When the body of a young woman is discovered in a derelict cottage in the middle of Los Angeles National Forest, Homicide Detective Robert Hunter finds himself entering a horrific and recurring nightmare. Naked, strung from two parallel wooden posts, the victim was sadistically tortured before meeting an excruciatingly painful death.
All the skin has been ripped from her face – while she was still alive. On the nape of her neck has been carved a strange double-cross: the signature of a psychopath known as the Crucifix Killer. But that’s impossible. Because two years ago, the Crucifix Killer was caught and executed. Could this therefore be a copycat killer? Or could the unthinkable be true?
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Is the real killer still out there, ready to embark once again on a vicious and violent killing spree, selecting his victims seemingly at random, taunting Robert Hunter with his inability to catch him? Hunter and his rookie partner are about to enter a nightmare beyond imagining.
My Review
Welcome to my first post on this fab #blogathon. There will be one review per month.
First of all, let me just say that in my humble opinion the series has improved massively over time. The Crucifix Killer is the first in the series and the books get more sophisticated with each passing year. In this one I guessed the killer quite quickly and I wasn’t convinced they would be physically capable of doing what they did. And while everyone raves about the ending, it wasn’t what I expected.
There is quite a bit of ‘info-dump’ about the way things work in California, which was useful, but a bit odd in the telling. Finally, all the women are blonde and beautiful, the men muscular and toned, but I guess it’s California and that is what we expect, but I hope we have moved on a bit.
But to the positives, and there are loads. I like Robert Hunter and his new partner ‘rookie’ Garcia. Robert lives alone, doesn’t have a girlfriend, or even a cat (thank goodness), as I would spend the whole book worrying about it. The killer has no boundaries after all. The murders are very gory (yes that’s a positive), there are other secondary stories to give more depth and interest, and it moves at a cracking pace. Without sounding sexist, I feel it would be more suited to a male audience, but then it was written 15 years ago. It didn’t really ‘speak’ to me. Hence 4 stars, but I gave the only other book I have read so far – Written in Blood – 5 stars.
As an aside, if anyone says they like a cosy crime, but anything more extreme is not for them, what do I recommend? I resist the temptation to say ‘have you ever read Chris Carter?’ as that would just be wicked!
Many thanks to @Tr4cyF3nt0n for inviting me to be part of the #CompulsiveReaders #blogathon.
About the Author
Born in Brazil of Italian origin, Chris Carter studied psychology and criminal behaviour at the University of Michigan. As a member of the Michigan State District Attorney’s Criminal Psychology team, he interviewed and studied many criminals, including serial and multiple homicide offenders with life imprisonment convictions. He now lives in London. Visit his website www.chriscarterbooks.com
