Desecration, Brooke & Daniel Crime Thriller #1. Paperback

This book took me by surprise. I was not ready for the vividly written details that, to me, were so dark and disturbing, I almost couldn’t get past them. I truly had to skip some parts; it was so ominous. The writing was wonderful, and the story was constantly engaging, but it was more intense and far more macabre than I expected, which threw me off guard. And to be honest, the loss of the child slammed into my heart at full speed, taking me back to my own grief, making it hard to read, yet I couldn’t stop reading. I felt Jamie’s heartache. I felt her grief, and I was rooting for her and feeling her pain as I had felt mine. Now I want to read the second book, to see how she does, and what happens next. This is a story that grips your heart, traumatizes your mind, and once you start reading it, you won’t be able to put it down.

The story begins with Detective Sergeant Jamie Brooke investigating a brutal murder at London's prestigious Royal College of Surgeons. The victim's body is displayed in a macabre fashion, with organs removed in a way that reflects medical history. As Jamie delves deeper, she uncovers a dark world of body modification, secret anatomical collections, and a mysterious group called the Lyceum.
Jamie teams up with Blake Daniel, a psychic who can read the stories behind ancient objects, to unravel the sinister web of obsession, power, and human experimentation. The book blends crime thriller elements with supernatural intrigue, making it a compelling read for fans of dark mysteries.

Wow, this is a little cracker. I couldn’t stop reading till I’d finished it. Having read other books by this author and enjoyed every one I couldn’t wait to read this one. I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed this from the first page to the last. Now I have to read the next one. Highly recommended.

Although a few of the medical terms gave me pause - didn't stop me from enjoying the book. Plenty of story twists and turns as well as great connection with main character - deep emotional connections. Left me wanting to read the follow up books.

A dark thriller full of the evil side of medical history and the modern-day nutcases who still want to cut into the living, un-anaesthetised flesh to find the secrets of the body.

Body snatching, grave-robbing, abduction, and experimenting on people on the fringes of society is just the tip of the iceberg. Looking into corpses turned into art for various purposes, the legality of doing so, and where the ethical and moral lines should be between furthering scientific inquiry and feeding macabre curiosity, is explored in this novel.

Jamie starts out just doing her job: and then it gets personal when it involves her daughter. Great characterisation and motive.

With all the blood, gore, and gross body parts in jars, what actually bothered me was the animal abuse… Go figure.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book with its medical history, macabre secret society, bit of the paranormal, loads of heartache, and the kick-ass female detective who survives it all and vows to live.

J.F. Penn always tells a great story. An author I go back to whenever I want a guaranteed great read.

Well written and the action flows together very well. The reason I didn't give it five stars is because I would have liked to see more character development. But I don't usually read fast-paced mystery novels, so my taste might be different from others. There were some tropes used in the novel that I thought could have been avoided. The Nazi connection was a little too much. Whenever people write about the evil inside people, so many writers want to bring up Nazis. It's tired and stale. Anyway, the book isn't bad. It's worth reading if you want to kill some time. It will hold your interest, which is what you want in a fun read.

A well thought out and written story. Towards the end the book goes into satanism. So it gets gory....Not necessarily what I normally read.

As a teenager I was much into extreme metal and bands like Carcass, Cannibal Corpse and Dissection who used lots of anatomy elements, as well as examples from the most depraved killers in human history in their lyrics. So first of all, I would suggest this book to any metalhead out there. And also to people who are into gothic, or Marylin Manson. Of course, the story can be appreciated by many more people. Anyone who loves mystery and crime. I love how Joanna approaches delicate themes, and how she's able to stir emotions. I especially enjoyed the climax, except for one dialogue during a key confrontation, which felt not plausible. Btw, I chose to read this book after having read Stone of fire because Desecration is truly a great title.

