The Colour of Death, by Michael Cordy

I was looking forward to reading The Colour of Death, by Michael Cordy, as most reviews I had read were good or even very good. It goes to show that you can never take reviews at face value – or at least that it's not because most liked it that you will also like it. This novel didn't really work for me. It took me a long time to read it, and it may be because I was moving house (and country) while reading it, but to be honest if it had been riveting, I know I would have finished it a long time ago. The story could have been interesting, but it just didn't keep me on edge, and it was all fairly predictable. The characters felt a little like cardboard characters, their behaviours didn't sound true, and at times it wasn't moving much. Another problem I found is that you heard all the characters' voices – including those of the antagonists – and it took away some of the mystery, nothing was left unsaid. And the plot (in terms of the actions of the characters) was not always credible. Give it a try though if you like supernatural stories, as the premise is interesting. The novel is about a young woman who appears on the scene after saving several captive women from a horrible death. But she has no memory of who she is whatsoever, so the police, helped by a psychiatrist called Nathan, try to help her remember where she comes from. Nathan quickly discovers that Jane Doe (as she is called by the police) has the power to relive people's deaths, especially if they have been violent and painful. All of a sudden, Jane's father turns up to pick up his daughter and take her back to the sect that he leads somewhere in a forest far away from civilisation. Nathan can't help feeling something is wrong, and against his better judgement, decides to follow Jane and her father into the sect. What he discovers is a combination of lunacy, murders and sex, which he will help to bring to an end – saving Jane (whose real name is Sorcha) in the process. There you go… If you read it, I'd love to know what you think.