Review: CRYPT: Blood Eagle Tortures by Andrew Hammond

On the remote coast of Suffolk an amateur diver uncovers an unusual artefact while exploring the lost town of Dunwich, now submerged a mile from shore. Within hours his boat is robbed and the burglar is found mutilated on the beach, in a way reminiscent of a Viking ritual killing. Can the CRYPT agents decipher the clues and figure out what might have been disturbed on the seabed before more lives are lost?

In this, their fourth adventure, the CRYPT team find themselves assigned to a particularly bloody case out on the Suffolk coast, when a badly mutilated body is found on a beach. I won't go in to too many details regarding the state of this body - just pop 'blood eagle' into Wikipedia and you'll get a good idea. You will also quickly realise that this story involves vikings (or dead ones at least).

Whilst Jud and Bex go ghost hunting in Suffolk, Luc and Grace are sent to Denmark to investigate a ghostly sighting, as a favour for CRYPT boss Jason Goode. Little do they know that their case may be linked to that being investigated by their friends back in Sussex, and that they may just be putting themselves in greater danger than they would have faced back in the UK.

This is the fourth book by Andrew Hammond in what I have found to be his hugely enjoyable and frequently gruesome CRYPT series, and I think it is possibly my favourite in the series so far. The main and secondary characters are now fully established and so Andrew can really let rip with the action and ghost hunting. Long time readers of The Book Zone will already know that I am not particularly squeamish, and I love a bit of gore in my YA horror, and I certainly wasn't disappointed here. Those readers who have a weaker stomach than I for such stuff should beware (but teens will love it!).

The various relationships continue to develop in this book, and my one gripe is that at times I just wanted to give Jud a slap and tell him to man up and let Bex know how he feels about her (and vice versa actually). I found these parts of the story a little irritating, as they seem to appear far too commonly in books for teens, and just once in a while it would be great to see a pair get together without a ridiculous amount of awkwardness or petty jealousies. As such, it was nice to see Luc and Grace given more page space on their own, and to see their partnership developing even more.

In previous books Andrew Hammond has shown that he isn't afraid to shock, and I've always had the feeling that no character (other than Jud) is safe in his writerly hands, and these suspicions have been proved correct in this book. Of that, I will say no more, as no one likes a spoiler! However, this book really does go a long way in moving the overall story arc along, with a number of revelations coming to the surface regarding Jud, Jason, Bonati and the work that is going on behind the scenes at CRYPT.

As ever, this is an action packed and occasionally violent and bloody ghost hunting story from Andrew Hammond, and I can't wait to see how he continues to develop the story in the next book (as yet untitled), especially given the rather shocking way he brings Blood Eagle Tortures to a close. I do wonder whether I should be giving this particular book in the series such a good review though, given that in this story Andrew Hammond has written a particularly slimy and odious character and given him the same surname as mine?

My thanks go to the lovely people at Headline for sending me a copy to read.

Review: CRYPT: Mask of Death by Andrew Hammond

A figure wearing a white mask swoops down a deserted hospital corridor towards a quarantined patient. Covered in black sores and writhing in agony the patient can't be saved by modern medicine. But then, the masked figure is not a modern doctor...

Bodies are being discovered all over London, all marked with the same black sores - it seems a contagious disease is spreading across the city. But when witnesses all report seeing the same mysterious masked figure it seems there's something more sinister going on.

This is a case for CRYPT: a team of elite teenage agents who use their extra sensory perception and arsenal of high-tech gadgets to investigate crimes that the police can't solve.

Andrew Hammond is back with the third book in his CRYPT series, and yet again it does not disappoint. Main characters, Jud Lester and Bex De Verre, have been fully established in the previous two books and so Andrew Hammond is able to spend a little more of this story developing the supporting cast. And he doesn't just concentrate on other teen members of the CRYPT team - in fact most of these remain in the background as somewhat two dimensional bit players. Instead, the author has chosen to flesh out some of the adults in the cast, and we begin to find out more about what drives Bonati and Vorzek. Khan also makes a welcome return, almost as if he is now a fully fledged member of the team rather than a DCI in the Met.

Andrew Hammond has shown in the previous two books that he is not afraid of including more than a little gore in his writing. Mask of Death is no exception, and with a plot that revolves around the Great Plague of 1665 he relishes in the opportunity this gives him to make your stomach turn. It also allows him to take his young heroes further out of their comfort zone by jetting them off to Venice in search of clues as to why plague doctors are rising from the dead and attacking modern day Londoners. Venice is always a great setting for a horror story and the author makes good use of the super spooky setting.

My one criticism of the previous book in this series, Traitor's Revenge, was that it lacked the explosive climax of its predecessor. I am happy to report that the action and suspense in Mask of Death builds gradually to a cracking ending, with Jud and Bex risking their lives in the line of duty yet again.