'Desecration' was definitely one of those books that pulled me in and didn't let go. Very thought provoking. Between the realism when it comes to the scientific aspect of learning from those that were not 'perfect bodied' to those that endorse the use of bodies to gain fame, notoriety or monetary gain. I don't know why the issues explained in this story are so taboo when in reality these things did happen and probably will continue. The author did a fantastic job in bringing this story to life. The struggle of Jamie's life when it came to her daughter, her job and her life in general were very thought provoking. She faced some pretty devastating circumstances. The story itself was well written and well played out. The characters were an array of intriguing personalities. Definitely a must add to your tbr list. Recommended.

By the end of the second chapter, you know you’ve got something special in your hands with Desecration. It start slow enough for you to really get into the head of the Protagonist, and then the throttle is opened for a no holds barred thrill ride through the wet streets of London. I bought the Kindle edition with the audio book attached. This meant that I could continue the story even though I was driving and/or pretending to be present at a seminar. The setup in the early parts of the book is well done and believable, setting the stage for a surprising and strong middle – no sagging here – and an ending that was obscured until the very end. I was tempted numerous times to check the blurbs of the other books in the series to see who survived! (Don’t do this, I was weak. Treat this book as if it’s the only book in the world, until you get to the next one.) Joanna Penn is a Londoner at heart, and her love for the city shines through in the loving care that she takes to bring each set piece to life for the reader. I’ve personally seen some of the landmarks described, and Joanna manages to coax out details from them that I’d forgotten were there. Nicely done. Thematically, Joanna shows her true strength as a writer. Desecration is an apt name for this book, and layers the levels of conflict many fold – no simple baddie who needs to get a comeuppance here. The internal conflict of the protagonist with regards to the thematic subject matter at hand is a good parallel for us, the readers’, exploration of the terrain. This book will challenge you as a reader, almost as much as it challenges the protagonist. It gets dark in here, and I like it. With most books, I like to think what I would have done if I was the protagonist. With this book, I hope that no-one ever ends up in this situation ever again, not even in fiction. If I was in that situation, I would probably just go mad. It would be the only way to cope. I do have one complaint, though, and that is that there is not enough Blake in the book! Luckily, there are two more books in the series.

Joanna Penn is an extraordinarily productive entrepreneur, indie-author, blogger, podcaster, public speaker and more. Her effervescent personality manages to be both endearing and encouraging to other writers. Just the kind of person you'd love to have over for tea. Then there's the "dark side" of her character. Under the name J.F. Penn, she writes religious thrillers, and has also produced the "London Psychic" trilogy. Desecration is the first book in the London Psychic trilogy, and it's amazing. When Penn's not plucking the reader's heart strings like a mandolin, she's grossing us out with medical/surgical gore, white-knuckling suspense, and intense psychological stress. In other words, Desecration is a great read! Detective Sergeant Jamie Brooke has the most heart-wrenching of all possible back-stories. A single mom working a high stress job at all hours, she attempts to solve a brutal murder case while her beloved teenaged daughter, who suffers from a horrifically debilitating disease, gasps out her last painful breaths in a hospice. Jamie's unlikely and occasional ally is a gifted/cursed psychometrist (psychically picks up images from the past when touching objects) who has been traumatized by a childhood filled with verbal, physical and religious abuse. He's the "London Psychic" of the subtitle, but his role takes a distant second place to Jamie's nightmarish ordeal. The book has elements of a police procedural, and Jamie is well aware when she is breaking protocol. It's just that things become so personal and so out of hand so quickly, she must make extreme choices, and can't wait for the bureaucracy to catch up. She's really out on a limb for most of the book, though her partner does provide helpful backup and vital information. Ultimately, this is a personal quest for Jamie as she faces not just the worst thing imaginable, but also unspeakable, unimaginable horrors related to corpse-stealing, human experimentation, the ongoing legacy of Nazi Dr. Mengele's atrocities, conspiracies, human sacrifice and more. If you become squeamish around murky jars of mutated fetal specimens, watch out. It gets much, much worse. I couldn't pull away. J.F. Penn puts the "gross" in "engrossing." Only by facing her darkest fears and deepest pain can Jamie hope to prevail against the perversion of human dignity, the obscenity of death and the nonchalant insanity of evil. We're rooting for her all the way, and she metes out justice with broad strokes. The character of the damaged psychic will no doubt be developed more fully in subsequent books. This is Jamie's story, through and through. And a thrilling story it is, too.

