In a world separated from the one we inhabit, live a race of demons who love eating human flesh. Two thousand years ago, their entryway into our world was sealed off with thirteen locks, which can be opened only by their thirteen corresponding "Hallows". Each of these objects, once ordinary but now imbued with fearsome power, is strong enough in its own right, but should the thirteen ever be reunited, the demons will triumph and engulf us forever. When Sarah Miller rescues an elderly woman from muggers, she is drawn inexorably into the race to keep the Hallows hidden, and her life will never again be normal. The woman has entrusted Sarah with her Hallow, an ancient, broken sword, counting upon her to deliver it to her nephew, Owen.

This is a story drawn from the mythology of Britain and Christianity, and as such, it has potential. Michael Scott is the prolific author of fantasy/science fiction/horror adventures, and in The Thirteen Hallows, he maxes out on the horror. An evil genius is out to capture all the Hallows, and he first half of the novel consists of a series of disturbingly graphic and gruesome murders, interspersed with too many surprisingly un-erotic sex scenes.

In the second half, Sarah hooks up with Owen, and the pair are pursued by the diabolical couple. One by one, murderers themselves die brutally, and now the police, who seem incredibly inept, are out to catch Sarah, believing that she is a deranged serial killer. The final, apocalyptic confrontation between good and evil takes place at a Welsh Halloween festival.

The Thirteen Hallows is the set up volume for a series. I have no interest in reading more of this saga, but I may look up a reliable source on the mythology surrounding the Hallows of Britain.