Eriq La Salle's "Laws of Depravity" is a riveting crime thriller that seamlessly combines suspense and intricate storytelling. The story, centered around the chilling work of a serial killer named "The Martyr Maker," unfolds in the backdrop of New York City. La Salle's writing keeps the tension high, and the blurred lines between good and evil add a compelling layer to the narrative. The collaboration between NYPD detectives and an FBI agent forms a dynamic investigative team. Despite my initial reservations, I found myself thoroughly engaged and eager to continue the series. If you enjoy intense crime thrillers with psychological depth, this book is a must-read.

Who knew that one day, Dr. Peter Benson would become a published author and be so good at it.

In his mind, he's doing a good thing. Killing people of the cloth that should not hold that position all in the name of God and doing the work for him. Almost like Saul from the New Testament of the Bible. He's gotten away with it for the last several years, but is his luck might be running out.

The story follows two NYPD detectives that are assigned to stop this guy, one of them who was molested by a priest when he was in his youth. As they are gathering clues and pounding the pavement, they are on a race against time to stop him before he can strike again.

I have been getting more and more into thrillers, and I am enjoying it. This was such a heart stopping, fast paced, emotional read. I'm not a tv/movie person, but i would love to see this on the screen. I can not wait to have every book on his backlist and future works in my posession.

A harsh and gritty crime story. I was taken hostage on the first page.
Many thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book didn't quite work for me. I think it will appeal to readers who like darker stories. There were elements I enjoyed, and the writing was good, but the overall plot and vibe of the story was not for me.

Laws of Depravity, by Eric La Salle. First off I would like to say what a spectacular job that Eric has done with this book. I can not think of a crime fiction/ serial killer book that I have read that was imaginative, gripping, intense and had me totally absorbed in it besides the great James P. All I can say is wow! Absolutely wow at the creativity and the limits that Eric pushed his characters and his story to in order to present his readers with a mind blowing story.
All the characters I thought were wonderfully written. Quincy, Ghee, Maclin and Deggler were cleverly created to add that suspense, action and intellectual thinking for the law enforcement participation. The one that I didn’t see coming was Liam. All I can say is piece be with you brotha. I absolutely loved the many exciting high anticipations that this thrilled ride story that I went on. There are moments that will have really looking into the insight and mind of each character. I can not wait for another great read from this author. Until next my fellow readers… read on!

What a positive surprise! Every time I thought about Eriq La Salle the actor came to my mind but he has proved he is also a good writer. Laws of Depravity has a slow start but soon things start moving fast and the mystery of why people are being killed and by whom intensifies. Humans can be deceitful, great liars and ruthless, especially when they are in positions of power and the situations of child abuse mentioned in this story are not far from reality (most unfortunately). Great story, well written, and with a good plot. I'll be looking forward to reading Mr. La Salle's following books.

This fast paced thriller will also get you thinking about true justice and how desperation and frustration with the system can drive terrible outcomes. I enjoyed the slow reveal of the main characters’ personalities and relationships, which made the book much more engaging for me. A terrific, white knuckle read.

Delighted to include this title in the November edition of Novel Encounters, my regular column highlighting the month’s most anticipated fiction, for the Books section of Zoomer magazine. (see column and mini-review at link)

Every ten years for the last 30 years 12 clergymen have been killed. The slayings are gruesome. This time two NYPD detectives are enlisted to track down the killer and try to prevent all of the predicted deaths.

Based on the plot alone this should be interesting to fans of crime thrillers but there is a lot going on in this long novel. The chapters are full of detail, too much detail. There are a lot of characters to keep track of and we are given background info on even the most unimportant ones. There are also many different points of view but there is no easy transition when this happens as the narrator often switches back and forth within the same chapter.

The plot and action, which had potential to be interesting, are often overshadowed by characters' relationships and personal issues. It's clear a lot of effort went into this book but it was ultimately a letdown.

Fascinating premise, but otherwise, for me, a mess. I just couldn’t push myself onward, and I didn’t care enough about who did what to whom to make it to the end.

This is why:

POV is all over the place, randomly jumping from one character to another. At least half of the characters absolutely did not need narrating viewpoints. Consequently, the story lacked focus.

Instead of character development, we have long passages of backstory on seemingly everyone. Total information dump. I felt absolutely no emotional connection.

Too much detail on some things, not enough on others.

The gruesome murders were the only color in the story.

The book has the right pieces but needs some intense editing in order to pull out all its potential.

Of course, this is just my opinion. You might love it.

“New York City. Fall 2012. A priest is found murdered in the most gruesome of crime scenes. The brutal slaying is the work of “The Martyr Maker,” a serial killer that for the past 30 years has left behind a legacy of torture and fear.”

What rock have I been living under that I, not only don’t know that Eriq la Salle is an author, but also: HE DOESN’T SUCK.

I quite enjoyed this book, with its complex characters, fast pacing, and gritty story, as well as the deeper conversations about faith, and the ramifications of ‘saving demons from the Devil.’

I’m a little dubious that a mom would wade through her grief and start a relationship within two months of her child’s suicide, and I thought the “Little did he know” line, Book 2 hint, was a little contrived, but that won’t stop me from searching out other titles by Dr. Benton.

7.5/10

Thanks to NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press, Ebony Magazine Publishing, and RB Media for this god-forsaken ARC.

This is the first in the Martyr Maker series, and it was originally released in 2012. The premise, as well as the author, caught my attention. Sadly, it didn't quite deliver as expected. I struggled a bit, as things weren't as developed as I'd anticipated. I love crime shows, so I enjoyed that aspect of the story, but the other aspects of the book were overdetailed and a bit repetitive. I'm not sure I'd seek out other books in the series.