Desecration is focussed on a surgically precise murder, which is perfectly appropriate, because this story eviscerates its readers. It had me hunched over the screen in horror and sitting back in tears, within the first two chapters. By the end of the book I was a mess, but what a ride! This is a meticulously researched and emotionally gripping story created by an author at the height of her powers. It does need to come with a warning label though. This is a brutal read that will transport you into Detective Sergeant Jamie Brooke’s life so vividly that you might have to skip over some descriptions just to survive. This is not a novel for the faint hearted. Instead the intrigue comes thick and fast, as a fascinating murder is untangled by a compelling protagonist fighting her own, gutting inner battle. She is ably supported by a sympathetic psychic, who is just as richly drawn as the lead character and also has hidden demons. The supporting cast are deftly drawn, while the clues to their personalities are often subtle and delightful. A parent states “I’m keen to help find my daughter’s killer, but I’m sure you understand I’m… busy….” We understand all right. Thematically this book is equally compelling with a moving study of genuine parental love that contrasts with other characters who don’t prioritise their children. Above this sits a study of death, which is of course the perfect theme for a murder mystery. Desecration dares to look at an issue which society increasingly tries to ignore. This story draws back the veil of modern ignorance to confront the experience of losing someone we love. It does so unflinchingly. This is a very special book. Not content to rest on its laurels, Desecration also takes a satisfying swipe at corruption and attempts by the powerful to avoid accountability. This is more usual fare, but is done very well. The language isn’t always perfect, but flows well and the occasional awkward touch is amply countered by some beautiful and evocative sentences. The writing style offers plenty of satisfaction and is very professional. Whether this is normally your genre or not, Desecration should be on your reading list. Its characters are fascinating, while the crime and its setting lift ‘bizarre’ to a new level. It is also a story of loss and love that involves the reader so intensely it can be harrowing, but is ultimately uplifting.

Brilliant but disturbing thriller. The medical side of the book reads true as the medical profession do need to experiment to progress for the benefit of all. Obviously these are baddies in the story who get their comeuppance. Can't wait to see how Jamie copes in other novels with the help of Blake.

I feel that my rating of this novel was due more to my awkwardness of the subject matter than the actual book.. It is abhorrence to the subject matter rather than the actual book itself. It was well written and keeps one on the edge of the seat throughout the novel. I will definitely READ more from this author. In all, a good read. Jan Phelan Temple, Texas

As if Detective Sergeant Jamie Brooke's investigation into the macabre world of grave robbery, body modification and genetic engineering wasn't enough to keep her awake at night, when it takes a personal turn, she is not only struggling to expose a gruesome underworld but is also fighting for her life. Desecration certainly lives up to its name. It is a dark and graphic mystery/thriller that deals with plenty of unique and unusual albeit uncomfortable themes, including corpse art and dissection. Just how depraved humans can be is explored in this action packed and well researched story. The fascinating historical information was dropped in effortlessly. Who knew for example that necrophilia was only made illegal in the UK in 2003? I was drawn into this book by the prologue, told in the first person, where we meet the antagonist and catch a glimpse of their chilling character. (I actually wish there was more of the book in this style.) We are then introduced to DS Jamie Brooke and follow her journey into the sick world she finds herself investigating. But this is so much more than a police procedural. Jamie is a tortured soul whose young daughter, Polly, is dying. Her story is heart-breaking and there are very moving scenes. When Polly dies, I wondered what would happen to the case as Jamie takes personal leave, but then there was a huge twist in the story. There is never a dull moment as the horrors of the case are combined with Jamie's personal life and her interesting partnership with Blake - a psychic who can read objects. As I read the book, I wondered about the truth surrounding the bizarre, grisly acts discussed so the author's note at the end was enlightening, though unnerving. I was also glad to read that Jamie and Blake will be working together again soon. So if you're looking to learn about dark but fascinating topics in an original thriller (this is definitely not a cozy mystery) where you will develop an emotional connection with the main character, this is the book for you!