David Fennell’s The Art of Death is a dark and twisted serial killer tale. The horror factor is ramped up early on when three glass cabinets, apparently new art installations, appear on a London street. Only, the “art” inside them is the work of a deeply sick individual: floating in each cabinet is the corpse of a homeless man. The police trace the cabinets to an underground artist known as @nonymous, and they also find the sinister promise that there is more art to come.
The case is assigned to Detective Inspector Grace Archer––who happens to have survived an attack by a serial killer some eighteen years ago––and Detective Sergeant Harry Quinn––one of the few officers willing to work with Archer. Unfortunately, it isn’t long before more bodies appear and @nonymous starts livestreaming the murders, and all the while, a sinister figure is stalking a collection of Londoners who have no idea how close they are to becoming the victims of a serial killer.
The Art of Death is a fast-paced yet suspenseful police procedural, and it’s also pretty gory and disturbing in places. As a survivor of an earlier serial killer, Grace Archer is an interesting if somewhat acerbic lead detective who has insights into the mind of a deranged killer that she would rather not know about. Her backstory, particularly her relationships with the police officers other than Quinn, does sometimes intrude upon the central mystery, but it works well overall.
The case is assigned to Detective Inspector Grace Archer––who happens to have survived an attack by a serial killer some eighteen years ago––and Detective Sergeant Harry Quinn––one of the few officers willing to work with Archer. Unfortunately, it isn’t long before more bodies appear and @nonymous starts livestreaming the murders, and all the while, a sinister figure is stalking a collection of Londoners who have no idea how close they are to becoming the victims of a serial killer.
The Art of Death is a fast-paced yet suspenseful police procedural, and it’s also pretty gory and disturbing in places. As a survivor of an earlier serial killer, Grace Archer is an interesting if somewhat acerbic lead detective who has insights into the mind of a deranged killer that she would rather not know about. Her backstory, particularly her relationships with the police officers other than Quinn, does sometimes intrude upon the central mystery, but it works well overall.