Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Search - Unholy Fire

Unholy Fire
Unholy Fire
Author: Whitley Strieber
Detectives Kitty Pearson and Sam Dowd investigate a murder case in which a woman is found dead by her parish priest, in front of the altar of a locked church. The toll of corpses mounts and the struggle to identify the psychotic killer escalates. This is the author's ninth novel.
Info icon
ISBN-13: 9780451174963
ISBN-10: 0451174968
Publication Date: 2/1/1993
Rating:
  • Currently 3.3/5 Stars.
 13

3.3 stars, based on 13 ratings
Publisher: Onyx Books
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover, Audio Cassette
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

reviewed Unholy Fire on + 240 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
Chilling novel of psychological terror and demonic possession. High suspense. Right up there with King, Straub & Wilson.
althea avatar reviewed Unholy Fire on + 774 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
As I'm a big fan of the genre known (to me) as "Movies-With-Satan," I thought I'd try out this book in the same genre, even though I haven't been overly delighted with Strieber's writing in the past. ('The Hunger' is one of those rare instances where the movie is better than the book, and the sequel to 'The Hunger' was just awful.)

'Unholy Fire' starts out promisingly trashy, with a rich club kid (or is she an angel?) (or is she a prostitute/dominatrix?) named Maria, who has a thing for seducing priests.
However, after the first chapter, Maria gets offed, and the entire rest of the book is a mystery regarding which of the three main priests (kindly, elderly Father John? young, conservative Frank Bayley? mute, possibly crazy Tom Zimmer?) may be Satanically possessed (or just crazy), and committing terrible crimes....

The novel never delves deeply into anyone's motivations. We never find out the truth behind all the questions that are raised regarding Maria, and we never even discover WHY the killer has become so twisted in the ways that he has....
reviewed Unholy Fire on + 35 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
It's been a long time since I read this book, but I always enjoy Streiber. This book is a psychological thriller with demonic possession thrown in, and a murder that takes place in a church.
Read All 5 Book Reviews of "Unholy Fire"


Genres:

Tagshorror