A CAPTIVATING BLEND OF CRIME, HORROR, AND THE SUPERNATURAL
A missing girl whose bloodline traces back to the Salem Witch Trials is the perfect prize for a demonic cult operating on the fringes of Salem’s witchcraft underground.
Desperate to find his missing niece, a Boston police captain loans his best detective, Ray Hanley, to Salem PD to lead the investigation. But tensions flare when Ray is partnered with Elena Martinez, a rookie detective who resents his intrusion on her first big case.
As they navigate a treacherous landscape of occult rituals and black magic, the horrific discovery of additional victims deepens the mystery and hints at a more sinister plot… one involving a powerful enemy whose secrets include ancestral ties, malevolent forces, and the fulfillment of a dark prophecy.
As the days count down to Halloween, the race is on to stop an unspeakable evil from plunging Salem into eternal darkness.
Assessment:
Plot/Idea: The Burying Point is a finely crafted supernatural crime thriller which cleverly weaves the Salem Witch trials and satanic cults into its excellently orchestrated plot. There are plenty of twists and turns in Cavignano's well paced, intriguing, and consistently captivating novel.
Prose: Cavignano's text is an intelligently conceived horror-thriller that captures a murderous atmosphere with forensic attention to detail. Often bloody and gory, Cavignano masterfully builds tension while expertly encapsulating the essence of the intriguing Boston cityscape.
Originality: The Burying Point is a top notch crime thriller with razor sharp prose and a bristling atmosphere. Its frequently engaging plot and well rounded characters, particularly top detective Ray Hanley, are refreshing and offer great promise for future entries in this crime series.
Character/Execution: Ray Hanley is the captivating protagonist of The Burying Point and he's pushed to his limits with a case involving dark magic and witchcraft. The dynamic that develops between Ray and his rookie partner Elena Martinez is fascinating, with Cavignano displaying a knack for developing real emotional depth in his characterization.
Blurb: An absorbing supernatural crime thriller.
Date Submitted: May 18, 2024
Pulsing with banter and compelling characters, this dark procedural from Cavignano continues the Ray Hanley series with an unpredictable blend of crime and horror. Boston Police Detective Hanley (introduced in The Art of Dying is placed on a missing person’s investigation in the infamous town of Salem, just up the coast. The commute and interruptions to his home life are not appreciated, but the case is urgent: the possible victim is Cassie Barnes, the 19-year-old niece of Captain Barnes. Hanley is partnered with Salem’s Elena Martinez, on her first case. She doesn’t appreciate being placed with a man who doesn’t know the area and doesn’t know her capabilities. This odd couple grinds through interviews, chasing down clues as they come, as the case proves ever stranger and darker.Cavignano ramps up the tension as what starts out as standard police procedural work escalates into grisly murders and portents of unimaginable evil. To save Cassie and as many others as possible, Hanley and Martinez must face their pasts, and Salem’s, and also their own disregard for the supernatural. Deleted security tapes, slaughtered cows, and other missing women stand as smaller puzzles in the quest of a larger goal: bring Cassie home safely before it's too late. Characterization is strong—Martinez fought hard for her spot as a detective, vowing to protect young women in a way she wasn’t when she was young—and the detectives’ journey toward trusting each other offers warmth in the darkness.
Action-packed yet deeply researched, The Burying Point grabs from the first pages with crisp, focused prose and dialogue-driven scenecraft. Subtle clues will pique readers’ interest as they work out the fascinating puzzle along with Hanley and Martinez. Bursts of violence and horror are graphic but effective, and the brisk pacing and short, impactful chapters will inspire late-night readers to ignore the clock and tell themselves they’re just going to read one more. This is a strong choice for fans of police procedural dramas and horror stories alike.
Takeaway: Half crime drama, half occult horror story, this procedural is all memorable.
Comparable Titles: Cynthia Pelayo’s Children of Chicago, Ragnar Jonasson’s The Girl Who Died.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