My thanks go to the lovely people at Headline for sending me a copy to review. I am also happy to see that another instalment is scheduled for February 2013 - just the title, Blood Eagle Tortures, is enough to put a demonic smile on my face (google Blood Eagle and you will see why).

Review: CRYPT: Traitor's Revenge by Andrew Hammond

In York and London, strange shapes are taking form, emerging from the shadows. And who is the man who lies in a pitch-black room, listening to a voice that seems to speak from the darkness itself?

Jud Lester knows that something evil is afoot. He also knows that it can't be investigated by any normal brand of counter-intelligence...

This is a case for CRYPT: a team of elite teenage agents who use their extra sensory perception and arsenal of high-tech gadgets to investigate crimes that the police can't solve.

I loved The Gallows Curse, the first book in Andrew Hammond's CRYPT series, and so it was with no small amount of excitement that I started reading its sequel, Traitor's Revenge. That first book was not perfect, for reasons that I stated in my review, but it was still a hugely entertaining, fast-paced action horror story and I was intrigued to see where Andrew Hammond took his team of teen ghostbusters next. I was not disappointed.

This time around we see Jud Lester and his fellow CRYPT operatives battling supernatural forces in both York and London. Having introduced us to his characters in the first book, Andrew Hammond devotes more of his story to the action and horror elements, an improvement on The Gallows Curse which I felt at times had a little too much information giving, especially with regards to Jud's past. Further character development isn't completely overshadowed by the more frantic or gore-filled scenes, as we find out more about the strained relationship between Jud and his father, as we also continue to see the growing bond between Jud and Bex.

Traitor's Revenge has everything that its predecessor had bar one thing, and that is a superb climax to the story. The ending of The Gallows Curse was brilliant, edge-of-your-seat stuff and much as I enjoyed the sequel, I felt the climactic action scenes didn't pack quite as much punch. This aside, Traitor's Revenge is a very worthy continuation of the CRYPT story. The pacing is as fast as ever and the background to the events in the story makes for a great set-up - Andrew Hammond very cleverly uses a significant event from British history and makes it part of his modern day story. Setting some of the story in York adds something new to the mix, and these scenes are particularly spooky, especially when Bex travels up to the city without any kind of back-up and things begin to spiral out of control. Gore fans will not be disappointed either, as yet again there is enough blood dripping through the pages to keep the splatter addicts happy.

The next book in the CRYPT series, titled Mask of Death, is scheduled to be published in September and yet again I am very much looking forward to reading more about the CRYPT team's adventures in ghostbusting. The blurb on Amazon has me sold on it already:

A figure wearing a white mask swoops down a deserted hospital corridor towards a quarantined patient. Covered in black sores and writhing in agony the patient can't be saved by modern medicine. But then, the masked figure is not a modern doctor...

Bodies are being discovered all over London, all marked with the same black sores - it seems a contagious disease is spreading across the city. But when witnesses all report seeing the same mysterious masked figure it seems there's something more sinister going on.

Review: CRYPT: The Gallows Curse by Andrew Hammond

Meet Jud Lester: Star agent with CRYPT, the Covert Response Youth Paranormal Team.

When a crime is committed and the police are at a loss, CRYPT is called in to figure out whether something paranormal is at work. Jud is their star agent.
Jud, unwillingly paired with new recruit Bex, has just landed his biggest case yet ... people have been disappearing in mysterious circumstances while others are viciously attacked - yet there are no suspects and a complete lack of hard evidence. The only thing that links each attack is the fact that survivors all claim that the culprits were 17th century highwaymen.

Can Jud and Bex work out what has caused the spirits of these dangerous men to return to the streets of London before they wreak more death and destruction?

Does your teen child love horror? Then get your hands on a copy of this book as soon as you can... they will love you for it! I was fortunate enough to be given an early proof copy of CRYPT: The Gallows Curse back in May when I went to the Headline blogger event, and I started reading it on my way home on the train. I do not recommend you try this as I came very close to missing my stop as I got so engrossed in it; in fact, after I had got off my train I sat on a bench on the platform just so I could finish the chapter I was on before I raced home to sit up into the night to finish it. And that's something else I wouldn't recommend, especially if you are easily unnerved, and this book might just scare the pants off you if you are alone in a dark, empty house.

The publisher blurb describes Andrew Hammond's debut as "A fantastic blend of teenage spies, horror and ghost-busting for fans of Cherub and Young Bond" and I have been trying to put it better myself but I have given up as it sums the story up perfectly. I remember going to see Ghostbusters back in 1984, and loving it so much that I went again a few days later. There are continuing rumours that the original cast may get back together to make a new Ghostbusters film, but I personally feel that they shouldn't bother as CRYPT is the only ghostbusting story we need for this (now not so) new millennium. OK, so it doesn't have the comedy of the 80s movie, but it is a hell of a lot more scary, and far more in keeping with the kind of horror that young people love these days.

