أعماق النهر بالقرب من مطعم عائم. يتعاون جاك كافري مع فليي مارلي للكشف عن هوية الضحية فتفتح لهم أبواب تقودهم لجرائم أخرى أكثر دموية ورعبا .. جرائم تتعلق بالسحر، الطقوس الدينية، الإدمان، التشرد، والانحراف. أكثر ما أعجبني في الرواية أن الكاتبة أخذتني في جولة في أحياء وشوارع بريستول - حيث كنت أدرس وأعيش - كما أنها لفتت الانتباه لجرائم التضحية بأعضاء البشر بغرض الطقوس الدينية أو السحر الأسود وهي موجودة في بعض الدول مثال على ذلك اختطاف الأفارقة المهق ذوي البشرة والشعر الخالي من صبغة البشرة وبيع أعضاء من جسمهم لمهووسين يضنون انها تعطيهم طاقة سحرية أو علاج لأمراضهم.
Profile Image for Repix Pix.
2,426 reviews506 followers
May 18, 2022
Este, a diferencia del anterior, ha sido muy aburrido y decepcionante.
Profile Image for Siobhan.
4,913 reviews593 followers
July 3, 2015
If I’m completely honest I did not enjoy Ritual as much as I enjoyed The Treatment. Don’t get me wrong it is another great book but I wasn’t pulled in as deep as I was in the second Jack Caffery novel.

As with the first two Jack Caffery novels, this is a book filled with twists and turns. The criminal aspect, as with The Treatment, was wonderful. It was a brilliant idea, a story you can really get into and feel creeped out by. In terms of the Jack side of the story I was somewhat tentative. At first I wasn’t sure if I liked where his story was heading, but after I got over the initial change of scenery I realised that I rather enjoyed the change the male faced. Despite that, this book left me unsure about our new secondary character � Flea. I simply could not bring myself to like her character. Whenever she appeared I found myself hurrying through to find out what was happening elsewhere.

Overall, a great read but not my favourite in the series.
Profile Image for Kendra.
1,053 reviews
January 16, 2009
I've really been on a Mo Hayder kick lately -- and I must be getting used to her, because this book didn't disturb me nearly as much as the other ones. Ritual is the third to feature Detective Jack Caffery, and this time Hayder has skipped ahead a few years, moved him out of London, and introduced a great new character, police diver Phoebe "Flea" Marley. The discovery of a pair of hands -- sans body -- kicks off an investigation that involves drug addicts and ancient rituals from Africa. As usual, Caffery is struggling with his own inner demons -- and it turns out that Flea has some issues, too. Ritual has a really good pace and has been just what I needed to pass the time on these ridiculously cold evenings when there's no point in leaving the house.
Profile Image for Γιώτα Παπαδημακοπούλου.
Author6 books383 followers
July 17, 2017
Το ότι αγαπώ τα αστυνομικά θρίλερ είναι γνωστό. Προσωπικά, τα προτιμώ από τα νουάρ μυθιστορήματα του είδους, καθώς είναι πιο σύγχρονο και αν κι εφόσον είναι καλογραμμένα και με ενδιαφέρουσα πλοκή, επιτυγχάνουν να παίξουν με το υποσυνείδητό μου και -ίσως- με κάποιες από τις προσωπικές μου φοβίες. Το ότι αγαπώ τη Mo Hayder είναι επίσης γνωστό, με την ίδια να μας έχει χαρίσει έντονες στιγμές φόβου, αγωνίας και αρρωστημένου ενθουσιασμού, χάρη στη μοναδική δυναμική και ρεαλιστικότητα της πένας της. Γιατί, αν κάτι δεν φοβάται να κάνει η Hayder, είναι να πει τα πράγματα με το όνομά τους, να περιγράψει και ν' αποτυπώσει την αλήθεια της με τρόπους που μπορεί να είναι σοκαριστικοί, την ίδια στιγμή, όμως, δεν πέφτουν στην παγίδα της ωραιοποίησης μιας κατάστασης που τίποτα το ωραίο δεν έχει. Όπως και η συγκεκριμένη...

