‘Darkness, it seemed, had come to Los Angeles in more ways than one.’
Detectives Robert Hunter and Carlos Garcia of the LAPD Ultra Violent Crimes Unit are called to a crime scene. It’s one of the most shocking crime scenes they have ever seen. To try to make sense of what they have seen, Robert Hunter does some online searching, looking for patterns. While his search doesn’t seem to yield any immediate results, the FBI are quick to get in touch. This murder has some of the hallmarks of a suspected serial killer. The FBI and the LAPD UVC join forces to try to track this serial killer down. While they can recognise some of the pattern, they need to make sense of it all if they are to stop this killer.
The killer is sending a message, but how should it be interpreted?
Naturally, there are territorial and interpersonal issues when the staff of two different agencies need to work together. This adds to the tension and complicates the flow of information. But there’s a few more twists in this story before an unsettling ending. No spoilers here!
Warning: this is not a novel for the squeamish.
This is the ninth book in the Detective Robert Hunter series, and as time permits I’ll look for the other eight. Although a few elements of the story didn’t entirely work for me I’m intrigued by the character and want to read more.
Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Australia for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
Tasmanian Bibliophile @Large 