I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

A psychologist and daughter of a murderer develops a revolutionary test to explore the id unencumbered by morality and sets a killer and the cop driven to violence by that same killer on a path of destruction in author Kevin Spark’s “id: A Novel”.

The Synopsis

Dr. Shelly, a brilliant psychologist, forever haunted by her father and his murderous past, is driven by the need to find out why we do the things we do? Is the concept of free will just a concept and nothing more, a construct that blinds us to a less palatable truth, that who we are is predetermined and encoded at birth? Does anyone really choose to do the bad things we do or are we just doing what comes naturally?

Shelly constructs an experiment using a sensory deprivation tank and virtual reality, allowing the darkest part of ourselves, the id, to run free. Unencumbered by morality or remorse, Shelly finds the perfect subject in Adam. A borderline psychotic born into a world of neglect and crime. Delving into the deepest pits of his subconscious, Shelly surfaces with far more than she bargained for.

Detective Hopper, responsible for Adam’s capture, remains a broken man. After suffering a breakdown due to the escalation of his own violent behavior, he is placed under the care of Dr Shelly. Encouraging him to go looking for his own redemption, Hopper becomes a pawn in her web of deception until the lines of reality are redrawn as Hopper and Adam come full circle to an explosive end.

The Review

This was a mind-blowing and thought-provoking psychological horror thriller. The imagery played well into the deep-set tone that psychological horror novels often take, and the inclusion of VR gaming environments and sensory deprivation tanks helped elevate the tension that the reader felt as the story progressed. The way these psychological ids came to life in the story and the way they spoke to the psychological aspects of our own minds helped elevate the atmosphere of this book tenfold. 

Yet it was the rich character development that really helped highlight this psychological horror. The way each of the main characters really played off one another in this almost cat-and-mouse style thriller and the steady pace of the narrative itself allowed the tension to build more and more as time went on. The way the author explored the “animal” that rests within us all and the ways in which we all deal with that animal in our lives played well into the story, and the heart-pounding terror that the imagery of these character’s ids brought to life will haunt readers well beyond the final pages of this book.

The Verdict

Haunting, captivating, and engaging, author Kevin Spark’s “id: A Novel” is a must-read psychological horror thriller. The twists and turns the narrative takes and the shocking conclusions that each character finds themselves in only lend themselves to the dynamic atmosphere and chilling imagery the author’s impressive writing style conjures up, drawing me in similarly to the way the acclaimed film The Cell starring Jennifer Lopez and Vincent D’Onofrio did when I first watched it. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!

Rating: 10/10