Liz Barnsley's Reviews > The Rule of Fear

I'm a HUGE fan of the Corrigan novels so was really looking forward to seeing something different from Luke Delaney - a really intuitive storyteller whose true talent comes in the sheer authenticity he brings to each tale.

Here is a standalone then - and this one is ALL about Jack King, a protagonist with an enduring ability to suck you into his world - back to work after a life defining event, he is maybe not as ready as should be, especially considering what he is tasked with.

A very dark tone and a very dark story - some of Jack's choices are questionable, Luke Delaney explores the depth of the human psyche with The Rule of Fear and it is both endlessly fascinating and deeply disturbing. Its very important I think in this case to not give away too many nuances of plot, but in any novel you read where children are targets of those who would harm them, you know that it is not going to make easy reading - if you add to that a character like Jack King, for whom the lines between right and wrong blur more and more the further you head into the story you have a poignant whirlpool of intensity and Luke Delaney pushes you every step of the way.

The plotting is tight, the prose is incredibly immersive, The Rule of Fear is a slow burn of a novel with a hugely captivating sense about it and an ending that will floor you emotionally, more so because everything leading up to the final denoument is utterly horrifically believable. I refer you back to the first part of this review.

Some incredible writing right here - it wont be for everyone, it is uncompromising, bleak, the tale of how we can never predict, how the most shining of futures can be taken apart in moments. An authentic and absolutely hard hitting insight into PTSD written with absolutely no glances towards any kind of comfort zone - I can't do anything except highly recommend it.