"Reminiscent of Stephen King"

 

  -- Red City Review

 

"A chilling book ... undertones of Lovecraft, mixed with (Clive) Barker and just a splash of Thomas Harris, Rites of Azathoth is a thrill ride of a novel ... Cavallo is a master of the mental image ... he takes your brain and makes it his canvas." 

 

              --The Horror Review

 

"... high intrigue, ancient rituals, disgusting villains and mind-ripping horrors ... catnip for Lovecraft fans."

 

              -- The Slaughtered Bird

 

 

 

FBI criminal profiler Diana Mancuso doesn't do field work anymore. Not since a tragic mistake that cost innocent lives. But when notorious serial killer Luther Vayne escapes from prison and resumes his campaign of brutal murders, the Bureau convinces her to take one last case.

 

To catch him, she must understand him. She must delve into the arcana that fuels his madness, risking her life and her sanity to follow his twisted path. 

 

The trail plunges her into a shadowy world of occult rituals and unspeakable horrors, leading to a secret cabal operating at the highest levels--and a plot to summon the darkest of all powers, to bring forth an evil that does not belong in our world--to enact the RITES OF AZATHOTH.

 

         

"Cavallo presents as a certifiable virtuoso in terror ... creepy as hell ... many a skin-crawling moment ... readers may  be prompted to double check the door locks at night or sleep with the lights on for a spell ... you'll be hooked from chapter one."

                   

                                                               --HorrorNews.net

  

         

          Lightning tore a wound in the sky. The opening seethed. Steam swirled around the periphery, merging with the things that spilled out from the ocean of dark flames. Pus oozed out of the gateway, boiling in a toxic froth. Sulfur fumes choked the air with brimstone.

 

            Something began to take shape within the heart of the storm. It congealed from the cosmic bilge. Voices shrieked. Putrid wind swirled green-black tentacles all about its fat, blistered corpus. Jaws lined with jagged yellow teeth yammered in mindless hunger from the ends, slurping with purple lips.

 

             A grotesque head dangled beneath the thorny carapace, hanging from a mass of slimy tendrils. Hundreds of dark, empty eyes peered out from its cephalopod form. The hideous entity manifested unlike any living thing, taking shape within a ghostly congress of radiant globes, borne out of a bubbling lather suspended in a misty slime.

 

            Like a spider descending upon its prey, Yog Sothoth lowered itself from the sky. It extended its many spiny tentacles, wrapping them around Valeria Thorne, holding her fast. It drove its claws into the ground, rooting itself down. Then its terrible maw opened, and yet another dripping proboscis flittered into view. It searched around, sniffing, feeling and stroking Valeria -- until it found the opening it desired.

 

 

"exceptional ... can proudly take its place in the Lovecraftian Mythos ... riveting, intriguing and terrifying..."

 

                  --The Haunted Reading Room 

 

"A gripping Lovecraftian thriller ... with plenty of occult mystery thrown in for good measure ...  put a thoroughly modern twist on an old concept. The story is grittier than you would expect from the title, and gorier than Lovecraft would have dared, but still retains so much of the atmosphere his stories evoke that it never disappointed."

 

                   --The Gin Book Club

 

"It's a cracking pace, a mix of view points from all the key players and a plot that is just completely bonkers. It mixes murder mystery, police procedure and the esoteric so well with plenty of WTF moments. It's just so much fun to read and I haven't felt that in a book for a long time. Absolutely loved it."

 

                      --For the Love of Books

 

"A fast-paced plot with an edge ... suspenseful with every page ... a wicked novel full of twisted scenes."

 

                   --Urban Book Reviews

 

 "...R-rated crime fiction that takes a sudden, jarring turn into the otherworldly ... makes the supernatural stuff stand out in an explosive, stunning way."

 

                    --Revolution Sci-Fi 

 

"Five Stars. An amazing adventure that seamlessly presents the Cthulhu myth in a fresh, exciting way. An absolute must read!"

 

                    --Christopher Havens

 

"Definitely going to be a treat for fans of HP Lovecraft ... This is a bloody book with demons and Elder Gods, not for the faint of heart ... insanity-inducing eldritch horrors."

 

                     --Girl Who Reads

 

"A masterful blend ... readers will find themselves in the midst of dark rituals and a world of horror and fear."

                   

                     --Best Thrillers

 

"...a special recommendation .... more than enough to keep them awake at night."

 

                     --Midwest Book Review

 

 "This blend of  police procedural and Lovecraftian horror had two hooks to grab me."

                         

                      -- Don D'Ammassa

 

"An enjoyable read ... FBI profiling and backroom politics mixed with sloppy tentacles grabbing unsuspecting victims and all manner of eldritch horrors."

 

                      --BenW Reviews

 

"Oh Cthulhu, there was so much about this book that I loved ... the Lovecraftian mythos was worked in perfectly ... paints it so clearly that I could see the battle. And it was glorious."

                   

                      --SciFi & Scary

 

"Wonderfully bloody, interesting, creepy, well-written descent into the occult."

 

                      --Open Book Post