Eight stars
Returning for another chilling Chris Carter novel, the reader must set aside all thoughts of routine thrillers and prepare to walk down a dark alley. Detective Robert Hunter of the LAPD Ultra Violent Crimes Unit is called to investigate a suspicious murder that is anything but suspicious. A man is found outrage Los Angeles with multiple fractures and wounds. While Detective Hunter and his partner begin looking into the case, they are pulled into another where a suicide victim's injuries and witness accounts do not add up. It's only then that Detective Hunter learns that the killer is trying to cover their tracks by targeting people with a secret they have not wanted to surface. Trouble is, the victims are so carefully selected that it will be hard to proactively protect them, or themselves. Carter delves into the darkest aspects of the human psyche with these stories and this is a stunning addition to this stellar series.
When a body appears on the autopsy table for LA Chief Medical Examiner, Dr. Carolyn Hove is happy to complete her examination. A number of inconsistencies with the hit-and-run victim has her reach out to LAPD's Robbery and Homicide Division, where a small unit is nestled and ready to help. Dectectives Robert Hunter and Carlos Garcia man the Ultra Violent Crimes Unit, one of only three in the country. Detectives Hunter and Garcia explore the case, which has been labelled a traffic accident, though something does not fit.
Dr. Hove explains that while the injuries do present as a hit-and-run, there are signs that the victim was tortured in ways that cannot be fathomed. Detectives Hunter and Garcia take up the case and try to piece things together to make sense of what they are seeing. This is soon made exponentially worse when Dr. Hove comes upon an apparent suicide victim whose injuries present as that of something more. It is now apparent that someone or a group of people have been trying to cover torture with reasonable injuries and having them found dead.
Out on the streets of L.A., a serial killer lurks with a penchant for torturing people for reasons as yet unclear. The gruesome killings shake Detectives Hunter and Garcia to the core, as they try to unwrap the case at hand. Focusing their attention on a unique pathway, the detectives make the ultimate gamble to uncover a killer, though it could cost at least one of them their life. Carter offers up one of his darkest novels to date, but surely also at the top of his collection.
While I have always found myself to be open-minded with my reading, there are limits as to what I can stomach. Many may shy away from Chris Carter's work, with the depth of violence and psychotic nature that the killers in his book possess, but the degree of despair and angst have a purpose. Carter is able to display this psychosis and detailed disparity effectively and keeps the reader hooked as they try to discern how things will come together. The narrative flow opens with ease and builds from there, balancing between the killer's point of view and that of Ultra Violent Crimes Detectives Hunter and Garcia. There is never a moment of rest while Carter spins his tale and keeps the reader hooked on what is to come with the depth of despair that occurs, with victims completely used to add a sense of fear and shock. There is nothing like Carter's writing to present such a dark story and the reader is in for a treat if this is something they can handle. Characters hash out the truths and leave the reader wondering just how much they can take, as the story climaxes and leaves things out on the table for all.
Of all the authors that I read, few could meet the plot points that Chris Carter offers. He tackles some truly dark and depraved situations, but does so with aplomb and keeps the reader wondering just how far things might go. The surprises that pop up are truly intense and keep the reader wondering what is to come as well as how the killer might find new ways to shock the reader. I love these books, as this series stands out well and keeps finding new ways to shock me. Carter knows just how to pique my interest and scare me at the same time.
Kudos, Mr. Carter, for a truth frightful read I could not put down.
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