They say that writers for children need to grab the attention of their audience within the first few pages or they may as well give up; Andrew Hammond certainly manages this is this first book in his CRYPT series. The first few pages give us a very brief prologue, giving us a quick briefing as to what CRYPT is and how it came into being, as well as some pretty nasty details about how main character Jud Lester was found guilty of killing his mother, despite his claims that "the ghosts did it". This was more than enough to get me interested, but then we are straight into the first chapter which contains a thoroughly nasty supernatural attack on a Central Line tube train during rush hour. You may never want to travel on the Tube again after reading this - it is nightmare inducing writing, and we aren't even ten pages into the story!

CRYPT: The Gallows curse consists of 50 chapters over 330+ pages, so you don't need me to tell you that the chapters are short, and with the fast paced action scenes you can't help but want to keep on turning the pages. This is perfect for teen readers, especially those of the reluctant reader variety, but for me it was awful as I was pretty tired on the night I read this book, but I kept on saying to myself "Just one more chapter and then turn the light out". Curse you Hammond! It may have been a Friday night but I had a lot to do the next morning and I was shattered! The plot is fast-paced with some cracking action set-pieces, including a number of battles with some of the nastiest ghosts you are likely to find in modern YA literature and a motorbike chase scene that may have your heart trying to pound its way through your ribcage. And then if you still have a breath left in your lungs you have to face the totally brilliant, cardiac arrest-inducing climax! In fact, the more I think about this book as I write this review, the more I feel that this would make a great movie, although to do the horror scenes justice the certificate may have to be higher than the age of the main target audience of the book.

I would be lying if I said the book was perfect though. The horror scenes are all brilliantly written, and Andrew Hammond really knows how to scare his audience. However, these scenes sometimes tend to overshadow some of the other quieter moments in the story, those all important scenes between perils that allow us to take a breath and see the characters develop further as they interact with each other. For me, some of these quieter scenes needed to be more punchy, and a few times I felt there was a little too much telling going on and not enough showing. This was particularly the case whenever there was mention of Jud's past, and this seemed to happen a little more than was necessary. As this is the first in a series we probably did not need to know everything that is revealed about Jud's past in this first outing, although with  the backstory now established I would guess that the sequel, CRYPT: Traitor's Revenge, will be better as far as this is concerned.

CRYPT: The Gallows Curse really is Ghostbusters for the Alex Rider generation and is the perfect springboard for teens who are wondering whether to take the plunge into the vast pool of adult horror fiction. I for one can't wait for the sequel, especially as the blurb suggests that it is set in York as well as in London. With so many great historical cities in the UK, each with a multitude of their own ghost stories, this is a series that could run and run, and based on this first instalment I would like to sign up for the duration please.

Guest Post by Andrew Hammond (author of CRYPT: The Gallows Curse)

Thursday sees the publication date of CRYPT: The Gallows Curse by Andrew Hammond. I read and really enjoyed this book a while ago thanks to nice people at Headline, and I had hoped to get up to Edinburgh for the festival, and the official launch of the book, but unfortunately hotel prices were stupidly expensive. At that launch Andrew told a very funny story about the time he smelt a ghost, and this anecdote was so well received that Andrew and the nice people at Headline thought it should reach a larger audience, and so here it is for your delectation:

We used to live in a big old Victorian terraced house in North Yorkshire. I remember the day we moved in – my brothers and I spent hours sliding down the long, wooden banisters that ran right up through the middle of the house, while my parents heaved and puffed with boxes. 

A few days on and we started to detect something strange. At around about six or seven o’clock each evening we’d notice a smell. It was just like fried garlic and onions. It lingered for about an hour or so and then drifted away.

The third time it happened we went next door to see if anyone was cooking. They weren’t. We went to the other side – they weren’t. We went up and down that terrace asking if anyone was cooking onions and they weren’t. God knows what they thought of us.

We all traipsed back inside and were overwhelmed by the same smell. It wasn’t unpleasant, just odd.

My father led us all through the house, searching for the source of the smell. Eventually we traced it to a cupboard on the first floor. It wasn’t used for anything in particular, just for storing towels and linen. There was no boiler or water tank, so we knew it wasn’t that. But when my father opened the door the rich smell of fried onions and garlic wafted into our nostrils.

My father had an idea. Silently he led us downstairs and we waited in the kitchen while he disappeared into his office. He returned with some old files and fished out an old, faded piece of paper, folded in half. He opened it and we could all see it was the plans to the house – very old sketches by the looks of them.