Η Φλι Μάρλι, δύτης της αστυνομίας, βρίσκει τρία μέτρα κάτω από την επιφάνεια του νερού, κατά τη διάρκεια μίας κατάδυσής της, ένα κομμένο χέρι. Το εύρημα αυτό γίνεται ακόμα πιο μακάβριο όταν την επόμενη κιόλας μέρα εντοπίζεται και το δεύτερο χέρι, με την ιατροδικαστική έρευνα ν' αποκαλύπτει πως όχι μόνο ανήκουν στο ίδιο πρόσωπο, αλλά πως αυτό ήταν ζωντανό όταν έγινε ο ακρωτηριασμός του. Ο επιθεωρητής Τζακ Κάφερι, που μόλις έχει μετατεθεί στο Μπρίστολ, συνεργάζεται με την Φλι προκειμένου ν' ανακαλύψουν την ταυτότητα του θύματος, μα και τα κίνητρα που οδήγησαν στην αποτρόπαιη δολοφονία τους. Οι έρευνές τους δεν θ' αργήσουν ν' αποδώσουν καρπούς, και με την ταυτότητα του νεαρού νεκρού άντρα στα χέρια τους, οι ο Τζακ και η Φλι θα βυθιστούν στα σκοτεινά σοκάκια του Μπρίστολ, όπου τα ναρκωτικά, η ασυδοσία και η εκπόρνευση έχουν τον πρώτο λόγο, κάτω από τη σκιά ενός κακού που κανείς δεν μπορεί να φανταστεί την αγριότητά του.

Θα ξεκινήσω από το στοιχείο εκείνο του βιβλίου που με προβλημάτισε, που δεν είναι άλλο από το πόσο μεγάλη βαρύτητα δίνει η Hayder στην Φλι. Σαφέστατα και πρόκειται για ένα νέο πρόσωπο, άρα πρέπει να το γνωρίσουμε καλύτερα ώστε να μπούμε στον τρόπο σκέψης και δράσης της, όμως η συγγραφέας αναλώνει αρκετά μεγάλο μέρος της αφήγησής της για να μας μιλήσει για το παρελθόν της Φλι, το οποίο μοιάζει άσχετο και ασύνδετο με την υπόλοιπο εξέλιξη της ιστορίας. Δεν μπορώ να έχω την βεβαιότητα πως η Hayder σκοπεύει να χρησιμοποιήσει ξανά στο μέλλον την Φλι, άρα το παρελθόν της κάποιο ρόλο θα παίζει στις μελλοντικές εξελίξεις της προσωπικής της διαδρομής, ίσως και σε αλληλεπίδραση με τις υποθέσεις στις οποίες μπορεί να εμπλακεί, αλλά γνωρίζοντας αρκετά καλά τον τρόπο σκέψης της συγγραφέως, μπορώ να υποθέσω πως αυτό βρίσκεται στο πίσω μέρος του μυαλού της. Σε μια αντίθετη περίπτωση, όμως, όλο αυτό απλά δεν θα βγάζει και πολύ νόημα και ίσως να με δυσαρεστήσει μελλοντικά. Προς το παρόν, απλά ένιωσα να μου υποσκελίζει ελαφρώς τη δράση, κατά το πρώτο μέρος της αφήγησης, κάτι, όμως, που ξεπεράστηκε σύντομα.

