Vicki S. (curledupwithabook) - , reviewed on 9/26/2013 + 169 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 2

This book is right in my favorite genres --> mysteries, serial killers, suspense, and I did enjoy it. A particularly sadistic and just plain nasty serial killer is on the loose and a couple of detectives (one more than the other) are hard at work trying to nab him before he kills again. Unfortunately, it takes them a while to figure out what's going on and several unfortunate women are violently murdered during the wait. A plucky and self-involved journalist impacts the chase by being less than candid with the police. And the impact of the murders on an innocent child pulls at the heartstrings. The child's mother is as sick as the killer, OR is she also his victim? We're left to wonder.

What took this book down a couple of stars for me was the feeling I got that this book was initially a lot longer than the end result and that, in the editing or rewriting, some important details were left out. The lack of these details doesn't affect the overall suspense or leave questions unanswered, but it makes the book flow a little less smoothly than it should. For example, at one point the detectives are in the journalist's home. The female detective notices a man's shaving accoutrements in the bathroom and says that she didn't know the journalist was living with someone. Now, this wouldn't be strange except that the detective had never met the journalist before, so she actually didn't know ANYTHING about her. Besides that, nothing ever materializes about the shaving equipment anyway. I felt something was missing - had been edited out. There are several other minor "jagged edges" such as that one that just left me wondering whether or not Olsen had been asked by his editors to make some cuts. If so, the pieces and parts that were edited out would have made for a richer reading experience.

I still recommend it for those who love a thriller, but aren't bothered by graphic descriptions of torture.

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