Looking at the book "I know what you did Last Supper" by Wayne Williams and Darren Allan, I thought it might be another of those vampire parodies, but it is a twist of a well-known tale turned on its head. I admire people who are willing to take on such a renowned narrative and create a mystery thriller.
Two days after Jesus Christ's crucifixion, Judas Iscariot receives an anonymous note stating, I know what you did. Wrapped with it is an eye, complete with trailing optic nerve, and a splintered tooth - trophies ripped from two recently butchered friends. Someone, it seems, knows what Judas did on that fateful night following the Last Supper. And that someone is intent on exacting a bloody and gruesome revenge.
As more acquaintances and family members die in increasingly brutal ways, Judas finds himself in a desperate race against time to make amends for his act of treachery, and to uncover the identity of the mysterious hooded killer.
It's biblical on a number of levels - the parts are titled: Genesis, Numbers, Revelation.
It's not high literature, you know that from the play on the title, the take on Leonardo's painting on the cover, and the numerous borrowings from the normal horror flick.
The prose is natural it 'feels contemporary' the authors have resisted any urge to pepper the dialogue with 'thou' and 'thy'.
Overall it is a great premise and got off to a good start but then just slid into a needlessly excessive description of the murders (has seen too many 'Saw' movies) at the expense of the plot. The resolution I thought, was unsatisfactory and wimpish, would have loved a twist in the tale.
The warning - it is gruesome, with plenty of horrific deaths and mutilations, so if bloody descriptions aren't your thing, leave this on the shelf and read something else.
A relentlessly paced, gripping thriller, which further explores one of the darkest bargains in human history.
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