Laws of Depravity (Martyr Maker, 1)
"The surprises keep coming in La Salle's twisting debut thriller, in which good and evil aren't always black and white."--Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
30 years. 36 priests butchered. His bloodiest masterpiece is yet to come.
Every ten years, for the past 30 years, a dozen clergymen are killed, brutally murdered in twisted scenes emulating the deaths of Jesus and his disciples. Now, "The Martyr Maker" has set his mark on New York City. The Laws of Depravity follows two NYPD detectives and an FBI agent as they race to catch a serial killer before he completes his last cycle of kills and disappears forever.
Apart from his critically-acclaimed thriller titles, La Salle is a masterful mystery/crime storyteller. He may be best known for his acting roles in productions such as ER, Coming to America, and Logan, but his background in crime fiction was finely honed as he directed and executive produced countless episodes of popular shows such as Law & Order, Law and Order SVU, Law & Order: Organized Crime, CSI: NY, and Chicago PD with Dick Wolf.
Praise for Laws of Depravity:
"Laws of Depravity may be the most engrossing book you read this year, bar none."--Lee Ashford, Reader's Favorites
"...an utterly compelling and riveting thriller with echoes of the dark master, Thomas Harris. Here, La Salle also adds a surprising twist by weaving in a spiritual component that raises the narrative to lofty and thought-provoking levels. It's a wonderful accomplishment."--Leonard Chang, author of Over the Shoulder and Crossings
"Actor and director Eriq La Salle's intense debut is a modern day parable cleverly masquerading as a crime novel. A muscular, gritty and spiritual thriller."--John Shors, bestselling author of Beneath a Marble Sky, Beside a Burning Sea, Dragon House, The Wishing Trees, and Cross Currents
"Laws of Depravity will take you on a heart-pounding ride of vengeance, murder and atonement, never letting you rest until you've reached the final page."--Neal Baer, co-author of Kill Switch and former Executive Producer of "Law and Order S.V.U."
"A gritty crime thriller, spiritual quest, and love story all woven into one compelling tale."--Publishers Weekly
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Community Reviews
Laws of Depravity was the April book of the month. I’m always on the hunt for fiction books by African American male authors so this was right on time! Eriq La Salle starred in one of my all time favorite movies, Coming to America, so I was thrilled for him to let his soul glow and shine thru in this novel! IYKYK 😆
This novel was banging! It was a fast paced thrilling hunt to find a serial killer. The consensus was that this book felt like we were watching an “edge of your seat” crime action movie.
As far as depravity goes, there was one character who was quite depraved if I may add. Because whyyy would you karate chop your peen sir?!
One of the parts I loved most were the tender scenes with Elena & her dad, Oscar.
We get a glimpse of the officers/procedural, their lives and the killer himself. There were many characters to keep up with, which was confusing at times, but I think many will stick throughout the series.
The audiobook was great! Read by the author himself and equally conveyed all of the energy that was on the page. Definitely recommend this for an action packed wild and thrilling ride!!
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