This is one of the books I got in my loot from Tez as mentioned here. I can’t remember if it’s one those I chose or a random book but I’m happy it came.
Talent Borrows. Genius Steals. Evil Delegates.
It’s a hideous echo of a violent past. Across America, murders are being committed with all the twisted hallmarks of the Boston Strangler, the Zodiac Killer and Son of Sam. The media frenzy explodes and Nashville homicide lieutenant Taylor Jackson knows instantly that The Pretender is back…and he’s got helpers.
As The Pretender’s disciples perpetrate their sick homages – stretching police and the FBI dangerously thin – Taylor tries desperately to prepare for their inevitable showdown. And she must do it alone. To be close to her is to be in mortal danger, and she won’t risk losing anyone she loves. But the isolation, the self-doubt and the rising body count are taking their toll – she’s beside herself and ready to snap.
The brilliant psychopath who both adores and despises her is drawing close. Close enough to touch…
This looks to be a promising premise and I found it delivered…in spades. This book is well written, the idea that a psychopath will create a game and enlist other psychopaths to murder is very worrying but Ellison makes it work.
What made me really sit up and take notice was the blogger. Colleen Keck is a blogger who is making a modest living out of blogging about crime and helping to solve some crimes. We see how she works and we see her talking about verifying her sources to ensure she only puts out good information. To bring this terrifying idea of a game designed for psychopaths into my world made me both squirm and applaud. It was lovely to see blogging used in a book.
One thing I didn’t like was the use of plastic surgery as a disguise. From what I’ve seen of plastic surgery it’s nigh on impossible to change someone’s appearance enough to make them hard to identify and still have them looking really good. I felt this stretched things a little too far.
Warnings:
- Lots of murder, death and swearing.
- Challenging to put down.