A serial killer is abducting, torturing, and murdering young women in a small community in central Maine. Seeming to select his victims at random, he acts out the rituals of the Spanish Inquisition before committing their bodies to the sacred waters of nearby Sebec Lake.
Anne Quinn, an investigator for the Piscataquis County sheriff’s office, and Detective Douglas Bateman with the Major Crimes Unit of the Maine State Police join forces in tracking him down. Hiding in plain sight, the killer is clearly from the local community and plays a deadly “catch me if you can” game with Quinn and Bateman. He seems determined to humiliate them and demonstrate his superior intellect, leading them to suspect that perhaps there is a deeper motive and purpose behind his string of murders.
Recommended. Strong police procedural, fair plot. 87th Precinct meets Sgt. Preston (look it up!). There is even a minor character nicknamed “Dudley DoRight”. My only criticism is the ending departs from the realism to be a TV script. Probably necessary to save leading characters for sequels, but seems off-key after the solid, no nonsense feel of the first 90% of the book.
Scary, intense, and suspenseful! That was scary, intense, and suspenseful! I really enjoyed this book even though the story did drag on at times, a bit too descriptive. There was an interesting history lesson included and it had interesting characters. The murders were brutal, imaginative, and sick, which had me holding my breath. I look forward to reading more from this author.
Excellent Read Very well developed characters and great description of the Maine locale. I enjoyed the interaction between the characters and hope this in a first in a series and at least more from this author.Â