The Student by John Nicholl
Genre: Psychological thriller, Suspense
Read: 23rd December 2022
Published: 13th December 2022
★★★★ 4 stars
DESCRIPTION:
Harry Gilmore has no idea of the terrible danger he faces when he meets a beautiful girl in a local student bar. Drugged and abducted, Harry wakes up in a secure wooden compound deep in the Welsh countryside, where he is groomed by the leaders of a manipulative cult, run by the self-proclaimed new messiah known as The Master.
When the true nature of the cult becomes apparent, Harry looks for any opportunity to escape. But as time passes, he questions if the master’s extreme behavior and teachings are the one true religion. With Harry’s life hanging by a thread, a team of officers, led by Detective Inspector Laura Kesey, investigate his disappearance. But will they find him before it’s too late?
MY THOUGHTS:
As always, John Nicholl never disappoints with another mesmerising tale of true psychological proportions. He truly pushes the boundaries as well as the reader to the limits and well out of their comfort zone. And this time he has a cult at its centre. So buckle up, peoples, you're in for one hell of a bumpy ride!
After having been dumped by his girlfriend (via text no less), Harry Gilmore finds himself drowning his sorrows with a pint or two. But being the poor skint student that he is, he doesn't even have enough to do that with any great success. And then in a vision of white the most beautifully stunning girl walks in and makes her way to the vacant stool beside him and orders them both a drink. Harry cannot believe his luck. Maybe Simone breaking up with him was meant to be...so he could meet this vision of beauty who he is fast believing to be the girl of his dreams. Or is she really? Or maybe he is about to discover that she actually his worst nightmare?
Achara is young, beautiful and impressionable. Or at least she was. Until she discovered true enlightenment as a follower of the master. Now she is a trained recruiter for the community in which she lives and at the behest of her mentor Baptist, Achara spies the lonely Harry with his shoulders hunched and his tear streaked face, making him ripe for the picking. She follows Harry into the pub, befriending him and seducing him with her feminine wiles until he falls under her spell.
Hours later, Harry is drugged and lead to the old white transit van awaiting them, where he later wakes locked up in a secure compound - complete with bars on the windows and cameras in ever corner. What happened to him? Why has he been brought here? And where on earth is "here" even?
His questions are soon answered by the arrival of Baptist who is to be his mentor. It seems Harry is now the newest member of a cult set deep within the woodland of the West Welsh countryside. His purpose is to be a worker to tend the garden, work the land...and to serve "the Master". But all Harry really wants to do is go home. Back to his student life, his digs, his mum and all that is familiar. This? This is just too weird.
But the Master has other plans for him. And Harry must comply and seek to serve him or risk his wrath and the punishment he dishes out as God's will.
When Harry's mum notices his absence, she reports him to police and DI Laura Kesey sets about investigating Harry's sudden and out of character disappearance. But will they find him before it's too late?
Whoa! This has to be one of the most uncomfortable reads I've read in a long time. Not much gets under my skin but this one did. There is just something so inherently evil about the man who calls himself the Master and cults in general. Their predatory nature in seeking out the vulnerable, identifying their weaknesses and exploiting them to their own advantage. Their ability to manipulate others and make them pliable to do their bidding with the click of their fingers. And the power he has over them. It's simply terrifying.
I have to say I drew many similarities between that of the Manson family as well as a Nazi concentration camp. There is one scene where all members line up with the men in front and women and children behind...all of them silent, their faces expressionless...as they awaited permission to leave. I was almost expecting the SS to appear shouting commands. Instead the Master appeared in all his glory (no, not the naked kind though...he did that often enough) to look down on his servants while they did his bidding and bowed down to him as the powerful one.
I'm sure I will be dreaming the words..."God is great. I am nothing. All praise to the master."
THE STUDENT is raw and edgy throughout with the tension is palpable. You find yourself yearning for Harry to somehow find an escape and yet you have no idea how. The sense of claustrophobia is so real I found myself almost squirming on several occasions and I had to put the book down to catch my breath. I could have easily read this book in just a few hours but for the subject matter making it difficult without coming up for air.
Whilst not my favourite read by Nicholl, it is still an incredibly captivating tale that is gritty and tense throughout. Nicholl has the innate ability to draw his readers in leaving us gripped to the edge of our seat as we turn each page wondering how it is all going to end. His writing is compelling with his own style of uniqueness that is...well...unique.
If you have not read John Nicholl yet, I urge you to go out and do so! He is one hell of an author that I only discovered some six months ago and he is now up there as one of my all-time favourite go-to authors.
I would like to thank #JohnNicholl, #NetGalley and #BoldwoodBooks for an ARC of #TheStudent in exchange for an honest review.
Previously published as "The Girl in White"
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