Another gripping read from Sharon Bolton! It definitely terrified the pants off of me as I am home alone most evenings. The entire premise was very intriguing from the use of snakes to the religious angle. For a while I did indeed think she had included ghosts which was very surprising...but I'm glad it didn't turn out to be true. I am not a religious person at all but the sects she described terrify me, not that I believe in what they do, but people that intense in their beliefs are often dangerous mentally and physically.

I did find the relationships with Matt and Sean a bit odd and possibly unnecessary. Matt was set up like he was to be a love interest (ala Mark Josebury maybe?) but then he somehow had a girlfriend.; which seemed fine because she hadn't really shown interest. Then at the end of the book he's still apparently interested in Clara, and she's apparently interested as well. The whole Sean thing was weird and unresolved. He likes her and kisses her, she seems to have enjoyed it and then that's kind of the last of it. What?