Όπως έχουμε ξαναπεί, πολλάκις, η Hayder έχει μια καθαρά δικιά της ταυτότητα, μα και μια προσωπική αντίληψη δόμησης και αποδόμησης των εκάστοτε καταστάσεων, που δεν γίνεται να μην εκτιμήσεις, ακόμα κι αν δεν ταιριάζει με την αντοχή των νεύρων σου. Δεν διστάζει να περιγράψει με ανατριχιαστικές λεπτομέρειες τα στοιχεία κάθε εγκλήματος, όπως ακριβώς συμβαίνει και αυτή τη φορά, όχι όμως για να σοκάρει τον αναγνώστη, αλλά για ν' αποτυπώσει με ρεαλισμό και σαφήνεια την μακαβριότητα που βρίσκεται κρυμμένη πίσω από τις πιο σκοτεινές ανθρώπινες πράξεις. Η βία είναι μέρος της ύπαρξής μας, είτε αυτή εκδηλώνεται στην καθημερινότητά μας είτε όχι, και ο άνθρωπος μπορεί να γίνει το πιο κτηνώδες και άγριο πλάσμα του κόσμου. Και όταν αυτή η ακραία βιαιότητα εμποτίζεται με τις δοξασίες μιας σκοτεινής και δαιμονικής "μάστιγας" που σου υπόσχεται τα πάντα αρκεί να είσαι πρόθυμος να θυσιάσεις την ψυχή σου, προσφέροντας σάρκα κι αίμα αθώων, τότε η ανατριχίλα που σου προκαλεί και τα ρίγη που στέλνει στη ραχοκοκαλιά σου είναι ακόμα μεγαλύτερα.

Μία σκοτεινή ιστορία βασισμένη στην αιματηρή απαίτηση αφρικανικών μαγικών και βουντού που απαιτούν να θυσιάσεις ανθρώπινες ζωές μα, κυρίως, κι ένα κομμάτι της ψυχής σου, στερώντας σου το δικαίωμα του να φέρεις την ανθρώπινη ταυτότητα. Σκληρή, ωμή, ικανή να σε ταρακουνήσει συθέμελα, "Η τελετουργία" είναι ένα ακόμα δυνατό μυθιστόρημα με την υπογραφή της Mo Hayder, το παράδειγμα της οποίας εύχομαι να μιμηθούν μελλοντικά και άλλοι συγγραφείς του αστυνομικού της γενιάς μας, καθώς πρέπει κάποια στιγμή να επέλθει η απενοχοποίηση του είδους ως προς το μέγεθος και την έκταση της βίας που μπορεί να εμπεριέχει. Παράλληλα με όλα τ' άλλα, όμως, "Η τελετουργία" είναι ένα αστυνομικό μυθιστόρημα που αποτυπώνει μια άκρως σκοτεινή πλευρά της σύγχρονης κοινωνίας, μία πλευρά που στηρίζεται στην ανθρώπινη αδυναμία, που υποκύπτει εύκολα στα πάθη της και στην εύκολη λύση προκειμένου να εκπληρώσει στόχους που μπορεί να φαντάζουν άπιαστοι, καθιστώντας του θύματα τις περισσότερες φορές, και εκ του αποτελέσματος, μα και στην ανικανότητα των οικογενειών ή των ανθρώπων, γενικότερα, να επικοινωνήσουν μεταξύ τους και να εκφράσουν τις βαθύτερες ανάγκες, σκέψεις, φοβίες, συναισθήματα που μπορεί να βιώνουν. Και όλα αυτά, αν μη τι άλλο, πάντοτε προβληματίζουν και πρέπει να το κάνουν.
Profile Image for Natazzz.
254 reviews10 followers
August 23, 2012


I'm not sure why everyone seems to think this book's so great. I found it very boring and very hard to get through. Reading it felt more like a task than a fun passtime. I tried, but I was unable to read this in its entirety.
230 reviews
September 6, 2014
Hayder is a good author, She creates a story from many strands. This was not my favorite book of hers.
Profile Image for The Wee Hen.
102 reviews6 followers
September 11, 2012
I had the hardest time finishing this book. I only made myself read the whole thing because I made the mistake of BUYING it instead of getting it from the library and I am too cheap to not finish a book I buy. I didn't like one detective at all and the other I had a hard time feeling anything for. It's not like I only read cozies but this was just way too gruesome, vicious, nasty and horrible for me. Just more gore than I really need from a mystery. It barely even felt like it was set in the UK as well. No more Mo Hayder for me, thanks. I think it's time I tuck into some Colin Dexter.
Profile Image for Georgia.
1,238 reviews75 followers
February 18, 2018
Δείτε επίσης και στο


Ένα δυνατό μυθιστόρημα από τηMo Hayder που φέρνει την πραγματικότητα του υποκόσμου του Μπρίστολ, λίγο πιο κοντά μας!

