Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Book Reviews
Book Review: The Gatherer
By Sandy Amazeen
Apr 28, 2008, 1:51 GMT

The bizarre circumstances linking two murders sends Boston detective Mike Sams on a collision course with a demonic foe and unexpected love in Bayne’s first paranormal thriller. An archeological dig in Tivoli, Italy not far from the Vatican reveals an ancient scroll and a series of tunnels connecting into a main chamber in the form of a pentagram. In an effort to limit outside knowledge of their discovery, the Catholic Church takes the scroll to Father Frank Daniel, an expert in ancient writings in New York who soon realizes he needs Dr. Cary Blake’s expertise in archaic languages. The scroll reveals the ceremonial words capable of summoning Zakaris, a demon who takes the souls of the righteous. Detective Sams, at a loss and under pressure to solve the murders, joins forces with Dr. Blake to track down the demon while the Catholic Church begins a frantic search for a way to reverse the spell and send Zakaris back to hell before the death toll rises substantially. 

Bayne’s first novel combines a strong, refreshingly different storyline with a credible cast of characters. The pace could be improved by tighter editing to eliminate much of the more trivial dialog which some readers may want to skim through. The conclusion, while reasonably satisfying holds no surprises. While not up to par with the established horror authors, this isn’t bad for a first effort, it will be interesting to watch how this author develops in future.