They were the Victorian floor plans. I watched my father’s finger as it traced the line of the stairs, past the bedrooms to the place where the cupboard was. That’s when we all noticed it. This little corner of the landing had a few words scribbled next to it – ‘SERVANT STAIRWAY TO KITCHEN.’

~~~

My huge thanks go to Andrew for taking the time to write this story out for The Book Zone. Please watch this space for my review of CRYPT: The Gallows Curse, as well as for your chance to win a signed copy of the book.

*** Exclusive News: CRYPT Agent Recruitment Website

Do you believe in ghosts and the supernatural?

Do you have a thirst for action and adventure?

Are you willing to risk life and limb?

If so then read on because your country needs you.......

When a crime is committed and the police are at a loss, the Covert Response Youth Paranormal Team (or CRYPT for short) is called in to figure out whether something paranormal is at work.


CRYPT: The Gallows Curse is the fab book from debut author Andrew Hammond (brother of the less famous Richard), due to be published by Headline towards the end of the summer. I was fortunate to receive an early proof and I really enjoyed its mixture of action and horror - watch this space for my review coming soon. If you have the courage then grab the code above and head on over to www.cryptagent.co.uk now! 


CRYPT: The Gallows curse will be officially launched at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, and you could be there:

Friday 19 August, 4:30pm - 5:30pm

RBS Imagination Lab, as part of the Edinburgh International Book Festival

Tickets cost £4.50 and are available here http://www.edbookfest.co.uk/the-festival/whats-on/andrew-hammond

I am reliably informed that Andrew will also be doing a series of events during the autumn, more details of which to follow later in the year.

*** CRYPT Contest Result

The lucky winner of the proof copy of CRYPT: The Gallows Curse by Andrew Hammond is:

Jackie Kemp

Well done and thank you to all of you who entered. I will now endeavour to contact the winner through by email. Please reply within 48 hours or I will draw another name out of the hat. Many thanks to Headline for providing the prize.

(Note: all names were drawn randomly using a nifty little freeware programme called The Hat)

*** Contest: WIN a proof copy of CRYPT: The Gallows Curse by Andrew Hammond

Back in April I featured a mini guest post by author Andrew Hammond, in which he told us about his forthcoming debut YA book, CRYPT: The Gallows Curse. Now, thanks to the generous people at Headline I have ended up with a spare proof copy of the book to give away to a reader of The Book Zone. In order to be in with a chance of winning this prize, and have it in your hands long before its official September 1st release date, all you have to do is answer the question and fill in your details on the form below.

The first name drawn at random after the closing date will win a copy of the book. Deadline for entries is 8pm GMT Friday 22nd July. This contest is open worldwide.



Contest open worldwide.
Neither the publisher or I will not be held responsible for items lost in the mail.
I hold the right to end a contest before its original deadline without any prior notice.
I hold the right to disqualify any entry as I see fit.
I will contact winning entrants for their postal address following the close of the competition. Winners have 48 hours to reply. Failure to do so in this time will result in another winner being randomly selected.

Coming Up in 2011 #10: CRYPT: The Gallows Curse by Andrew Hammond

Some of you may remember that earlier this year I ran a feature titled "Coming Up in 2011", where authors with new stand alone or first-in-series books due out this year wrote a short piece about their book. The original plan was to only run this feature during January, but when I saw mention of this book on Twitter I couldn't resist from resurrecting it. I rattled off a quick email to Maura at Headline Books and within days debut author Andrew Hammond had very kindly written the following about his new CRYPT series, due out in September:


Sometimes crimes are committed and there's no rational explanation. When atrocities occur but there's no evidence of human involvement who do the police turn to? Welcome to the CRYPT, a secretive branch of MI5 established to investigate the paranormal. The Covert Response Youth Paranormal Team is an undercover agency of teenage ghost hunters. Why undercover? Because you mention the word 'ghosts' and you can spread fear across a whole city - and ghosts feed off human fear. Why teenagers? Because that's when our extrasensory perception is at its peak. CRYPT agents don’t just sense ghosts, they can hear them, see them and read their emotions, to understand why they're back, wreaking havoc. Jud Lester is the star agent and his caseload includes the most gruesome crimes imaginable. Of course, he's not scared. But you will be. It terrified me and I wrote the series. Gallows Curse is the first in five CRYPT stories, each one set in a major world city. And as Jud finds, together with his fellow agent, Bex De Verre, beneath the glamour of the world’s most famous cities, often lies a murky, brutal history of crime and punishment. No wonder the ghosts are back for revenge…


Maura mentioned on Twitter that she thought that this might be right up my street, and based on that 'pitch' by Andrew I would be inclined to agree completely - roll on September!