Η Φλι Μάρλι, δύτης της αστυνομίας και επικεφαλής της ομάδας καταδύσεων, σε βάθος περίπου τριών μέτρων, κάτω από την πλωτή αποβάθρα του λιμανιού του Μπρίστολ, αγγίζει ένα χέρι. Ένα ανθρώπινο χέρι, μόνο του, χωρίς το σώμα κείτεται στο λιμάνι και κανείς δεν ξέρει πως βρέθηκε εκεί.

Ο επιθεωρητής Τζακ Κάφερι, που μόλις έχει πάρει μετάθεση από το Λονδίνο, συνεργάζεται με τη Φλι και την ομάδα της προκειμένου να ανακαλύψουν που βρίσκεται το υπόλοιπο σώμα. Αντ' αυτού όμως βρίσκουν το δεύτερο χέρι του θύματος, αλλά όχι το σώμα του. Τι μπορεί να σημαίνουν όλα αυτά;

Ο επιθεωρητής Κάφερι βρίσκεται σε νέο περιβάλλον και προσπαθεί να εγκλιματιστεί, να γνωριστεί με τους συναδέλφους του αλλά και να ερευνήσει μια υπόθεση λίγο έξω από τα συνηθισμένα. Οι έρευνές του θα τον οδηγήσουν στον υπόκοσμο του Μπρίστολ, εκεί που τα ναρκωτικά και η πορνεία ανθούν και συνδέονται άρρηκτα, καθώς πολλοί ναρκομανείς εκδίδονται για να μπορέσουν να βρουν τη δόση τους, ίσως ακόμα και για να ξεφύγουν από αυτή την κατάρα. Παράλληλα, η έρευνα θα τον οδηγήσει σε κάτι που έχει αρχίσει να απαντάται συχνά πλέον στη Βρετανία. Τη μαγεία. Οι μετανάστες των αφρικανικών χωρών, φαίνεται πως έχουν φέρει μαζί τους τις δεισιδαιμονίες τους, πέρα από τις ελπίδες τους για μια καλύτερη ζωή. Τα ήθη και τα έθιμα, τα πιστεύω και οι δυνάμεις των προγόνων που διέπουν τη ζωή και το θάνατο στις φυλές της Αφρικής, φαίνεται πως έχουν περάσει τον ωκεανό, τη μεσόγειο και την υπόλοιπη Ευρώπη και έχουν εγκατασταθεί στη Βρετανία, μαζί με του ανθρώπους τους.

Παράλληλα με την έρευνα για τα δύο χέρια, τη μαγεία και ότι άλλο κρύβεται πίσω από αυτό το περιστατικό, εξελίσσεται και η ιστορία της Φλι. Μια προσωπική ιστορία που κάποιο ρόλο παίζει στην εξέλιξη της έρευνας, είτε αυτό φαίνεται καθαρά είτε όχι. Η ανάλυση και μόνο του χαρακτήρα της Φλι, κάνει τον αναγνώστη να σκεφτεί ότι σίγουρα θα ξαναδιαβάσει για εκείνη σε κάποιο επόμενο βιβλίο.
Profile Image for Janet .
343 reviews116 followers
January 23, 2015
After reading Birdman and The Treatment I was really disappointed with this one.

Jack Caffery has now relocated to Bristol for a fresh start and we meet police deep sea diver, Flea, a character that seems to have taken central stage pretty much. It was almost as if Caffery has taken a supportive role here as we learn an awful lot about Flea. In fact, it doesn't pick up anything at all about Jack's brother which was surprising, though maybe it does in later books, I don't know.

The story begins by the discovery of a severed hand in the river and then what follows is the most boring unnecessarily complicated storytelling that goes absolutely nowhere for ages. I read on and on hoping things would improve .... and they didn't. The subject matter held no interest for me at all and I just felt more disillusioned as the story moved on. The number of times my mind would wander is ridiculous. There's nothing wrong with Ms Hayder's writing, she writes incredibly dark atmospheric psychological thrillers with splashes of gore, which I love but this was definitely not on par with the previous books. I got to halfway and then skipped to the last three chapters. I very rarely do that and feel guilty when I do. Unbelievably though I had hardly missed anything, got to the resolution and that was that!!

