The Devil’s Progeny

“A brilliantly crafted occult mystery…utterly compelling…”

When Professor Holda Weisel receives an unexpected visit from her student, Lars Koch, she is shocked to learn that his father, the infamous TV talk show host, died two days earlier under unexplained circumstances. His death appears to be linked to old diaries written by his grandmother and great-grandmother, which he was reading at the time. Lars, a usually withdrawn and unlikeable loner with disturbing alt-right leanings, resolves to investigate the mystery.

With the aid of Holda and her husband Rupert, the town’s archivist, Lars begins to dig deeper into his murky family history, uncovering unsettling secrets at every turn. The reader is drawn into a world of prejudice, prostitution and malicious folklore set during the occupation of the Rhineland and up to World War II. As he explores further, Lars realises how these events link him inexorably to the far-right, anarchistic Reichsbürger movement – revealing he is directly in harm’s way. Yet this is only the beginning of his nightmare…

In this fast-moving mystery, Cathy Dobson combines evocative narrative, compelling characters and a breathtakingly audacious plot to create a story which will haunt the reader for a long time.

“Strong persuasive characters…brilliant historical settings…spellbinding.”

“A gripping storyline which startles at every turn. Absolutely enthralling.”

Out from November 25 2019

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Early morning at Schloss Pesch in Meerbusch

I chose Schloss Pesch in Meerbusch and the woods surrounding it as the setting for The Devil’s Missal. The atmosphere is perfect for an eerie tale of occult happenings and mystery. These are three photographs I took from an upper window of the Schloss very early one morning before the Rheinland mist had fully cleared.

Views from Schloss Pesch looking east towards Schürkesfeld.

A psychological thriller set in the Rhineland

The Devil’s Missal is Cathy Dobson’s latest novel, an intelligently constructed psychological thriller set in the Rhineland, combining classic horror themes with the terrifying history of witchcraft and sexual deviance through the ages, all under the oppressive shadow of a corrupted church.