Let me start off by saying if you don’t like blood and gore, you probably won’t like this book. It wasn’t gory in my opinion, but I have a very high threshold. The murders are very descriptive, and there is quite a bit of mention of child abuse (although not really described, mostly inferred), so I can see where someone might need content warnings. With that being said, this novel is the first of a (so far) trilogy, the first of which is set to be released in November of 2022. I believe it is a rerelease. All in all, I think this story was excellent. I love a good religious fiction, even though I’m not the least but religious. This story was fascinating to me. I have to give kudos to the author for his unique methods of murder! It’s always hard to think of new ways to kill your characters off! Each chapter is told from the perspective of a different character. The transition is very smooth, so you almost don’t notice it’s happening. I did notice a bit of head hopping, though it wasn’t enough to pull me out of the story, and generally only happened very briefly. But the last chapter before the epilogue? I’m pretty cynical and even I didn’t see that one coming!


Huge thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and Netgalley for sending me this ARC for review! All of my reviews are given honestly!

Every ten years, for the past 30 years, a dozen clergymen are killed, brutally murdered in twisted scenes emulating the deaths of Jesus and his disciples. Now, "The Martyr Maker" has set his mark on New York City.
30 years. 36 priests butchered. His bloodiest masterpiece is yet to come.
The Laws of Depravity follows two NYPD detectives and an FBI agent as they race to catch a serial killer before he completes his last cycle of kills and disappears forever.
Clerical transgressions at the heart of Spotlight meets the visceral horror of Thomas Harris's Red Dragon, for a gritty, dark story about of how some of the most trusted members of society fail. The Laws of Depravity raises eye-opening questions about faith when the lines between good and evil have blurred beyond recognition.
Book1 of martyr maker series
Really enjoyed this book can’t wait for the next book totally recommend
Thank You NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press
I just reviewed Laws of Depravity by Eriq La Salle. #NetGalley

Ebook/Thriller: I didn't realize this book was a reissue from 2012, which was nice because the world was crazy in 2012, but not like the past few years. I wanted to read it because the author is an actor and director and I thought his writing style would keep my ADD brain interested.
The book goes through investigation and backstory very smoothly. I really liked the characters and their development. The plot was standard Criminal Minds, which is a good thing. I knew how most of it would end, but it was the journey to the end that I enjoyed. The bad guy was crazier than Silas in Di Vinci Code.
I did enjoy the book and await the second in the series.

Laws of Depravity by Eriq La Salle
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press, Ebony Magazine Publishing
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers
Published: November 1, 2022

Laws of Depravity by Eriq La Salle is the first book in the Martyr Maker series. This book was originally released in 2012 and has been updated for the rerelease.

I really wanted to love this book. Like, a lot. I thought the premise sounded fascinating and I was so excited to read it.

While the story was interesting, but it's execution fell flat. I really struggled to stay interested in this book and it took me over 2 weeks to read it. (When I love a book, I devour it...I finished 7 other books while reading this one.)

I loved the crime aspect. I really wanted to know how the police and FBI were going to catch the killer...but that was where my joy ended. Excluding the last few chapters, this book felt dry and monotonous with a lot of things that didn't add anything to the story.

I'm still debating whether I will read the next book or not. There is a teaser embedded in this book about what will be investigated in the next book and it sounds interesting, but I don't know that I'll want to spend that much time in a book I may not enjoy.

If you like crime dramas or police procedurals, you may enjoy this book.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, Poisoned Pen Press and by #NetGalley. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Fantastic storyline, stumbled to get to some of the plot. I can see this series, idea maturing.

5 stars

For the past thirty years, every ten years twelve clergymen of differing denominations are brutally and horrifically murdered. The murder travels from city to city.

When he arrives in New York, two NYPD detectives, Quincy Cavanaugh and Phee Freeman team up to capture the unknown killer. They are soon joined by FBI Agent Janet Maclin. The FBI has nicknamed the killer “The Martyr Maker.”

They work very long hours

There are several asides whereby the reader gets a chance to know the officers more intimately. This was a very well thought out manner in which to introduce the detectives. When I read a book, I always want to know more about the background of the protagonists. We even got to know The Martyr Maker very well.

I really appreciated the underlying discussion about the hypocrisy that some religious leaders display in their everyday lives. For The Martyr Maker does not kill “good” men, only those who make a mockery of society’s values and morals. The preacher who railes against homosexuality, but visits gay bars at night, the priest who who decries the abuse of children but is a pedophile himself and so on.

These issues also play out in the detectives’ lives. Phee, Quincy’s love interest, Elena’s and Janet all struggle with the issue, whether they are aware of it or not.

I enjoyed this book very much. I liked the three main protagonists very much and I completely understood The Martyr Maker’s reasons for his rampages. I certainly don’t condone the killings, but I understand. The book is extremely well written and plotted. The transitions are smooth. The killings are described in a matter of fact way. Mr. LaSalle does not get into the gore very much. Just the facts. I will certainly look into any more novels that this author chooses to write.

I want to thank NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press/Ebony Magazine Publishing for forwarding to me a copy of this great book for me to read, enjoy and review. The opinions expressed here are solely my own.

Interesting premise but clumsily realized. The idea of earthly vengeance for spiritual fraud. is as refreshing as seeing a televangelist exposed. This novel carries the theme to extremes with the ritualized murders of a number of backsliding clergymen. . The characters are well drawn but an excess of maudlin spirituality detracts from the plot.