A Life of Death: The Golden Bulls - Weston Kincade

Title: A Life of Death - The Golden Bulls
Author: Weston Kincade
Genre: Paranormal Mystery
Published: 2012
Formats: Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
Amazon UK

“A Life of Death: The Golden Bulls” is the sequel to Weston Kincade’s previous novel “A Life of Death” which I have previously reviewed here. As this is a sequel, I do need to warn people that this review is likely to contain minor spoilers in regards to what occurred in the previous novels. Therefore I would advise anyone new to the series that they should read my review of the first book and then decide if they want to give it a try which I strongly recommend.

The story follows Alex Drummond, the teenager from the first novel that has now grown into a man and works as a detective in his home town of Tranquil Heights. His investigative abilities are assisted by the various paranormal visions that occur when he touches various objects. However, there has been one serial killer who commits a ritualistic murder every year who has managed to elude him. Now though, he is closing in on the murderer and hopes that he can finally catch them and end the killings for good.

I need to start by saying that I loved the previous novel and when I found out about this sequel I was desperate to get my hands on it. Now that I have finished reading it, I am happy to say that it was another thoroughly enjoyable, well-paced book that had me hooked from start to finish. I don’t think it had a strong an emotional impact as the first novel but the overall mystery and the attempts by Alex to investigate were more than enough to keep me entertained. The writing was also clear, concise and without any major errors which could have interrupted the flow of the novel.

One aspect that I specifically enjoyed was the way in which the book delved into various side topics such as Egyptology and forensic pathology. The elements of the story dealing with these issues were both interesting and highly entertaining. At times I almost found myself wishing to see more of the visions that Alex had in regards to the ancient Egyptians than in following the present day murder investigation. I found that these side topics ensured that the story didn’t just get bogged down in a standard detective plot and enabled the reader to learn a little bit more about Alex’s paranormal abilities.

The only negative aspect I had is an issue that I find in many detective based stories such as this and it is in regards to the killer. It was far too obvious who they were, I basically think that Kincade gave away far too many obvious hints during their introduction. It all but ensured the reader would realise who the murderer was which of course does lesson the ability of the mystery elements to keep you hooked.

In summary, this was another enjoyable and entertaining read from Kincade which will certainly appeal to anyone who read and like “A Life of Death”. The continuation of Alex’s story was a pleasant experience and it was nice to see how he had grown and accepted his abilities over the year. To be honest, as is normal with sequels I do recommend that people try out the first book before reading this, especially as I feel it was emotionally much more powerful. However, if you decide to just to pick this book up without reading the first novel then you can be happy in the knowledge that there it is an enjoyable enough story in its own right.