Genre:
Mystery/Suspense
Description:
"When
the body of a young woman is discovered by Detective Jack Crawford,
he knows the notorious Roman Numeral Killer is back. What's worse,
the appetite of the killer has changed from prostitutes and drug
addicts to just about everyone else. As the case explodes putting all
of Seattle in an uproar, Jack works tirelessly to stay ahead of the
noise. Catching up with the most dangerous killer seen in decades
won't be easy. A single misstep could make it deadly."
Author:
Allison
Janda has written many books. In her own words: "I'm an author
because being an author can make people laugh and cry and question
their beliefs and turn them on and turn them off and fall in love and
all of the other things that humans should do in order to live a full
life. And I hope that in reading my books, you feel something -
something that reminds you of why you read books in the first place."
For
more information, visit the author's website.
Appraisal:
Jack
Crawford, is a detective who finds the dead body of a man when he is
out running. The Roman Numerals killer has struck again, leaving
numbers carved into the man's ankle. Shortly afterwards the body of a
woman is found in a house, this murder apparently not the work of the
serial killer. The dead woman was the girlfriend of Greg Hahn,
brother to Emmet, who is Jack's partner in homicide investigations.
The only suspect is Erica Barnes, Greg's ex-girlfriend, who was at
the scene but claims she was only there to get her dog back. Jack
believes in her innocence but finds it difficult to find another
suspect.
The
main character, Jack, is nominally the hero but his reaction to
various situations is weak and confused and he finds it hard to be
objective as he is falling for Erica who is a pretty blonde with
pink, pouty lips.
There
is a great deal of humour in this book which sets it apart from the
usual grim, murder mystery and the premise is exciting and credible
but the narrative is let down by the clichéd writing and unrealistic
dialogue. There are long sections in the book dealing with the dog,
and elsewhere, with Erica's stay in hospital; these sections add
nothing to the story and could well be edited to half their length.
The
editing is untidy with many errors in syntax, grammar, and some
typos.
“'Some
of us have to make due with what we've got.'"
"
. . . hospitals had
certainly been the most depressing thing Jack had ever seen. This
place, though. This place was giving the hospital a run for their
money,"
"Emmett
had sprang to his feet . . . "
The
book would definitely benefit from some re-writing and a more
organised plot line. It seems as if the author isn't quite sure of
what this story is about; it begins with a serial killer murder, but
the main part of the book doesn't address this at all; it only
reappears and ties in at the very end. Each part is interesting in
itself although somewhat lacking in tension.
Still,
this book has an undeniable, bouncy charm to it which made it very
enjoyable despite its faults.
FYI:
Some
very gory scenes
Format/Typo
Issues:
Several
typos, spelling and syntax errors
Rating:
*** Three Stars
Reviewed
by: Joan Slowey
Approximate
word count: 50-55,000
words
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