The Summoner by Layton Green

A crowd of chanting people, a leader in a red robe, a cloud of smoke, and Addison's girlfriend, Taps, who saw it all and who lost Addison in the crowd.

Taps couldn't believe Addison just disappeared.....they had been to other ceremonies such as this, but this one was completely different....no one had ever vanished.  The investigation into the disappearance was being led by Dominic Grey.  He was being helped by Nya who he knew was smart, but who he also knew had ulterior motives for involving Grey.

A religious cult was the main reason for the disappearance, but finding the leader was proving to be difficult.  Nya needed to get Taps involved and needed her to tell them everything William had done and said and where he had gone in the weeks before the ceremony.  Taps was fearful of giving information....she said they would come after her, but Nya said the information would help find William and hopefully it would.  One piece of information she gave about a church looked promising, but that turned out to be a dead end.  The investigation was beginning to become dangerous and was leading nowhere....THEN more bad news...another disappearance occurred, and it was a young girl.

The second disappearance led Nya and Grey to a remote village where no one would speak of the disappearance or the missing girl for fear of the N'anga.  It also lead them to a nightclub and to the owner who was quite dangerous and ruthless.  Gathering evidence about the cult and their practices and why things occurred became more hazardous and gruesome each day.

Nya and Grey’s lives were in constant danger as they got no closer to solving where N’anga was…they knew he was the one responsible but he couldn't be found.

The book is gripping and has a wealth of information about Zimbabwe and its people, culture, and customs.   There are a lot of twists and turns, horror, torture, and secrets.   The vivid descriptions of the lush, beautiful landscapes of Africa adds to the book's intrigue. 

If you are squeamish, this book may be disturbing, and you won’t be able to imagine how cruel someone can be to another human being.  Despite all of this, I am going to give the book a 5/5.

Green is a masterful writer...he allows the reader to definitely feel the emotion and tension of the plot and the eeriness of the religious rituals some cults follow.