Beneath the Mask of Sanity
Gory. Graphic. Fierce. Explicit. Beneath the Mask of Sanity by Mark Phillps is not a read for the faint of heart or for anyone not ready for a jagged splintered journey into the heart and mind of a serial killer and the wake of his destruction. Phillips has created serial killer Bentley Grimes and set him upon a swath of monumental carnage. Traipsing behind is detective Frank Miles, determined to catch his prey while fighting his own demons, and at the center of Grimes’ butchery is the Braddock family: Dad, George who just happens to stop to give the hitch-hiking killer a ride, wife and mother Sheila, and daughters Katie and Karen. These six people are set upon the road to Hell.
Phillips uses much imagery of Heaven and Hell as well as an interesting interlude on Jesus as Savior in the novel to haunting effect. Grimes is indeed a soul lost in Hell, and he takes us along with him in his ever spiraling deeper descent.
About half-way through this journey, the twists start coming—some of them sharp and steep and totally unexpected.
If graphic psychological thriller is your game, this effort by Mark Phillips will not disappoint.
