Waites brings all his storytelling talent and experience to this chilling tale, with results so spectacular I might never go to Cornwall again. Superb * Lee Child *
Waites is one of the very best crime writers we have, simple as that. I've been looking forward to this book for a long time and, boy, it was worth waiting for. I don't know if I devoured IT or IT devoured ME... * Mark Billingham *
Martyn has written another raw, deftly-plotted thriller with a dark heart and a real emotional punch * Simon Kernick *
A strong plot, a formidable air of menace . . . a superbly executed cautionary tale about the malevolent force of parochialism * Laura Wilson, Guardian *
Authentically spooky, thrillingly atmospheric and unnervingly relevant. It reads like The Wicker man for the Brexit era * Chris Brookmyre *
Reading Martyn Waites is a guaranteed thrill-ride. His characters sing off the page, his plots keep you guessing until the end, and I always read his books in a day. So grab The Old Religion and make Martyn Waites your new religion! * Sarah Pinborough *
One of the brightest stars in the British crime writing firmament * John Connolly *
The Old Religion by Martyn Waites does for Cornish tourism what Peter Benchley and Jaws did for swimming in the sea! The Wicker Man meets Get Carter in a tale that straddles both contemporary crime and folk horror to form something entirely unique. This is a terrific book that one hopes will form the basis of a series with Tom KIllgannon at the fore * Stuart Neville *
The Old Religion is Martyn Waites at his dark and chilling best, a landmark work of rural noir which tears apart the countryside idyll and exposes just how twisted its bones really are * Eva Dolan *
One of those books you start reading and feel it envelope you like a second skin, meaning you can't put it down. Deliciously creepy, with a startling evocation of that scary old village with hidden secrets vibe. I loved it. Every word. Superbly written, creepy as hell, and chilling to the bone. I can't recommend it highly enough! * Luca Veste *
An unputdownable read, twisting and turning into the heart of darkness * Rebecca Chance *
A joyous new series with an adorable hero. Waites has come thundering back with all his talent intact * Alex Marwood *
Martyn Waites is already crime fiction royalty. With The Old Religion he has delved into the fears and hearts of disillusioned Britain. Tom Killgannon is one of the best new characters in modern fiction. I bloody loved this book * Steve Cavanagh *
A chilling slice of country noir. Great stuff * Mick Herron *
A superbly atmospheric book full of menace and secrets * Tom Wood *
The master of sinister. Prepare to be creeped out * Angela Clarke *
A compulsive and creepy crime novel, The Old Religion is brilliantly atmospheric and original. It's one of those books you keep saying to yourself - just one more chapter - and then realise you've been up all night. One of the best books I've read this year * Stav Sherez *
Deeply unsettling and hauntingly realistic, The Old Religion takes all the things I love in a book and smashes them together - hard * Susi Holliday *
This is a great read - dark and disturbing, like The Wicker Man reinvented for our own troubled times. This is the side of Cornwall you'd rather not see - full of sinister undercurrents - but the result is a novel that's gripping from the first page to its incredibly satisfying climax * Kevin Wignall, author of A Death in Sweden *
The Old Religion is crime noir at its finest. Gritty, claustrophobically tense and deeply emotive - unputdownable! * Steph Broadribb, author of Deep Down Dead *
An excellently woven crime novel, with a captivating setting and a brilliant lead character, from master storytellerMartyn Waites * Ragnar Jonasson *
A twisting, atmospheric, scary tale that delves into Cornwall's dark side - ancient and modern - to introduce a terrific new character in troubled cop-in-hiding Tom Killgannon. You won't be finding this one on the Cornish Tourist Board's reading list . . . * Anya Lipska *
A chilling slice of contemporary folk horror that will make you think twice before venturing into that friendly looking Cornish pub. * The Guardian, Mark Billingham mentions the book in his 'the books that made me' interview *
It's a dark story and not for the faint hearted: this is Cornwall post Brexit when the locals have realised that they've been lied to and tourists from the prosperous south east are avoiding the county, nervous of the Brexiteers they might encounter. Martyn Waites does an excellent job of drawing real people, people with plights you can understand. Killgannon is excellent, but I was particularly impressed by Lila, who begins as someone you'd probably go out of your way to avoid, but who gets under your skin and you end up wanting something to go right for her. The plot's a good one with excellent pacing and a feeling of menace which you can never quite shake. There's a neat twist at the end too, which I really didn't spot * The Bookbag *
I LOVED The Old Religion. I adored the tense, taut prose punctuated with lyricism; the dark and twisting plot; the dance between the main characters * A.K. Benedict, author of The Evidence of Ghosts *