There's nothing much more to say really, it was a disappointing read that I didn't much care for. That said, I will read the next book in the series. Ms Hayder is an author I like a lot .... I guess not every story can be great one ... and it's probably too much to expect.

Profile Image for Gord James.
45 reviews4 followers
July 15, 2013
This is the third Jack Caffrey book and by far less violent then the other two. Jack is still tormented by his brother's disappearance some 30 years ago, but angrier. He is investigating a mutilation case where only two hands are found. The story gets really interesting because not only does he have to find out who the hands belong to, but also who did it. It was a little disappointing to see that Jack has become even more negative and aggressive. I am looking forward to reading more Jack Caffrey books with hopes that his darkness keeps on getting deconstructed.
Profile Image for Bob.
1,984 reviews20 followers
September 5, 2016
Back again with Flea Marley as she investigates a case of ritual African practices which involve the use of Human body parts and the trade in this gruesome practice which has come to light when she and her team discover a hand while diving. Detective Jack Caffery is also involved in the case and they are both confronting their own demons as well. A bit of a dark read but a good one.
Profile Image for andrea.
71 reviews28 followers
November 15, 2013
Hmm. Okay I felt this was definitely a step away from the last Jack Caffery book, but I'm just not sure if it's a step forward, or simply just a step to the side.

First and foremost, I have to say Hayder writes really compelling mystery plots. I love the central plots of her books. I love her writing, I love her dialogue, and I love how unapologetically guttural she gets. My issues stem from her main characters that I just don't like.

Jack. Oh Jack. I really want to like you. I want to root for you. But you keep trying to beat all the antagonists to death when you finally capture them. You can't keep your dick in your pants. You cannot get over your brother's disappearance, which I would normally sympathize with and find intriguing to follow, but you make it more irritating than anything. Just let go, Jack. What makes it more frustrating to the reader (ie. me) is that we know what happened to Jack's brother, and we know the man responsible is dead, and we know there is nothing that can be done and Jack will never get the peace he needs. But Jack keeps trying fruitlessly.

And now Flea Marley, the new lady protagonist. I peaked ahead and it looks like she'll be the female protag for at least one more book. I just found her personal story boring until the near end when the twist came. I don't not like her, I just didn't care for her part of the book and the ties the crime.

Both characters are flawed beyond the average person so even the blind can see that these two should not be in the same vicinity of each other ever. I will persist with this series but I am not looking forward to the inevitable personal relationship that will likely ruin book 4 for me. I keep holding out hope that Hayder will redeem Jack for me. Please, please.
Profile Image for Rosa Dracos99.
694 reviews52 followers
August 31, 2018
Tercer libro de la serie protagonizada por el inspector Jack Caffery, marcado desde la infancia por la desaparición no resuelta de su hermano, aunque siempre se sospechó que fue en manos de un pedófilo.
Son libros muy crudos, descarnados, con personajes tristes, oscuros y tramas muy truculentas.
Profile Image for Cat.
1,078 reviews145 followers
February 8, 2015
So far, my least favourite of the Jack Caffery series.

The stories starts with a hand being found at the Bristol harbour and soon we have Caffery investigating. Somehow he's left London and moved to the west. As the investigation goes on, and with the help of Sargeant Phoebe 'Flea' Marley, Caffery stumbles on a scheme of human body parts trafficking that is being used in connection traditional African medicine, also known as 'multi'.

Yes, there are the usual Hayder elements in this story. It is dark and with some gorey moments, but is also boring in a way I never thought a Mo Hayder book could be.

Then, Caffery is still the not-very-charming-man he always is, despite moving to Bristol, and his brother Ewan still haunts his thoughts. Also, it takes a great deal of the story for us to know what happened that made him move. And even when we're told, it just sounds lame.

Flea Marley has a horrible nickname (I hate fleas and am allergic to their bite) and has some troubling issues that didn't make her very credible to me.The way she, as a member of the police force, is so willing to take a drug that will keep her under the influence for I don't know how many hours, is quite unsettling.

