"Even when the rainbow seems to pass right by me....I'm still finding Gold in the clouds....."

17 July 2012

Summer Book Review #5: Victims

Well, because of this high heat and humidity, I have been inside most of the last 3 days reading (when I'm not painting the dining room and cooking/cleaning).  In fact, due to a Facebook problem, I no longer have a FB account but that won't last long...I'll get a new account and hopefully this one won't get "bugged".....at any rate, I am now on the 4th full week of summer vacation and just finished a 4th novel. I am almost done with the Bible Study book and with Respectable Sins (it's on my husband's Nook so I have to read it when he isn't using it!).

Here's the novel I just finished:

This novel is the latest in the Alex Delaware Series by one of my favorite authors.

It's been over a year since I've read one of his books so when I saw this at the library, I grabbed it.

It's a very quick read as most of his novels are.
It's also a bit "gory"......ick....so glad it was fiction!!

STORY SUMMARY

Alex, a psychologist who is often sought after by the LAPD for his brilliant mind and detective skills, comes upon a gruesome crime scene with his friend, Lieutenant Milo Sturgis.  The victim is a woman whom no one really cares for...she is ascerbic, grumpy and all around mean.  But....who did she anger so badly that she ended up dead in a very gruesome manner?

There appears to be a homicidal maniac on the loose in LA and more bodies turn up. Even Alex is perplexed....there doesn't seem to be any kind of connection between the various victims.  
The only clue left behind is a blank sheet of paper with a large ? in the middle.  This seems to be a taunt and a cry for help from the killer.

Milo begins to redouble his efforts at finding the killer and finding a link between victims.  Meanwhile, Alex moves in the secretive world of mental health treatment, from a sleek office of a Beverly Hills therapist to a shuttered mental institution where he once was an intern.  Is this the place that spawned a killer??

As each piece of the puzzle fits into place, an ever horrible picture comes out of a sinister mind...and an evil soul.  This case will haunt Alex's waking life and his darkest dreams long after it is solved.

MY THOUGHTS

I liked the book because I like the characters in the Alex Delaware Series.  However, it was just a bit too gruesome in spots for me to really sink my teeth into the story.  I did like the title though and in my opinion I am wondering if Kellerman was thinking that the perpetrators were actually victims as well (I won't tell you how I arrived at this conclusion as I don't want to ruin the setting/plot regarding the killers).  It is a fast-paced story because I had to find out just what was happening but.....there are other Alex Delaware books I liked better...the earlier ones.

I recommend this book for ages 17 and older.(due to some graphic violent content).

On a scale of 1 -10 with 10 being the highest, I rate this a 7.


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