I really do hope the next one gets better. Really.
Profile Image for Krishna.
86 reviews
April 29, 2009
Mo Hayder's return to the Jack Caffery series is a mixed bag. Definitely not on par with the hyper-gory Birdman or the disturbing The Treatment, it relocates Caffery to Bristol where along with a new soon-to-be recurring series character, police diver Flea Marley, he investigates the discovery of a severed human hand in the harbour.
The key problem is, the plot which is interesting though hardly outstanding hardly needs Caffery, who could have been substituted by any Detective. Marley's own baggage with regards to the drowning death of her parents and Caffery's encounter with a peripatetic vagabond known as the Walking Man, hardly adds anything to the story
The biggest cheat for fans of Birdman and The Treatment will be Hayder's jettisoning of a key sub-plot running through the first 2 Caffery books: that of the fate of Ewan Caffery, Jack's younger brother, kidnapped by paedophilic neighbour Pendericki.
Writing's still first-rate, and it's an ok enough time-pass, but hardly vintage Hayder. That honour still belongs to the masterful Tokyo.
Profile Image for Brenda.
725 reviews143 followers
February 19, 2015
As other reviewers have said, this is not Mo Hayder's best work. The first ¾ of the book went very slowly. I was confused often by the religious beliefs from Africa, the mystical things characters felt they were seeing, the deaths of Flea's parents, and her weird brother. The Walking Man seemed to come out of no where, and I think I missed something there. The story seemed to pick up when Flea and Caffery started to investigate together. In typical Hayder fashion, there were sick, twisted, creepy characters in this book. They just weren't so apparent until near the end. I know the next few books in the series include Flea, and I basically kept reading this one so I'd have her history.
Profile Image for Judith.
38 reviews1 follower
November 12, 2012
This is a really poor Mo Hayder book that gets off to a tortuously slow start. The characters names are awful: Flea, Mossy and Skinny...seriously? I kept getting Skinny confused with Dobby, the house elf in Harry Potter. I'm not squeamish, but I admit I skipped over the entire sections where The Walking Man's describes his crime in lurid detail. I don't see the point that Ms. Hayder is trying to make, other than to shock, by going into such graphic detail. I liked Birdman a lot, but I can't say the same for Ritual. The characters are simply not likeable, and the book moved very slowly for me.
Profile Image for Andrew.
1,261 reviews24 followers
May 9, 2015
Third in the series and DI Caffrey moves to Bristol where the discovery of an amputated hand in the harbour leads him into the world of African rituals and drugs. He is assisted by a police diver who has personal connections to the crime. As an easy bank holiday read i enjoyed it but it didn't quite have the tension of The Treatment or Birdman and from what I've read the later books don't match the earlier ones but I will continue as Caffrey is an interesting detective and I am enjoying his story. As usual however it is very gory.
Profile Image for ❃ Julka ❃.
387 reviews
April 6, 2023
4/5 🌟

To była całkiem interesująca historia. Opowiada o starożytnych wierzeniach w połączeniu z nowoczesną siłą nauki, przez co czytelnik jest zaintrygowany. Sam wątek obcej kultury i jej dawnych rytuałów był bardzo ciekawy. Początek książki był trochę wolniejszy, jednak od połowy akcja zaczęła nabierać rumieńców i działo się trochę więcej. Zdecydowanie spędziłam ciekawie czas z tą książką, pozwoliła mi snuć różne teorie. Bohaterowie również byli ciekawi, zarówno Pchła jak i Jack mierzyli się z traumami, które w sporym stopniu oddziaływały na ich psychikę. Osobiście ciekawie śledziło mi się opowieść przedstawioną w książce, a fabuła była intrygująca. Łączyła świat pradawnych wierzeń ze światkiem narkotykowym, co mi czytałam z zainteresowaniem.

Nie będzie to thriller dla każdego, ponieważ w środku znajduje się dużo wulgarnego słownictwa, a przede wszystkim opisów makabrycznych procesów, które nie są odpowiednie dla każdego i nie wszyscy lubią o nich czytać!!
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